RF Generation Message Board

It seems that every collector / gamer has a diffrent philosophy about what they collect.  
ex.
I started as an NES collector, then after finding the communty online I have recently started trying to find as many diffrent types of consoles and handhelds I can.  I don't need boxs and manuels, I'll take them for free, but I wouldn't even pay extra shipping for them.  Oh and I am very cheap, been shipping for a GB adv. for 2 weeks on ebay, but I won't pay more then $20 for one.

So, what kind of collector are you? Are you a Company Fanboy? a completest?  A Ebay reseller? Are do you just pick up whatever?

i'm prob 20% collector 80% gamer myself, most of my games i've had since they were new, others i've discovered later in life through the use of emu's and online research.
the 20% collector is mainly uniformity, i like all the games for a particular system to either be all cib or all loose, i throw away boxes all the time for some systems and refuse to buy loose for others.
i try not to spend more than $5-10 for a used game and i enjoy opening sealed games, the nostalgia puts me back to that time/place where i got my first games for the particular system it's for.

depends on system...atari 2600 i collect loose along with colecovision snes and n64

atari 5200,7800,intellivision and nes i perfer complete.

I pick up what ever I find for cheap as well. If I see a system for cheap, I'll pick it up. If it's boxed, I'll pay a tad bit more.

Atari 2600 - Loose w/ manual
NES - Loose w/ manual
N64 - Loose
SMS - CIB
Sega Genesis - CIB

Any of the cd based games have to be CIB.

I'd say I'm a completest.  Price doesn't matter to me if I want it.  And, while I do have some loose stuff, I'm working on making it all CIB and I am currently not really buying any old stuff loose unless its amazingly cheap and I never bought any new stuff (CD based) stuff loose....

I collect whatever I can find cheap. I haven't  zeroed in on one particular system just yet. I basically just hit as many thrift stores, flea markets and garage sales that I can and see what turns up. I also check the big retailers like Target and Best Buy for clearance stuff pretty regularly (got Zoo Keeper for the DS at K Mart for $5 last night) and trade or buy from other collectors from time to time.

I don't care if  what I find is loose except for CD games. though I do have a few loose Sega CD and Saturn games. I also prefer boxes for Genesis and SMS, no manuals is okay.

Systems I don't care if they are loose either. If I find anything I already have loose again and it's complete I do buy it again.

I play my stuff as much as I can though not as often as I seem to be out searching for stuff.

NES has to be CIB, and I dont care about the price if I need it. I am a completest for sure. Of course I dont collect Atari boxes or manuals (not yet anyhow)

Not really a fanboy (allthough some joke that I am :P)
I am probably more collector than gamer anymore, 35% gamer, 65% collector. Where as I used to be more of a gamer. Mostly due to lack of time for gaming.....

I get whatever I can for as cheap as I can get it. I like complete stuff, but it's not a deal breaker for me if it's not.  I get whatever is available...Im not prone to one certain system.  Though, the NES, 2600, and Genny seem to be the easiest and cheapest to collect for in my area, I am really getting into ps1 games.  I really need to get a ps2 that works (or a ps1!).

Im more prone to pass on incomplete cd/dvd based games than I am with carts.  

I have almost no system cib so that doesn't matter much to me either...as long as it works!

I like to play the games as much as I can, but sometimes I think that the hunting and finding is even more fun.

I collect what I want to play.

i prefer boxes and manuals for systems that had durable boxes.  sadly, i tossed out nintendo and atari boxes as i didnt have any room to store them.  but ive changed my ways and now collapse them and store them in a large box in the attic.  

I only require boxes for current systems though, PSone, Genesis, Intellivision and Neo Geo Pocket boxes are nice, but i will buy loose games if the price is right

i only have one complete collection (the NES e-card series, though i do not have the kirby game, so that may or may not be true).  i am looking to complete a Dreamcast and 32X collection in the near future.  then it will be on to the Saturn and Master System.  I would like to get a complete genesis and sega cd collection, but i see those being fairly tough to finish.

I am a CIB SNOB just ask Den he will tell ya. I am a Sega and Atari collector. I use to not care and about CIB 2600 games but that is changing.

I also collect anything that is CIB and cheap.

Oh yeah the one thing better then CIB games is CIB systems.

Who's joking I know Jag and I are not joking Fanboy/

Also I would say I am 90% collector and 10% gamer. Until Phantasy Satr Universe comes out then I will be 90% gamer 10 % collector.

I am a completest also. So far I have 4 system complete. I hope to finish the Sega CD by the end of the year.

I guess I'm a bit of a CIB "snob" as well, mostly for current gen games, though. I have a few loose N64 titles.

Not a completionist at all. Prefer to buy as cheap as possible. Always looking for deals on ebay as well as the local stores.

I'm also somewhat of a quality snob. I check out gamerankings.com and research the various reviews before buying anything. At the least, it gives me an idea for what a game should be worth and if I can anticipate a price drop in the near future.

I used to consider myself a completist (although I still want a complete NGPC collection, not CIB), but anymore I just buy to play.

I prefer uniformity among each individual platform library, so NES, SNES, N64, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and 2600 I buy loose.  Everything else I prefer CIB, and disk-based software requires at least a box.

Systems, I take what I can get.

I hate you.

In anycase i am a CIB seeker/opportunist/fanboy/etc. Just depends on the pahse i am in. Though i don't see myself getting out of my "complete" phase.
I have only bought maybe a dozen games without a box & manual in the last 3 or so years.

Sure they take up less space but to me they also have less value. And are less cool. But if i see a game i rreally want or i know is a really good deal i will pick it up loose in hopes of finding it again later or picking up what i am missing later.

I use to get pretty much everything and anything.
But lately, especially the last 2ish months i have been focusing my efforts on Mortal Kombat items.

Never got into the handhelds outside of the old Mattel classics & Microvision. Pretty much stick to consoles...

I collect any game that is either original, groundbreaking, or flat-out fun. Sports titles are excluded and RPGs are the only exception when it comes to disposable material. Console does not make a difference.

:laugh:

100 loose nes games look better arranged by title on a shelf then  40 boxed and 60 loose, especially if you keep your collection in the living room, but to be fair i've given away loose carts for systems that i have all boxed, i guess a few years of military service will rub uniformity off on you.

Could have unfolded them flat and stored them somewhere.
Could have sold the boxes.
Could have traded the boxes.
Could have given the boxes away.
You threw them out....


I am a mega packrat too.

I keep some stuff that should throwing out just because.
Why not? We have millions of broken clay pots in museums around the world ;)

As for uniformity.
I have all my boxed games on a shelf for display. All the loose games in a container under my bed.

I'm what I would call a 'quality seeking collector and gamer'. Basically, I made a list of every game I could think of that I liked as a kid or always wanted to try, and I collected them all. That wishlist always keeps getting bigger, and naturally my collection does, too. I'm not concerned with rarity, typically...I don't have much interest in owning something simply because it's hard to find (unless it kicks ass, of course). I do have some completist tendencies when it comes to my favorite series (get all the Metroids, Zeldas, etc) as well, but I don't see myself ever trying to get every game for a system. Maybe in the far off future.

There ARE some exceptions to this, though - I do have a small collection of things that I bought simply because they're awful (White Men Can't Jump, Kris Kross, etc.)

For the most part - if it's good, noteworthy and/or a good discussion piece, I want it.

I take whatever I can find in the wild (mostly thrifts & garage sales), that's why I have games for several systems I don't even own.  I prefer CIB but I won't pass on something that I need just because it's loose (most of the time)  At this point in my life I find that I am 90% collector and 10% gamer, but I think as my boys get older they may bring back out more of the gamer in me.  Time will tell on that.

since i was a kid with my intelly and 2600 i've always kept the games i've gotten for each system over the years and by the time the big collecting boom seemed to kick off what was done was done with the majority of my games, who knew 20 years ago that cardboard boxes would be so valuable?

???

I see. I buy.  As simple as that.  Well depending on price.   I try to get everything complete but some systems more than others. (NES, Genesis)

I buy what's cheap. I've no disposable income at the moment as I've bought a house which is in the process of being gutted. Not a cheap task.

I don't follow any particular system and buy games for any of the ones I own. When I do buy I only buy games CIB as nothing I get is particularly rare, so they're easy enough to get in a decent condition.

I am definatley more of a gamer than a collector any way, (even though I know I won't ever get to play most of them), I just can't resist a bargain.

I do collect games in the Pro Evo and ISS series from Konami though, which are easy enough to pick up.

So get 100 boxed games  ;)

Or keep the boxed games together and the loose games together.

I keep my loose carts on 1 seperate shelf. I wouldn't want their "loose" germs to infect my CIB games :P
Check my profile to see a pic of that set up.

the thing is the majority of my loose games were bought when their respective systems were new, and like most kids the boxes got thrown away or damaged. i threw most of those boxes out years and years ago, i've become so used to having all loose carts for some systems i prefer them now, i like the look of having them all looking the same in alphabetical order, maybe i got too much adrian monk in me  :P

Simply put.... Variant Whore.  Those that know me know I really don't mind owning 6 or 7 or 8 versions of a game if theres a variant to em.

I'm a completist.  If that means waiting an extra year to get the game... so be it.  Since I only go after newer stuff it really doesnt matter to me that my NES stuff from when I was a kid is loose.  But anything I put money on now is complete.  I've only got one complete collection thus far and thats the NGPC (which still isn't a perfect collection, I need more boxed systems) but since my other collections are just a tad bigger to collect for its understandable.

:laugh:

This is oh so true  ;) You and Jason both :P
Not that this is a bad thing.  :)

I'm currently collecting CIB NES games, loose 2600 games and CIB Genny games.

I was collecting everything, but I am running out of room.  I only wnat to collect for those systems that are near and dear to my heart.  

I just collect the games I like.  I have no loyalties to any console producer.  I am really only a completist with regards to the Dreamcast.  I don't know why but it's just burned into my mind that I have to have the complete library, all of the Euro exclusives, white label demos, and Japanese exclusives.  I expect this to take a LONG time.

I have like 12+ systems with games and accesories for them all, but NES is the only thing I really collect.  I just get games for the others systems that I really enjoy.  
~~NGD

And the bad thing is that I got him started on variants....  He was a 'typical' owner of everything before I came around and made him buy even MORE copies of games.

You are an evil evil man.  ;)

You are an evil evil man.  ;)

Jason: YEAH I HAVE ALL THE PSX GAMES!!!!! WOOT!

PapaStu: You do? You only have 1275(?)

Jason:Yeah thats all of them.

PapStu: Silly Silly man you need the variants 1275 is for the weak you need about 1900 PSX games to be a real man.

Jason: NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(

70% collector
30% player!
Genesis carts are just fine, I want to compleate this system.
32x carts are fine also.
sega cd has to be CIB, I like the boxes plus cds need to be taken care of.
game gear I pick up new games when I find them and they are the right price!
Nes, stopped even picking up games for. have a few I like and thats it.
I will drive hours to collect games I need for genesis, will go to swap meets when I can, like tommorrow (have the day off!!!). Will go to every game store on a regular basis, look on craigs list but never ebay (well I will be getting that way soon)

My collecting habits also depend on the console and type.  For NES games, I aim for a complete CIB collection with variants, etc, but since I have the majority of the manuals already and bought a couple box sets, I have no problem buying individual pieces here and there.  I store the carts, manuals, and boxes all apart from one another, so its not really noticable that some games are more complete than others :)

As for NES hardware, I only buy complete (preferably new; unless I get a super deal on a loose accessory) stuff and I'll pick up any variant that I still need as long as my spending budget can manage. :)  Since there isn't a complete list of NES accessories available yet, it's hard to really "complete" the set, but that is just more motivation for me to collect the stuff as I enjoy documenting it :)

Well i started collecting NES again 3 years back and at first i started with carts (i had 20 left from the past).
After like 5 to 6 months i saw quite some copletes popping up on ebay.nl and 2ndhandsites so i decided to collect complete,looked nicer and IMO it's great to own it all.Manual,cart,box if possible poster and inlays. :)
Last year my interest grew more towards proto's/demo's and such and other related stuff and stumbled upon other consoles proto's and got interested in some other stuff also.
I mean SMS,Megadrive,SNES,GB games and other stuff.I buy for NES completes mostly and when it's an uncommon game i will settle for cart also in some cases.
When i go to flea markets and i can't find NES related stuff i buy other consoles games also,mostly carts.Some for the keep some for trade bait or for resale as long if it's cheap i'll buy it,NES wise no limit really.
About spending limits,if i really want it and i have the money for it i buy it no matter what.

I pick up whatever I can as long as it has a good price on it. I don't care if  Ihave the system or not, cause my plan is to one day get my hands on it.

I collect what I will play or use. However, if I see a game I'm not intrested in, but it is a cheap, a collector and is quality, like Legend of Oasis for the Sega Saturn, I'll pick it up. Like I was going to pass it up for $3.

However... if it's not a system I collect I'll leave on the shelf, and let someone else enjoy it. Seeing Street Fighter Collection for the PS1, mint for $3 is an example.

Condition... well 16 bit games I don't really care if they are complete, but if the game requires a manual, like Herzog Zwei, I want one. Fighting games require one. I didn't get Virtua Fighter 2 or 32X until I had a manual.

True Story: When I bought Virtua Fighter 2 for the Genesis, well I wanted it -- I bought a manual before I bought the game, I really lucked out because every copy on ebay was loose.

Any thing past the Genesis or SNES I want complete. I am working on getting complete copies of the last few loose Saturn games that I have.

Hell, I just pick up whatever usually. And if i see something that i have heard was good, I grab it.

My mentality also.  When I hear about a good or great game, I might go out and buy it.  Other than that, I'll pick up cheap games and hopefully a gem pops up that I can recommend to my buds.

I used to be one of those people that I just wanted every game I could get my hands on, but I found out I had too many games I really didn't want to play again, so that stopped.  The only system I want every game for now is the NGPC (of my 36 games, probably a third of them are boxed, and there's only maybe one of them that I can say I don't like).

I started with the thought of just getting games I liked, but that went out the window when the import bug bit me hard.

I mean really... how many horse racing or dating sims does one person need when you can't understand what's on the screen?

These days I still pick up games for systems I don't own, but might some day. :P If it's cheap and in good shape I'll likely buy it. I try for complete on most stuff, but older carts I'll take loose.

Funk yeah!

I don't really focus on any certain console. If it's cheap I'll buy it. When it comes to games I like them complete, although some I will buy loose.

I'm not much of a collector as much as a video game fan. I just get what I get when it comes out. Just recently I have been looking back at my pack-rat life and seeing what I really have hidden away. My first personal goal is to get all the Armored Core games for PS1 and then work on getting some of the rarer PS1 RPGs and Metal Gear games.

me well i started out out on the n64, friends heard about what i was doing so i got a lot of free games off peole now not focued on much if i see a good deal i buy it

also i live in the uk  and i want more PAL games on the data base beause their are on enough

I'll buy whatever I can that is cheap. It doesn't matter if it is a 2600 game or a N64 game, as long as it is cheap, I'm gonna buy it. 

I'm about 80% gamer and 20% collector. I'm mostly focused on the n.e.s. really dont care if it has the box and manual or not. Just as long as the cart and label are in good condition. I also buy games for the snes, Dreamcast, Virtual boy, and Genesis and my other systems. The Dreamcast and Genesis and any CD game have to be complete. I can't stand those being incomplete for some reason.

I collect games and systems I enjoy.  I don't care how rare a game is.  If its not fun I get rid of it for games that are fun.  My favorite systems tend to be the NES and Genesis.  I tend not to buy doubles unless I know someone needing something or its a really good deal.

Anything I can get my hands on.
Carts can be loose but CD games must be complete.  Same for DVD games.
I try to get only the games that interest me and used to say it was only games I'd want to play but seriously, I'm not kidding anyone when I have 30+ game months and dont touch a one beyond testing it out to see if it works.

I'm a CIB Japan games collector. My current collection doesn't entirely reflect that. That's because I just decided recently.
In 3 years I'll be moving to Japan, bringing my collection with me. Since it would cost more to import American games to Japan instead of just buying the Japanese games (and the fact that I wouldn't be able to just continue an American console in Japanese given the differing titles and box-types; the perfectionist in me can't do it), I'll go ahead and start building up an entirely Japanese collection now. This also makes it a bit more interesting because there are lots of games that are Japan only.

I've only got Wonder Project J and J2, MOTHER1+2 Value Selection and MOTHER3 Deluxe Box when it comes to Japanese games. That number shall grow. :P

im the kind that grabs it if i dont have it and its decently priced. i gotta get that deal. i have had some really good scores recently. my collection just about grows daily. and i am always buying games on ebay and from people here on rfg (thats where the best deals are).

Wow, I can't believe I haven't posted in here yet!

I must own every video game ever released, every magazine, promo item, and video game related item.  If it has something to do with video games and I can get it for the right price, I'll buy it.

As for the games themselves, for the most part I try to collect CIB or at least boxed.  Some systems I will buy for even if they are loose, namely 2600, Colecovision, and to some extent NES

I don't get much of a chance to play my games, though I try my ass off.  I usually get sucked into one game (right now I'm sucked into 3: Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, Guitar Hero 2, and World of Warcraft) and I neglect all of my others.  Usually after I get into a game that really sucks up alot of my time, I try to play a few short games that I can beat in no more than a week.

I definitely fall into the CIB snob category on this post.  I am an avid collector of console systems - not pongs or handhelds - just consoles.  I have around 95 or so systems from the US and abroad.  Once I achieved getting all the base systems that were available (with the exception of a couple of hard to find ones - RDI Halcyon, APF Imagination Machine, C64 GS, CPS Changer to note a few), I began completing all models released for a given system, which I just started doing.  To date, I have completed the 3DO system releases - thats it so far.  I am uploading slowly the systems/games that I have to my collection.  This will take some time since a great number of hardware/systems are not listed, so I am submitting information to add them.

Definitely a CIB collector when it's convenient, but that's not to say that I won't pass up a good deal if I see one. My collection has really started to focus on Genesis lately, but isn't limited to that. I don't buy books or magazines, or any other sort of video game-related items unless they are extraordinarily awesome. I will buy RPG strategy guides since in most cases they are just as collectible as the games themselves.

As for playing the games, I do my best, but it's difficult with work, a live-in girlfriend and a dog.

I've changed my habits allot since I first posted here. I'd say I've become a completist snob but that's not entirely true. I got rid of hundreds of loose games but haven't bothered to replace most of them. I still have loose carts for some systems and other systems that I had half and half of I just gotten rid of instead. I only buy games that I'll absolutely play or that my wife will play and I'll pass up games even for a buck if I don't like them. Having just to have doesn't give me much entertainment. :P

That and gaming/collecting never was my primary hobby so now that I have most of what I want to play I'm getting to be a scrooge so my shopping is getting more infrequent as I divert money. On the other hand I have spent allot of money buying extra hardware brand new when possible as backups for the future so I have many brand new systems/mem cards/controllers etc sitting in storage.

Nice to see Genesis get some love!

Nice to have a few more CIB collectors and a CIB snob like me!!!! See that Den? More people like me!

Absolutely. CIB games are a cinch to find and in most cases very affordable (and almost always in nice condition).

I enjoy thrifting so I collect what I can get cheap. I won't buy cd games either unless they are complete (save a few big money titles for like ps1 or something, which I'd just use to fund parts of my collection). Genesis I prefer cib, since they are so easy to find that way. I'm back into a 32x collection now, since I just got the system, and so far the 11 games I have are boxed and I wont take anything less (just missing a manual for Star Wars Arcade for them to be CIB).

I'm truly obsessive compulsive so I tend to grab just about everything that catches my interest. I fully believe in redundancy so I like to be able to get extras of controllers, consoles, power adapters and certain favorite games just in case the main ones in current use stop functioning. I do this because I'm certain that in the next 20 - 60 years, assuming I live to be 100 ;) , certain items are bound to fail, if not everything. So it's good to have back-ups.
 Other than that I just really love to be surrounded by this stuff. Even the ones that I hardly ever touch or that are even broken, I just can't bare to part with any of it. It's comforting to just look at it all on a daily basis.

Amen to that.  :nod:

I would say that I'm 18% collector and 82% gamer.

I enjoyed collecting when I first started last summer. The thrill of the hunt for hard to find games from second hand stores and yard sales. I first set out to collect a complete loose NES collection. It was a lot of fun and I got just over 300 games, but then realized over time that I was spending a lot of money on games that I didn't play. Also I play ROMs on my Xbox and Dreamcast. Money is another issue. I'm a full time student and Mr. Mom, I stay home and take care of my sons while my wife works full time. So I was spending what little spending money I had on games that I never played or I played a ROM of the games. By the end of 2006 I decided to sell/trade most of my NES collection, keeping only the games I really enjoyed playing, and go for the entire Dreamcast collection. But even with the Dreamcast I was buying games that I never played and now I'm selling/trading them as well. Now I only buy games that someone in my house wants to play. I'm keeping my favorite games from the NES, SNES, etc. and even buy CIB of my favorite old cartridge games. The Wii and the seven games I have for it, I got from trading and selling the old games I never played. Now I've been buying Xbox, PS2, and GC games that my sons or I want to play for very little money. Maybe one days, years from now, after I pay off school loans and buy a house I will become more of a collector, but for now I enjoy being mostly a gamer.