Are you a gamer? Collector? Both?

[RoyVegas]

In my time being here (and other sites also) there has always seemed to be tension between all of these different types of people that enjoy gaming/collecting in their own way.  From what I have seen it usually seems like the gamers tend to be more vocal about not liking the collectors.  Personally I considered myself to be a collector and a gamer evenly.  I love to play the games but I also like to have what I consider a complete collection.

What are you? What are your thoughts on it?

Edit:  Noticed I placed it in Fighting Street right?  Dig in! lol

[NecroPhile]

Fighting Street, eh?  Go suck a cock! 


I'm both, I guess.  Almost all gamers have a bit of collector in them, as you have to collect games in order to play 'em (unless you have a peg leg and/or a parrot on your shoulder).

People that are merely collectors are quite possibly retarded, for the best part of having these games is playing them.  Nobody, and I mean nobody, thinks anyone is cool for having a complete collection of games collecting dust in their mom's basement; crack those fuckers open and start playing, else sell 'em to somebody that'll truly appreciate them and invest the money in mutual funds or something.

[Emerald Rocker]

I'm a gamer, of course.

I mean seriously, what kind of dumbass collector decides to get into VIDEO GAMES?  From a collectors' standpoint, the history behind video games is pretty limited and lacks the depth and marketability of other venues.  (Of course, as a gamer, I find the history behind video games to be fascinating.)

And what kind of self-respecting gamer would spend $1000 on something like Magical Chase and deprive himself of the ability to purchase and play even more games?  That's just silly.

Anyone who calls themselves a "collector" implies that they place more value on the item than on the experience.  There is NO way to be a blend of collector and gamer.  That's just total hogwash!

[NecroPhile]

There is NO way to be a blend of collector and gamer.  That's just total hogwash!

So I take it you don't own any games then, eh?

[Emerald Rocker]

Hm.  Necromancer, you're a smart guy, but your response to me is pretty dumb.

Of course I own games.  I own games that I am playing, games that I plan to play again, games that I haven't played yet, and games that I haven't gotten around to selling because of other time commitments.

This is not about the literal sense of being a "collector" (as in, having possessions).  This poll establishes a horizontal line: at one end, there is gamer.  At the other end, there is collector.  The poll makes it sound as though it's possible to be somewhere in the middle on that line.  And I'm saying that the establishment of such a measurement is ridiculous.

Why do some people enjoy keeping particular games?  Because they are GAMERS and those games bring back fond memories.

Why do some people strive to collect entire libraries for a system?  Because they are GAMERS who loved that system and want to experience everything it has to offer, forever and ever whenever they want.

The more interesting question to ask would be: why do you purchase games?

Do you buy games to play them?  Do you buy them because you love the system?  Do you buy them because someone else talked about it, and you want to impress them?  Do you buy games because your parents never did, so "owning lots of games" has become a personal measure of success?  (Studies have shown that what we were deprived of as children, is often an over-indulgence later in life.)

And another question that gets more at the heart of the issue that so-called "gamers" have with so-called "collectors": Do you purchase duplicates of a game you already own?  If so, why?

[RoyVegas]

I mean seriously, what kind of dumbass collector decides to get into VIDEO GAMES? 

Just speaking from my own experiences but ummmm me.  Maybe it makes me a dumbass by your logic but by mine its very simple to understand.  As a kid I did get some things that I wanted and other things my parents just wouldn't put the money out for.  To be a little more clear, my parents did shell out the cash for a Turbo and a copy of Bonk but I never was able to get any other games.  I wished in one hand and shit in the other and guess which filled up first?  Even though I only had Bonk and Keith Courage it left a hell of an impression on me.  It has and always will be my favorite system.

Now that I have more stability I started picking up the entire collection that I couldn't have as a kid.  Reliving a childhood fantasy I guess. Any way you look at it we all have our reasons why we love the system.

And what kind of self-respecting gamer would spend $1000 on something like Magical Chase and deprive himself of the ability to purchase and play even more games?  That's just silly.

The kind of gamer that only plays Turbografx maybe?  From a gaming standpoint in my opinion the game is fun as hell.  If you take the price out of the picture, would you buy it?  It's a must have game for any Turbografx gamer or collector.

Anyone who calls themselves a "collector" implies that they place more value on the item than on the experience.

Have to agree and disagree here.  I collect them because I want to fully experience the game library.  It doesn't matter if the game sucks to people or not.  In my eyes EVERY game is part of the library hense the experience.

There is NO way to be a blend of collector and gamer.  That's just total hogwash!

What's hogwash is your opinion that it can't be blended. 

[Emerald Rocker]

Nothing in your response sounds like a collector to me.  You sound like a guy who really enjoys Turbo games.

Tell me about the sealed copies you keep (with no intentions of opening them), or the piles of duplicates that you bought just to have them around, and then you can call yourself a "collector".

EDIT: As a sidepoint, I noticed that you assume I haven't purchased and played Magical Chase, which is incorrect.  I liked it quite a bit, although it's not as great as its price (even at $100) would imply.

[NecroPhile]

I can't reduce this into simple black and white terms like E.R.  I buy Turbo games to play 'em, but I won't kid myself into believing that some stinkers will ever see the light of day again after their cursory inspection; the only reasons I keep 'em are because they're part of the collection now and because they ain't worth much anyway.  That sounds like a collecting to me.

And what kind of self-respecting gamer would spend $1000 on something like Magical Chase and deprive himself of the ability to purchase and play even more games?  That's just silly.

I find your logic silly.  Why buy any games when you can save your dough by renting, borrowing, or downloading 'em?  I don't have enough time to play the games I already have, so buying a game like M.C. would deprive me of jack shit.

[RoyVegas]

Tell me about the sealed copies you keep (with no intentions of opening them), or the piles of duplicates that you bought just to have them around, and then you can call yourself a "collector".

Ok.  The sealed games I bought for absolutely no fucking reason at all other than to have the sealed games.  I can say that most of them I got pretty damn cheap.  Like Y's I&II and Devils Crush and about 20 other sealed games that I got for $10 a piece shipped.  Why would anyone pass up a deal like that?  I pick up sealed stuff only if it's cheap, as I don't really need it. I just find it a challenge to collect them when I find them cheap.

or the piles of duplicates that you bought just to have them around

I didn't buy duplicates of open games intentionally.  I bought game lots, and sometimes those game lots came with duplicates of games I already had.  I didn't buy them just to have them around.  I have been trying to trade off my duplicates for the boxes I need.  I've also been selling off some the dupes on eBay.  Maybe you have me confused with Wmac, he's the one with 100 dupes. lol

[Emerald Rocker]

To Necromancer:
Regarding why people would spend money instead of downloading......

Maybe some gamers like to monetarily support the developers, importers, or re-sellers who make games available to the public?  Being a "gamer" does NOT mean that people feel entitled to play any game, at any time, for free.  I know that's not what you said, but that's where your line of reasoning is leading and that would be a stain on the image of our hobby.

So hopefully this post puts a stop to your downhill slide.

[Emerald Rocker]

To Royvegas:

Hm.  I thought the purpose of this thread was to prove to Zeta that you're a gamer.  I was trying to help you out, chum, by saying you're NOT a collector.

Anyways, I understand the point about duplicates.  That's the nature of buying game lots; it doesn't mean you're a "collector".  It means you ended up with games you didn't want.  But now that I know you DO own a bunch of sealed games, I think differently of you.  I'm not sure I want to defend your honor anymore.

To answer your question: people would pass up such deals because (1) they don't need the game if they already have it, and (2) passing it up means that someone else can get the game later.  It keeps the extra copy in circulation, which helps the community.

I would also like to point out that no one has selected "collector" on the poll, showing that this is ridiculous.  What we have here are gamers, gamers who are proud of the games they own, and... well, I guess we have Royvegas since he apparently doesn't want to be called a gamer.  You should have voted "collector", chum!

[termis]

90% gamer.  The only reason I consider myself 10% collector is that I do like having physical copies of stuff I like.  But I have no problems doing away with games that's not my cup o' cake.  I don't care for shrink wrap, spine cards, multiple copies, condition of the game/manual (as long as it plays/legible).  I only ask for the case & manual to sort them out in some meaningful fashion. 

But whenever a game of this vintage goes far beyond a "reasonable" price ($30-$40 for me), I have ZERO problems downloading it.  No Turbo/PCE game is worth crazy sums of money to me - there are just too many alternatives for a game to justify triple digit sums.

[RoyVegas]

Hm.  I thought the purpose of this thread was to prove to Zeta that you're a gamer.  I was trying to help you out, chum, by saying you're NOT a collector.

I don't need to prove to anyone that I'm a gamer nor do I need your help proving I'm not a collector.  I voted myself as a game and collector evenly.

But now that I know you DO own a bunch of sealed games, I think differently of you.  I'm not sure I want to defend your honor anymore.

If a persons honor is gained or lost due to how a video game sit on their shelf then you need a new set of prioritys.

To answer your question: people would pass up such deals because (1) they don't need the game if they already have it, and (2) passing it up means that someone else can get the game later.  It keeps the extra copy in circulation, which helps the community.

Ah yes.  I can definately see you opening eBay and finding a sealed Magical Chase sitting up there with a Buy it Now of $25.00 and you going, "I'm not gonna pick that up since it would be taking it from another gamer."  Would you?  If you are saying you would, your a fucking liar.    

I would also like to point out that no one has selected "collector" on the poll, showing that this is ridiculous.  What we have here are gamers, gamers who are proud of the games they own, and... well, I guess we have Royvegas since he apparently doesn't want to be called a gamer.  You should have voted "collector", chum!

Maybe you missed the poll results so far.  I see 6 people that voted that they are SOME form of collector/gamer and 3 that voted they are strictly gamers that don't collect at all.  Yup I should definately be the only one thats a collector/gamer right?

[wmacmonagle]

As for me.

Im a more of collector now.  I used to be game freak!..  I became a family man and hardly have time to play games anymore!. 

i post myself as a collector and does play them sometime.

[Emerald Rocker]

It's good to see honest responses from people like wmacmonagle.  He collects because it's his only attachment to games due to being a family man... but his gamer soul would not let him simply pick "COLLECTOR" because he knows that's not where his heart lies.

Honest responses are great.  As opposed to responses from people like RoyVegas who get defensive about weird things.

[RoyVegas]

Honest responses are great.  As opposed to responses from people like RoyVegas who get defensive about weird things.

LOL!  Because you dont like my responses I'm defensive?  I know it's a little hard to tell someones tone from typing but I can assure you that I am just posting my opinions just as you are.  Just because you don't like my responses somehow it's dishonest?  HAHAHAH  The poll was to show what my opinion of myself was so I voted as such.

[Emerald Rocker]

HAHAHAHAHAH

Edit: my post above was funnier when Roy's post ended with laughter.  But then he added more to his post, to (self-)defend his position.

[Joe Redifer]

There is no need for this to be in fighting street.  Moving.

[RoyVegas]

Besides, who gives a shit even if I was defensive?  It's fighting street, fuck you! 

Edit:  Damnit, I hope Joe doesn't move this thread. I can't expect it to stay clean.

[Joe Redifer]

Ah OK.  No need to move, then!

[Joe Redifer]

Fuck you all.  Your moms are all whores with loose vaginas with lots of skin hanging out.  All of you deserve AIDS and I hope you were all molested as children.  If you have children, I hope they get molested.

This is Fighting Street, ANYTHING GOES!

[nectarsis]

Fuck you all.  Your moms are all whores with loose vaginas with lots of skin hanging out.  All of you deserve AIDS and I hope you were all molested as children.  If you have children, I hope they get molested.

This is Fighting Street, ANYTHING GOES!

Yeah we saw how that worked before eh

[RoyVegas]

Ah OK.  No need to move, then!

HAHAHA!  Thanks Joe.  That wasn't directed towards you, even though it may seem like it.  But wait, as long as you leave it in Fighting Street who cares?  lol

[Emerald Rocker]

The only reason this thread isn't clean is because people intentionally made it un-clean in jest.  Everyone was getting along just dandy, and were going to continue getting along dandily.

But then Roy had to take that unnecessary next step.

[RoyVegas]

Think about why it's here.  There has always been infighting on every forum i've been on about collectors vs. gamers.  It never turns out well.  I put it here to be prepared for that.

[Sparky]

Ah OK.  No need to move, then!

HAHAHA!  Thanks Joe.  That wasn't directed towards you, even though it may seem like it.  But wait, as long as you leave it in Fighting Street who cares?  lol

Fuck Roy!!! your an ass kisser and the worst type of collector, only out to help himself never helping others!!! hahahhaha... nope people dont forget.. hahahahhaha

For me i am more a collector these days with another kid coming but i am sure i will get back into gaming more but for now i will have my games room full of fun shit and when people do come over i have a gaming fucking funland for all to enjoy,... I do like sitting in my games room and looking around......my room, my games and i can play what ever i want, Dont like my response..... fucking lick it

[BlackandBlue]

Fuck you all.  Your moms are all whores with loose vaginas with lots of skin hanging out.  All of you deserve AIDS and I hope you were all molested as children.  If you have children, I hope they get molested.

This is Fighting Street, ANYTHING GOES!

Awesome response 

[RoyVegas]

only out to help himself never helping others!!! hahahhaha... nope people dont forget.. hahahahhaha

I help real friends out whenever they need it.  Ask oldskool, he needs my truck tomorrow to move furniture.

For me i am more a collector these days with another kid coming

Damn she didn't tell you it was really mine yet?

fucking lick it

I did, that's how it started and you ended up having my kid.

[Emerald Rocker]

...and Roy takes the low road.

Ya know, I think he actually WANTED to start a fight.

[RoyVegas]

lol yeah, I took the low road.  He can call me a selfish ass kisser and bring up the MC crap but I can't hit back...  I knew this type of thing was coming, which is exactly why the thread is in fighting street. 

[blueraven]

Wow. 

I'm a gamer, very occasional collector but it's secondary. I like to beat stuff. At 100%. I put 186 fucking hours into crisis core and beat it twice on hard mode. Ive still only completed 82% of the game.

I only "collect" pce games and I play the shit out of them.

You all may resume fighting.

:>

[RoyVegas]

Who's fighting.  I'm just playing nice with the other children.

[Sparky]

He can call me a selfish ass kisser and bring up the MC crap

hahaha you just did that yourself... after your done licking it you can suck it as well Roy

[RoyVegas]

Actually she doesn't like it when i suck it.  She prefers more of a lick/nibble.  That's why she came to me though..  It's ok bro, if you need lessons on what gets her off just hit me up in pms. 

[Sparky]

Actually she doesn't like it when i suck it.  She prefers more of a lick/nibble.  That's why she came to me though..  It's ok bro, if you need lessons on what gets her off just hit me up in pms. 

hahaha.... well enjoy the clap... fuck your bad at fighting street 

[RoyVegas]

You have the time frames wrong.  She got it from me, not the other way around.

[rag-time4]

I'm both a gamer and a collector! When my wife suggested I sell my games after I clear them I felt absolutely appalled. I have a ton of games that I haven't yet beaten, but it's not because I'm strictly a collector.

[oldskool]

I would say I am gamer mostly, some collector.  But probably 80 percent gamer.  I have 20+ sealed 3DO games I am about to tear into soon!  Fuck it, I don't care.  Games are to be played.  Not ashamed of the 1000's of ROMS and burned games that I have, fuck it.  Done paying a ton of money for everything.  Free stuff is good, like that free XBOX 360 I got yesterday, and fixed today (RROD).  Fuck it.  I don't give a fuck.  I'd open a sealed Magical Chase just to piss everyone off, then I'd shit on it and proceed to fire up the rom on my laptop (which I do frequently).  I don't give a shit flying fuck.

[oldskool]

Oh yeah - and you all can go fuck your mothers.   

[blueraven]

LMAO 

Well put!

[OldRover]

Mostly a collector. I like having a large collection of games, even if I don't get to play most of them or even if I think some of them suck. I also don't give a damn if people dislike the fact that I collect games...what I choose to collect, and what I consider valuable, is my own business and no one else's.

[oldskool]

I used to keep games just so that my total number of games was as high as possible.  But I eventually weeded out all the junk and kept only the good stuff.  Quality over quantity in my collection!  I need to weed through them again soon.

[NecroPhile]

To Necromancer:
Regarding why people would spend money instead of downloading......

Maybe some gamers like to monetarily support the developers, importers, or re-sellers who make games available to the public?  Being a "gamer" does NOT mean that people feel entitled to play any game, at any time, for free.  I know that's not what you said, but that's where your line of reasoning is leading and that would be a stain on the image of our hobby.

So hopefully this post puts a stop to your downhill slide.

Do you need a ladder to climb into your saddle? 

I suppose it's easier to attempt to take some moral high ground to obfuscate matters and to avoid the crux of a debate, for you've completely ignored the two points being made.  Firstly, unless you limit yourself to buying bargain-basement, common games (depriving yourself of most of the better games in the process), you can play more games through other means.  You may disapprove of pirating, but your thoughts on the subject are less than germane and fail to negate the point, as renting and borrowing are perfectly legal, as is downloading games via Virtual Console.  Secondly, if a person has narrow interests and possesses the means to purchase every title that he wants, then he is deprived of nothing by buying Magical Chase.

I anxiously await your next failed attempt at refuting my words.

Fuck you all.  Your moms are all whores with loose vaginas with lots of skin hanging out.  All of you deserve AIDS and I hope you were all molested as children.  If you have children, I hope they get molested.

This is Fighting Street, ANYTHING GOES!

Reread the rules; your direct personal insults are disallowed.  Now please go fuck yourself.

...and Roy takes the low road.

That's rich, coming from you.  I suppose next you'll whine about such harsh words as being called a chump and being accused of being afraid to give constructive criticism.....

[Joe Redifer]

No no no, it wasn't a direct personal insult.  It was a general insult directed at everybody!

[Tatsujin]

nowadays: More of a collector but I do play them.

mainly due to lack of time but having too much around to choose from

[SNKNostalgia]

I like games.



Seriously though. I play and buy a lot of Neo Geo games. Yep, there's some collector in me yet. So far I got 44 carts for it. Half are the cheapo games from $20-$60 and the other is a mix between the $80 to $400 range. It costs money, but this was done over a period of 10 years. I have quite a bit of NES, SNES, PS1 and PS2 games as well. My Sega and PCE collection is lacking in comparison, but I like those systems as well. I just buy the games I want to play and own.

I mostly just like to play the games, but it is nice to enjoy a complete mint copy of a game. It gives me that feel of almost owning a new game to fapp off to...       There is a lot of childhood nostalgia and some to do with being deprived of buying most of this stuff by having cheap parents. They got a little cooler about buying more games when I got in High School. It wasn't till I got a job waiting tables making $300 a week while going to community college and still living with them when I started going crazy with my spending. I was also buying a lot of music and movies as well. I just like stimulating entertainment, boredom sucks. I never was a sports, cars, etc.. type guy.

As I get older I do find it harder to play the games with the excitement I used to have, but still I get some fun out of it. I will always be a gamer first. I even just realized that I own 20 Xbox 360 games now. I don't really care for the collecting of that system, as the games seem to have lower replay value for me. I do like seeing new and different games though. Unfortunately a lot of my friends got out of old school gaming or moved off. So that may have something to do with my excitement lowering. Thank god for forums where we can share common interest in what we like.

A hardcore collector that doesn't play games at all is more of a hoarder to me. "He who has the most toys, WINS!", gotta love that ole saying. It is rare to see people that just do that in this hobby as games have a more practical use than say; action figures, comics and whatever the hell else. As for the whole not letting copies of sealed games sitting in your shelves going back to the community, that is our right. There are some rich ass people that do far worse with their money and to others. I don't own 1 sealed game, because I play them. I even got games that I may have played once and they just sit there, but don't want to get rid of it either. Mainly it is due to they aren't worth anything and don't feel like getting around to liquidating them.

[jboypacman]

Am a gamer more than collector anymore outside of wanting my Hu-card games complete all my other games are loose,where gotten cheap and are "gamer" copies meaning they have wear on them from playing them.

[Arkhan Asylum]

I collect to game.

meaning I amass games with the express intent of playing them.  There are few games in my house that I HAVENT played.  These are games which I just bought like 2 weeks ago.

I don't buy stupid shit im not going to play just so i can go I HAVE THAT, LOOK AT ME I HAVE THAT.  If I didnt play RPGs, I wouldnt buy them all just because theyre "rare", "sought after" or "collectible". 

The only exception to this rule is NEC consoles.  Im a fanboy about them and aim to own every game for PCE and PCFX.

anyone who buys tons of games just to stack em up, update some online profile and show off what they have sitting around their house is a dipshit.  The time you spent checking games off your list could have been spent trying one out.

If you aren't going to play the games, save the money and buy something else.  I guess its cool though if you at least intend to play them eventually and are just really busy doing more important things.  Posting on forums and twittering all day are not important things.

what especially bothers me is when people who never really touch games act as gaming informants, or base their knowledge of a game off of their memories of playing it at a birthday party when they were 7.  kids dont know shit.

i have a friend who spends hundreds of dollars at a time buying games that he shoves in a drawer alphabetically, never opens, brags about all the stuff hes got, and continues to play rockband only more or less.  He then bases all of his gaming knowledge off of IGN, not off of actually playing the games.  hell he even PAYS for an IGN membership.

using your game stash as a penis enlargement attempt is really retarded. 

starting a sentence with "IGN Says that game is..." immediately discredits you as intelligent.  You officially know nothing about games if you trust IGN and treat it as if its a first hand gaming experience. 

hell ive even watched him youtube playthrus of games to replace having to play them.  I guess its easier to lay in bed and watch youtube on your overpriced macbook that you only use for browsing and AIM that you bought just because everyone else got one than it is to play the fuckin game yourself.

it just dawned on me: why the hell am i friends with this shlep. 

[OldMan]

Personally, I don't consider myself to be either. I buy games and play them, but usually after a few plays, it just gets added to the pile. Certain genres I do collect; I'm especially into different music-based games, mostly for the soundtracks.
What I do consider myself is a game analyist. I'm more interested in how a game does things and why. What is fun about the game, and what mechanics could stand to be improved.

Just my 2 cents.

[Alt-Nintega]

Definitely a gamer. I only buy and play whatever suits my tastes (shooters, RPGs, platformers). What is the point of owning a video game when you hardly play it?

anyone who buys tons of games just to stack em up, update some online profile and show off what they have sitting around their house is a dipshit. 

Couldn't have said it any better.