Why do you keep your gaming collection?

[Pcenginefx]

When I was younger, I was into gaming so much that I lied, cheated and stealed to get the games/consoles I wanted.  Now that I've grown up... own my own house...married for 5+ years... I really find myself not as much into games as I would like to be and have wondered why I keep my gaming collection when it just sits there taking up space.  I have about 20 various consoles and hundreds of games in a room collecting dust and wanted to know why some of you keep your collection....

Memories?
Nostalgia?
Resell value?

I'm finding myself wanting other things in life these days and although games will always be part of who I am, I'm starting to question why I'm still holding on to my collection.

[guyjin]

I'm finding myself wanting other things in life these days and although games will always be part of who I am, I'm starting to question why I'm still holding on to my collection.

D: don't do it, man, you'll regret it! look at what happened to Turbostar!

[Joe Redifer]

For me it is mostly nostalgia.  But I really do like to pull games down and play them from time to time.  If I sold them all, I could score a large chunk of change... but that would be a one-time cash-in... kind of like robbing a bank.  Once I spent that money, then it's gone.  I don't really need a large chunk o' change right now, personally.  And what happens when I want to play the games again?  ROMs?  No thanks.

But hey, people change.

[Turbo D]

Joe is right, there is no magic in roms. I keep my game collection because it brings me joy. It represents excitement. When I was young and I first played video games, it was so new and exciting (like getting laid, lol.) There were always new mysterious games that had their own charm that let me escape into a magical fantasy adventure. I guess in a way it is kind of like the playstation advertisement; "Live in your world, play in ours" or something like that. You can always use video games to escape to a simpler time, a reminiscence of your childhood if you may. A time when your imagination would make a game for the nes seem so real! If you decide to sell your collection, I will not look down on you. Everyone deals with life in different ways. I do think that you would regret it at some point as it has been such a large part of your life for so long. However, it may be something you need to do in order to excel in you life and truly be happy. Some believe that you can only be happy when you need no material possessions. It is something that I myself have pondered over for quite sometime. Do know that you have many friends here that will remain your friends whether you have an immaculate gaming collection or not.

[td741]

I keep most of my stuff because I know the minute I get rid of them all, I'll regret it.  (Which is speaking from past experience)

My gaming tends to be mostly in binges (typically during the XMas work shutdown) and I like being able to pull out anything if I feel a little bit nostalgic and play it.

To save space: all of the game boxes are in storage.  
-Carts sit bare on a shelf.  
-Overly large CD cases are put in storage and replaced with slim-cd cases.  (I'm thinking of buying a bunch of slim DVD cases in bulk for the DVD-based systems)
-Instructions manuals sit in a pile should I need to read them (hah!)

I've changed from having all of my systems hooked up to only a few with the added bonus of having easily accessible wires that I can use to connect any other system without having to hunt behind the TV.

[Pcenginefx]

Thanks guys for your responses so far... really makes me think.

I feel like I have a heavy responsibility at least to my TG/PCE/PC-FX collection due to running Pcenginefx.com as I feel it is my job to keep the community going.... and some of the games in my TG collection have been given to me as gifts and I feel a responsibility to keep them as well.

I would probably sell off my Atari/Nintendo/3DO/NeoGeo/Sega/Sony stuff before even touching the TG/PCE/FX stuff but the question I have to ask myself is: Would I regret anything that I sell?...well I know I would.

For example: I once traded 5 rare Neo Geo carts for Zenki for the PC-FX.  I regret that trade to this day...not because of Zenki, but that I didn't pay cash for it and kept the 5 Geo carts.

I also regret selling my Sega Saturn collection many years ago which I had over 30 games that included most of the more rare titles for the console.

[Joe Redifer]

See?  You still regret selling some of the stuff from your past.  While you may not fully regret selling something you don't care intensively for like Atari/Genesis/whathaveyou, I am betting that you will experience some especially the second you ship that package out to the highest bidder!  But sometimes you do need some fast cash when you've got to pay the loan sharks. 

[Sinistron]

Yeah I think that's a good choice Aaron.  Me personally- I don't see the need for keeping twenty systems around.  I just keep my TG (and now FX) and now I have a wii- for whatever reason (really haven't gotten around to playing it much).  If you have all that stuff- just keep around your favorites- then get some cash and some space back.  Sell it to some cats who will appreciate it and get good use out of it too- not just some collector nut- this way you'll feel better about it and know that it went to a good home (e.g. I came across my old GI Joe comics- I really don't have the space for them but I don't want to throw them out or give them to someone who won't read them- so I've been sending them to Mike who is obviously into G.I. Joe- or maybe more so Cobra).

[Michael Helgeson]

(or maybe more so Cobra).

Indeed.

[Joe Redifer]

Speaking of which I recently came across all of my old GI JOE and Transformers comics.  Stormshadow is da man.

But still, I don't think I could get rid of them because I enjoy reading them, just like I enjoy playing old games.  I do often get that same feeling I once got when I first played a certain game.  Some games, like R-Type, aren't done better on any other system.  Even the PS version which basically is the arcade version pixel for pixel is less satisfying to me than the TurboGrafx version, especially the sound.  I agree that there isn't much point in having multiple copies of the same game and many versions of the same system, though.  Maybe one for spare on a fav system, just in case.

[Sinistron]

I came across my GI Joe VS Transformers miniseries!    Now Mike has it 

I only keep around now some Bill Sienkiewicz stuff- the Elektra miniseries, The 1987 DC Shadow Series, stuff like that where I'd REALLY miss having it for the art alone.

[Joe Redifer]

I have that 4-issue series as well.  Now that I wouldn't mind tossing.  Just awful.

[Sinistron]

Yeah it was pretty awful.  In my last thread derailment extension here- I'll also say that I came across GI Joe yearbooks 1-4, The GI Joe Order of Battle miniseries, Issues 1 through 65, GI Joe in 3D #1, the first six issues of GI Joe Special Forces (or Missions?), and GI Joe Digest 1 through 5.  I was a little Joe nuts back in the day.

[Michael Helgeson]

Two of the best parts of the series hands down was the creation of Cobra Island, and the invasion and evacuation of Springfield.

[Necromancer]

I keep my collection 'cause I like playing it (TG-16) and for nostalgia (2600).  Of course, my meager collection doesn't take up considerable space and wouldn't fetch enough money to make a meaningful difference to the ol' bottom line; if I had a giant pile of stuff that was rarely enjoyed, I'd probably be looking to dump something.  I can ogle pictures and they're easier to dust, so I'd rather someone else get to really enjoy it (preferably 'til the end of time).