THE PROS
I know alot of people who aren't really all that sentimental. They are more or less casual gamers than anything. These guys are the type of people that don't keep the box of all the systems and games they buy since they were maybe 12 years old. They are the type that would rather sit on their couch, chill with a coke in their hand and play something to pass the time. For game collectors we have this slight obsession. Well, maybe not slight. We want to have the experience of playing on an older system...even if we own the rom and can emulate it on the PC. Hell, we want to keep the box to all of our games. I like the experience of opening up the box of a game or system and just start retrogaming. It is a strange yet fun experience to play games that were made 20 years ago. Holding your game controller and shoving your cartridge into your NES is a different experience. There are no save slots that can save you. I don't have to map different buttons to a USB controller or tinker with emulator settings. There's also something different about seeing a library of games neatly arranged in your comfy loft where all your friends can gawk at your collection. It is a different experience opening up a fresh new game from its plastic and case as opposed to opening up an envelop from Gamefly.com. At least I get to read the manual. Collecting baseball cards and comics are one thing but collecting games (at least for me) seems to be a more satisfying hobby.
THE CONS
Like everything in life, everything costs money. Unlike other hobbies, game collecting can get you into trouble if you don't know how to manage your time or your money. I have had much more expensive hobbies which I dabble into once in awhile (i.e. import scene, PC gaming, etc) and sometimes I used that excuse to justify my means to buy more games....even if the games are cheap. I've bought maybe 10 games in the last month and I've spent maybe $300 bucks. Based on gamespot's estimates, I own almost $14,000 in games and these are just the games and not the systems or the accessories that come with those systems. Game collecting (especially for those who don't have those high paying jobs) can be a serious cash burner. These aren't games I'm just going to keep or say I have them. I really want to play these games. Sometimes, I find myself spending more time on Ebay than actually playing the games I've just purchased. It's crazy but true.
I do have a life and I do work for a living. Some of us have mortgages to pay for, are married, and/or have kids to take care of. I'm all of those things except for the kids. It's crazy but I do know a few others who are going through the same thing. Some of us have other bigger goals we're trying to accomplish and sometimes having the best gaming collection isn't that high of a priority but for some reason we still spend alot of time and money into it. As for myself, I've been running a part-time business while having a regular job. I have a dream car I'm going after. I still want that NSX and I'm not talking Gran Turismo money either.
CONCLUSION
Since writing this I've taken a step back and looked at how much I've spent within a given amount of time. $14,000 sounds like alot of money. But over the course of 10-20 years...it really isn't that bad as long as you don't devote all your time, energy and money into it. Either way, that goes for any hobby. At one point, I had a car hobby where I've spent over $20,000 in 2 years. Fortunately, I still have those cars and the parts I've spent oodles of money into it.
Now, I am kind of married and own a home. I know that I really need to learn how to budget my time and money so I'm doing my best to discipline myself. I don't want to sound conceited but I do get paid pretty well but I've learned that even the highest paid people can be poor. I've learned that it's not how much your earn but how much you spend.
I really need to get back into investing again - something I've been putting only very little into. I also need to shift my part-time business into high gear. $400-500/month is not exactly good growth for a part-time business that's been going on for 2 years.
On another note, I do plan to have children and maybe...just maybe...I will share with my children what I experienced when I was their age - all the the systems and games I've collected thus far. That way, I can still play my games and still spend time with the family. How about that? I guess I have a purpose for collecting games now.
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