Is Game Collecting an Addiction? - Retro Bird
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 มี.ค. 2022
- Collecting video games is a hobby that many people enjoy, but could it also be classified as an addiction?
Is Game Collecting an Addiction - Retro Bird / Does Retro Game Collecting Cause Addictive Behavior? / Are Game Collector's Addicts?
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Games played: Wild Guns (0:00), BurgerTime Deluxe (0:15), Viewtiful Joe (0:27), Bare Knuckle III (0:49), Donkey Kong Country 2 (1:02)
I had never seen burger time, I'll be sure to check it out, looks like an interesting concept
when are you singing the outro theme?
@@TenOfZero1 I have the gameboy BurgerTime Deluxe, the same as in the video. I think it's the best of the franchise. It's a unique and fun arcade maze scoring game. I have two of it for the link câble multiplayer.
@@NitnerockBobarr Nice, thanks for the additional information. :-) I can't believe I missed this game at the time.
Very glad to see burgertime deluxe featured, such a great game. …and whew, I already own it so no need to fire up the obsessive eBay search behavior. 👍🤣
It can be almost like hoarding. Some people can buy retro games to make them long for their youth and memories of a child. But the way i feel better is know that i will play all the great games I collect when i retire and i can share with my kids and grandchildren (when i have them). But looking at my retro game collection makes me smile just like collecting books and manga does.
What's the retro game in your collection that brings you the most joy?
I don't have children but I do have a nephew and a niece and I love sharing things that I use to enjoy when I was a kid with them and seeing them enjoy it too, when I sat down with my nephew which is going on 7 and watched transformers the movie he absolutely loved it and that was a great time, the amazement on his face when unicorns head flew through space at the end, he just had to tell his parents all about it, LOL.
@@FeralInferno Sailor Moon Fuwa Fuwa Panic 2 for the Super Famicom.
@@newfiekiyaygaming2139 - my daughter (7) plays games and although her favourite game right now is Zelda BOTW for ABSOLUTE SURE, she likes to play my old games sometimes. I don't try to influence her choices, I find it too interesting and surprising. She intends to play the whole Zelda series, has completed Link's Awakening and thought that was great. I will have to get out the SNES sometime as I'm sure she would like to go through LTTP as well.
But she also thought Masters of Combat on the Sega Master System was cool, so you just never know. She also played quite a lot of Mario Tennis (N64) and Bomb Jack (arcade) And got pretty good at Bomb Jack which I think shows excellent taste because I loved it too at her age (and now). It seems the appeal endures. Kids still think this old stuff is cool because it still is cool.
@@AnthonyFlack yes, I totally agree and it doesn’t take much to interest kids,even a crappy game can be fun,lol. I just bought my nephew a Arcade1up Pac-Man for last Christmas, he loves Pac-Man as well as Lego Harry Potter on the Switch,him and my brother(dad) are working on getting 100%.
It's a very carefully managed addiction for me. There are definitely tons of games I've bought years ago that I still haven't played yet.
IDK, I've thought a lot about it. I was particularly destitute as a child and remember being homeless but having an SNES in a backpack with FF3 and UN Squadron. I'd hook it up at hotels or relative's houses and marathon play.
In magazines and at people's houses I'd always see SO. MANY. GAMES. So many I always, always wanted but, was way out of my league to play.
My childhood was bleak and hard, when I was, IDK, 18 or so, a few buddies basically gave me their old games they saved.
That's how it all started 🤣
It felt to me like every game and every console I bought was less like "reliving my childhood" and more like putting pieces back into my childhood that I wish was always there.
Consolidation of my childhood maybe?
I'm married with 4 kids so I don't get much time to play, and when I do, I prefer it to be later at night when everyone is asleep. Man. That's when time just stops. Feels real good.
Yep! That's what I call "the time when the world stops".
that's a sad story. I like the happy ending though!
YES! I need rehab, I’m like a fiend scratching my neck every time I log onto Facebook Marketplace or Ebay.
With the current prices of games these days, I don't think anyone can be addicted to buying them because they can't afford them. If someone is trying to collect every game ever made then yeah, they might have an addiction. Otherwise I'd say we are just buying all the games we wanted as kids.
I like how the timeline of Retro Bird's topics of discussions coincidate with the one of what I am asking myself about video game collecting. I must be the ideal target audience.
I've actually been tangling with this myself, though in my case,, it's been trimming down my wishlist. I know I'll only have a limited time to play the games I love, and I really want to be able to replay those favorites. So, why not just make sure I don't ever get games I'd only play once? It's gone from over 300 titles I wanted to a little under 150--and that's across nearly a dozen platforms! I don't care if it's a small library of games I have as long I plan on playing the games on the console for a long time. And watching RetroBird's videos is what inspired that move, what with keeping a collection of games you love over simply games you have.
I hope it works out well for you!
Yep, small collections are awesome! Large collections may have a lot of games to play but they can be pretty daunting. If you had TV with 1000 channels then they're probably nothing on, but if you only had TV with 25 channels then you'll have to either find something to watch from the limits you have or go and read a book or play a game. It gives you a lot more focus one what you want to do with your time.
@@Hauntaku Are we talking access to 1000 channels for the same price as 25 channels?
@@tonyp9313 My home has TV with practically 1000 channels. A bunch of them are in different languages and a bunch of them are news channels. We also have random sporting channels we never watch (my family isn't big on sports) and the rest of the channels just have repeats of cartoons and amateur films. My point was that having too many games in a collection makes all of the filler even more obvious.
@@Hauntaku Yeah I see your point but another point of your channels can be the same example as roms. I have access to so many roms that I don't play them all. Even though I don't play them all I have access to them those are free & just paid for the Ever drives. But if you have them on PC that's as good I would say.
I can't imagine being happy with having every game I want. Half of the fun of videogame collecting is the collecting part itself. Spending weeks looking for the best quality CIB versions of games I love at the cheapest prices can be just as much fun as actually playing the games. I would hate to run out of games that I want to buy. I would feel lost.
It's like how Goh in Pokemon wants to collect every Pokemon but what will happen when he runs out? What is his endgame?
i have a collecting addiction i feel because im always chasing that high of adding a game to my shelf lol
Run out of shelf space yet?
Exactly, it's not a problem. :-) I have a space problem, not a collecting problem. :-)
A while ago I was starting to worry that I'd one day end up in an addiction, and I remembered the reason I started collecting in the first place: to play them. So, with that in mind, I'm trying not to purchase any more games for the rest of the year and play some of my backlogged games that I've been wanting to get around and finish. (Of course, that was before Nintendo announced that eShop closure, so that's making it a bit difficult.)
I personally set a maximum of 5 new games a year for myself. I am trying to limit that even more though. It makes things a lot more involved and helps me to save money.
I decided this year to stop buying games until I've played at least part of my backlog. I had almost 130 games that I havent even started but since I decided to stop buying that list is now of 106. I'm having fun playing games again, so it was certainly the best move for me.
Same here. I was buying games for consoles I didn’t even have. I traded in all the games I never play or don’t have the console for and all the shovelware I bought just because I thought it was interesting like Hell’s Kitchen with Gordon Ramsey for Wii. That game was not fun. Anyways I got like $300 store credit for games that I’ll actually play like General Chaos for genesis so that was cool.
That's a good idea to save money, my fave games this year will be:
earthbound, ninja 5 o, shantea gbc, Metroid prime trilogy, and literally any GameCube game ;)
How did that go for you?
I used to only buy games at conventions, which meant spending several hundred dollars at a time, but only twice a year. It's a bit harder now that I've gotten into the realm of online shopping, but as long as I don't go on the site, I'm fine.
Indeed, I often regret it come the end of MAGFest and still yearly events, but given that I’ve saved money specifically to support the vendors and artists there (versus online as you mentioned) makes it feel justified when I first display my new items, rather than just lamenting over the money I no longer have.
@@osurpless I just went to one last week, and it felt so good to finally do something normal again.
I don’t know how many times I’ve told myself “after this console, or this handful of games, I’m good!” Only to do a bit of research and add another couple dozen games and a console or two to the want list… I still do my best to stick to stuff that I’m fairly certain I will enjoy, but I do notice myself getting a little antsy if I don’t pick up at least one new game/peripheral per week. Not sure that qualifies as addiction, but I feel I might be a little borderline addicted to collecting.
I faced a similar situation with comics, where I kept buying more and more stuff, but the excitement of owning/reading them just wasn’t there anymore so I had to scale WAYYYY back. But the excitement/joy of game collecting is still there, so I don’t plan on stopping the weekly pick ups until I reach a similar point with games.
if you need a new game every week i'd say so
I collect trade paperback comics and regular comic books and enjoy reading them.
At 8:40 is straight out of the EXORCIST!!! Goes to show you how game collecting is truly pure evil!!! Of course, I have no room to talk after amassing a ton of games since the beginning of time...:)
I definitely had a small issue with a collecting obsession when I first got my Japanese Sega Saturn. I was re-buying games I already had the US versions of, just to fill out my collection for the import console. Fortunately, two bad purchases killed that obsession pretty quickly; one was a Starfox-style rail shooter that was probably great in 1996 but hasn’t aged well, and the other was buying a light gun and House of the Dead, before completely forgetting the gun wouldn’t work on my non-CRT television. Fortunately, the shop I bought the gun and HOTD from were understanding and willing to take them back a couple of days later. But that experience made me realize I need to be much more careful about what I’m buying going forward.
I passed on a loose "authentic" Wild Guns and bought an American-made repro for 10 times less.
Looks identical, plays identical, less guilt, less yelling, less shaming.
Can't sell it as an investment...but I bought it to play it.
👍 Best for real gamers!
Why not just buy an everdrive if it's not the original? Cheaper than buying many repros if you buy more in the future.
@@inputfunny That would do the trick on the playing front yet some folks need the individual cartrige (even if it's a bootleg one) to easy the collector's craving. Not my case but I get them.
Switch version is great and might appreciate
I started out collecting everything and I was running out of space and it was just too much. I decided to keep my Castlevania collection, my JRPG games, and anything Sega. I'm having so much more fun collecting since now I have a more focused collection. It feels really good to see any game outside of that focus and not have the urge to buy it. It also felt really good to get all that money for selling off a ton of games.
Yeah, having a small collection is both painful and rewarding. I think I only have 20 physical games but I probably have a bit less than that. I only plan on buying 2 more new physical games this year. I prefer physical games but I do have a bunch of digital ones that are must-haves or too expensive in physical form.
"Remember Pogs?" Still trying to forget it! That green GamBoy with that crisp green screen looks amazing!
I didn't buy Little Samson. I can swing it, but I don't think that I could really justify the cost for just one game.
I don't think I have a video game addiction, I have curated my collection instead of picking everything in arms reach just because it's a video game.
It's nearly impossible to own 1 of every video game, so there's no real point in trying to collect them all like Kinder Surprise toys.
Hey bud great video. Really hits home I quit smoking five years ago to do so I made a deal with myself to spend all the money that I would have sent on smoking on collecting all the games I wanted when I was a kid. I worked! And I feel like retro games added years to my life. It has gotten a bit out of control I have run out of room in my games room now , a good problem to have. Keep up the good work.
Congratulations on quitting smoking my friend. Here's to many more years of playing games instead!
that's awesome. I've never heard of that strategy before.
The point that there are heaps of great games out there is a good one. As a person who has a bit of disposable income and a renewed interest in gaming after 15 years off, I have quickly purchased a backlog of 250 great games. With new great games constantly coming out, it does take a bit of restraint to not buy more and just focus on the games I have.
To make sure I don’t drive myself completely insane with fomo, I now pick out only one or two really awesome games coming in the year and when they release I’m going to get them and only them.
There's a fun game I sometimes play where I have to get rid of a game I already own to make room for a new game. It's extremely challenging to find a game that I don't feel bad saying goodbye to and it makes collecting a lot more involved.
3:19 That moment when you realize how blessed you were as a kid because you had more games than a movie character made out to be the apex of NES fandom at the time...
And then I didn't get many new games after that because I got another sister. Oh well, that's the way it goes.
When I saw the price for Panzer Dragoon Saga I definitely felt good about saying "nope not buying that...."
Yup, that is one game that I am fine with never owning physically. Emulation ftw for that game.
That's me with Harvest Moon for the SNES. I'll probably just pick up a cheap repo cart of it, instead, if I ever decide I need it on my shelf.
It's really not a game everybody would like either. There's a good chance somebody could drop a lot of money on it and not even really enjoy it that much.
Your videos are excellent. I only collect games that I want to play, but I sometimes am guilty of not giving a game I purchased not enough time and letting my mind wander off to the next exciting piece of software I always wanted to play. Counter to that, when I visit a retro gaming store these days, I see less and less games that I feel are must owns for me, whereas a few years back I would look and think "I need that one and that one and that one and that one and that one and that one". While my "shopping list" is still pretty sizeable, all that's left are the harder to find games or the ones that I don't feel I need to track down or scoop up with any particular urgency.
Ebay knows I only order video games from them. So i do have an addiction problem, but it's a managed one. Cool thing about being a Retro Gamer is it feels like an Easter Egg Hunt finding your old game you want. Maybe your egg hunting skills are off this month, so you just have to go about it with baby steps. Eventually you'll have it in your Easter Basket, just takes time. Where's the fun if you find them all at once? Also is your Bread Clips Chop Liver? I know Rock beats Scissors, but I didn't know Rock beat Bread Clips! Ha-Ha!!
For me, after I bought the Sega Dreamcast and some games, I said no more because nothing would stop or slow down.
When I sold my Dreamcast in 2002 before it was worth nothing, I kept all my jewel cases and manuals and games and 4 controllers and VMUs in pristine condition.
I made my money back and then some. It was a good feeling to not feel a compulsion to buy the next great system and let time take it's course.
It wasn't until 2019 when I bought a RetroPie and that took care of all my retro needs ever since.
It's like this channel reads my mind over topics regarding Retro Games. Especially with this topic being what I've been facing lately. Where as last week, it was about how hard Retro Games are.
The green Gameboy looks so cool with the green tinted screen.
Nothing wrong with being a little obsessed by the things you love. 😁
Your name says it perfectly!
During the first U.K. lockdown in 2020 I probably bought 200-300 games across various platforms as well as a few consoles. The hunt was the most addictive part, as opposed to actually playing the games. I realised this and have dramatically reduced what I purchase now. The main problem for me was lack of room to store everything, as well as less time now I’m a dad. Looking forward to playing these games in the future though and one day down the line with my son. Got a pretty decent collection with plenty of great games. No regrets!
Literally same mindset as me can't wait until my lad is old enough to experience the games I enjoy :)! Went through a habit of bulk buying through CEX
Never. The few times I gave up buying a game it did not feel good. Heck, sometimes I'll actually get a different game just to fill that void it left.
You really bring a unique presence to your videos. Just wholesome makes ya smile videos. 😃
Thank you for that!
One time I saw two copies of Ant Bully for the GameCube at a retro game store, and they were only $6. At the time, I had just started to really get into watching videos from the game collecting community, so I thought I wanted to start pursuing it early by buying random garbage for the sole reason of it being cheap, so why not add it to the GameCube collection. But I had my eyes on other things at the store, those things being much better things, don't know precisely what they were. But before my next visit to the store, I saw a video that pointed out that not only can games take up a lot of space, but a high quantity of games can really oversaturate the fact that you even have games to play in the first place, and your games will feel less special to you, along with having a lot of options to choose from when so many games want your time. So I realized early on that I need to focus on the games I already have, and try not to get too into collecting as opposed to gaming. I want to finish/become satisfied with each game I buy before I go looking around for more games to overflow my backlog with.
It can be hard to manage a large collection and it's actually more impactful to have a small game collection. Imagine your friend walks into your game room only to be confused as to where all the games are and when you finally point out the games, they're all like "That's it?" and "Mario is missing!" And it's kinda hilarious but then you can also easily list off your collection from memory if the collection is small enough. Also, each game in a small collection stands out a lot more and the stories you have to tell for how and why you have each game in your collection is really cool. Everyone knows ROB and Duck Hunt, but do you know about "Giraffe and Annika" or "Witch's Wish"?
Oh! And when that small collection starts getting too big then you'll have to say goodbye to one of the games you barely play. It's a bit sad but then someone else gets to try the game out! It also makes you a lot more connected with your collection. Which games will never leave your collection? Which games would you sacrifice for a new game you may not even like? Oh, my! It's dramatic and fun.
I think it's a fine line between addiction and a hobby. I can afford to buy the games I want, but I often don't even have time to "play test" everything that I buy and that's when I know it's time to slow down. Another sign that it's time to stop, or even just take a break is if you run out of room to even display your collection. I do get joy out of both gaming and collecting...but I think it's time to dig deep and take a break from the collecting part...
If you own 3 games then that's a collection. A small one but a collection. Imagine owning just 3 games. That's gotta be painful. How can anyone even pick just 3 games to spend the rest of their lives playing? It makes it a lot more interesting though and there's always something to play.
Times I’ve chosen not to buy something and felt satisfied. None.
Times I’ve chosen not to buy something and regretted it heavily. Lots.
Times I’ve bought something and felt thankful I bought it later on. Even more.
There is definitely a line that I don’t cross, but that line has stretched monetarily over the years. Unfortunately, some games I set my “line” too low for, and now those games are even further beyond an even more stretched line today. Games that I skimped out on when they were $30-40 are now in the hundreds of dollars and are truly out of reach.
I think answers to this question could be very different if the market would actually dip or crash for this stuff, but we’ve been on an overall strong positive trend for at least fifteen years now for most generations of consoles.
With a wife and newborn son and a full time job , for me not having time is the main issue with gaming as an adult
I've actually slowed down quite a bit with my collecting. I actually haven't bought a new... Or in this case old game in quite a while. My brother and I were just having this conversation when we were moving my stuff into my new apartment he wants to start his own game collection soon. When I told him I'm pretty much happy with what I have now he kind of chuckled because he knew that I was the major gaming fan when we were kids. But I think he understand that sometimes you can have too much of a good thing.
That's great to hear that you slowed down in collecting games.
I was really happy with the mega everdrive x5 I got for my genesis, since I could try anything and everything without worrying how rare it was. It was also awesome playing fan translations of games on real hardware and being able to choose different revisions of the game especially since some versions of games had bugs!
I have collected things my entire life - decades. I have faced addiction and walked away (if not immediately.) When I found myself talking about backlog alot, I knew I needed to either redefine what type of video game collector I was or make changes. I chose to make changes. I am indeed a player first.
As is with alot of things, it is only important to your inner self what the answers are.
I used to own like 40 plushies and now I have just 5 if I remember correctly.
Update: Yep
Not just one game, but more generally I decided to stop buying games new and that worked out pretty well. Then I expanded that to only buying games once I'd beaten or played a certain number of other games. Finally I made a New Years Resolution to stop buying games since I had so many unplayed. Now it's been a year and, wouldn't you know it, I still have hundreds of games to get through even without buying a bunch more. I was heavily addicted to buying games.
I bought bomber man 64 this year, but before that I can't remember the last retro game I bought. My retro collection is where I want it to be, now I'm just buying new games.
I bought PuyoPuyo Tetris 2 because I thought I'd be playing it a lot but I just couldn't bother getting past the early stages, so I'll be selling that game off.
1:36 - 1:46 🤣🤣🤣🤣 i feel it so hard omg
incredibly good video! i love your sense of humor.
I don't collect retro games, but I did stop myself from buying Ghostwire Tokyo and Lego Star Wars the skywalker saga this month so I could focus on the games I already own.
I was kinda shocked how many games I owned and never even touched. And I have to say it feels good to finish some stuff and experience the games I ignored for so long.
Once I found some of the harder to find NES and GC items I always wanted, the sense of urgency went away. Now I collect at a leisurely pace with non of those negative emotions. But I know the anxiety it can create. Not a great place to be…
I'll be honest. My game collecting is more like video game hoarding. I started in the first place because I came to regret selling so many games from my childhood, and so basically just stopped selling my games just in case. To this day, I have trouble selling games, even mediocre ones that I'm unlikely to ever play again, as theres always this voice in the back of my head all like: "hey, you might get bored and wanna play this one again some day." I probably need to work on that.
I always convince myself with dlc culture and season passes that games wont be like they were so im building a backlog. But then i realize i have 5 lifetimes of games i couldnt play through. Yet im always looking for the next one to build my backlog...
Wild Guns...that game is expensive as hell!!!
and even more expensive now! HOLY BALLS! 280 USD for loose. Game is rare.low print and KICKS ASS! That's the secret formula for the high price game. (excluding pokemon)
You speak the truth! Man I been watching your vids for a while now, but after seeing @1:37 I subscribed! 😂 This video is spot on. I stopped buying for a while and been playing more but ironically using flash carts and ode's, while the physical copies I bought stay in the case. 🧐
Glad to have you around!
I only collect for TG-16 and original Nintendo. I collect Nintendo because I grew up playing these games with my friends, priceless memories here. I collect TG-16 because I always wanted one as a kid and finally got one as an adult, absolutely love the TG-16! The addiction piece can be a very dark side of collecting games. I was definitely addicted a few years ago and finally had to narrow down my collection to the two systems and games I really cared about; sold all the rest. Was on ebay all the time and just kept buying and buying and buying and buying games....some I didn't even care about, just bought them because they were rare and I was trying to complete a collection. I stopped watching all the "we have 1,000's of video games" room tours on TH-cam, this was giving me a lot of anxiety and stopped being fun. Greatest advice I'd give my younger self, "only collect what you really love". Power to the Players!
Hunting games takes up such little times for us because it’s more of a passive activity we do when we can’t play games. The problem comes when we get new games and they become the new favourite and you never get around to playing the ones you really wanted in the first place. Apparently all that glitters IS gold
Can we just take a second to admire how sharp and clean that Gameboy gameplay footage looks?!! Oh yeah! 😎
Your content speaks the truth. So many game channels but this one still finds ways to stay incredibly original.
haha I have a Nintendo Switch eShop addiction. I find a game on sale and buy but and skip over the playing part. I almost have my 1tb card filled 🤣
I haven't played past the second area in Potata yet and I haven't beaten Valentina or The Blossom King either.
Glad to hear you feel that way!
I was spending money I could not afford to on video games. Sold off most of them. Going to emulate from now on unless I hit the lottery.
Enjoy emulating the games my friend. It's a great option that's kind to the wallet :)
There's definitely some compulsion to it. On to the next! Game and video. :)
I wish I was addicted to buying retro games. That way I wouldn't be able to stop nor tell myself no. Sadly that's not the case
My collecting has just started, but my goal is to rebuy games from my childhood. Beyond that maybe some games I drooled over but couldnt get. I dont want to collect games that dont matter to me, complete collections are out of the question.
I slowed down after plunking down $100 for Color a Dinosaur. I knew I had no intention of playing it. I only wanted it for my NES collection
It sortof was for a while, but I focused mostly on the stuff I really wanted to play and put more emphasis on clearing my backlog before buying more. Also started selling stuff I really didn’t like. Helped a lot. Or just distract yourself with even bigger money sinks instead like I have!
I avoid Genshin Impact purely because I know I'd be dumping a ton of money into the game trying to get my favourites.
I would say it is an addition, I think any form of collecting/hoarding is. I was into collecting for over 10 yrs and finally got out over the past two years having realised having $$$ of games sat on a shelf was madness
As someone else explained, I too originally set out to collect the very best 25 or so games available for consoles I was interested in. The more you research, however, the more you realize theres more titles you're intrigued by. More game developers you become a fan of. More consoles you wanna collect for etc. It's a pain in the wallet but I suppose there's plenty of worse thing to be addicted to.
I'd recommend setting a limit of games you can buy in any given year. Currently, my limit is 5 but I'm forcing myself to limit myself even more. I only plan on buying "The Cruel King and the Great Hero" and that Klonoa collection. Nintendo is taunting me with Pokemon Scarlet/Violet though and I'm on the fence with that one.
I have to say that I enjoy your weirdness. Dancing over your lines was great and I wondered where you were going with the dog butt scratching scoot... of course it was about a naner. Lol
I think a lot of people mistakenly think that if they "can't" stop something, then they must be addicted. It's not always the case. There's some things we do that we can't stop ourselves from doing because they're a necessity (e.g. eating every day, sleeping every evening, using the rest room, etc.) and you wouldn't say you're "addicted" to any of those things. Then there's things you can't stop yourself from doing and you want to keep doing it and enjoy it. For instance, you might be extremely passionate about music and playing instruments and you practice all day every day and, even though you feel like you can't stop, you don't even want to. However, then there's the scenario where you really don't want something and you don't enjoy it, but you also can't stop it and that's when it starts becoming closer to an addiction. Unfortunately, what I find often happens, is that some people that are really passionate about something -- such as game collecting -- if they feel like they can't stop, then even if they want to keep doing it, they think they're addicted and then they start wanting to stop because they wrongly believe they're addicted. Being more passionate or obsessed with something you enjoy than other people doesn't make you "addicted." You shouldn't feel concern if you feel like you "can't stop"; you should only be concerned if you feel like you 'can't stop' doing something you really don't enjoy or want to do.
I think it's entirely possible to be addicted to things that are atleast, initially considered healthy. Many people are addicted to eating, working, or hobbies; not at all bad things, but in excess? Definately. To me, even something productive like playing an instrument, or cleaning, can be an addiction. If the persistent urge to carry out the activity interferes with your health, basic daily responsibilities, or family life; regardless of how you feel about it, it is an addiction.
Yeah it’s tough. This is what I did:
I made a list of games I was in the middle of (something like 40) and told myself I had to complete at least 5 games before I purchased anything else or started anything else. And it actually worked for me.
Sometimes it feels like a job, but finishing games does actually require effort and I feel good when I can cross one off.
I still make dumb decisions sometimes but I’ve finished a lot of games that were collecting dust for years.
But at that point you've gotta ask yourself if you were finishing that game for you or to feel less guilty about owning it.
@@Hauntaku I definitely admit that it’s for the latter about 20% of the time, but I still don’t think they’re bad games, just not for me.
@@Ravenamps Yeah, it's like how I just can't get into Fire Emblem. It's good but it's not for me. Disgaea is far more interesting, yet it's the same genre of game.
For sure, it can be! I used to collect CIB NES and Sega Genesis, and there is just something about having the entire CIB of the other games that makes you feel great. I no longer collect, but I do remember the feeling well!
I would agree for me collecting has become an addiction but it is a positive one that brings me joy and happiness.
LOL! I was addicted and got a high from finding rare and “uncommon” games. That was years ago and games are harder to find out in the wild for cheap. Retail is the only way nowadays and they charge way too much. Had good times doing it though.
The best deal I ever got was "Witch's Wish" because I bought it for about $5 and now it's worth a ton. I'll never part with it though, because it's a classic!
I would think if you don't have an end goal of what you want, it could quickly turn into an addiction because you will be blindly buying whatever because someone said it's good.
In the two years since I started collecting I definitely fell way down the rabbit hole. There's also the rush I feel when I win an Auction.
For me, it’s more like “if I don’t buy this now, it’s going to be more expensive later.” Lol
But I’ve had to reign myself in and limit myself to a monthly budget for gaming.
That "Lower-Half" visual gag is gold
Just yesterday It was parodius for the super famicom from one of my dealers. Not that much really just 20 bucks but I already spent this month's collecting budget.
Love shmups just not much into parodius. I wasn't that exited about the game but had some sort of collecting craving you know.
Felt a little proud of myself rejecting the offer.
I'm sure Cotton Reboot is more fun than Parodius anyway.
Thank you for having this channel. I relate so much to every video you make. I am 27 and feel like a dinosaur compared to most people my age. Retro games rule! Also i have an addiction and I don’t care
I think I m a little addicted to play games, but I don't know If I play them because I bought them or because I m bored of other things in life. This is the sick part, the good part is that sometime I enjoy some masterpiece! I m in a fight with myself haha
I can think of several times I *did* buy a video game and regretted it, like Mass Effect Andromeda.
I find keeping a list of video games and consoles helpful in keeping me in line for collecting them. It's also helped me pass on a lot of games, and makes answering your question hard. I suppose The Hobbit for the PS2. It's the one that springs to mind first.
Hilarious and insightful, my fav retro gaming channel so far.
i work at a video game store and i have literally blown all my checks lately on games once i got word that price updates were happening
I know i have more games then i can play before i die, but then there is another freaking sale....
I don't mind collectors who want to play them but I despise the ones who go after their value.
And I am trying to buy some import Saturn games from Japan so that I can play them.
3:13 that wall of Nes and Snes game cartridges all fit in a micro-SD with metadata, artwork and videos scraped as emulation on running on $200 budget smartphones.
anything taken too far can become an addiction.
I made lists of wanted games for every console I have, thus minimizing the chances of crossing the line... I completed the lists for most of my consoles, of course I cross the line every now and then, but it's manageable.
I recommend setting a yearly limit of games you can buy. It forces you to be deliberate with your spending instead of just randomly buying games on impulse.
I often do not buy the games I want due to my ability to calculate how much money I need to pay my rent the next month.
If I have more money than I need one month I put it in a "game collecting" folder at my online bank.
I recently found the "last piece" in my SCN-collection of Megaman Games for the NES, complete in box.
But now I want MegaMan 6, even though it didn't release in Sweden. So there is always "that next game".
But as long as I stick to my budget, it is all perfect!
Oh, and Retro Bird, thanks for the quality content as usual.
It has gotten to the point where it feels like an addiction for me. I'm not financially unable to collect, I'm not hoarding, everything I buy goes in a nice neat shelf which still has plenty of room to be filled, but I find myself lately buying heavy hitters that I have never played just for the fact they are considered heavy hitters. When I started my collection, my goal was to collect childhood favorites and what I already loved, then maybe a greatest hits top 25 to 50 best games for each console, and then any of the heavy hitters or rarities. While my goals havent really changed, and I'd say I'm about 80% of the way to what I intended to collect, it just feels rediculous. I have 570 games sitting on a shelf and I've maybe played 150 of them at best. I feel the need to go game hunting every week. I have started to back off. I'm trying to limit myself to one game store trip a month, but then I walked out with Devils Third, Silent Hill 2 and 3, a trinitron, and about 5 other games this past weekend. Haha. It's gotten to the point where I'd almost rather sell off my games and go the everdrive route. I just cant see myself quitting buying games once my list has every game checked off, because then there is all of the hidden gems you see people talk about on here. After all that rambling, guess I will finish up with this, that I'm just ready to get back to enjoying playing. I made a backlog list for the year that I really want to cross off, I have crossed off 3 or 4 games this year and that has felt really good. Hoping to beat atleast 2 games per console I own for the year.
Once you go the everdrive route, I guarantee you that you won't want to be collecting games.
You get hooked on stalking the market I think.
I use an emulator and really enjoy not having to switch cartridges, using cheats really easily, save states, and the best of all is that you can play awesome ROM hacks
@@tonyp9313 speak for yourself. i started with emulators they made me want the physical copy the games.
@@Viciouspiked Yeah but with everdrives they are really excellent. I never had a problem with them & I play off my original hardware.
I often try to beat a game until I start the next one, it makes me feel like I'm not addicted. I can say the opposite in my answer to your question and I wish I haven't bought the game but I did and that's dark souls for switch, played a little bit of it and didn't like it at all
In my personal experience, yes, it can become an addiction and you can slip into the addiction rather quickly. Like most addictions it is rather unfulfilling and one day you'll question owning 50 Xbox games while only playing the likes of Halo, THPS, Amped 2, DooM 3, Splinter Cell, Fight Night Round 2, WWF Raw 2 and NFL 2K5.
@Jarod Yeah, a large collection seems impressive but upon closer look, do you really need that copy of FIFA? (this is a random example because I'd never buy FIFA because it doesn't meet my collection standards)
Love the Saturn collection getting screen time. Glad to see a fellow Saturn enjoyer
Me personally like a lot of people, I grew up poor, and I grew up in the 80s, and we would, for the most part, trade games with friends, of course, my parents would buy me games too, but not often, the whole enjoyment came from trading video games or renting so growing up, I missed out on a lot of things I wish I had.. From exclusive Japanese console exclusive games from different regions that I was see in magazines, but now is an adult with a great paying job, I can actually tell you that I've pretty much collected every single console I ever craved as a kid and I keep buying video games for all my Retro systems and all the current generation ones as well... The problem comes in that I don't feel satisfied, so I keep buying every new release that comes out plus still collecting games from my collection as well. I work a lot and I am a single father of an amazing 11 year old girl.. I got her own PlayStation 5 her own series x and her own OLED switch.. Just makes me happy seeing her with things I could never have ever as a kid, and I talked to her about my retro gaming, and that just makes my day all the time, because with the lifestyle will have I don't really play anymore constantly what's so ever. But I'm passing everything and my whole knowledge to her 🔥🔥🔥
In 2016, after not gaming for years, I bought an n64 with Ocarina of Time, Goldeneye, and Mario Kart. I never intended to own the complete library and doubt I ever will. I'm at a little over 140 titles, including imports. Not sure if/when prices will go back down, so my collection may be close to "finished" aside from the funtastic controller variants.
With my oldest son being 4, the wife and I decided this past Thanksgiving that he/we could finally get a switch for Christmas. We keep it docked and play with pro controllers. I've struggled with not purchasing too many games for the switch, because there are so many quality games that go on sale or are great value as double-packs. Long story short, the wife banned me from buying games for 6 months. Thankfully she wasn't too harsh when telling me to pump the brakes. I really appreciate that. We'll enjoy playing our current games, and I'll keep an eye out for what other great games should be added at a later date😁
I have purchased games I have no intention of opening, playing, displaying. Sad really.
One thing that's helped me with my video game collecting backlog
is to be brutally honest with what games I genuinely want, especially the asking prices,
and what's just filler material and will take up too much space.
The Switch has genuinely made me go more digital compare to N64/Wii/GameCube.
AAA Switch games are expensive and not usually worth my time.
Finding any game for cheap is a challenge within itself, but when you do, it makes your day.
I'm glad I took Wild Guns off my wishlist. Tried it on the Switch and it just seemed brutally hard, even with two players. *Goes back to playing Elden Ring*
Collecting and playing are two different hobbies, that have this cool ability to cross over once in a while. I don't feel bad for leaning too far or not far enough into one or the other, I just go with how I feel on the day/week/etc.
I actually did start off collecting at a point where games were extremely cheap. I remember getting countless
games for .05 to .10, .15 or even a quarter, and often times, for $1. Heck, for the first several years of collecting,
from 1997 to 2003 or so, most of the games I bought were not over $2, with a few being $3.50 or so. $3.50 was
the limit for most games. I had certain limits for each console, and until probably 2015, the majority of my Genesis
games cost $2 or under. I now have the full set today, and while my $2 price did not continue, keep in mind that
there are 705 games.
So a 705 game library would have fan $1,410. My entire cost for the 705 Genesis game collection ran me right under $2,500. Most of my games have been very cheap, and that is why today, I own 39 complete console libraries, at prices very few would believe. Would I say my collecting turned into an addiction? Honestly, I was addicted LONG before I started collecting, during the Pong and Atari days, I had developed a deep craving for all things video games. When the NES came along, it just quadrupled my desire and addiction.
Today, I own every console released in the US aside from the Entex Adventurevision, and over 12,000 games, 329 consoles and 39 completed console libraries, as stated above. I also have thousands of complete magazine subscriptions, books, controllers, light guns, and more than I can possibly relate here. So does that mean I'm done. Not a chance!!!!
This is this is the most I have ever heard of
@Benaiah That's gotta be very hard to clean and maintain. That sounds daunting.
And when Alexander stood over his vast shelves of complete game libraries, he wept, for there were no consoles left to collect for. And also because his backlog was like 11,000 games deep.
Do you have a picture of your collection?
so true... I spend way more time looking for deals on more games and collecting them than I do playing them... but I don't care it makes me happy lol.
Well you have a point, I’m addicted to 2-3 substances and my game collecting isn’t an addiction yet. Sadly as every day goes by games will become more expensive and expensive.
I suppose at one point years ago I would've called it an addiction. I used to go around to plenty of secondhand stores and pick up cheap games, in the end I would tell myself that I am gonna play them some day. Still haven't. When I first started collecting I was going for games I always wanted to play. I ended up collecting mostly games through import from Japan. I don't even know how many Mahjong games I have 🤣🤣
Enjoyment of playing the games should always be the most important aspect of gaming over collection hoarding