Are you a collector or a gamer?

[WiseSalesman]

I look at those rooms in the Game Rooms (http://www.digitpress.com/gameroom) section of the site, and I can't help but wonder.....with maintaining your collections, and making the money to buy the games, plus the time you spend hunting for them, do you actually have time to play them? Factor in some sort of social life, and it becomes a real dillema.

I'll be voting gamer, myself. I know I certainly spend more time playing games than I do collecting, in fact, I usually won't buy a new game until I've finished the previous one. My lousy collection of under 150 games pales before most here, but that's because I play them, instead of just collecting them.

What's your take?

[michael]

I'm totally a gamer but I do like to collect the rares and game boxes but i love gameing!!!

[congobongo]

Can't vote cause I'm both. you need to add an "all of the above" option

[WiseSalesman]

I knew someone was going to ask for that....I'm asking what you consider yourself first....like, if someone came up to you and asked you which was more important to you. Or, if you had to fill out forms and you could only check one box, would it be gamer or collector?

Take me, for example...I do collect, I never sell my games, and rarely trade, but I collect games for the purpose of playing them.

[NE146]

Guess I'm a combination. Most of my "collection" is stuff I've kept since I was a kid and never threw away, and of course that consists mainly of games I like to play (luckily my parents spoiled me ;)).

I barely have any "rare" games but that doesn't bother me as most of them are crap :P (except for maybe Quadrun) That being said, I'll GLADLY buy should I see them at any cheap/old second hand game I see at Goodwill or any other thrift/pawn shop in a heartbeat. But I don't go out of my way to do it... umm not *too* much at least ;)

[kainemaxwell]

I'm a gamer first but getting moreso into both collecting and gaming too.

[Lady Jaye]

I consider myself as a gamer. I collect stuff I wanna play. However, I do have admiration for other people's extensive collection. I just don't have the time, space and money to spend on weekly game hunts. :(

[Savedman]

I just had to choose collecter. In the same fashion that I buy crap that I know that I will never use just because I got a killer deal on it I also buy video games and systems that I know that I will never have time to play. It must be some sort of personal conquest of mine. Maybe I should see a therapist or something but anyone who has shopped the thrift stores know that feeling you get when you see that some poor ignorant fool threw out his atari 2600 with 40 games because he didn't believe that anyone would want that antiquated old stuff. And even though you know that you already have 4 2600's in your basement you just can't help yourself! You start to get a little weak in the knees and you slowly look from side to side to see if anyone else has seen it sitting there quietly on the shelf. You wipe the sweat off of your palms as you reach out for the precious item and place it gently into your cart. You race feverishly toward the checkout counter and can't get to the trunk of your car fast enough as you lock your latest treasure away with a Mojo Jo Jo like "MWAAAA HAAAAA HAAAA!!!".

Sorry....I guess I got a little carried away.

[Raedon]

I wouldn't collect interactive media if I didn't play them first.

[zektor]

I'm a gamer by all means. I only collect what I collect to play them. Rare/common really means nothing to me. If a game is good I play it, if it stinks...well...I don't. So my collections really consist of games I like to play. This does not however go for my rom collections. I just download pretty much anything when it comes to that....and that is only because I have hard drive space to burn :)

[ventrra]

I pretty much would say the same things as Zektor except, I like most of the games that almost everyone else thinks stink.

...Well, OK. Sachen's Challenge of the Dragon was even too bad for me, but I LIKE the games that Data Age, Color Dreams, Wisdom Tree, Mythicon, etc. released.

[maxlords]

Well, I've BECOME a collector due to the fact that the stuff I tend to like is all collectible now. I started collecting games in 1995 when I realized that I wanted to play a stack of games that I'd traded in a while back for more games, so I made a solemn vow never to sell a game I liked again. Now I have about 550 console games, and they're all ones that I want to play. I don't collect to complete sets, but instead, only to get the games I want to play.

Thing is, a LOT of the stuff I picked up a long time ago cause I liked it has now become collectible and expensive, so I have quite the collection as a result. I only sell games I don't like at all, and never sell ones that I'm just "tired of". SO really, a gamer first and foremost and a collector by default. I buy stuff I know is rare that I don't want, just to sell it for money to get the games I do want tho :)

[christianscott27]

needlessly divisive poll me thinks, lets quote the homepage shall we, yes here we go "Digital Press Online is dedicated to the "Pac-rats" among video gamers... short attention spans, library-sized collections, consoles precariously wired in spider-web fashion... Sound like you?" sure does, thats why i'm here.

i'm not an elder statesman or any sort of mod here but i think this board sometimes runs away with the modern gaming stuff and forgets it roots, there are thousands of sites to do your system bashing on but only a handful where you can brag about your 5200 find. DP makes a collectors guide, compiles and publishes rarity lists and so on, sounds like a theme to me...

there is no contradiction in claiming to be gamer and collector equally, one week i might do one more than the other but either way i enjoy this hobby. fanboy/gates haters in other threads tire out my eye rolling muscles, who cares which system is better in your eyes, we are gamers, i'll proudly own an xbox someday, just as i proudly own my channel f and my jaguar. ok that was a topic drift but i needed to vent that, geesh people the xbox never did anything to you. back to the topic- i play games and have a monster sized collection, thus i see myself as a well rounded gamer. why do you feel the need to make it a 51%-49% thing?
________
Granny black (http://www.fucktube.com/categories/646/black/videos/1)

[WiseSalesman]

No need to get offended....this question came to my mind, and I found myself curious as to how the other people on here I had talked to would answer such a question. If you don't like the poll, there is certainly no obligation to participate in it. It was never meant to divide people into "gamers" and "collectors" and cause some sort of rift....I was just curious who here collected just to collect and who here collected because they wanted to play them.

It's like the age old comic book collector's debate: Do I leave this comic sealed, knowing one day it will be worth tons of cash, or do I open it, because I love to read comics?

[ROBOTRON]

Can't vote on this one...I'm both.

[ClubNinja]

I too think it's a little hard to choose one side that's more prominent than the other. Some months, it's more gamer, while others are collector-mode. Lately, I've been mostly a collector, as I haven't had the time to really sit down and play anything. That doesn't mean that these games will never be played, though. They'll all have their day(s)!

Regarding the comic book parallel - I always open sealed games. Always. How else will they breathe?

[spoon]

Gamer, I am a collector of NES, but I still get really into the games, and the only reason I am a collector, is because I was/am a gamer! :D

[Stark]

I had to say collector. I only play certain games but I love having as many as I can get. Most of my stuff is boxed up due to lack of room.

[digitalpress]

I'm definitely a gamer FIRST, collector SECOND. The only reason a collection ever started for me in the first place is because I had piles of games around that I *had* to play. Nowadays I fill in holes by collecting but not a day goes by where I don't PLAY, whereas many days go by when I don't COLLECT.

Great poll! Interesting results, too.

[Neo-Jorge]

Gamer 1st collector Second. My love for gaming is what made me a collector, I think as the internet grew and the gaming communities came together It seems as though it was the in thing to do and have a giant collection to display to the masses. I would have to say I have always enjoyed showing off my personal collections to my friends and family and I was a bit surprized when I saw so many collections online and knew that I was not the only weirdo around that collected game stuff.




Thanks

[Revolt]

Im more of a gamer. I do collect, but only the ones I will play. ;) :D

[wberdan]

originally i was just a hardcore gamer.... but after the thousands of hours wasted on games between the ages 4 to 14 i pretty much completely burned out. now collecting the items is my main priority, more than playing them.

willie

[Andy Rampage]

" i AM A GAMER! ~TOTALLY!!"

"i AM Totally, A GAMER!!"

"COLLECTOR? what's that??

[Arrrhalomynn]

I'm definately a collector. I used to be a gamer, but then I bought more and more games. And I started playing them less.
When I play a game I usually only play 1 game for some time. Several weeks baldur's gate, several weeks GTA, a week sega rally. Etc. I get games a lot quicker than I can play them.
And I collect PAL saturn games. And most of those aren't even worth playing :p

[GENESISNES]

i collect a helluva lot more than i game.

[cerex]

I just don't have the time, space and money to spend on weekly game hunts.


haha same here

[Sylentwulf]

Not enough options to vote. I collect classic games, I play modern ones (and some classics, but mostly just modern)

[omnedon]

I'm with Sylentwulf. Collect old, and play some of them, play modern, but don't really collect "modern". Just buy what I like.

[DarkSoul]

That's a real, real hard question... I game heavily, but honestly not always on the games that I "collect" - Stuff that I couldn't have when I was a kid. I mean, I log countless hours on the PC and my new Dreamcast (I've always been a bit behind the curve, hehe), but spend only limited (but still definitely significant) time on my 2600, INTV (best system ever, of course), and NES.

Too hard a question =)

[liab1228]

I am totally a collector.
Last week I bought 14 N64 games at blockbuster for $6.99 each and I know that there are only 2 or 3 games I will play but had to buy them to try to complete my N64 collection.

And right now I am too busy playing Age of Mythology to go looking for more games. If I ever get tired of playing this game I will certainly be buying any game I find cheap.




-Lia

[Imstarryeyed]

I have to agree with quite a few of you all, I am a collector, while I used to play religiously I just don't seem to have the time to play that many games. i do however buy quite a few and do a lot of sampling. I guess that makes me a collector first than a gamer.

[den68]

I would have to say I'm a collector by nature. I base this on the fact that I've always collected SOMETHING since my first collection of bottlecaps way back in 2nd or 3rd grade. The collecting bug bit me YEARS ago.

Comics, Action Figures, Die-Cast or whatever. For the past couple years it's been video games.

I also consider myself a gamer. I've had several systems over the years that I've played to death. Atari 2600, C64, NES, Genesis, PSX. I was fortunate enough to have kept every game I ever had and it's these 5 systems and about 100 games between them that formed the foundation of my current collection.

I think we're ALL gamers. Size of collection, time spent playing/hunting, doesn't matter, we all love playing video games.

Right?

Anyone here with a huge collection that they hate to play? I doubt it.

[Six Switch]

I'm definitely a gamer FIRST, collector SECOND. The only reason a collection ever started for me in the first place is because I had piles of games around that I *had* to play. Nowadays I fill in holes by collecting but not a day goes by where I don't PLAY, whereas many days go by when I don't COLLECT.



I would have to agree with that.I am a gamer and a collector,but my gaming comes first. :D :hmm: :-D

[Arqueologia_Digital]

I´m a collector and also a gamer, but always it happened to me that i have too many games and i don´t have spare time to play all of them. Also, there are games that i don´t played yet!!!!

[ianoid]

although I've spent more time collecting in the last 7 years than I have gaming, I am a gamer first. I like to play video games, and if I had to choose one or the other, it would be gamer. Since I don't have to choose in real life, I do both. Thank goodness!

ian

[game_trek]

To be truly honest, I'd have to say That I'm a collector. Although I still like to play games. I find much more joy in the art of collecting.
But of course Thats not what I would have said when I was 12. :D

[Britboy]

classic collector, PS2 gamer

[Kamisama]

I collect a lot of games but i really play only some them. I test them all though but maybe just for some minutes...

[neschampion]

I'm definitely a collector. I played a ton of games when I was younger but I just don't have the time anymore. I sit down for a few hours Gamecube every couple of weeks but thats about it.

[jose.yoshitake]

I'll always be a GAMER.

If I stop playing, who knows who would replace my old-school aficcionado style?

Nobody!!!!!!

I collect too, but this is a consequence from my love for the classics like Turtles!, Ninja Gaiden, Double Dragon, etc...

[Videogamerdaryll]

That was hard because i'm both..

[calthaer]

A gamer, and only a collector insofaras I collect great games I enjoy(ed).

[Cafeman]

I'm a gamer, not a collector at all. I quickly ditched my Panzer Dragoon Saga and Shining Force III for $$$ once I was convinced I'd never play them again, for example.

This topic is something I've thought about now & then as I check out various gaming forums. There are gamers. These guys genuinely play their games, to different degrees (some can replay old games forever, others have a thirst for only new stuff).

There are collectors/catalogers. The bigger your wall of shame, the more you are a cataloger than a gamer, IMO. Collectors never get rid of anything unless its to get something else. Catalogers just can't resist any game at all that has merit in their eyes, even if they know they will never get around to playing it.

You also have the historians. These guys will correct even the smallest incorrect quotation or historical fact. They know it all. Don't you dare try to tell them what Naoto Oshima was thinking when he invented Sonic the Hedgehog, they already know that plus they know he was sitting on the pot while doing it, plus they know the type of toilet paper he used.

Am I getting too off-subject? Well, most of us are parts of each category it seems, but some are most obviously not gamers so much as they are those other categories.

[chadtower]

I'd love to be a gamer first but don't have the time. So I collect now with the intentions of playing them all later when my kids are a bit older and I don't have to commute two hours a day while working ten.

[TokenGamer]

I'm a combination of both. I love to play and love to collect. when I pick up 2 or 3 games for my NES collection, it takes me 2 or 3 hours just to test them to see if they work. Once I start, I can't stop untill all my men are dead or I really have to go to the bathroom. Then i'll spend another hour reading every part of the box, manual, inserts and document them into my database.
Am I the only one here who takes hours just to see if a game works?

[captain nintendo]

i am going to say i was a gamer first that crossed the line into collecting

[AB Positive]

Currently, Collector first, gamer second. The reason being is that now that I have the money to allow myself to, I sort of want to indulge in the one fantasy I had back when I was a 14 year old...

To have every turbo grafix game ever.

Stemming from that I'm finding systems I never had that are great (5200, O2) and want to collect for them too. I still find time to play the games, but I'm more amassing for now. Almost as if there's a total crash in gaming and I can never find or purchase another one, I'll be set because I'll have enough games to play past the rest of my life.

-AG

[Mustang93]

you have to ask yourself do you find more joy in having/getting a rare game or more joy completing a game that took hours. do you like achieving or getting...im definitely some of both.

[ubikuberalles]

I do a little of both but I spend more time gaming then collecting so I voted for gaming. Too bad there wasn't an "All of the Above" selection.

[TokenGamer]

i second the motion for an "all of the above" selection.

[djbeatmongrel]

Definitely a gamer/then a collector. I say for my age i definitely can call myself a collector, 17 /w 166 across 13 platforms. i do make an effort to atleast put a few houors of play into each game i own, even if i don't play it ever again. :texaschain:

[chevy_chase]

Gamer, i don't collect anything really... it just takes up too much room.

[Jestr]

Just like virtually eveyone else, I started as a gamer and became a collector. The memories that are ingrained on every cartridge or disc I find take me back to my childhood, where everything was simpler. I now collect for everything, because I can remember at least reading about them when I was a kid and just wishing I had the money to get that system. Some games bring back memories of old friends and hours "wasted" in front of the television. Some game endings bring back feelings of victory and accomplishment. I will always be grateful to the game industry for allowing me the chance to rescue a princess or to run from ghosts or to just break the boredom of living in the 15 miles from the nearest city.

[Duncan]

Gamer first, collector second.

In short, I collect more so that I can play more. For instance, I could just do like I've been doing and keep playing SMS games on my recently purchased Power Base Converter -- but the guy at my local game store has an SMS unit available, and I'd like to get the full experience. So I'll probably end up "collecting" that sometime this week in an effort to play more effectively. (Besides, I'm also curious to see if it's got Alex Kidd hidden in it. It's like a little mystery...)

Duncan :D

[death1024]

I like to collect and play. Collecting is fun (thrill of the rares hunt). There is nothing more exciting than finding a very rare cart in the wild.

[Drexel923]

I used to be nothing but a gamer, but once I started collecting pieces of my past I've been pretty much full force collecting. Once some more modern games that I want come out I'll probably start to find a nice balance of the two.

[stevec1636]

i am both, in my game room i have over 3,000 games and i have time to play most of them. I mean lets face it most older games are not worth playing more than once :)

but i am serious gamer when it comes to the latest and greatest

[stevec1636]

i am both, in my game room i have over 3,000 games and i have time to play most of them. I mean lets face it most older games are not worth playing more than once :)

but i am serious gamer when it comes to the latest and greatest

[Cow Bell Man]

Gamer Frist, collector second.

I like to play them more the colect them. however, I do plan to finsh all my collection some time in my life.

[mezrabad]

Gamer first, but, um, I collect gaming experiences if that makes any sense. I just want to play them all, even the bad ones, so that makes me need to collect as many as I can, to play them. But Gamer first. Yup.

[Flack]

I voted for gamer because that's the intentional part. I'm a gamer because I play games. I'm a collector because I never get rid of said games.

[Flack]

I mean lets face it most older games are not worth playing more than once :)

I have an entire childhood that disagrees.

[Sotenga]

Definitely a gamer, I am. Everything I purchase gets played. Sure, I do get some excitement trying my best to win a game on eBay, but I get a greater thrill over playing said item.

[8-Bit Master]

I'm a gamer first, but I do collect too. I've got over 1000 games and I've played every one of them for at least 30 minutes.

[atomicthumbs]

Gamer... Collector... I'm the guy with the gun.

http://atomicthumbs.freehosting.net/boomstick.jpg

[GamecubeFreek]

Gamer first, but, um, I collect gaming experiences if that makes any sense. I just want to play them all, even the bad ones, so that makes me need to collect as many as I can, to play them. But Gamer first. Yup.

My thoughts, exactly. I would want to play any game just because I love games so much (Not to imply that anyone else on this site does not feel the same way, I just am able to enjoy a game and the fact that I own it even if it is not good, or rare, or new, or whatever).

[undead455]

I'm both I like to play and collect. Nothing beats going out and buying a vintage game for next to nothing then going home to play it for hours 8-)

[hu6800]

Niether,,, Im a GAME MASTER

[hu6800]

Definitely a gamer/then a collector. I say for my age i definitely can call myself a collector, 17 /w 166 across 13 platforms. i do make an effort to atleast put a few houors of play into each game i own, even if i don't play it ever again. :texaschain:

dude , franken furter came in after they sang the Time Warp
your just a sweet transvestite ,,, from,, well you know where.

[vision89]

I'd say I'm a gamer more than collector, however I tend to go in waves. Meaning, If I'm doing a lot of collecting I tend not to do as much playing, and if I'm doing a lot of playing I tend not to do as much collecting. Basically I go from playing to collecting then back to playing. It's an endless cycle

[NintendoMan]

THAT is an EXCELLENT question!! I would have to say collector (60%) and gamer (40%). Years ago I used to play for hours on end, but nowadays I don't have time to play as much as i would like to, and I definatley can't cut out of my collecting time I use to find things I want or need.
I definatley buy 100 times more games than I can actually play. But every game will be played be it 5 minutes from now or 5 years:)

[AMG]

I'm both. But I voted gamer. Nothing like getting a fun new game to tear into for hours. :)

[MonkeyWizard]

Gamer. I don't buy a game so that I can complete a collection. I buy a game because I honestly think I might have a fun time with it.

[DigitalSpace]

I voted gamer. Even though I'm a little bit of both, I'm more of a gamer than a collector, if that makes any sense. I want to have a big library of games, and since there's a lot of stuff out there I'd enjoy, it's plausible. I probably won't ever go for a complete collection because I don't want to waste money on games that I won't enjoy. I would rather see those games in the hands of someone who would enjoy them. Also, it saves money.

[DigitalSpace]

Whoops.

[DigitalSpace]

Whoops again. I can be such a dumbass sometimes! Sorry, fellow DP'ers. :frustrated:

[evilmess]

Gamer (16 bit to current)

I usually buy games that I genuinely want to play and then add them to my collection(s). On occasion I'll buy a game because it's interesting for some reason or another, play it a little and then put away for a trade.

Good question! 8-)

[Daria]

I have to say both, while I spend a good deal of my free time playing games I certainly enjoy collecting them as a hobby and I buy plenty of games I've never gotten around to playing... yet.
________
Lovely Wendie99 (http://www.lovelywendie99.com/)

[Jasoco]

Well.. until recently I was a big collector. But I have put it aside and now only game. Finally finished Pikmin last night! And I actually got off the planet! Probably wouldn't have done it if I had kept collecting and letting it consume my life. Gaming is more fun for me now.

Sad.. I collected the 29th part on day 30.. didn't even get a chance to play the final Trial.

Maybe I'll play again one day. After I beat Pikmin 2.

But anyway.. Gamer. That's me.

[dj898]

I used to be gamer till my daughter was born. since then I'm more of collector simply I have no time for playing at home. :(
still I reckon with games I'm collecting it won't be too long before I can play with my daughter... :p

cheers

[farfel]

game !game! GAME

:D

[DTJAAAAMJSLM]

Right now, I'm more of a collector. I now spend most of my gaming time on the Internet.

[JesterDev]

It's a bit hard to define myself between the two. I would say that there is only maybe 3% of my collection that I haven't played at least once. There are always those titles that I buy with the intention of playing, but somehow never get around them (not including sealed games). I do however buy anything that I do not already have. I have a few games for consoles that I do not even own yet. :) A very few mind you, but I bought them in hopes of one day buying the console.

In anycase I buy allot of titles with the intent of preserving these games for the future to they didn't end up in the dump. I just can't stand to see that happen. But my collection is well used. There is not a day that goes buy that I don't stop and relax to play a game or two or more. It's like a drug habit I guess.

Really though I like the idea of being able to pick and choose what I'm in the mood for verses having only a few to choose from. So I am somewhere inbetween I suppose. But I play more then I collect. :)

[izret101]

I'm not going to vote either because depending on what is going on i spend more time doing one or the other.
I am getting out of a buy to collect not to game phase right now.
Probably because i am starting to finish up a bunch of the games i bought because i wanted to play them not for a collection purpose.
But when i get to many games that i want to beat i go into a collector phase again.
So i guess i am a bipolar gamer/collector.

[lendelin]

Gaming and collecting aren't contradictory at all. It is not 'either-or,' it is 'and.' They both reinforce each other. Gaming provides fuel to keep the motor running for collecting, and vice versa.

Gaming is about the love for games. Collecting is about the love for games AND having lots of options to play different games. I like to think of collectors as nutty gamers who want gamestores in their homes; and the more games you have, the more options you got.

When it comes to restricted time budgets, most guys do at different times a more gaming and then more collecting. That is a good thing because it provides variety when it comes to games. In the long run, it probably balances out nicely.

One misconception about collecting is that it doesn't make sense because all the games collected can never be played. The latter is true, in particular for really impressive collections, but large collections are about the OPTION to play games on your shelves if you want to or have to. Book libraries are there and thrive for completion not becasue every book will be read, but because books should be archived and are readily available if there is the need to look them up. Same goes for game libraries.

[bargora]

As lendelin and others point out--
A collector is a gamer with no time.
A gamer is a collector with no money.

[goatdan]

It all depends on how I look at myself...

I am definitely a gamer first... most of the time. I only have two or three major collections -- Jaguar, Dreamcast and Neo Geo Pocket, which I've never considered a collection until recently when I realized I have something like 90% of the games for the system. I have a few minor collections just for the sake of the system interested me and it was cheap. My Action Max "collection" falls into this category.

But with my collections, I collect to game 95% of the time. I have played every Jaguar game I own at some point or another for at least a few hours. Even the ones that suck just to give them a shot. I have played about 75% of my Dreamcast collection, including about 25% of them at length (long enough to beat the games or accomplish a lot like an entire season in NBA 2K1). Beyond those, I only have games I had when I was younger plus a few oddiites that snuck in. For the 2600, I have added Ram It in the past ten years. For the NES, Tengen Tetris and Top Gun (which is actually my wife's). For the SNES, Maximum Carnage. And that's about it.

The GOAT Store started at least partially as a reason for me to get more games to check out, but not get attached to them like I have with my original collections. I often check out stuff that we get in to see what it is like. I've been borrowing a Geni lately and playing through a ton of different Geni games I've always been interested in. I have also borrowed a Saturn, 32X, SMS and Turbografx-16 for the same sort of stuff. It's been a nice way to get to play a _lot_ of games for a lot of systems, and it also gives me the opportunity to help people locate games from their youth that they sold or games to help complete their collections, which gives me a sense of accomplishment.

But anywho, definitely a gamer first :)

[videogameking26]

I'm a bit of both..game alot but also collect alot..mainly just next-gen and GBA games right now

[jasonegitto]

I am definately a collector. I will collect any game I see, even if I wont ever play them. I have the calssic list of all the games I used to play a long time ago and loved, but I plan on owning every game for every system. Good luck me.

[legov8]

I'm both. I collect them, and play them.

[ozyr]

Gamer for the most part. I've given/sold/traded to many rare games away to be otherwise. Besides, I just like to play the things. I just have a habit of keeping games, instead of trading them in for new ones like some folks do.

On the other hand, when it comes to Odyssey2/Philips G7XXX series, and the Atari Lynx system, I'm a collector. Anything I can get that deals with these two systems I can get my hands on, I'll take it (if I can afford it). Games, fliers, magazine ads, etc. Between these two systems, I hate to think how much I've spent - especially getting those darn hard to find rarer games - like Power Lords! (of course, I've spent plenty more on other hobbies - yes, Video gaming is 'not' my main hobby) :embarrassed:

[Moon Patrol]

Im about 50/50, I collect and I game. I have a small collection, about 100 or so games for Genesis, 2600/7800, SMS, and 32x.

I see tons of people who collect a lot more than they game though, I just want to get a complete US Genesis/32x collection, maybe complete SMS too, that's it.

[Alucard]

I'm mainly a collector. I play the games I have but once in a while.

[game_nut]

Gamer. I only buy games that I know I'm going to play alot. If I collected games, most of them would just sit on the shelf and collect dust...and that would just be a waste money to me.

[Dji]

I used to collect pretty much anything, but I've sold most of what I had because of a lack of interest, recently including my Saturn, my 3DO, and even most of my N64, Genesis and dear SNES games. I used to have a Game Gear, Master System, 2600 and TG16, but that was years ago, when I was still a kid. I intend to sell most of my PS1, PS2, Xbox, GCN and DC games, since I barely even play them anymore (if ever). I've spent hundreds upon hundreds of dollars on unremarkable GBA games, which I think I'll keep for a while yet anyways, for whatever reason. Nowadays, I only collect NES games (I'll buy anything NES that I don't have, and even stuff that I do have, from time to time), while I seldom even buy non-NES stuff... and even then it's only to play. I buy MVS games from time to time, but they're quite expensive, so that doesn't happen often. Most of my game-playing time is spent on NES titles, which I (re)discover. One of my friends is quite the collector, though. He's bought numerous consoles and games which he doesn't even know the names of. I collect vicariously through him; giving him tips on what is a good deal, going on shopping sprees with him in cheerleader-mode, etc. I think that's even more fun than when I collected myself, as I get to play almost everything and search for buried treasure, plus it's none too expensive and doesn't take any space! :P

[atari_wizard]

i went with collector. i love gaming and trying out new games. i usually go thru my bins and pull out games that i've yet to play, toss it in and see if its good or not. iv'e found a few new loves this way.

[VG_Maniac]

I null vote because I consider myself to be both a collector and a gamer. However, I'm not a hardcore collector. I'd never even consider trying to own every system and every game for every system.