How many of you are "at peace" with this hobby?

[Steven]

Just thinking about Viraneth's thread of which system to buy, it got me thinking. How many of us are actually "pretty much" done buying systems and games? How many of us have stopped searching on eBay or craigslist? How many of us have stopped hitting the flea markets and thrift shops?

How many of us are truly "at peace" with this hobby?

I've found out firsthand in recent times that it's all about being "at peace" with this hobby. (big relevation, huh?) When you are, you don't find yourself either overwhelmed or susceptible to burning out. You can instead focus on enjoying the games you have. I'm done buying (have been for a while) and it's a great feeling to know I'm set for life as far as this hobby goes. These days I just kick back, enjoy the games I have and browse the boards. Great stuff. I don't miss hawking eBay auctions day and night or calling strangers to meet up at the local Albertson's.

I remember several years ago I was just constantly buying, buying and buying. That's pretty much how I burned out with the Saturn. I was buying too many games I didn't have a true interest in playing, but rather to expand the ole collection. Do I really need Alpha when I have Street Fighter 2 Alpha? Nope.

So if you're reading this, and you feel you've got a long way to go before you're done buying games or whatever, just remember to pace yourself and try to enjoy the games that are coming in.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I don't buy "multi-game lots" as aggressively as I did 10 years ago, but I still enjoy a weekly browse at all the local brick/mortar shops for contemporary bargains, a weekly stop in the Digital Press store to see if there's anything "retro" that tickles my fancy, and I haven't missed a NAVA meeting since I started going in September 07 for a good barter or three.

While I wouldn't say "at peace" in terms of completed my entire collection, I have in recent years hit most of the milestone collecting beats (MAME cabinet, Famicom Disk System, replacement Vectrex w/Sean Kelly Multicart, etc.) that I had been looking for in years gone by.

I know I'll always be an "active" collector, especially in a market where new clone systems and novelties like the FC Mobile keep coming down the pike.

[JunkTheMagicDragon]

i'm not nearly at the 'at peace' stage, but lurking around here and reading some of the comments has made me more wary of what i spend my money on.

someone (might have been poofta) made the comment that you should collect what interests you, not just grab everything you can. i can definitely see where that could lead to burnout.

my interest lies in systems, accessories, specific franchises, and classic multiplatform games. i've been focusing more on making my collection my own rather than just filling my house full of stuff i don't care about.

[blissfulnoise]

I'm pretty much done. I still hit eBay for some games every now and then but I don't even realistically have a way to store any more games than I have now unless I do another major construction effort (I refuse to be one of those guys who ships their stuff to offsite storage).

I'm really only interested in finding some of the really bizarre games that are out there and that's a search that keeps going as I get exposed to new stuff.

But, that said, I still stay up with current games pretty well buying about 4-10 games a month for current gen systems not counting indie PC/download services.

[nestlekwik]

I've really cooled off the past five years or so due to money, but I'm perfectly fine with it. Like others have said, it's given me some time to actually play and enjoy the games. I still look around at what's available but have found it incredibly easier to resist impulse buys unless they are less than $5 (which given my collection doesn't leave too many more games I'm looking for compared to what's available). Also, it doesn't help that the majority of my region is completely void of places to pick up anything prior to the Playstation 2. I will most likely start back up on purchasing more games and actively searching in the future, but, for now it's been fun playing what I have.

[Pantechnicon]

I'm close to peace, I guess, although the relative dearth of pre-NES finds in the last couple of years makes it something of an enforced peace.

Instead of thinking "more more more" I find my mind gravitating towards "less less less". I was quite comfortable with liquidating a number of system collections which I owned, but for which I held no personal affinity (Saturn, TG16, NES, SNES). I'm starting to consider offing all my Genesis/SMS stuff as well (there's a lot of it) and contenting myself with emulation on that front.

Three-fitty a gallon for gas makes weekly thrift store hunting or a weekend chasing garage sales seem like a fruitless and wasteful induglence. The local shops that do cater to the pre-NES collector all know who I am and call me any time a sizable lot comes in, so there's little need to visit them unless they confirm something good. I've never been much for Ebay, and I'm just starting to get into Craigslist which - as far as I can tell - is more or less dominated by the people who must have beat me to the good finds at the thrifts and are looking to turn a quick buck (local example) .

I have 300 Atari 2600 carts - enough to make most people drop their jaws at the sheer magnitude of old-school goodness. Additionally, I've got a "yet to be played" pile of games for every console between Dreamcast and Xbox that would potentially keep me busy playing for the next 2 years, i.e. - until I'm 40, without ever having to worry about touching a single current gen console, and at which point I'll have to seriously ask myself whether all this effort at the collecting/accumulating side of things will still have the same luster as it did when I started in earnest at the age of 25, and signs are pointing to no.

So as I said, I may not wholly be at peace, but I feel like I'm getting close.

[Zora Mystery]

I only started a couple of weeks ago, and I only have 4 games because I'm actually playing them as I get them. I'm in no rush, and I only get what I'm interested in.

I only hate how collectors keep 1000's of games that they will never play, and only trade to other collector's for a high price so they can't leave it in their closet, when I really want to play it.

[MrSparkle]

I have games in my collection from when i was a kid. But i didnt really consider myself a collector until maybe a year ago so im still pretty hot into it. I can see no evidence that im going to want to slow down my efforts anytime soon. 99% of the stuff i buy i buy to play there is always that 1% thats for pure coolness factor ( power glove ). im actually preparing to build a few more shelves to hold the next few months worth of aquisitions as 3 bookshelves are pretty much full up at this point. I can see a point in the future where i could have satisfied that urge to get new stuff though. Only time will tell.

[blue lander]

I don't buy "multi-game lots" as aggressively as I did 10 years ago, but I still enjoy a weekly browse at all the local brick/mortar shops for contemporary bargains, a weekly stop in the Digital Press store to see if there's anything "retro" that tickles my fancy, and I haven't missed a NAVA meeting since I started going in September 07 for a good barter or three.

Same here. I don't buy games by the dozen just to bulk up my collection as I once did, so I guess in that sense I am at "peace". I just go after games that look interesting, I don't even really bother with thrift stores anymore since I just don't have the time.

[cityside75]

I think I've always been pretty much "at peace." My reason is that I've never been an aggressive buyer, I've bought almost nothing on ebay. Instead I have a handful of local locations that I enjoy checking every now and then, along with neighborhood garage sales and the like. Over the years, I've managed to compile a pretty nice collection without much help from ebay. Sure, it takes longer, but I generally end up getting much better deals, and the thrill of actually making a good find in the wild has always been half the fun for me anyway. If I have a couple of hours to burn, I look forward to hitting the local shops or going garage sale-ing to see what's new.

[ssjlance]

There have been times where I will slow down on any and all gaming purchases, but I'm never really at peace with the hobby. I just bought a Virtual Boy w/ stand and hard case, Japanese Teleroboxer CIB, Light Crusader (I know, cheap game, but I've wanted it for some time), and a TON of PSX Final Fantasy games, Earthworm Jim, and the first Sonic off of eBay. So yeah, at the moment, I am building the old collection, and I'm nearing the 400 games mark (haha, kinda small compared to most others here).

And yeah, I've owned a Genesis for years and I just now bought the first Sonic. I just never cared for it, and decided to opt for 2/3/Knuckles.

[udisi]

I'm pretty at much peace. I haven't really made thrifting runs and such in years, as most of the stuff I used to buy has dried up. I do still lurk ebay, but I never was the obsessive, watch ebay 24 hours a day types. I'm pretty satisfied with what I have, but really I think I cooled off because most of the things I want just aren't available most of the time.

[Viraneth]

It'll be a few years before I reach that point.

[neist]

I'm close.

I probably only have maybe a couple thousand left before I'm satisfied with all games I want. I don't have a huge collection, but I'm limiting it down to the bare minimum of my favorite titles.

I still have.. maybe 50 games left?

[InsaneDavid]

While I wouldn't say "at peace" in terms of completed my entire collection, I have in recent years hit most of the milestone collecting beats (MAME cabinet, Famicom Disk System, replacement Vectrex w/Sean Kelly Multicart, etc.) that I had been looking for in years gone by.

I feel almost exactly the same way as the Twin Famicom this year was the last of the systems I've always really wanted that I had yet to obtain. I haven't stopped buying games however and I still pick up the large lots when they're cheap. Of course with me that has always been the case, minimal money for maximum additions. I still hit the flea market every week, buy $1.00 games (yes, sometimes even ultra commons) from yard sales, and continue to buy things (even if I don't really need them, as long as they are cheap) from vendors I have good history from - I enjoy giving them business.

There are still games out there I'd like to own (currently Sonic Wings Special for the Saturn comes to mind) but I'm in no rush right now, that's how it's always been, and that's how it'll continue to be. I do buy from eBay now and then and from time to time I do end up paying a decent price for that stuff. However my $50.00 VirtualOn TwinStick and all those special controllers (Densha de Go!, pachinko, etc.) for low prices show that bargains can be had.

As for rarity, I don't think I'll ever top the HeartBeat Personal Trainer I got last month (already sold, I have no interest in keeping it), even considering the lone NES proto I still have. I'll continue to collect for my rarest system though, the good old Tomy Tutor. There are a lot of great games on common platforms I currently don't have (Chrono Trigger, EarthBound, Super Mario RPG) but have had in the past, got them cheap (and complete), played them to death and sold them when I needed the cash. If I found them cheap once I can find them again - none are especially rare anyway.

I guess it comes down to endless buying frenzies are stupid. I've paced myself - always paced myself. Yeah, I get a backlog now and then but that's just because I found a good deal. Then of course there's the whole thing that once I have the space and the money I plan on buying a bunch of cabinets.

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

I'm completely au fait with my game collecting days being a thing of the past. Mind you, I wouldn't kick anyone out of bed for dropping a cheap working Astrocade, Wii or Studio II in my lap, but two things really cover the rest of my collecting activity:

1. I have a child now, and while I like my toys, he is now the chief spending priority of this household. I'm cool with that - it's as it should be.

2. I'd like to start turning the stuff I have collected toward projects like my web site and my video projects.

3. I enjoy getting together with my pals and playing/trading/showing stuff more than sitting in a room by myself being an eBay sniper.

4. I obviously can't count.

I have a very unique collection with some very interesting items in it (interesting to me at any rate), I'm very fortunate to have accumulated that stuff, and I'm pretty happy with it. Even if I don't get that Astrocade, Wii or Studio II, I'm cool with it. There is so much more to my life than game collecting, and while I still enjoy writing reviews and retrospectives and working on video projects about video games, if someone said to me tomorrow "You're never going to get another video game system or cartridge as long as you live," I'd just shrug it off and go back to reading my kid a storybook.

[RadiantSvgun]

I won't be "at peace" until I get a 6 button Jamma cabinet. But as far as some systems go, I'm already at peace. Like my NES collection, I only have a few games I really want, and they are cheap- Double Dragon III, Renegade, Milon's Secret Castle, Gradius, Ice Climbers, and a few more.

I hit many milestones in my collection in the past couple of months. I got my long wanted DUO, that I had been wanting well over 10 years, got it modded, got a box for it, and have a decent sized collection of games, many boxed. With the hits like US release Cotton, Neutopia II (thanks to Joe), Exile, Sapphire, Kaze Kiri, and Dragon Slayer, I'm no longer in a frenzy to grab up every Turbo game I missed out as a kid.

I doubt I will be at peace for a long time honestly. I haven't been at this as long as most of you, and I still have some catching up to do. Out of all my hobbies, running, weightlifting, watching movies, there is nothing more relaxing than playing a game, and nothing more exciting than the thrill of the hunt.

[James8BitStar]

Basically I tend to not buy anything unless I happen to see something I've been really looking for.

[Trevelyan]

I'm very much at peace really, I just have two gripes...

1. I don't have the $$$ to buy all that I want!
2. The collecting scene here in the UK is dwarfed by the one in the US. I wrote a long paragraph about this, but my browser went awol! To cut a long story short, I look at the pics of Joes shop & see all your conventions & I'd love more of this over here (in the UK).

I love collecting things & adore video games (especially 8-32 bit). Let us all game on & Peace out.

[SpyHunter]

I have almost every game that I want to play.

I still enjoy the hunt and I still hit all my usual places regularly looking for the $2 holy grails. That part is still fun for me even though I probably won't find any games on my "want to play list" since its so small.