Post by wafflerevolution on Sept 7, 2013 23:03:54 GMT
Subject: JollyRoger78, member of the CCU since September 2006.
The Basics:
Number of Systems: 20
Number of Games: 629 according to GameSpot, 651 all told.
When did you start collecting? Been playing since 1981, but really only seriously started collecting games around 2002 or so.
What was your first system? Atari 2600
What was your first game? Target Fun
When did you feel a tipping point from gamer to both gamer and game collector?
I traded a whole bunch of wrestling and sports games for Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance (PS2). Now, don't get me wrong, it's a great game, but as I walked out the door after making that trade, I immediately started regretting it. I've re-obtained most of the ones I gave up and have gotten rid of only one non-duplicate game since. That was when I gave my copy of Intelligent Qube (PS) to my sister for Christmas...still haven't re-obtained that one.
What are your goals as a game collector, how have you developed them, and how do you feel about your progress toward them?
I can't say I have any set goals. If I see a game that catches my eye, I nab it. My collection is more just an accumulation as opposed to a concentrated effort toward any specific target.
I'm the same way. How many games, systems, etc. are "enough"?
That depends on the person...for me, there is no real limit. I'll play anything and everything, so I guess when I've played it all, that'll be enough.
What's your proudest moment as a game collector?
Probably re-obtaining every one of the NES and Atari 2600 games I had as a kid (or at least all that I remember). I've added to both collections since, but it's pretty sweet being able to pop in a game and remember all the time I spent with my sister and/or my best friend, Steve, when we were kids and all we had to do was play Contra, Battletoads, and Super Mario Bros. 3 all day long.
What's your least proud moment as a game collector?
Succumbing to my status as a rabid member of the Kiss Army and purchasing two really horrible games with the Kiss name on them (Kiss Pinball for the Playstation and Psycho Circus for the Dreamcast).
I have both of those as well, but unlike you I have no reasonable excuse. Amongst your non-gaming friends are you proud of your collection or is it something you don't bring attention to?
Most of my friends at least play games, if not hoard them like I do. Outside of my inner circle, I neither hide it nor flaunt it. It's actually helped me in my job. I built a game collection for the library where I work and started a teen gamer's club. Through word of mouth, I've built a bit of a reputation and started having parents ask me about certain games and systems, my opinions on whether or not they would be good for their children (or themselves, as the case may be).
That has to have been both rewarding and bizarre, being able to combine your job and your hobby.
It's been interesting...great in some ways and horrible in others. While it's been awesome to be able to build a collection from scratch and inject a little of my own taste into it, having to sticker up beautiful new games and then seeing how some of the games come back from patrons (when they come back at all) is occasionally heartbreaking. The club on the other hand (which is on hiatus while we undergo a change in management, so to speak) is great. Because I use a lot of my own games for the club, they get to try stuff that they normally wouldn't even look at.
What's your favorite part of your collection?
My NES stuff. Not only have I been able to reacquire all the games I had as a kid and recapture those memories, but I've added a significant number of games that I didn't get a shot at the first time around. That whole era of gaming just gives me a case of the warm n' fuzzies.
How many NES games do you have and how many of them are complete? The first time I even saw a complete NES game was the copy of Master Blaster you sent me in a trade. Is it hard to find complete NES games in your region?
Out of 142 different NES games, I've got maybe 15 complete ones. Luckily, I don't really care because finding anything older than PlayStation games complete is next to impossible around here. I've got one little mom n' pop shop, a couple pawn shops, and Wal-Mart. I've got to drive 30-45 minutes for anything other than that.
What would you like to improve in your collection?
I've got a couple of relatively neglected systems. I could use some more Dreamcast games, my Atari stuff outside of the 2600 is lacking, and I didn't realize how few N64 games I actually have. It could be argued that my handheld collection is pretty sparse, but I've never been that into the handheld games. I mostly pick those up if they're really cheap or fill out a hole in a series or something.
What would you like to get rid of in your game collection within the next year?
Not a thing. I've got some turds in my collection, but they're all staying.
What do you think was your best deal while game buying?
The Channel F deal (see below) is tough to beat, but I also got lucky when I got a NES Toploader and fifteen games for about $100 shipped and my Virtual Boy for about $25 total.
Those are all good deals. What do you feel is the most valuable and/or rare item in your collection?
Good question. I think that, because I go for the unsealed stuff, my collection doesn't hold the monetary value of a lot of other collections. My Virtual Boy, Toploader, and perhaps my Channel F stuff is probably the most valuable. I've got a couple of NES games that I've heard are pretty rare as well...North and South, Color A Dinosaur (hey, I didn't say they were good!).
Wait. North and South. Is that a game based on the mini-series starring Patrick Swayze?
He made a cameo, but they wouldn't let him dance...something about it being the wrong movie for the game or something like that.
What item in your collection do you feel you overpaid for?
GoldenEye (N64). A $.17 math error on my part and an iron fisted overdraft policy by the bank I had at the time turned my cart-only copy into a $52 purchase. I no longer do business with that bank.
Well you still paid less than the original retail price. What do you feel is the strangest or weirdest item in your collection?
I've got a lot of gaming related stuff that aren't games at all, such as a can of "Power Up" energy drink with Mario on the front or a really old Pac-Man superball that I got from Aladdin's Castle when I was a kid. But I don't really have any of the bizarre controllers or anything like that.
What item(s) do you not have in your collection that people are surprised to hear you don't have?
Super Metroid (SNES)...at least that's the gaping hole that I keep coming back to. Of the Holy Trinity of Nintendo, that's the one game I feel like I'm missing the most, and that my friends all notice.
Where and how do you store it all?
I have an entire room (which my wife has named "Manland") with shelves along one wall and the rig in one corner. I'm almost ready for another shelf, and I don't have room for it.
Is there anyway you'd ever stop collecting?
I suppose if I were to suffer some crushing financial adversity, I might give it up. But as long as the bills are paid, we've got food in the house and all that other stuff, I'll still be game hunting.
Do you have a funny story about your collection?
I got a call from my dad a few years ago asking me to come over and take a look at this box of stuff he'd purchased at an estate auction. The box had a couple of hand tools that he wanted, some other random stuff, and five or six boxes that the auctioneer called "8-track tapes". Those "8-track tapes" were Channel F games, mostly in their boxes and with most of their manuals (although they weren't in the best shape). Total price for that box? $1. That was the seed that started my Channel F collection.
Have you ever had to move your collection to another house? What was it like?
The last time I moved was about five years and around 400 games ago. It wasn't too difficult then, but I'm afraid of what it might entail now. And since we're looking at moving soon, I'm afraid I'm going to find out.
If you're significant other told you no more games, what would you do?
My father (a gamer in his own right) asked my then-fiancee when she was going to make me stop playing games. She said that she wasn't...that they were a big part of who I am (which is basically a giant child) and that she had no right to ask me to change. I will forever give her credit for being cool about my habit. Granted, I have hammered one point into her head repeatedly throughout our entire 8+ year relationship...it's better than heroin!
What percentage of your games are still sealed?
0%. Absolutely none. If I buy it, I'm going to play it at some point. I'm a gamer first. It's one of the reasons I gravitate toward the cart-only orphans and pass over the sealed/boxed/complete stuff.
What percentage of your game have you actually played? Completed?
Probably 60% of my games have at least seen the console they were meant for. I've spent a significant amount of time with probably 45% of my collection. I'm going to hazard a guess that I've finished around 25% of my total games.
Your shelves look great, congratulations on getting it all together and thanks for the interview.
The Basics:
Number of Systems: 20
Number of Games: 629 according to GameSpot, 651 all told.
When did you start collecting? Been playing since 1981, but really only seriously started collecting games around 2002 or so.
What was your first system? Atari 2600
What was your first game? Target Fun
When did you feel a tipping point from gamer to both gamer and game collector?
I traded a whole bunch of wrestling and sports games for Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance (PS2). Now, don't get me wrong, it's a great game, but as I walked out the door after making that trade, I immediately started regretting it. I've re-obtained most of the ones I gave up and have gotten rid of only one non-duplicate game since. That was when I gave my copy of Intelligent Qube (PS) to my sister for Christmas...still haven't re-obtained that one.
What are your goals as a game collector, how have you developed them, and how do you feel about your progress toward them?
I can't say I have any set goals. If I see a game that catches my eye, I nab it. My collection is more just an accumulation as opposed to a concentrated effort toward any specific target.
I'm the same way. How many games, systems, etc. are "enough"?
That depends on the person...for me, there is no real limit. I'll play anything and everything, so I guess when I've played it all, that'll be enough.
What's your proudest moment as a game collector?
Probably re-obtaining every one of the NES and Atari 2600 games I had as a kid (or at least all that I remember). I've added to both collections since, but it's pretty sweet being able to pop in a game and remember all the time I spent with my sister and/or my best friend, Steve, when we were kids and all we had to do was play Contra, Battletoads, and Super Mario Bros. 3 all day long.
What's your least proud moment as a game collector?
Succumbing to my status as a rabid member of the Kiss Army and purchasing two really horrible games with the Kiss name on them (Kiss Pinball for the Playstation and Psycho Circus for the Dreamcast).
I have both of those as well, but unlike you I have no reasonable excuse. Amongst your non-gaming friends are you proud of your collection or is it something you don't bring attention to?
Most of my friends at least play games, if not hoard them like I do. Outside of my inner circle, I neither hide it nor flaunt it. It's actually helped me in my job. I built a game collection for the library where I work and started a teen gamer's club. Through word of mouth, I've built a bit of a reputation and started having parents ask me about certain games and systems, my opinions on whether or not they would be good for their children (or themselves, as the case may be).
That has to have been both rewarding and bizarre, being able to combine your job and your hobby.
It's been interesting...great in some ways and horrible in others. While it's been awesome to be able to build a collection from scratch and inject a little of my own taste into it, having to sticker up beautiful new games and then seeing how some of the games come back from patrons (when they come back at all) is occasionally heartbreaking. The club on the other hand (which is on hiatus while we undergo a change in management, so to speak) is great. Because I use a lot of my own games for the club, they get to try stuff that they normally wouldn't even look at.
What's your favorite part of your collection?
My NES stuff. Not only have I been able to reacquire all the games I had as a kid and recapture those memories, but I've added a significant number of games that I didn't get a shot at the first time around. That whole era of gaming just gives me a case of the warm n' fuzzies.
How many NES games do you have and how many of them are complete? The first time I even saw a complete NES game was the copy of Master Blaster you sent me in a trade. Is it hard to find complete NES games in your region?
Out of 142 different NES games, I've got maybe 15 complete ones. Luckily, I don't really care because finding anything older than PlayStation games complete is next to impossible around here. I've got one little mom n' pop shop, a couple pawn shops, and Wal-Mart. I've got to drive 30-45 minutes for anything other than that.
What would you like to improve in your collection?
I've got a couple of relatively neglected systems. I could use some more Dreamcast games, my Atari stuff outside of the 2600 is lacking, and I didn't realize how few N64 games I actually have. It could be argued that my handheld collection is pretty sparse, but I've never been that into the handheld games. I mostly pick those up if they're really cheap or fill out a hole in a series or something.
What would you like to get rid of in your game collection within the next year?
Not a thing. I've got some turds in my collection, but they're all staying.
What do you think was your best deal while game buying?
The Channel F deal (see below) is tough to beat, but I also got lucky when I got a NES Toploader and fifteen games for about $100 shipped and my Virtual Boy for about $25 total.
Those are all good deals. What do you feel is the most valuable and/or rare item in your collection?
Good question. I think that, because I go for the unsealed stuff, my collection doesn't hold the monetary value of a lot of other collections. My Virtual Boy, Toploader, and perhaps my Channel F stuff is probably the most valuable. I've got a couple of NES games that I've heard are pretty rare as well...North and South, Color A Dinosaur (hey, I didn't say they were good!).
Wait. North and South. Is that a game based on the mini-series starring Patrick Swayze?
He made a cameo, but they wouldn't let him dance...something about it being the wrong movie for the game or something like that.
What item in your collection do you feel you overpaid for?
GoldenEye (N64). A $.17 math error on my part and an iron fisted overdraft policy by the bank I had at the time turned my cart-only copy into a $52 purchase. I no longer do business with that bank.
Well you still paid less than the original retail price. What do you feel is the strangest or weirdest item in your collection?
I've got a lot of gaming related stuff that aren't games at all, such as a can of "Power Up" energy drink with Mario on the front or a really old Pac-Man superball that I got from Aladdin's Castle when I was a kid. But I don't really have any of the bizarre controllers or anything like that.
What item(s) do you not have in your collection that people are surprised to hear you don't have?
Super Metroid (SNES)...at least that's the gaping hole that I keep coming back to. Of the Holy Trinity of Nintendo, that's the one game I feel like I'm missing the most, and that my friends all notice.
Where and how do you store it all?
I have an entire room (which my wife has named "Manland") with shelves along one wall and the rig in one corner. I'm almost ready for another shelf, and I don't have room for it.
Is there anyway you'd ever stop collecting?
I suppose if I were to suffer some crushing financial adversity, I might give it up. But as long as the bills are paid, we've got food in the house and all that other stuff, I'll still be game hunting.
Do you have a funny story about your collection?
I got a call from my dad a few years ago asking me to come over and take a look at this box of stuff he'd purchased at an estate auction. The box had a couple of hand tools that he wanted, some other random stuff, and five or six boxes that the auctioneer called "8-track tapes". Those "8-track tapes" were Channel F games, mostly in their boxes and with most of their manuals (although they weren't in the best shape). Total price for that box? $1. That was the seed that started my Channel F collection.
Have you ever had to move your collection to another house? What was it like?
The last time I moved was about five years and around 400 games ago. It wasn't too difficult then, but I'm afraid of what it might entail now. And since we're looking at moving soon, I'm afraid I'm going to find out.
If you're significant other told you no more games, what would you do?
My father (a gamer in his own right) asked my then-fiancee when she was going to make me stop playing games. She said that she wasn't...that they were a big part of who I am (which is basically a giant child) and that she had no right to ask me to change. I will forever give her credit for being cool about my habit. Granted, I have hammered one point into her head repeatedly throughout our entire 8+ year relationship...it's better than heroin!
What percentage of your games are still sealed?
0%. Absolutely none. If I buy it, I'm going to play it at some point. I'm a gamer first. It's one of the reasons I gravitate toward the cart-only orphans and pass over the sealed/boxed/complete stuff.
What percentage of your game have you actually played? Completed?
Probably 60% of my games have at least seen the console they were meant for. I've spent a significant amount of time with probably 45% of my collection. I'm going to hazard a guess that I've finished around 25% of my total games.
Your shelves look great, congratulations on getting it all together and thanks for the interview.