Why I Want to Sell My Video Game Collection | Cannot be Tamed

The other day I mentioned that I was getting the urge to sell most of my game collection, and people asked why. Here are my reasons, my thoughts on collecting, physical media and gaming in general.

#gamecollection

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[ogre]

1:57 "I'm never gonna play most of it" ...this is exactly the problem with most collecting! There *are* a small group of people who enjoy having a ton of games on a shelf just for the sake of it, but a lot of us started with the honest intention of having a living collection. As in, actually playing the titles we collected. But it turns out, unless we win the lottery and can quit working and spend every single day of our remaining lives playing games, we simply cannot play it all. It's a fact that we eventually must realize.

[BrockShake]

I don’t collect anymore. Collecting, to me, is buying to have and not to play. Instead, I curate a library. All of my games fit on one shelf.

I still resist digital games, though, because I’m stubborn.

[DarinM]

I made the same error about 20 years ago. Bad idea. Now that almost all games are digital, if they don't want to sell it, or don't want to support the "life service" games, your screwed. Keep your hard copies because they will grow more and more in value the longer you have them. Heck if you can afford it, buy a M-Disc Drive, and start porting your games over on to those, which have a 1000 year self life.

[Teapo]

When I got into my 30s I went through a major growth in taste. I feel like that happens to me every 7-12 years or so. One thing I learned is that its way more fun and important to just have the essentials. Paring down your collection to the best of the best can actually be a really fun process and you may like your collection better as a result. You can start by just purging like 20% of your collection if you're nervous. I've sold off my N64, PS1, and Sega Genesis. For some reason it was really hard for me to part with my PlayStation 2 games, so ultimately I decided not to, it holds a lot of sentimental value for me. Having those games brings back a lot of good memories.

[Domarius]

I can't relate to this. I've been on many vacations all over the world, Japan, Europe (there's a lot there) Brazil, Singapore and a few others. But you go on the trip, come back home, and that's it. Those games that I collected, they don't make them anymore. They are 30 years old. I can plug the cartridge in, display it on the huge CRT I bought for this, feel the original controller in my hands, and instantly be taken back to that moment in time which seems so magical, and it costs me nothing to do now that I've made the one-off purchase to get them. And I use it to inspire me in my future creations as a game developer - when people see my games they always exclaim something they recognise from older games. And even if I wasn't a game dev, I still wouldn't let anything take away those games. I use the inspiration as moments of positivity; no matter how bad things get, I can always go back to that point in time and remember how powerful those positive feelings can be and share that with my interactions with people. At the end of the day, I guess different things mean different things to different people. Keeping pieces of my childhood around to inspire me through remembering what life can be like is just worth so much more than a vacation.

[mercurymachines]

I sold almost all of my huge Video Games collection in the late 90's just for the money and I still regret it every single day...

[DoctorTalon]

"I'm never going to play most of it" is honestly the most real response to wanting to part with your collection. I feel the same way. I have love for my current collection, but never wanted to shoot for a "complete collection, ' or the triple digits. I appreciate your honesty and recognizing the burnout that collecting can have.

[TheMunky]

My problem with digital content is the push by companies to make sure you never own the stuff you buy, and if they rip it from the storefront u can't play what you bought. I know physical media is going away that it can't be around forever, and I understand the appeal of just not having to fumble with physical item. But we have a situation where 90% of classic games are gonna disappear into the void forever, how long will it be til modern games suffer the same fate?

[ez]

I am in that phase of life where I am trying to declutter. In the past I regretted selling games, but now I realize I can't own everything and the stuff I do own, most isn't important to me. I will never sell the things that are important.

[jamestoney]

I've built up of my collection of what I always wanted and the most hardest to find being I grew up in a PAL region. I know now a lot of items, games, accessories, I only have and will make bank afterwards. In the end it was nice to have it all, play it all, have the itch scratched but when you get older you get more content with less after achieving it.

[IsidroPanchik]

I completely understand your stance and your reasoning for going fully digital. It’s understandable. I personally love physical media, be it games, movies (especially movies) because I do like to have something tangible that I can hold that represents the money that I spent on them. Special Editions are something I like to get, I am also a steelbook collector, so there’s something else I like to own. I do understand the benefits for fully digital, and I do have digital games also, but if I had the choice, I’ll go physical.

[mylescarlson]

I just bought a newer car and just inherited a new home, and I'm so blessed to have what I have. Although, I decided to donate most of my old game collection to my local hobby store, because I realized it was just stuff. I always held onto my old games with the hopes of selling them later on and making some money back. I realized I couldn't sell them with willpower (If that makes sense). I wouldn't open them or unseal them for fear of lowering it's value. It was hard but, my older games need a person who will appreciate them for what they are. Much love <3

[andresvelez]

I’m at a point in my life whether to sell my gaming collection or just simply focus on one console and selling the rest because I feel so overwhelmed having to switch back and forth console to console, game to game.

[Ya_Mosura]

I had the same feeling about two years ago, sold about 350 PS2, 3, and 4 games and used the money on my DC omnibus addiction.

[davida]

The main aspect I've been focusing on selling in my collection are handhelds and their library. Let's be completely honest here, there is no way those things are even close to being comfortable to play on longer than 20 minutes 💀. There's a reason why it was better to use when we had small hands in our younger years. The PSP Go, psp 3000, DS, GB SP, GB micro.

[JohnDoe-uuzs]

It’s good to have a spring clean of all sorts of things in your life every now and then. I expect people may panic thinking your stopping the channel and collecting full stop but that’s not what’s happening. I have to admit I love the collecting of physical media but like u said it can be a minor hassle swapping discs etc. first world problems! Keep up the good work and hope some of your collection goes to a good home 🙏

[tubinonyou]

If you're struggling with buyer's remorse, I believe there's a good chance you'll be susceptible to seller's remorse. In my experience, my seller's remorse has bothered me a great deal more than my buyer's remorse. I don't really remember the few items I could live without taking up space on the shelf. I do, however, remember the games or records I've sold for $100 which are selling for $300 now.
Having said that, you do you! I kinda wish more people would just start unloading their collections so that the market dips and things become affordable again.
I've been eyeing an OOP Grateful Dead boxset that's going for $500. I just learned it was $70 MSRP which smacked some sense into me and kept me from pulling the trigger.
Our things are only as valuable as we think they are and, sometimes, you have to realize that your money is better spent elsewhere (which I think you're realizing with your collection).
Having said all that, I disagree wholly with your all-digital philosophy but I defend to the death your right to believe it.

[lordcrayzar]

I think physical media is more important than ever

[squinqzbp]

I don't just collect everything for the xbox 360 and Xbox one, (those are my consoles of choice to collect for) but rather i focus on titles that i think i would genuinely play and hunt achievements on. If theyre more expensive then i see it as a mini investment too, because they will just become more expensive as time goes on. Thats just how i collect and it helps me not to stress about if I'm spending too much on collecting or if kts a waste of money etc.

[Cal_]

I feel like we all go through a phase where we feel the need to have everything, only for reality to settle in and realise how much you dont need everything