Video Game Hoarding. I think I may have a problem.
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Having an excess of games isn't too much of a problem but when you can't enjoy them then there may be an issue. Just figure out what games are the must haves on your list and decide if you'll have time to play it. If a game's on sale don't buy it for that fact alone. Buy it if can fit in your timetable and you believe it's worth the money.
Backlogs of games aren't necessarily bad but having to put games aside to play newer releases isn't that great either. A healthy balance can really amp up the entertainment you'll garner out of some titles.
Backlogs of games aren't necessarily bad but having to put games aside to play newer releases isn't that great either. A healthy balance can really amp up the entertainment you'll garner out of some titles.
You sound more like a shopaholic than anything else, just only with video games. Sure it's nice to find a great deal, but you don't have to leave a store with 15-20 games at a time bud. Maybe you should really try to slow down. Unless you can afford this habit and truly enjoy growing your library.
NOT ENOUGH! MUST BUY MOAR!
but in all srz bzns, holy bawlz dude O_O mail me some gamez fo free plz? :O
but in all srz bzns, holy bawlz dude O_O mail me some gamez fo free plz? :O
I have a stack, yes a literal stack of video games both old and new that I am waiting on time to play. This stack is a little over four feet tall right now.wulfy42 said:
I don't think I have a problem, even through I never sell games I buy (well there are few exceptions as I pick up extra copies of rare games if I find a good deal and will trade those for other rare games). I just tell people the truth. I collect console video games. There is no way I am ever going to have the time to invest in every one of the thousands of games I have by now, but hey, you want to think it's a problem go right ahead.
I think the only problem you have is thinking you have a problem. Unless you are spending money you should be using to pay your bills, or racking up credit card debt. In that case you have shopping problem.
Thanks for the comments and advice everyone.
I think I am going to take some of it and hold off on buying "random" games just because they are on sale for awhile. I have enough....more then enough....of every genre to hold me over. I'll still by those games that really interest me (like Fallout NV did) but might hold out for only the ones I really can't wait to play for awhile.
This last week or so has been a real wakeup call to me. I didn't really notice what I was doing...that I was creating such a stockpile or that it was causing me to enjoy my games less because I always felt like I had another "new" game to try. Once a game got even slightly repetative or slow.......there was a new one to jump to.
That really isn't the way to enjoy games and it's made me only complete the ones I really got into for awhile....which is a waste.
I may create a sort of system and force myself to actually finish games before moving on unless they are really bad. That way I can put the game aside and say "i'm done" or even trade them in/sell them if I didn't like it that much. Half-finishing a ton of games and putting them on back burners till I "catch up" which isn't going to happen ever it seems was just a huge waste.
The money I spent on games at any one time (until this week perhaps) never seemed like such a huge deal. The total though.......over just the last 2 years with gamecrazy closing (tons of games on sale then) and hollywood video later ec.....the total is thousands of dollars. Thats a pretty large amount especially when a subscription to gamefly would have easily covered my entertainment needs just fine and cost $20 a month max * 24 months is less then $500.
It's true, I have enough games to play for the next 2-3 years at the rate I play em now....but I'd probably enjoy playing games that actually comeout in the next 2-3 years more then ones I bout in the last 2 heh.
Oh well at least this last week has opened my eyes!
I think I am going to take some of it and hold off on buying "random" games just because they are on sale for awhile. I have enough....more then enough....of every genre to hold me over. I'll still by those games that really interest me (like Fallout NV did) but might hold out for only the ones I really can't wait to play for awhile.
This last week or so has been a real wakeup call to me. I didn't really notice what I was doing...that I was creating such a stockpile or that it was causing me to enjoy my games less because I always felt like I had another "new" game to try. Once a game got even slightly repetative or slow.......there was a new one to jump to.
That really isn't the way to enjoy games and it's made me only complete the ones I really got into for awhile....which is a waste.
I may create a sort of system and force myself to actually finish games before moving on unless they are really bad. That way I can put the game aside and say "i'm done" or even trade them in/sell them if I didn't like it that much. Half-finishing a ton of games and putting them on back burners till I "catch up" which isn't going to happen ever it seems was just a huge waste.
The money I spent on games at any one time (until this week perhaps) never seemed like such a huge deal. The total though.......over just the last 2 years with gamecrazy closing (tons of games on sale then) and hollywood video later ec.....the total is thousands of dollars. Thats a pretty large amount especially when a subscription to gamefly would have easily covered my entertainment needs just fine and cost $20 a month max * 24 months is less then $500.
It's true, I have enough games to play for the next 2-3 years at the rate I play em now....but I'd probably enjoy playing games that actually comeout in the next 2-3 years more then ones I bout in the last 2 heh.
Oh well at least this last week has opened my eyes!
manaman said:
Lol, that is one way to look at it!!
I guess my problem is I'm a frugal person mainly who saves money in most ways. Gaming is my hobby but it also has always been a very cost effective form of entertainment as well. Even a new video game at $50 that I play for $20 is much better bang for your buck then going to the movies for instance.
When I was younger I would trade games, wait for deals etc and was mostly able to play everything I wanted that came out without spending too much money over all. I guess that was mainly because I didn't have that much money to spend heh...but I had a strong desire to play my favorite types of video games.
Now money isn't as much of an issue but I still watch what I spend very carefully. My mindset of "video games are a great investment" though stayed way past when that was no longer really true time versus money wise.
I'm not a collector just to have things...or at least never thought of myself as one. I do keep the best games thought, but mainly so I can play them again...not because I want to collect them (although I do have a bunch of Jaguar, dreamcast etc games that I will probably never play again..so maybe I am a collector).
I don't know but I am going to make a change. I've invested too much money in games that I will not be able to play for along time in the last year or two. I may create a list and try and calculate the exact amount but I'd say I have probably bought over 200 games in the last 2 years easy...most in the last year due to sales/stores closing etc. The problem was all the good deals made my eyes light up and poof....I would buy games I might not even really want to play because it was a great deal. I usually avoided that but I noticed a copy of Prey and Sega Tennis and even Pirates of the Carribean 3...thatI got from gamestop during a sale awhile ago. I think the games were $5 each or something....but will I ever play them? They are so far down on the list that if I ever do.....I'll probably be 90 or something lol.
The joy of getting a deal has overcome my natural frugal tendencies and I have wasted money. That isn't a huge deal....but it's not something I do (at least not on myself) much.
I do have a problem, but I am going to correct it and be more careful in the future. Amazon sure makes it hard though with all of it's super easy to buy games at very low prices etc....grrrrrrr......I want to log back on and get some more!!!
I work a lot more than I used to. I have more disposable income, and far less time.
It makes it irritating to even attempt to slog through my games, when I have F:NV, Fable 3, Mount & Blade: Warband and a myriad of other games to play through.
It makes it irritating to even attempt to slog through my games, when I have F:NV, Fable 3, Mount & Blade: Warband and a myriad of other games to play through.
The curse of the working gamer. Some disposable income for games as and when and fuck all time to play them. I've got two kids as well... and over 400 games... and no time...Angerwing said:
Actually sounds closer to a shopping addiction. Yes, you are the woman with 200 pairs of shoes in her closetwulfy42 said:
This is actually pretty common. Skip down to #3. Apparently 10% of us still have video games in their shrink wrap.
http://www.cracked.com/article_18805_5-ways-stores-use-science-to-trick-you-into-buying-crap.html
I actually struggle a bit with this myself. I have a pretty huge backlog of video games, DVDs, books, and graphic novels that I'm trying to get through. Here's how I deal with it. Unless something is released that you want to play right now, hold off purchasing it. And if you do purchase something because you caught it on sale, play it next (I did this after Amazon put Enslaved on sale for $25). This way, the backlog noticeably becomes a ever-dwindling thing.
I also have a bit of a collecting bug, so I prune the junk every year or so. There's tons of stuff you pick up that you know without a doubt that you will never, ever watch/read/play again. It's sort of odd how stuff you really enjoyed falls on this list after a few years. By not buying the latest Sons Of Anarchy or Eureka set (because I wasn't prepared to re-watch them as soon as they came in), I saved a bit of money when the time came to purge the previous sets out of my collection. Good shows, I still continue to watch them, but I know now that I will never, ever re-watch them.
And as the article suggests, if you can trick your mind into thinking you acquired it, you can circumvent the need to acquire. I have sort of a hunting thing I do, where I put things on my Amazon wishlist. When I feel the need to buy something, I will spend a bit of time researching the game (or whatever) until the feeling falls away. This effort also goes into acquiring new targets, so I think my brain gets fooled into thinking I'm acquired something and the urge to buy passes without purchase.
Lol, so much for fixing my problem hehe.
I just bought another 4-5 games from Amazon...although I did have some excuse for it. I grabbed bejeweled twist yesterday when I was picking up all those games at gamestop as a christmas present for me wife....but I couldn't wait to give it to her...so I gave it to her yesterday and she was overjoyed (she probably spends on average 2 hours a day playing it on our computer...even beat my high score eventually....I only played it 3 times but I'm a life long gamer and she's more casual. Anyway I stopped off to get groceries and left her in the car reading over the instruction manual and when I got back......she pointed out other games on the back she would like lol.
So yep....I went on to amazon today and snagged her Zenseni Rainforest and Ocean and a couple other Puzzle Quest Galatrix (wasn't impressed by it in the demo but it was cheap) and a couple other puzzle games.
I wasn't buying them for myself though so maybe that doesn't count.....oh and I snagged Wipeout for the Wii finally which she had been bugging me to get for awhile as well.
It's good to see I'm not alone in this problem (although I may be buying more then most). Lifelong gamers who suddenly have no time to play games but still have the urge to buy them.......I still own every game system (although my PSP is broken right now) although I have not bought the Kinect or PS Move yet (I probably will once decent games are released for them.
As much as I still love video games I JUMP on anything that my wife wants to play that has any sort of multiplayer. She was never a gamer really although she started to like puzzle games on the computer in the last few years. I was able to get her to enjoy light gun type games though going all the way back to Elemental Gearbolt (we still play that sometimes) on the Ps2. Now we mainly just play a few Wii games together like Elebits.
Wipeout was a no brainer since we watch the show
I just bought another 4-5 games from Amazon...although I did have some excuse for it. I grabbed bejeweled twist yesterday when I was picking up all those games at gamestop as a christmas present for me wife....but I couldn't wait to give it to her...so I gave it to her yesterday and she was overjoyed (she probably spends on average 2 hours a day playing it on our computer...even beat my high score eventually....I only played it 3 times but I'm a life long gamer and she's more casual. Anyway I stopped off to get groceries and left her in the car reading over the instruction manual and when I got back......she pointed out other games on the back she would like lol.
So yep....I went on to amazon today and snagged her Zenseni Rainforest and Ocean and a couple other Puzzle Quest Galatrix (wasn't impressed by it in the demo but it was cheap) and a couple other puzzle games.
I wasn't buying them for myself though so maybe that doesn't count.....oh and I snagged Wipeout for the Wii finally which she had been bugging me to get for awhile as well.
It's good to see I'm not alone in this problem (although I may be buying more then most). Lifelong gamers who suddenly have no time to play games but still have the urge to buy them.......I still own every game system (although my PSP is broken right now) although I have not bought the Kinect or PS Move yet (I probably will once decent games are released for them.
As much as I still love video games I JUMP on anything that my wife wants to play that has any sort of multiplayer. She was never a gamer really although she started to like puzzle games on the computer in the last few years. I was able to get her to enjoy light gun type games though going all the way back to Elemental Gearbolt (we still play that sometimes) on the Ps2. Now we mainly just play a few Wii games together like Elebits.
Wipeout was a no brainer since we watch the show
I STILL haven't finished Darksiders. I also bought Dark Messiah of Might and Magic at the same time, and I haven't even put it in my 360. It's ridiculous with the amount of games that come out, and with the really awesome long ones you don't want to put down.
If you can, get some nice shelves or cabinets to keep them in. Not sure how many games you have but if you have a lot it can look pretty cool. It's seems like you just went on a spending spree. We've all done it at some point.
All the good games come out during the fall and winter. So feel free to play the new releases when they come out. Then when spring and summer come around when all the crap is released, use that time to catch up on your back log of games.
All the good games come out during the fall and winter. So feel free to play the new releases when they come out. Then when spring and summer come around when all the crap is released, use that time to catch up on your back log of games.
Meh, I think most serious gamers do this to a more or less. I've managed to beat all the PS3 games I bought (well, still working on GT5), but got a pile of cheap stuff off Steam I doubt I'll get round to playing soon. And I still have a fair number of older PS2 games I never finished.
Think is it's fine if you just don't buy games at full price all the time. Also, if I didn't like the previous game in a series, I tend not to be swayed by the newest one (GTA: San Andreas & GTA 4....it's just not my thing) I also tend to wait a bit prior to buying to see if something stands the test of time or not.
A close friend of mine had a bit of a problem though, he has plenty of not-really-classic games (Prototype, Darksiders) he bought the second they came out, and just doesn't have time to finish them all. He also has serious gadget-itis as he got a fight stick with SF4 he never uses and a Move as soon as it came out... He realizes it though and really cut back on new game purchases. (apart from stuff on sale)
Think is it's fine if you just don't buy games at full price all the time. Also, if I didn't like the previous game in a series, I tend not to be swayed by the newest one (GTA: San Andreas & GTA 4....it's just not my thing) I also tend to wait a bit prior to buying to see if something stands the test of time or not.
A close friend of mine had a bit of a problem though, he has plenty of not-really-classic games (Prototype, Darksiders) he bought the second they came out, and just doesn't have time to finish them all. He also has serious gadget-itis as he got a fight stick with SF4 he never uses and a Move as soon as it came out... He realizes it though and really cut back on new game purchases. (apart from stuff on sale)
I'm right there with ya. Steam is incredibly convenient but due to all the sales I now have a library of (hold on a sec) 91 games....of which I have finished only 24. This, of course, is only on Steam. The ratio holds in all areas.
