Game collecting with purpose

I used to be a collector. Comics, Magic the Gathering cards, and just about anything else that can be traded.

What I see now is a lot more collectors on social media. I'm not going to tell anyone how to spend their money, however I will say that it appears people are collecting just to collect.


Collecting as a hobby has been around for a long time. It is much easier now to get our hands on whatever it is we are looking for with the help of the internet. Takes the fun out of it if you ask me. 


What we are also able to do now thanks to the internet is share our collections. As a collector you want to show off what you have so others can admire just as much as yourself.


But when likes on social media are what drives you to collect you lose sight of what's important. Collect only what you enjoy. I do not go out of my way to buy things I'm not in to.


When I was collecting Magic cards I wasn't even playing against anyone. The artwork was cool to look at but that feeling faded fast. Wasn't till years later when I made friends that wanted to play. Fortunately, I had enough cards to make multiple decks. We didn't play long. I sold them all and got ninety dollars. Not bad even though I probably spent hundreds.



Nothing compared to what I owned.
Looking back I could've spent that money on a video game that I wanted and got more enjoyment for what I spent. The habit of buying cards had me collecting what I wasn't passionate about for too long.

I stopped playing Magic because of the cost to play. It's ridiculous to try to keep up. Such an expensive hobby unless you manage to go pro. Good luck to any aspiring Magic players reading this.


Collectors should ask themselves why they collect what they collect. If it's a goal to have a complete game list for a certain console, than that should be their favorite console. Not a console everyone else is collecting and they want to be like everyone else.


The games I have now are ones I wanted. New titles don't always excite me. If I have no interest in something I won't force myself to to enjoy it. 


Likes on social media mean nothing in the real world. I get likes from people that I know are just passing by giving random likes to anyone in hopes of a follow. 


Collector's editions of video games aren't always worth it to me. I worked at GameStop and I felt how cheap some of those exclusive items were. People sale those items on Ebay to those willing to pay for it. Unless you are passionate about that game pass on the collector's edition. To me, not worth it.



You all know this statue.
Owning Master Chief's head will not make you a better player, nor will special cases with different artwork. Reminds me of variant covers on comics. Those are not always worth any more than the regular covers.

Don't go broke trying to impress people on the internet. I'm by no means good with money, so I can only pass on the knowledge I have from experience. Collecting can become a rabbit hole that only goes deeper.


Enjoy your drinks and game on.



  
What it takes to make a post (amazon affiliate links)
Pen-https://amzn.to/2WNW9bO
Paper-https://amzn.to/2GtKJEr
Seeds-https://amzn.to/2BnOqIy
Headphones-https://amzn.to/2GePtie
Laptop-https://amzn.to/2tbsXxU

Comments

  1. Another thing to consider is what will happen once you pass on. Unlikely your progeny, if you are so blessed, will want to collect the same things you do/did, will even necessarily appreciate the finer details of your collection, or have the room for it in their homes, other than perhaps a few pieces. A museum is not going to be created around our collections, and probably wont even be auctioned to maximize return -- who will have the time or energy? Most likely, it'll be donated in bulk. Given all of that perspective, make sure what you collect will bring you sufficient joy and entertainment, that you have the time to invest in enjoying it, to make sure it is worth the time, money, and effort to acquire in the first place.

    I say this, but am only beginning to take my own advice.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Three Solo RPG Resources

Mini Liquor Bottles: The Good And The Bad

How to make Brass Monkey (My Way for 2019)