Re: Whats a true collector?
I have often wondered the same myself. After all, anyone who has an extensive "library" of video game software can be considered a collector, but where do you draw the lines? What are the criteria? How many games do you have to own before you can legitimately call yourself a collector and separate yourself from those who are merely gamers?
I would think that what makes a person an avid collector is their desire to actively seek and obtain certain specific items on a pre-made list, whereas a normal gamer will just buy a few games they like, and might regularly trade them in for newer games. A collector will go to any lengths to obtain the items they want. A collector will also be more inclined to keep the games in their possession for the rest of their life, whereas normal gamers will gladly upgrade or sell their games as and when the time comes, with no apparent attachment to them.
I don't think it matters whether you collect cart only, CIB, sealed games, or even graded games. A collection is a collection, no matter what condition the games are in. However, the majority of collectors towards the bottom of the food chain (Ie, the cart only collectors) will always strive to upgrade their items to those in better condition. So cart only collectors may want CIB games, whereas CIB collectors may decide to advance to sealed games, and so on. Most collectors want games in the best possible condition they can get, but also depending on their budget. Some are happy with just being able to own and play a game, whereas some older and more veteran collectors want to preserve games in their original factory sealed condition
However, I do believe that the distinction between a "library" and "collection" of games is not very clear. You can easily have one as well as the other, but not necessarily the other way around. For example, a person who has a "Library" of carts which they can play may also call it a collection, but someone else who has a "collection" of sealed games may not consider this as a library as they can't actively play the games without devaluing them. At the end of the day though, a sealed collector still has the games there to play if they so wished, so perhaps they could also class these as a library of games...
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