Whats a true collector?

[rapidly-greying]

Would you guys say a true collector is one who keeps everything sealed? Or can there be more than one kind of collector?

I myself,open them all up so I can meticulously scan every nook and cranny of each item,but i'm a massive videogame nerd(albeit a particularly handsome nerd).

If I had the money i'd obviously buy 2 copies and keep one sealed but I dont so I like to have them on display. The bigger ones are upstairs in my wardrobe though as there aint nowhere to display them away from sticky and destructive baby and infant hands :-)

We'll hopefully be moving soon if somebody buys our house and i'll knock up something to use for displaying.

Can I call myself a collector or am I merely an enthusiastic geek?

What are your collecting habits?

[gurpswoo1]

A true collector is a person is someone that obtains a specific type of item, it need not be sealed. Their are variations such as Sealed, open mint, or used. But a collector is simply collecting items for ones self.

However obtaining items simply for financial gain is something that is not a True Collector. That is a business or occupation. Although I must stress that you must buy and sell everything. If it's only a small percentage of your items then that is fine. Nearly all collector's buy, sell and trade all the time. It's the only way to get items sometimes.

There are some rules:

1) Do you have a passion for collecting your type?
2) Do you you want to collect a complete set?
3) Do you buy and sell more than collecting?
4) Do you Collect for ones self

[vhal_x]

I agree with Gee, it's not all about keeping them sealed - heck, I have barely anything sealed (I much prefer to open them and admire the contents and display them ) but some collectors take pride in their sealed items, more so than if they were unsealed - not because of resale value, but because that's the condition/way they like their collector's items to be

As long as you are doing it for you, and not purely to make a profit in the long run, then you are a collector xx

[Johnny]

Me too.
If it goes on sale, even better, ill buy another one.

[Dreamcazman]

I think there are different types of collectors.

For me I open my games so I can play them, but I keep everything else (CE contents) in as mint condition as possible and far away from my son's hands.

I have a couple of games which are still sealed. These are ones that I hold dear to my heart, but I do also have a spare copy to play.

Very rarely do I sell my games, when I do it's usually a spare copy I've aquired somehow and it's a game I'm not too fussed about having an extra copy of.

For me I think it's a bit pointless to buy a game and then keep it sealed as you don't get the full enjoyment out of it, but that's just my opinion.

[Gemini-Phoenix]

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...