I will readily admit that I love to collect things. I especially love collecting video games and gaming paraphernalia. I have a shelf dedicated to Nintendo niknaks, other game related items litter different bookshelves as well. Legend of Zelda figurine sets, still sealed Mario toys, pixel blocks, Club Nintendo gifts, candy dispensers, toy machine winnings, plushies. Really whatever I can get my hands on.
I want more. More!
My game collection is similar (funny that I'm writing about collections, seeing as I'm watching the Doctor Who episode "Dalek" with Doctor number nine and this dude has a giant alien collection. hehe). I love adding to it, love seeing the boxes all lined up together. I have old systems dusted off and displayed on the fireplace mantel like prized hunting kills (as seen up above). They garner compliments and nerd cred from house guests, and I enjoy looking at them. Of course, I'd enjoy playing them even more but that I can't do at the moment.
The game collection I have is actually smaller than it should be, but on the flip side it is also more diverse. My years at GameStop started the evil habit of trading in games I no longer played in order to buy new ones. The job exposed me to so many different titles, such an array that I had never been interested in before. The stinking place also paid next to nothing, so it was difficult to keep up the hobby now that the games I was interested in increased by nearly ten-fold. Hence, trading in games.
This was much mightier, many moons ago.
I quit the job, ceased all trade ins, and my collection growth came to a screeching halt. Limited funds will do that to a collector.
But I wonder. Why collect? What real purpose does it bring for me? Some games I may never play again. Some games I haven't finished. They just sit, looking pretty. And yet they bring me happiness. Each game is filled with memories. Sometimes of the game itself, sometimes of times having played with friends. Harvest Moon, for instance. I've played the series for so long, and with so many different people. I can't stand the thought of getting rid of my copies. I need them, strange as that may sound.
My small number of still-boxed 64 games. And my Back to Nature for PSone :D
The same goes for my Legend of Zelda collection. The games, the strategy guides. I keep my copy of Majora's Mask in its original box even though I despise that game. I wouldn't get rid of it for anything, though.
At times I consider chucking all of my collections. Why keep something that I'm not using? Why clutter my space with things that aren't actually useful? I could just get rid of each game once I'm done with it. Poof. But these collections, these decorations, they provide an at-a-glance summation of who I am, what I like, how I spend my time.
Or the fact that I might be crazy.
That seems like a thought for another entry though.
Having written this I'm wondering about the possibility of a feature that delves deeper into my collections. More photos, and stories of how I came to acquire the items. Would anyone be interested? Even if no one is I'll probably do it anyway. :D
What do you collect?
-MJ
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