Why Do We Buy What We Don't Play?

[Schlep]

Back when I was doing it, I found that being on message boards was a big contributor. I didn't want to feel like I was missing anything, so I bought everything. Now I just use Gamefly and very rarely actually buy a game that isn't downloadable.

[Shou]

Sounds like you have a hoard mentality.

I know for myself that when I was young, I didn't have the means to play all of the stuff seen in articles/ads in EGM and Gamefan so I have had a tendency to purchase more than I play but I am also an archivist. I tend to only buy games that I want to play eventually and fall under the following criteria:
- original version, best version of the original or significantly enhanced/different port (not a simple port)
- limited edition or production that will be difficult to obtain in the future and potential to appreciate in value
- not an intangible
- really do want to play it now (rarely happens)

I have enough financial freedom to buy whatever but rarely purchase many modern releases. Also, as a I clear backlog, I sell the stuff I don't find particularly noteworthy. I don't spend much time (ie < .5 hour a week) on IRC or forums unless I am looking for particular info.

[Hero]

This is it. Nothing grinds my gears like paying more than MSRP for a used game. So many of my purchases aren't because I want the game all that much, but because I'm trying to avoid a theoretical situation in the future where I DO want it, but have to pay too much for a crapped-up copy.

It's stupid, but I think I'm getting better...

This is another one. I really wanted to play Fragile Dreams but wasn't too sure about $50 for it. Given the chances of a game like that selling through and never being repressed though, I plugged my nose and did it. Good game for $30 and under, but kinda pricey for $50...but I'd hate to think paying $80+ for a used copy just because it's a hard find.

[Rated E]

I just don't have enough money to buy more than I can play, I spend what I have on games I know I really really want. I remember my first time encountering someone who just bought a bunch of shit and let it sit sealed on his table for months; it seemed insane to me!

Books on the other hand...I'm swimming in books I haven't finished or read yet. I have so so many books, they are all wonderful and useful though and are part of a long acquisition list, and it seems inevitable I'll have them all anyway.

[GohanX]

Shou said it better than I could. When I was a kid my parents couldn't afford more than a couple of games a year. Thankfully rentals were cheap back then.

When I turned 18, it was like the floodgates opened. I got a job, games were cheaper, and the newfangled internet exposed me to lots of new games and import titles. This was great at first, but after the Dreamcast came out my pile of shame was born.

This actually has a good effect on me monitarily now. I rarely buy anything new since I have a stack of unplayed games. Sometimes old shit that I hoarded are in new condition, become valuable and I sell it for profit right before it comes out on XBLA or PSN.

I actually made good progress on my pile of shame last year. I completed a lot of 16 bit and PSX rpgs, but when December came the deals were too much, and I have DOZENS of shinkwrapped games. But in the 3 months we've had this year I've really only played through 3 or 4 games.

My new strategy is to stick only to AAA titles.

[Zerohero]

I actually stopped doing this a couple years ago. Its just a big waste of money, and time. I only invest in a game I know I"m going to want to spend extra amounts of time on playing, or mastering. And then maybe later pick up those other games, for 15 bucks once the hype, and bullshit have died down.

I also got into the whole collecting phase for a bit. I since stopped and decided only to do that for systems I really have a nostaglic feeling to. Like the SNES, NEO GEO, and PSX. Other than that, if I get a game for the other older systems, it will be when , and if I have extra cash to do so.

[James]

My new strategy is to stick only to AAA titles.

The problem is defining "AAA". I'd like to stick to that, but as often as not I'm taken by surprise or disappointed. Darksiders was a complete surprise, I simply wasn't tracking it because it looked too dumb, but it came out great and was worth every cent. Little Big Planet, on the other hand, annoyed the living hell out of me despite really wanting to like it.

And then there are the games that will never be AAA but have something worth seeing, like Deadly Premonition. Very rare, to the point they exist externally to this particular discussion, but they do happen.

James

[Beefy Hits]

I have no idea, but most of the reasons are probably already mentioned.

I still have a sealed Ogre Battle 64 I bought at launch. I don't even have an N64 anymore. I'll sell it when it's a relic for $1000 or something.

Other than that, I have the following still unplayed:

Infinite Undiscovery
Xenogears
Dragon Force
Shining Force CD
Shining Force 3
Albert Odyssey
Vangard Bandits

[Changeling]

You really should just sell those before they're all put on digital download services. Esp. Ogre Battle 64. You may find someone that doesn't know its out on the Wii .

[James]

It's sealed, therefore it can be out on Wii and still retain its value. Collectors are crazy.

James