I Sold Half My Game Collection: 7 Years Later

[@SonicFan2525]

I completely get where you are coming from. You were one of the first "retro game collector" KZbinrs I discovered when I joined the website years ago. I started getting really into the scene because of people like you and that will always mean something to me. But having a collection that is smaller and more focused around what you love is better than a giant, disorganized one. So many people buy games just to own them; to be glorified trophies on a shelf. But very few actually have a collection full of what they love best. And I think that's an important realization to come to.

[@tvandlust]

Trophies on a shelf is EXACTLY how I began to feel, especially valuable games. I owned Panzer Dragoon Saga and Earthbound, for instance, and while I liked them well enough, they were almost certainly games I was never going to go back to. Just expensive trophies to see in the background of a video.

[@JohnnyDeppFan1433]

Very insightful. As cliche as it is, the things you own do, in fact, end up owning you. I have sold a massive portion of my collection and I feel zero regret. My true happiness is now spending time with my husband and daughter, and using that potential game money to buy things that she will enjoy. When I looked at my shelf of games and after 15 minutes couldn’t decide what to play so I didn’t play anything, that’s the moment I knew I needed to scale back and re-evaluate.

[@tvandlust]

Oh yes, owning so many games that you become paralyzed by indecision is definitely something I can relate to. Not a good feeling. I felt like too often that I couldn’t commit to anything because something else would always be beckoning me

[@ObjoGaming]

Can't believe the trimming the fat videos are already seven years old. I remember those videos are what pushed me to realize "why am I collecting Atari stuff? I'm only collecting this because I feel like as a retro game fan I should."

[@tvandlust]

Yeah, same here. I absolutely owned games because I thought a collector or gamer was supposed to have them. And I too was surprised by how long ago those videos were made lol

[@all_kaps]

Great video, man. I'm going through this process now myself. I own about 2500-3000 games and they've just become a weight on me. Starting the process of what to keep and what to let go. Also trying to decide the best way to let them go....slowly on eBay, or take a few boxes at a time to my local retro game store and get less for them but get rid of them quicker. I'm still trying to chart my best path forward. I just know now is the time. At the end of the day I've gotten my happiness from hunting for all these games over the last 20 years, but as I get older, the last thing I want is for if for this collection to be a burden on my family if something happens to me. Plus I'm starting to realize that memories are more important than things....I could use the money to travel and experience new places with my family instead of letting that money collect dust on the shelves in my Gameroom (which I'm also going to make a nice, warm, inviting space again without all the clutter). It's scary, but I know it's the journey I need to take now.

[@funzbunz]

Fascinating insight into your collecting and gaming habits and how they change over time. I've been considering selling off a lot of my collection of games/memorabilia and movies lately. As more adult life tasks come around I feel myself slipping away from the idea that "ill get around to it." It's a strange thing to think about because it does shape part of an identity, but at the end of it all its only just stuff. Something I'll certainly be pondering further, thanks for the video.

[@tvandlust]

Glad you enjoyed it! I hope it helps you make a decision either way :)

[@Digitalforward]

I buy to play. Easy as that. I have an attic where i play games and don't have limited amount of space. I could buy allot of stuff just to display. I dont want do that. I have friends who seemingly have an infinite amount of cash to buy any game just to put on the shelf and look at. If i play a game and don't enjoy it i will sell it. I see my game room as a library people collect4 books and i play games. Every game in te room i am currently sitting in is a game i enjoy picking up and play. Besides that last year i became a parent and allot of free time goes to my little one.

[@xMidan]

I've been watching you since I was a kid, so when you first got rid of those games, I was like "why would you ever get rid of those? If I could afford that I'd keep them forever." This was of course a few years before I scaled back myself XD. Funny how time changes your perspective.

[@tvandlust]

Haha, yeah, I never though I’d be someone who got rid of stuff either, but it happens. Life brings you to different place :)

[@BlaizeV]

I sold my collection back in 2012, my regret is that I didn't wait because most of that stuff is worth so much more now lol.

[@tvandlust]

lol yeah, always have to accept that whatever you sell will inevitably be worth WAY more later

[@hypersonic1337]

Craig that pair of vids, the fat trimming ones, were both extremely influential to me. That was a point where I was finishing college and was a very aimless collector, I knew I loved, and still do love, games and liked collecting but I think my mindsets and ideas behind it and even drive to balance collecting and playing were about as unrefined as I was at that point in my early 20s. If not for hearing those ideas and trying to start refining my collection and curbing possible habits of buying things I don't really care for where my collection stands now is extremely pleasing to me. Always good to hear your thoughts my dude

[@tvandlust]

I’m glad I was able to help you!

[@ShyBoy6ty9]

You're such an important youtuber, man. I always leave your videos feeling like I have a totally different perspective than before I watched it. Rather, I feel like I understand something about myself that I didn't when I went in. I used to watch you, and other people on youtube with these huge gaming collections that, as a teenager with no money of my own, and parents who were just barely making ends meet, I was so jealous of. I wanted a big game collection of my own, and I was certainly making my way toward that goal, but the more I collected, the more time I spent gaming, the less I actually enjoyed the hobby. One day it occurred to me that I only stopped enjoying video games because it became a "job" to me, to keep up with every new game that came out. As a kid, I didn't do that. I played because I wanted to, not to make my way through my ever growing backlog.

[@andrewbowman6378]

Great video Ive been collecting for a while but am now suffering from "the collection owns me" syndrome! I love my collection but something is telling me to let it go! Weird feeling but your video made it make more sense

[@yauy]

Such spot-on advice, Craig. I can relate to so much of your experience. Glad you hear you are in such a good place about it!

[@MisterNin10do]

Last year I decided to get rid of half of my collection also. I collected new and retro. But its just overwhelming. Still sell stuff. My goal is pretty much to keep the games i have fond memories of as a kid, keeping my OG games and maybe try to complete them with stuff thats missing. Manuals, boxes ++ Do I regret it? No. But like you said, the "loss" feeling is kinda strange. What the heck am i supposed to do now! The funny thing is, i now have the time to actually finish a game..and not having 5 other games at the same time i need to play.

[@tvandlust]

Ah yes, I didn’t touch on this in the video, but because I own and buy fewer games, I make much more progress in the ones I do buy!

[@teammacnamara5320]

Man I’ve just discovered this video and it’s powerful. This speaks to me so much at the moment and some of the things you say about nostalgia and romanticising is so true of me. I collect a lot and I’ve found recently that I’ve found it unenjoyable, I buy a game and I’m annoyed that I bought it. Some I buy I don’t even want but I’ve bought through fear of missing out. Thanks for your views and insights as they’ve been so helpful.

[@leeartlee915]

2400 games?! I just don’t understand that. It’s beyond me.

[@rsuffi]

Great video. Good & interesting reasoning. Funny thing is when collecting & owning becomes the thing versus playing the games for entertainment. Reducing is a great way to simplify your life and shift the focus to those things that you find important today.

[@itsjustagamechannel]

This is one of the most important videos I have seen about game collecting, the whys behind why some of us do it, and great advice about rebalancing through this journey. Very relatable.

[@88pjtink]

I have decided to scale back my very modest collection and move toward digital games on systems that allow it. It's still difficult, but at least there is the reassurance I can keep and replay everything I really love. My attachment to the handheld consoles I own may not be healthy, and for some reason evoke even more nostalgia than the video games do.

[@Cakeman777]

It truly is the memory that matters most with whenever I look at a game on my shelf. I don't really have a big collection of games, and I actually share it with my siblings so the games are split three ways. But the games I do have are ones that I really care about. When I think about the time and place I was at when I got a game it makes me smile. One of my favourite memories is with Metroid Prime 3. My friend was (and still is) over the moon for the Metroid series so I clearly remember the excitement of both of us getting the game with my uncle and starting it at my grandparents house. Good times and I know there will always be more.

[@MagentaMilk]

To contrast from an audience perspective, the Trim The Collection videos and the way you tell stories about some of them (Napple Tale, Beetle Adventure Racing) are quite distinctive as a "brand". Sitting in front of book/game shelves is a visual shorthand to indicate broad taste or being well-read, but a lot of people watch for the social/storytelling around a shared hobby, not just to see piles of products. It must be very weird to see the gap between one's self and the public-facing persona slowly widen.

[@tvandlust]

I appreciate the thoughtful comment. I understand why we use the Wall of Games as a shortcut, but I’m starting to find its ancillary need to communicate authority, or at least trust, a little tiring. For me, at least. I won’t speak for anyone else, of course. It makes for a nice “set,” but in the meantime, I live here and I am increasingly less enthused to maintain a space with the sole purpose of displaying taste or trust for 10 minutes a week. This is probably the gap, you speak of. It is certainly challenging.

[@MagentaMilk]

@@tvandlust Yeah exactly. Holding on to them for an (unseen) audience carries a degree of performativity. That's fine of course, but it's worth considering if/where/when you allow the desire to be seen as an authority supersede conflicting desires like downsizing. Downsizing has its own set of classist connotations of course (wealthy people can afford to continuously pay for essentially empty space, whereas lower class people need possessions to act as collateral because cash tends to get borrowed by family/friends), but... I think a lot of smart critics prove you can still speak to experiences without needing to prove your credibility by displaying possessions. For e.g.: Errant Signal, many video essayists, or the Waypoint crew. My collection is "only" a few shelves (still a luxury!), but its footprint (both ecological and its occupation of valuable space) makes me increasingly uneasy. Your channel is one of the few in active discussion with similar thoughts that I've seen in this space. Hope you realize that has value too, even if the audience is smaller.

[@MT_FIN]

As someone who has recently started collecting video games, this video was really interesting to watch. I am definitely gonna keep these ideas in mind when collecting games and trimming down my own collection over the years. Thanks for the good video!

[@andrewgibson7855]

You’re a good guy Craig. I remember when I was much younger i watched your videos and had a similar perspective to you, and I remember watching you from near the beginning of your channel. I sort of sold most of my games around the time you did when I really took up minimalism/the realization that I was trying to fill a void. That feeling of wanting it for later also passed. Similar to the Buddhist raft parable, it just weighs you down, though it served a purpose at one point. I’m glad you had this realization, I worry some people live their whole life without realizing just how much consumerism weighs them down.

[@zombee38]

I was one of those ones that watched your video of getting rid of the fat when it came out 7 years ago (time flies) and it motivated me to do the same. Great video...so far I sold my N64,DC,PSP,DS and started to get rid of SNES and Genesis collections (my favorite of all) and I'm not regretting it.

[@millasgameroom]

I can relate to a lot of this. I had to downsize myself for multiple reasons. One reason being that I almost lost all my collection when I had to flee an abusive household (which changes perspectives in it's own right) and needed the money from selling the games. Plus as an adult, more diverse interests and needs take priority. It's one thing having thousands of games you'll never play, but it's one thing having a smaller collection that better reflects who you are as a person. nowadays i prefer to get physical artbooks, soundtracks and other merch for games i love instead of new games at times and luckily publishers usually deliver on that. Great video!

[@tvandlust]

I am glad that you left an abusive household, but I am sorry about the cost.

[@larrykoolthegamer3646]

U were definitely one of the first gaming channels I started watching man that's for sure and now look at me like what 12-13 years later I got my own channel

[@scoutisabelle]

Awesome video, Craig!

[@omenarosvo]

I hope you will eventually continue making videos. I like your content!

[@creeson802]

Last year I cut my collection in half just about. I only kept games that I really liked or had a personal connection to whether it be a gift, childhood memory, or who I remembered playing the game with. It feels so much better not having a bunch of games that I know I will never play again.

[@JimsGameRoom]

Nothing wrong with cutting back and collecting and playing what you enjoy! I'm in Australia moved interstate 4 years ago and sold off a pretty large Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox One collection, eveything I had for those platforms and the consoles as well. Felt really good to cut back and focus on where my passions are which is mostly Japanese games on PS and Nintendo machines. I do small culls here and there too. I bought back some of the 360 games on PS3 but other than that, no regrets. Gotta do what works for you and there's no right or wrong way to do it and a good lesson of 'I don't have to own every machine and try to play everything '

[@tvandlust]

It is definitely freeing, realizing you don’t need to play everything!

[@hammaheadgaming]

Very nice video and a lot of good points you bring up. What you said about ‘your items owning you’ really is true and is something I’ve had to deal with in my life as well. Thank you for sharing your insights. You seem like a down to earth person trying to do your best in life, which is the best we can really do as people. 🤙

[@tvandlust]

Thank you. Definitely just trying to figure things out and do my best

[@Hahnsoulo]

In my estimation, for any given platform: Category A: 5% of the games (sometimes less) are masterpieces that are worth playing multiple times. Category B: 15% that are great, but not quite masterpieces, worth owning and revisiting as well, but have minor flaws Category C: 25% are good, but not great. Worth playing once and never touching again. Category D: The remaining 55% (and this is being generous, for some platforms the percentage is higher) are below average garbage games that aren't even worth playing. In my opinion only category A and B are worth owning and permanently keeping in a collection. So this means when you see these KZbinrs with complete sets roughly 80% of the games are games that really aren't good enough to be worthy of sitting in a permanent collection (and again, this is a generous estimate, for many platforms the percentage is much higher). So I've come to the conclusion that a curated collection is best. Life is too short to fill up your space, life, and shelves with a bunch of garbage that just sits there and collects dust. This is just one guy's opinion, though, and there are plenty of collectors that would disagree. There are also people who think that even collecting Cat A and B games is too much and we should just use everdrives, ODEs, and Mister FPGAs and not even bother with retro collections at all anymore.

[@Kinta02]

I clearly remember when you were growing relatively fast on yt. You were very similar to Finngamer in that regard. I liked your thoughts better tho most of the time :P God, has it really been 11 years since Ive listened to your 4-part DS collection to fall asleep? lol Time sure flies! Great to see you more happy and relaxed these days! :)

[@needszeebs6942]

thank you so much for sharing this! I've always been a collector of games and cards, since I was young. I've recently gotten back into it, but something has been feeling off. This video really touched on some of those things I'd been feeling, but having trouble articulating and understanding about myself. It can certainly be a dangerous game/ slippery slope collecting. Especially with ADHD and the way I hype-fixate on things, picking apart what I truly want and feel from what is a fixation/ uncontrollable urge is often incredibly difficult. Cheers!

[@camrongraziano1254]

I thinned out my collection about 4 years ago. And like yourself I cut about half. The funny thing is I also was like "I'll never sell these!" but what I didn't know then was I felt suffocated by my collection. I had about 13 games consoles and maybe 10 games each. I loved it cuz I had options but hated it cuz there was soooo many options I'd choose 10 affordable games over just 1 rare or great game. Which really started bugging me alot. I really wanted a SEGA Saturn but they were/are pretty pricey. So I decided to thin the collection, reevaluate how I felt about gaming and reshape my collection to better reflect those new values. I think of my collection as kind of a bonsai tree and kind of like a mirror. And for the last four years I've collected SEGA Saturn games, I have about 20 or so, but I've beat most of the 3x each at least 😁 I've fattened up my N64 set and that's been exciting to say the least. And I also am about 9 games away from a full US Neo Geo Pocket Color set. Also super exciting for me. I cut 99% of my Xbox stuff, down to 1 OG Xbox. My original one. I cut about 90% of my Sony stuff. Down to PS Vita and a few PS1 games. And I cut out some Nintendo things. I never really played much GCN, Wii, DS or old school GB so those are gone too. I stopped doing modern gaming cuz that's just a distraction from what I really want to play. Which is mostly 5th gen games. I don't feel trapped or stagnate with this choice. I get that warm sweet nostalgia every time. It rekindles things and make me feel like I am gaming. That is playing an actual game. Modern things don't feel quite like a game. And it's ok to say "My time is over, these aren't for me anymore. It's the next generations turn." And that solidifies how I see myself. I'm the guy who loves video games 🤷🏼‍♂️ always have been. Obscure Japanese video games. I also like games I can play that don't have two hours of dialog between ten minutes of game time. 🤦🏼‍♂️ I think my new collection ticks all my boxes if you will. It isn't big but I have more games per console. It has rare and obscure games but non are filler. I actually play and enjoy them more often when I get the time to. It's not as imposing or overwhelming to maintain or focus on. And it reflects me. 😁 It's not something I ever thought I would do. I'm very happy I did. And I plan to keep it this intimate.

[@tvandlust]

I’m glad that you’re happy with your decision and that your current collection ticks all your boxes!

[@LittleBigKid707b]

You sound a lot like me. Several years ago I was buying a bunch of AAA games, playing them a bit and shelving them. It felt like I didn't have the passion anymore. It turned out that I was just over the AAA, "epic" experiences and just wanted to go back to playing games that didn't take themselves too serious. Played more retro and indie and started to get the "feels" again. Nintendo too still has that fun focus on their games. Thanks for sharing. It resonated with me.

[@camrongraziano1254]

@@LittleBigKid707b Thank you for your comment. It makes me really happy that I'm not the only one who still wants to play video games as games 🥰 Or who wants a lil light hearted fun.

[@slash8596]

Thought-provoking video, really enjoyed it.

[@retro_lover9769]

I move alot being in the military and the last move was difficult to say the least. The first hurdle was figuring out how to fit my entire collection into my truck cab ( double cab). I won't trust a moving company with something so valuable and potentially fragile. Next, the stress of packing every box so nothing broke and everything was safe was draining. Then while we were in transit to our next house (New York to Alabama), which took several days of driving. I was worried about leaving it all in my vehicle and it getting stolen or the weather damaging my collection somehow. So, I packed a specific box before we left NY with my most cherished and expensive games that would be either hard or impossible to replace and took that box into the hotel room with me every night. I love collecting, but a big part that I enjoyed was the hunt and nowadays it's very difficult to go out game hunting and actually score good stuff to add to your collection. When i started collecting i would go game hunting every weekend and 8 times out of 10 I would come back home with awesome games, consoles, etc to add to my collection. I haven't had that amount of luck game hunting since pre-covid. I am currently "trimming the fat" on my own collection. Its just too much stuff for me. After I moved i realised that i have way too much and im not playing most of it so its just weighing me down. I'm now focusing on quality over quantity for my collection. I've gone through a few consoles worth of games so far and sold some stuff on ebay ,but I still have a ways to go. It is going to take me months to go through everything and get it all sold. It's alot of work and time. I plan on using the money to fund buying a new vehicle. Having a plan for the money does help motivate me to test, clean, list, and ship the games.

[@tvandlust]

Thanks for sharing your story!

[@adamstockley3569]

I love listening to this video Craig, I was definitely the same. I wanted ALL the consoles and ALL the games, so I had so many games from platforms I never even played. Now I have scaled back, collecting the games/platforms that I have played as a kid/teen and have sentimental value, especially the exclusives on PS1, PS2, PS3, PS4, Switch, Gameboy Color, Advance and Vita. I have a great balance of this and doing other things (work, volleyball, hiking/camping etc), I'm glad I did it, as I could of become a bit more obsessive and neglected my social life/weight. It is the best of both worlds for me!

[@tvandlust]

I’m glad you were able to find a balance that suits you!

[@thepositiver9977]

Been watching your stuff for a long time and while I sold some of my games, I feel similarly to how you describe it where I miss the memory more than the game itself. Nowadays I mostly emulate for retro games I'm still interested in and mostly wanna keep my favorites, maybe I'll trim more games in the future when I move but for now I have more than enough to play even with small collection.

[@tvandlust]

I’m becoming more and more interested in emulation for older games too, though I’d probably want one of those retro emulation handhelds or something

[@RyoHazuki1]

Thanks for the video, I can't remember if I saw your old videos but everything you're talking about resonates with me now. Definitely feel like I'm drowning in 'stuff' and most of it is retro that I haven't played in several years. I dip in and out of collecting every couple of years and even the most recent purchases have barely been played.

[@tvandlust]

One of the most difficult things is figuring out what you actually want to own and keep. I still occasionally struggle with it.

[@TheLittleMJPuppet]

Really really great video Craig. It has been so interesting watching your evolution as a video game KZbinr!

[@tvandlust]

Thank you!

[@jamiewellbourn3609]

I sold off a large chunk of my games years back and I don't regret it at all. My collection now feels more focused and I'm much happier with it than I was then.

[@50secondgames8]

I’m kinda going through the opposite phase. I’ve started seriously collecting in the past 3 or 4 years but already I have thoughts about “is this really something I want to do”. Obviously I enjoy having a lot of games to play and to learn about but I do wonder if some day I’ll reach a point where I just want to sell everything and lead a simpler, less materialistic life.

[@tvandlust]

We all have different phases in our lives. Just gotta ride the waves and see where they take us

[@chutton988]

I'm planning to cull my collection and this video comes at a great time for me. I got back into the hobby from scratch at the end of 2016 and it provided escape, relaxation, and socializing opportunities for awhile but now I'm trying to fit the hobby into a more satisfying life and it's difficult to justify my collection (most of which is unplayed). Your "Trimming the Fat" videos helped me a lot and I've returned to them a couple times. Thanks for this great video as well. I'm sending appreciation and admiration your way. P.S. I've always loved your sign off and now I love it even more without "guys" in there. I'm cishet male but never liked "guys" being used for mixed groups.

[@tvandlust]

That is precisely why I took “guys” out. My greeting is inclusive and my closing was not, and I didn’t like that

[@SkyDivedParcel]

Great Video - I figured it would take me about 10 years to get through my backlog and so I was just buying games for the sake of it. I've thinned out my collection and feel really happy about it, focusing this year on playing rather than buying. The money from my sales goes into Bitcoin and I have played and completed some wonderful games this year: Pikmin 3, Kirby Epic Yarn, Mario Sunshine and Galaxy, Metroid Prime, Bravely Second, Forza Horizon, MGS 3 and Paper Mario the Origami King....

[@tvandlust]

Oh wow, those a re definitely some great games you’ve knocked out!

[@Chameleon8600]

Been watching your channel for the past several years now you produce great content. Having a curated collection is the way to go. I have about four hundred games that i really enjoy, there are a few games i bought thinking i would like them but they ended up being not so good to me so i sold them. For most of the retro stuff i use flash carts for convenience and as not to use or accidentally damage my real retro video games and their boxes or jewel cases.

[@LittleBigKid707b]

I think you come across as genuine and personable. You don't have to have a huge collection or much of a collection for that matter. I find it more engaging when people talk about their personal experience with a game, like where and how they bought said game. How many times they beat it. They maybe stayed up every night in the summer with their brother of best friend . Things like that. As opposed to "look at all my games". "Look at what I have peasants". "I have this rare and that rare game".

[@tvandlust]

Thank you! I try to be as genuine as possible. It’s becoming a bit more difficult without coming across as disingenuous because “relatability” is basically branding image now.

[@interghost]

A very interesting update and thanks for making this video. I agree with so many of your points. I have cut back my collection over the years! I used to own pretty mcuh every console going at one stage. These days I mainly just get Switch games that I will actually play, and not to save until later! I like you have sold games recently and put the money towards something else. For me its the Master of the Universe Origins figures. And to be honest I love them far more than the games sat in a box not doing anything! I still have a ways to go but I plan on cutting out all games and toys etc from my hoard that are not a huge connection to me or will never be used in some way. I have a room full of stuff... and thats all it is... stuff! ;)

[@tvandlust]

Switch games are mostly the only new releases I buy too. It’s a fun system! I still buy old DS and 3DS games, of course, but that’s basically the extent of my game buying these days

[@SUB1KOIRA]

Funny, I've gone through these same feelings for the past year or so and thought that it was probably something that only I am feeling. Almost word for word I've been talking about "I don't want this collection to be my identity" or "I have this weight I have to carry with me" to my wife. Now after looking up KZbin, there's quite a few of us! Btw, your current room looks very nice!

[@tvandlust]

Thank you! I think as the community gets older, these kinds of feelings are going to become more common. It’s a challenge trying to balance it all. I hope you figure out what works for you!

[@radiofreeman]

I’ve culled my twice but not necessarily of my own choice. At one time I had somewhere between 100-200 NES carts but when I went to college my step mom gave them to her sister’s kids. The second time I had built up a diverse collection of games I loved or games of decent value plus various consoles. Again I moved and my then partner allowed a lot of them to get destroyed (long story) then my step brother stole a ton. I currently have a few games and 6 consoles but I definitely struggle with the loss and the fact that it wasn’t my choice.

[@ogre706]

This is a good conversation that all of us gamers/collectors need to have with ourselves. Thank you for sharing. 👍

[@tvandlust]

And thank you for watching!

[@hdrgb]

Great video, great theory and philosophy behind it. I'm fortunate to own a lot of heavy hitters from years past and have been thinking about purging the ones I care least for or will never play again. I prefer doing things like YT videos and hardware streams on my channel. Anyways, get rid of some, keep others and thanks for the vid bud!

[@slk487]

Always so insightful and well articulated :)

[@OfficialSealQuality]

It was those original videos that made me question my collection as well. Not to the same degree as you but I had about 300 Vita games and maybe about 200 odd across my other systems. For me it allowed me to realize I just owned stuff. It wasn’t things that made me happy just a number to show I liked the Vita more than you. I own maybe 20 Vita games now. I have no issue buying digital games now either. In a silly way you gave me clarity to just enjoy and play games instead of worrying about the collection.

[@tvandlust]

I’m glad I could be helpful to you!

[@neeadote1]

Been watching you from the start, and you can talk to me anytime about games.Much respect for your opinion.

[@patrickt6642]

I have a massive movie collection so I understand where your coming from.i cull my collection from time to time.just started buying books again and went overboard on that.logicaly that was stupid for I cannot possible read so many books.

[@DScapades]

Great video. A lot to think about.

[@BlazeKushman]

Super interesting video, Craig! I just moved from Oregon to Arkansas, and the move really made me question my collecting. I collect movies, vinyl, games, figures, etc. and boxing and moving them has been such a dreadful process. It really made me wonder if I want to continue this hobby. I find joy in hunting and finding good deals and things that I've been after for a long time. But sometimes the hunt is actually more fun than owning and using them. Now I try and really, really think "Do I want this? Will I use this more once or even at all?" And I'll probably be downsizing my collection a lot more. Anyway, awesome video again! Keep on keepin' on! :)

[@ducko5404]

It’s a very interesting / important topic for us people in gaming or and collecting scene. Im someone who is prone to ocd kind of thinking and manic depressive behaviour. I don’t think those things are something you get completely rid of but I feel much better when I quit collecting like 2 years ago. I feel like I have conquered the unhealthy thinking patterns. I don’t have to worry about pointless crap. Im a gamer not collector. I still collect and buy some things but that’s what I identify and aim for. But im not only a gamer. Im a music guy who loves coffee and hopeless romantic who wants to just enjoy beauty of life and hold someones hand. We are all people, different yet beautiful.

[@Red3o1]

I’ve been trimming my collection as well. It takes a lot of effort and time to do it. I still have a lot to sell even 2 years later.

[@tvandlust]

Oh yes, that’s the part I didn’t mention and usually others don’t either: trimming a collection becomes a part time job

[@SilverMongooseVideos]

Been waiting a couple years for this video! I was actually going to suggest it last week, haha. I appreciate you articulating your thoughts so well. I might listen t this a couple more times to get it all to sink in. I'm starting to sell things here and there but it ultimately is pretty tough for me, I suppose in part because I also romanticize those days where I would regularly share games with family and friends, playing weird titles on systems they've never heard of, particularly during my school days. But, that was a long time ago now and those opportunities no longer exist, so I should really take a hard look at what I have. It also doesn't help that I have stuff scattered in storage in another city. Sure, I have the disk for X game, but the case is far away and it would sell for much much more CIB, so for now I just hang onto the disk. ALSO, my memory is atrocious (to the point that I think I may have some sort of condition) and it does actually help me to have physical items to help me remember things. (Not just games, mind you). I could come up with a dozen more excuses I'm sure, lol.

[@tvandlust]

We’ve talked about this a little before, but I definitely don’t think you should seek anything you’re not (mostly) comfortable with selling. If you think there’s value in maintaining a physical token for your memories, or if getting together all the pieces of your collection is too challenging, I say don’t sell. You don’t need to make excuses; it’s your stuff after all!

[@claytonhayes2760]

I never set out to be a "collector". I have only ever bought games I actually want to play or play again. I still have ended up with hundreds of games across 25 platforms...and a monstrous backlog lol.

[@joeyisabsb1]

I've decided to only collect games im genuinely interested in early on when I started to collect. This has lead me to owning close to 500 games over the years with the decision to only amass around 1k games total in my lifetime. This way its still a lot of games but won't take up as much space and the chance to play them all is realistic.

[@TheLasko45]

I've sold off a few things here and there over the last 5 or 6 years, my only real regret is the price I sold them for. A while back I wanted to collect a bunch of Dreamcast games and started buying them before the prices went up. About 3 years ago I sold off probably about half of them and then a few months ago I went back and looked and some of them had doubled in price. I also sold a copy of Misadventures of Tron Bonne for about 10x less than what its worth now. But I don't regret getting rid of them and the money that I did make went towards trips and other things that I enjoyed.

[@tvandlust]

Yeah, you make a good point, one I meant to make in the video but forgot to. When you sell a game, you have to be comfortable with the price that you let it go at. A lot of games inevitably go up and it’s a bummer. I’m glad you were able to make the most of what you did take in though!

[@gameofyou1]

I would like to scale down to just a couple consoles, at this point. But, make sure you will not regret any of the things you sell. It will be very costly to re-purchase systems/games, years from now.

[@Blinkoom]

On occasion (and for a variety of reasons) I have a sort of the thought experiment of "What if I just sold it all down to basically 0 and started over". Take all the money, use it pay off a nice chunk of my mortgage or something, and begin again from scratch. In a lot of ways I think it could be fun, you'd have a lot of focus and your collection would slowly take shape as something representative of you in the present. There's a lot to be gained by getting a fresh start, and I know that my journey of re-collecting would take a different path this time around. I'd keep a few particularly nostalgic things. But there are downsides too. There are things in my collection I got for cheap back in 2010 that are expensive now, and I don't know that I would want to willingly spend the money to buy again. Does that mean I don't actually value that game as highly as I think I do? Not sure. I also stream a few times a week and one of the biggest joys of my collection is being able to show weird stuff to people or stream games that definitely don't see a lot of love on Twitch. Honestly, not that different from how you describe your relationship between you, your games, and YT. So who knows, maybe I will one day! Inaction is me just making the choice to keep things, but there is a lot more to parse through than people might initially realize. I appreciate the willingness to reflect on your decision with both the positives and negatives. Nuance is valuable but not common in gaming videos. A lot of what you said is pretty relatable, and I'm sure the rest resonates with some others too. The market of "30 somethings that are sorting stuff out, with games" thanks you

[@tvandlust]

Well, maybe you can start from zero as an exercise, and add games you would rebuy if you had to to a list, and then these would be the games you would keep. You can even physically pull them from your shelves and put them in a purchase pile. This way, you don’t actually have to rebuy them, but you can benefit from the experiment just the same!

[@Blinkoom]

@@tvandlust smart smart! I like the way you think

[@seanmatias1360]

Awesome video man!!

[@tvandlust]

Thank you!

[@anthonyg5259]

Great channel 👍🏼

[@jaypas2359]

I just reshaped my collection and got rid of all the shovelware and a lot of my 360 collection because of game pass. I’m planning on getting a pc and when I do I feel like I’m not going to be buying retro games anymore. I was about to buy sonic adventure 1 & 2 on eBay and then I found out they’re available on steam for $7.99 and my mind was blown.

[@jrandt08]

I totally get it. Totally. Stay healthy!

[@duhmez]

Recommendation, if you decide ot get rid of a systems games completely, then get an Everdrive or CROm Iso loader mod so u can keep just the console, it takes up little space, and u can stil play the games by finding then from other methods on sd card. mabe u not interested inthis, but I love it so much this way. I have one smal corner for Retro gaming, and it has literally every game available on real hardware preloaded, all with the push of a button. It is just a few thousand bucks total for the wntire setup and now I don't need to spend any more. All I buy now is backup systems, whe I can find for a good price. My PC engine died the other day so my spare came off the shelf and I di dnot miss a beat.

[@infasis]

The whole "sit in front of my giant game collection for my videos" can provide a nice backdrop and I think many people do it, because it just seems like a nice, obvious, thing to do, but personally, I feel it's gotten out of hand, as of late. Owning a ton of games doesn't make you an authority on them. It really just seems to help influence greed in people and push them towards this awful "gotta catch them all!", "buy buy buy!" thing that seems to have become a big part of gaming this last decade. It bums me out, because so often the actual games take a backseat to the collecting and materialism. Those games that people buy to check off their list and put on their display shelf I just picture as games that some kid might absolutely love or could even help shape his life going forward. But, instead it just sits there. Where it might get looked at a lot, but never actually played.

[@atomicsamurai9742]

Don't worry, emulation is always there

[@MrDream-zm1pw]

I have that Resident Evil Gaiden CIB minty you have in the back. Got it at Game Crazy X (remember them?!) for $10 new back in the day! Considering selling it as it goes for around $600 CIB and it is a game that I don't really play and is not really good at all.

[@joeyisabsb1]

I dont keep games i dont enjoy playing. I have close to 500 games and I like them all. When I started to collect I wanted to rebuy every game for nostalgia purposes but when I realized I didn't exactly like all the games I played as a kid I decided theres no reason for me to get them and only get the ones I actually enjoyed.

[@MrDream-zm1pw]

@@joeyisabsb1 HI this is OP. Here I am a year later. I still have it and it's worth around $600-800. I think Ill hold on to it just because I enjoy the box art and love RE. I did sell Rule of Rose locally on FB Marketplace for $700!! I tried getting into it, but bad gameplay didn't hold me and I did not have attachments to it. No regrets.

[@Mario-zi8wr]

Good bro.

[@SonnyPlaytaten]

Did you sell the games for more money?

[@ThaEzioAuditore]

As a Frenchman I love how random french words pronounced in English can make someone feel eminently sophisticated 🤣🤣

[@ExtremeMusicPromotion]

i sold all mine like 6 years ago and could care less. good riddance to all that shit. digital is so much easier as a father.

[@tvandlust]

Digital is definitely much easier. I buy more PlayStation / Xbox digitally than I would have 10 years ago. Some games just aren’t worth juggling all that plastic.

[@ExtremeMusicPromotion]

@@tvandlust yeah i moved a couple times and just couldnt do it any more.

[@larrykoolthegamer3646]

Hey Craig why did you sell half of your collection man is because you needed to pay bills or do you just got burnt out from all the games?

[@duhmez]

WOW, channeling mania into a colecting hobby could be a disaster! With the potential for overspending and cranking up credit cards.

[@tvandlust]

I absolutely agree. I’m pretty decent with money, so for me personally, I didn’t have a tendency to over spend. I mostly meant channeling mania into the whole thing: collecting, writing, filming, podcasting, etc. All the video game and TV&L things.

[@jkemp6791]

I really HATE these heteronormative videos. Oh, “my WIFE works here,” “I go on hikes with my WIFE,” Gotta make sure I always mention my WIFE. You’re trying to normalize your breeding-kink relationship. If you’re not gonna talk about a marginalized group, don’t bring up your relationship at all. Stop normalizing behaviors that hurt the rest of us. Just talk about games.

[@tvandlust]

I recommend taking a deep breath and touching some grass

[@jkemp6791]

@@tvandlust - Why? To try to make your relationship the only acceptable kind? You claim to have seen therapists and then fail to acknowledge how triggering talking about your hetero relationship can be to LGBTQIA community. Your trauma is significant and mine isn’t? Try to think of someone besides yourself for a change!!!

[@tvandlust]

@@jkemp6791 This must be parody in bad taste, but if it isn’t, the key difference here is that I have made efforts to manage my own traumas, and you are lashing out, expecting me to manage yours as well. I cannot do both. To be clear, LGBTQIA relationships (or absence of relationships) are perfectly valid, and so is mine. Take care.

[@jkemp6791]

@@tvandlust - That’s the thing. Our relationships aren’t equal no matter what you say. Straight people have built their lives on the backs of people like me for hundreds of years. The power dynamic needs to change NOW. Either you’re with us or you’re against us. Talk is cheap. Action is the only thing that matters. Take down this “My WIFE” video now or we’re gonna have a problem. It’s aggressive against the LGBTQIA movement.

[@tvandlust]

@@jkemp6791 I won’t be doing that. Have a good day.