February 26, 2004
Gaming While Drunk Column: On being a Collector by Robert Keenan
So I’m sitting here in front of my computer contemplating the new column while sipping a Maker’s and Coke. You didn’t think it was just a clever name, did you?
It’s come to my attention that I’ve moved past being a game player and into the realm of the game COLLECTOR. I exhibit all the warning signs: games still in shrinkwrap, a laundry list of games that I haven’t finished, and to top it all off while going through my games I found titles I don’t even remember buying. It’s getting sick.
I’m like a hawk, I can’t pass by a gaming store because I know if I do it’ll be the one day they have a mint (non greatest hits!) copy of Symphony of the Night in stock. Its not even about the game, it’s the thrill of the hunt. There’s nothing like finding some rare gem hidden behind dusty copies of Madden 2002. My girlfriend has put a stop to my nightly Ebay meanderings because there’s always an auction with a game to fill a spot in my collection and lord knows I’ll bid. It’s horrible.
How did it get this bad? I’ve talked to enough people who collect instead of play, and we all have a lot in common. It starts slow. You are a hardcore game player, you beat every game you get, and then you buy another one. Then you start buying games before you beat the last one. Then a big release date comes up and you buy three games at once. Then you start thinking of your old PSone collection and start to rebuild it. Before you know it BAM! The cold hard face of addiction.
How bad is it? Yesterday I played Teleroboxer on my Virtual Boy. I’m very sorry I did it, and even sorrier that I had to tell you.
I think mostly its wish fulfillment. Back in the peak of my gaming in High School we didn’t have a lot of money, so we only got a few games a year. Of course even if we were able by some miracle to save up the fifty bucks for a new game we had to judge just how far away our birthday or Christmas was, to make sure we had something on the horizon. When we got a game we played it ALL THE TIME. We had the time and no other games coming for a while, so we didn’t stop until you got every item and memorized every level. Strategy guides were for chumps.
Now that I’m older (wiser? Ha!) I have a lot more spending money and a lot less time. So I’m able to buy many of the shiny new games on the shelf as soon as they come out as well as picking up the more collectible titles just for the stack. I’m entranced by the new games, so of course sometimes when release dates overlap I’ll have two or more games I’m working on. Gamefaqs.com has become my friend, since now I get impatient when sitting stuck at a puzzle for more than an hour or so. I simply don’t have the time, too many games to go through!
Right now I’m working Beyond Good and Evil (excellent, by the way), Fatal Frame 2 (one of the best series no one is playing) and Bond: Everything or Nothing. I’m trying very hard to get through these games before Ninja Gaiden comes out on the 3rd. I already know I won’t. I already know that I’m going to buy Ninja Gaiden when it comes out, and I really want the free promotional wall scroll that comes with it. Why? Because I’ve turned into a damned collector. What’s even worse is that I’ll hit Ebay after I get the Xbox Ninja Gaiden to look for the original NES titles (with boxes and instructions of course).
I’m sick, and need help.
-Written by Robert Keenan
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