Games are meant to be resold for profit.

No, games are meant to fill refridgerators. Or turned into thrones!
 

Roms are meant to be played.

I agree with this.  So much of the stuff I have in my collection, was more than likely literally saved from the rubbish bin.  Yes, I feel I have too much of this stuff lying around, and I hope to pack my doubles in storage, forget about them, and then resell them later, after proving to myself that I didn't miss them at all, when they were away.  But at the same time, 99% of the world views this stuff as garbage, so we are saving it from the bin.  Think about this:

We've all been to antique shops or flea markets or something, and seen some old item, which was probably quite valuable / useful back in its day, but has been quite antiquated by now.  Heck, I've seen finders threads on here with old, clunky computers, and I think to myself, "Damn, and the OP said this was a find?!  I would hate to have this crap in my place."  Well my point is, everyone has seen something, they feel this way about, and it just proves the point, of the oh so true "One man's trash is another man's treasure."    

People who are into the stuff should just be happy the stuff is being saved, is being preserved in any way, especially as time moves by, and it becomes irrelevant for the large percentage of the population.

As an aside, I was with my gf today and we were looking for birthday presents for my mum.  The gf had seen a business card holder in one of the shops, shaped like a cassette tape.  It looked quite nice to us, but I had started thinking to myself, "Man, yes I feel nostalgic about 'tapes', but I would never want to go back to that format." 
And I'm sure that's how many people feel, hence the business card holder design.  Although I can't bring myself to chuck out the cassettes I have back in America, if I ever get back to my parents' house for some serious time, they would be on the cutting board, and would probably end up in the bin.

Therefore that is my answer to the "Games are meant to be played" argument:  Be glad that someone is taking the effort to at least preserve the stuff, instead of throwing it away.  

I'd imagine that the majority of those arguing about this stuff either can't afford the items or are upset due to high prices, basically money and jealousy.  



 

I'm just messing with you, jigglypuffs.
I just went with OP's remarks.

But on that note, I do find it silly that people collect games just to house them on shelves. I dunno; the older I get the more "less is more" becomes part of my life. I love displaying games on my bookcases, but these days with the less and less time I get to play them the more clutter they seem. I now devote more time to playing the game than collecting them, but I do still find the thrill of the hunt just as exciting.

This is the classic Pinocchio argument when people want to assign human emotions to a physical inanimate object.

Games are not people. They don't have hopes or dreams.
Games aren't mesant to do anything. They are objects.

First repros, then games are meant to be played argument......

What is next for a thread OP? Resellers and then a bubble thread  

All of these arguments you are bringing up have been beaten until you can't even tell it was a horse anymore.

BUT to give you an answer, if you are paying with your money and it is legal, do whatever you want with the games. People collect all kinds of things that were originally meant for other purposes.

There was already a bubble thread like a week ago. I think. Or maybe it was a joke thread by D~Funk.

Agreed.

There was a joke thread by D-Funk, but funny enough i just searched out of curiosity and realized OP already made a bubble related thread 2 weeks ago lol I guess he is just making the rounds of controversial topics at this point   
http://nintendoage.com/forum/mess...


I am just giving you a hard time though OP, don't take it too serious and make whatever threads you want. We just have seen these so many times over the years, it has become a bit of a joke whenever they pop up, so we poke a little fun. 


 

For those of you in the "games are meant to be played" camp, what do you think about games that are, IMHO, potentially to frail to play.

Case and point, I jumped in heavy last year into collecting for the Saturn. Now, I like my games in what I call "Collector Play" condition. I want them to look good on the shelf but, yes, I do want to play them. If I have a copy of a game in gem mint shape, I'm probably not going to play it. However, if it has minor wear that's only visible from close inspection, I'm likely to play it.

Back to the issue of Saturn, I picked up Panzer Dragoon Saga, Albert Odyssey and even MKR-- top shelf games for that system, as well as about 50 others. One game I received was a bit snug snapped into the case. I know to be careful with stuff, but when I pressed on the middle snap-in holder and lightly tugged at the game-- it cracked! Thankfully it was a cheaper title, but I still got quite agitated with myself, none the less.

After doing further research, it seems that SEGA simply used cheap CD media. I won't play my Saturn games because I fear they will break if being taken in and out of the case or the system. So, I'm selling them off to hopefully the collectors that like this stuff to just sit on there shelves.

I personally don't care what people do because we all have our own motivations for collecting and I'd even bet that 95% of us who frequent this place probably now own more games than we can play in a lifetime. Whether you want to admit it or not, you are a shelf-collector of one form. Regardless, even if you enjoy playing your games, IMHO, I think it's a bit foolish to pay $200+ for some games and by playing them, potentially breaking them. This may not seem important but most of these older games are part of an early history of a new form engaging art. It has historic value. The more of these "artifacts" remain kept up nice in private collections, the better chance that future generations will be able to at least see these items in a close-to-original format.

But, but, Games are meant to be played. I play my rare shit all the time and use them as coasters when not playing. So games are meant to be played and used as coasters.

This is the most valid answer so far.

Why do so many people care what other people do with their stuff?    Why do so many people care what fucking "group" they're in?


 

It is, but from a different perspective its not realistic because most collectors say one thing (I don't care what people think) and do another (chase the games everyone else wants just because everyone else wants them).

 

this all stems from those who have varying contact with games, from collectors to casual gamers, and defining how to interact with the end product/medium which is primarily solely based on their experience (or observation if they haven't experience it). it's a huge spectrum and everyone sits on a different spot on the graph, and, to further muddy the waters, having a community (online or in meat space) presupposes we're all on the same page or adhere to the same philosophy or approach towards a shared product when we're not.

this is true with all entertainment (see all the critics for every aspect of entertainment), architecture, medicine, financial services, shit, any vertical. and you see the same pattern all over; with critics watching the same movie and loving/hating it. should a movie be restored and shown or vaulted? are we conducting this test for research or results? or to hit a metric for shareholders? or to brag? or to save lives? or to build something we think is beautiful or useful or both or neither or... and, you've broken the world with too much talk, not enough practice or, in this case, play!

i think games should be played, it's literally why they were made.

Couldn't it be necessary in that case because if you don't jump on a trend quickly you may not be able to get certain games later?

I agree with that. I don't enjoy having a large collection as much, I enjoy having a small selection and choosing what is worth keeping and what should go, and yes, playing them on occasion, but not just for that reason. If I like the look of a box I might keep it for that reason, or maybe I just have fond memories with it, or maybe it's something hard to find that I'm happy to have. But yeah, having a massive Collection doesn't interest me anymore, and I'd still consider myself a collector just as much as a gamer

Only one side is telling the other what to do though. Nobody argues that games shouldn't be played.
 

Hehehe. Good one.
 

Plays are meant to be gamed!

I thought they were an alternative to my 401k. :/

"Games are meant to be played!" - Bitter collector that has been priced out of the hobby.

That basically sums up everything you need to know about this topic.

That said, I think the original intended use argument has some merit. For example:

"Games were originally meant to be played"

Like so many other things, people often find alternative uses. I think the only object that has no true "original use" is the electronic computer. Sure, it was first used as a number cruncher, but it can do virtually any logical operation. It's like saying writing is only for keeping track of how much grain you have or how much money you have, like it was 4000 years ago when it was first invented.

I kind of did for the rare, fragile ones.

This. It’s almost always followed or preceded by some form of “shelf collectors are the reason why I can’t buy games at reasonable prices”