I started collecting Game Boy games a couple years ago, and the more I learned about the Game Boy library, the more focused I became on only collecting grey games, licensed, with a USA region code. I've always tried to limit myself to only using a budgeted amount of "hobby" money, plus whatever "beer money" I want to scrape up. (I cheat sometimes.)

BUT, little by little, due to my finding deals on lots/bundles, and lack of self-control, I now find that I have substantial but incomplete collections of 12-15 other GB-related sets, including manuals, games from other regions, variants, hardware, etc. I like those things, and I'd love to complete those collections (working toward objective completion goals is half the fun) but I'm spreading myself thin; at this rate I'll never complete any collection. Having said that, leaving used game shops empty-handed isn't fun; it's great to be able to look for a bunch of different things, not just grey GB carts.

Even as I write this, I'm watching videos about the Atari Lynx, fighting the urge to go refurbish an old unit and decide that it might be a fun system to collect for.

Has anyone had to purposely pull back their collecting?

Haven't heard the term scope creep since project management back in business school

Yeah it happens. I feel unless you like having a ton of stuff around, you just have to get some self discipline and focus on a "set" at a time.

You can collect a format without getting or trying to get everything for it.

I try to collect a couple system sets at a time. If I cant't find much Genesis that I need, I at least have Game Gear to fall back on.

I had to stop buying every Collectors Edition/Limited Edition Vita game out there because I was going completely broke...and sometime overwithdrew my account. That...was bad. So I had to give up on NISA releases and just focus on LRGs. I've nearly stopped collecting when it comes to other systems...I'll pick up games to resell to help offset the going broke issue...but other then that...I very rarely get vintage games anymore.

Part of that is due to competition/lack of finding anything out there but if I forced myself to go for vintage stuff...I could hit up pawn shops if I really wanted vintage games. And I do want the games...but the lack of money is real. So unless I come across a game at the odd rummage sale...vintage collecting has been put on hold.

I pulled back repeatedly in stages. At one point I was all over whatever up until 2012 or so. Prices got dumb, so I'd re-evaluate on the pile of goodies I had and realized most of it was played more during the testing and cleaning process than for enjoyment so that became like Pile B to the A group that stayed. I'd then scope focus to the next system of interest and I'd grab things there, and when it got stupid there as people also jumped from one fouled space to foul another I'd move onto the next. It was great for trying things out on the cheap/fair levels and then those dumb price hikes allowed for a level of profit to keep what was fun and the rest to get something else nice with yet another focus change.

I found once I ran out of systems I cared for that didn't stink, other things happened. I'd get a cheap full on console setup at a goodwill for a device I hadn't touched in years, and I'd be all in. Within 6mo I'd barely use it or not at all and I'd realize it was a bad idea, so then focus change, they were out and the cheap games I'd pick up just in case so I wouldn't lose on them either. This happened a few times. Then I'd realize I didn't have time anyway with life in general, so then I broke with my long standing line I didn't cross and got kits instead and that was my last focus change outside of getting a superior Japanese console to tinker with on real media since they're well down compared to US stuff. I've done it a lot over the years, but I've hit the wall on it kind of now thankfully.

I used to want every snes game when I started collecting, then I wanted every snes nes and n64 game. I spread around my collecting those consoles while still mainly focusing on snes. I made it to 90% of the snes then got bored of collecting by the time prices rose. I picked up some timewalk games at the time while they were around to fill the collecting gap.

Last year I got sick of staring at a wall of games that I never used so I pulled 90% of the games from my shelf and started selling them off. Kept only my games from my youth and a few favorites. Cleared out nearly all my remaining snes sale stuff yesterday, probably have a shoe box worth of stuff remaining to sell. It was fun to track down but I'm glad to see it gone. Made a ton of money and some friends clearing house.

If you're worried that you'll never complete a system, you're collecting for the wrong reasons. I went the other way, I enjoy the act of collecting so much that I was worried I would complete the set too soon so I branched out to make sure I could postpone the collecting enjoyment for longer. If you truly enjoy the actual collecting itself, then you will just enjoy each day and not care if you're going to finish it.

Yeah. Twice.

After the first time I figured the problem was that I didn't need "old" systems. That was a mistake.

The second time, I realized the mistake was that I didn't need "every" game on old systems. That was a great moment.

Before I started collecting, I set some limits and tempered my expectations. I often joke about the tub of games I have, but the physical limitation it put keeps my collecting in check. It works for me. Use what works for you.

Thanks to the insane competition between collectors and resellers locally flea markets and all the normal secondary places have dried up finding neat stuff cheap. So I switched tactics to collecting imports because with some exceptions you can pick up imports cheap, even when you factor in shipping. Plus the local brick and mortar stores do get in imports as well and have to price them reasonably due to limited marketability.

I don't see a problem with anyone collecting for whatever goals they have in mind, be it full-sets, subsets, main set with side dishes etc.

The main thing to me is:
- collect for the enjoyment (whether to play them or display them)
- don't collect so you end up burnout too quickly, take some frequent breaks if needed.

Everdrives man

Oh. Both of these for me in the same order (but after I sold my collection for dope $ back in the glory days. Prices Like $150 for mm 1-6 with some of the manuals. Ouch, still stings). Did you have kid/s too? 

Good ole sandy. 
 

I think this issue really depends on if you have that "fullset" mindset or not. Fortunately, in general I don't have this impulse to collect everything. Even the systems I would like fullset of, which are very few, I don't really actively pursue and I don't mind if I never actually complete those sets.

Having said that, I still end up with way more games then I really need! Buying games up cheap in bulk, knowing that I'll probably not play several titles. But then that is not quite the same issue as buying multiple individual expensive games that you won't play, which would feel way worse.

As a rule I don't like having too many games that I know I'll never play, but as long as I'm continually playing and enjoying, and chipping away at my backlog then I stay happy!

I like sets of things so I find myself scaling back. I'm 55 away from the nes and about the same for wii u. I find it's hard to stay focused when you see other deals pop up. Stay focused on selling the unneeded or doubles and it helps to stay on pace for getting sets free or cheap.

I've had to dial things back a few times. The big ones being "I'm leaving home consoles behind for good and strictly sticking to portables" and also "I don't need boxed games". I've never seriously considered going for a full set of anything.

Personally I often rotate what I'm collecting/playing, but usually end up back on the original Game Boy. Lately I've been trying to track down all of the Game Boy games Konami/Ultra Games released for Game Boy, mainly because most of their games are awesome. It's been a fun set to collect.