Topic: Am I the only one who doesn't amass a huge collection of games I never play?

When I was younger my biggest collection of games was my PS2 collection of a whopping 12 games (I usually got around 5 games per console). Today I sometimes see PSN has The Witcher 3 for sale at only 10 dollars and I heard it's great. I think "I'm not going to play a big game like that right, so I won't buy it". Most people seem to think "I might want to play that game in the future, so I better buy it".

I have some games in my digital collection that I cut my losses on and haven't finished because they were bad/I didn't like. Yooka-Laylee, Killzone: Shadowfall, and Deus EX. Other than that I would buy a game unless it was certain I would play through it right away. I keep hearing about everyone's "massive backlog", and how the consoles hard-drives are too small. They're big enough for at least 10 big games and a few small ones, why would you buy more?

I've also started to go back to buying games physically, since it's nice to have the option to sell games that weren't so good. Does anyone else only ever get 10-15 games for a console? My current "Switch count" is 6 games, but that includes a physical copy of Axiom Verge, which is a small indie game.

Yes, the only one in the entire world.

I knew it!

Can sales get you to buy it anyways? I've been seeing a lot of people amassing these huge un-played libraries due to steam sales and psn sales.

I amass a medium size collection of games based on what I think I'll replay multiple times. If it's just a 1-time playthrough kind of game, I usually resell it as soon as I finish it.
Like Metroid Samus Returns. Those kinds of games are 1-time only playthroughs for me. I bought that game, finished it within a week and then sold it on ebay.
Other games like Final Fantasy, Dark Souls, Zelda, Witcher, I'll hang onto permanently because I'll replay most of them at some point.

This depends on how you define "huge". My game collection isn't large by any means; I probably have an average of 15-25 physical games for each of my newer systems. My older systems have even less because 1. I received less games back in the day/shared some with siblings or 2. I sold some games off or gave them away in a couple of cases. I did start collecting retro games at one point, but the expenses involved and what I saw as a lack of storage both became issues (I still lived with my parents at the time). This is why I have a lot of VC games on my Wii U and 3DS since they presented a cheaper alternative.

I've started going through my physical collection every now and again and have started offloading games that I have either lost interest in and/or never intend to play again. The problem with me is that some are very hard to let go of....Some of this is admittedly nostalgia/memories tied to a certain game; this is why I'm often unlikely to offload any Pokemon games. There are also some games (such as RPGs) that I intend to play again someday to get alternative endings, try different difficulty modes, and so on. I normally don't double-dip on physical games, with one current exception: I have two copies of Twilight Princess for the Wii and Wii U. I've seriously debated about selling the Wii copy as it's an "older" version, but the idea of not having an alternative copy (stupid as this feeling is) gives me pause as I've 100%ed both.

In regards to sales....I've admitted elsewhere on here that I cave to sales on occasion, but these are often for games that have been on my radar for some time anyway. More often than not these have been via My Nintendo offers lately.

I really have cut down on my spending/backlog, and I'm now at around roughly fifteen games between my Wii U, DS, and 3DS. I used to have a physical GBA backlog as well, but I finished off the last of those (Minish Cap) not quite two years ago now.

@Agriculture
"Does anyone else only ever get 10-15 games for a console? "

Oooh, i have so many Physical games. But i have more Handheld games than consoles. If Switch is counted as consoles as well, here are my collections so far :

Nintendo:
1. 23 Switch games (15 USA, 1 JPN, 7 EUR)
2. 17 Wii games (USA)
3. 7 Wii U games (USA)
4. 3 Gamecube games (USA)

PlayStation:
1. 4 PS2 games (JPN)
2. 3 PS4 games (USA)
3. 1 PS1 game (JPN)

For Handhelds i have these so far :
1. 33 3DS games (31 USA, 2 JPN)
2. 28 NDS games (16 USA, 12 JPN)
3. 23 Switch games (15 USA, 1 JPN, 7 EUR)
4. 1 GBA game (JPN)

Still there are a lot of Old games i want to buy.

If you want to know my Shopping list, i have approximate :
1. 60 - 70 3DS games (USA , JPN & EUR)
2. 25 - 28 Wii games (USA)
3. 8 - 10 Wii U games (USA)
4. 10 - 12 Gamecube games (USA + 1 JPN)
5. 12 GBA games (USA & JPN)
6. 45 PS2 games (JPN & USA)
7. 24 - 25 PS1 games (JPN & USA)
8. 50+ and more Switch games (USA, JPN & EUR)
9. 40 - 50 NDS games (USA & JPN)

I find it really crazy to buy games that you want even though you do not plan on playing them yet because eventually you can get them cheaper. The only game for Switch that I have bought for full price has been Breath of the Wild, and I am sure it will remain the only one. There are a lot of other games that I want to get, but I have so much else to play and do that I can wait until they are cheaper to buy them.

I don't buy games on sale just 'cause. I only buy if I actually want to play it.

I buy all the good games, like building a library of classic books. You may not have read every book in your library but you like having it in the library for the day you're in the mood to read that book.

It's easier when you have 20% off with GCU and 6.1% back with CC as elite plus member, with double reward points.

But I do play every game I buy, at least for a bit. Since I only got back into gaming with Wii U, i'm still experimenting with a lot of games that I just never tried before. So of course a kid in a candy store is going to grab a handful of every type of candy there is to try it out. Maybe one day once I have pretty much bought every game and every franchise and I know what I like and what I don't like, I can cut out what I don't like.

Sounds like you have self control. Good for you!

I'm in the process of cataloging all of my games in a database and its making me a bit queasy. I'm going to have to take a month off work or something just to beat back my back log. I am getting better at not buying things day one that will go into a pile (except spiderman...still in the shrink wrap. And I'm fighting AC odyssey...must resist!!!!). Part of it is the fact that I had a small collection as a child so with adult hood comes money and freedom to buy what you want...(usually) but at the same time. I have no free time so... I suppose a part of it is also I hate getting ripped off later since people like to mark up the prices of games years/decades later. I was in a mom an pop video game store and i saw games for sale for 300. I get that it is rare and popular but that price tag does you no good if you can't move the product. But that's just me.

That mindset is fine. It feels like it drains the "droughts" of the year. I have been buying games up that I know I can finish and play, but then all the time a JRPG comes in and throws a spanner in the works. I played Persona 5 as fast as I could, and it still took me three weeks. Not even trying with Xenoblade till winter, so I need to get the other games out the way first.

raises hand

as much as I want to buy and play a ton of games, I just kinda can't/have no reason to do so. I spent last year on Xenoblade X and this year on BOTW, which combined was a legit 350 hours of gaming.

I have 2 games that I just never got around to from the Wii era, and a couple more I've taken a long time to get to, but I tend to get my money out of the games I get. Especially nowadays.

@Agriculture I never had this problem before the Switch came out. On my Wii U, I usually had 1-2 titles uncompleted at most. The Switch... yeah I got carried away by the massive library filled with games I've wanted to play for years and never had the chance. I'm dealing with my backlog now though, so by early next year I should have things under control again.

Yes. You are the only person who does [thing that not everyone does].

Historically, attach rates for consoles are, on average, single digits. A collection of 12 games for PS2 is in fact above average.

http://vgsales.wikia.com/wiki/Software_tie_ratio

I suspect that's much harder to calculate these days with digital sales, games on subscription and so on.

But as always, "people on a Nintendo forum" is a heavily biased sample

There are other explanations for that game not being there other than someone paying $500 for it.

Me, I'd rather own more than I can keep up with and have the freedom of choice to to play whatever I fancy than rigidly be stuck to one or two games.

I rarely buy games brand new, so in the big scheme of things my massive library of games hasn't cost that much, and I know that whatever happens to my future ability to buy games, I've got a great and diverse library to fall back on and enjoy with my kids.

@Agriculture When I was a kid and a teen and even a young adult in college, my game library was necessarily limited. First because my parents were the source, then because I only had very limited spending money. But in recent years I've been working full time and my collection of games has exploded well beyond what I can keep up with. Though I don't buy any game that I don't at least tell myself I intend to play.

To each their own in my mind. You way is probably more logical and less wasteful. lol But I wonder, are you not playing more games because you aren't buying them? Or are you not buying them because you aren't gonna play them?

It's definitely the latter. If I wanted to play a game I would buy it right away. The Witcher 3 is in that category, I don't want to play it right now, so I am not buying it until I am going to play it.

I distinctly remember seeing data one time suggesting that 90% of games are bought by about 10% of people who buy games. Which makes sense. A lot of people just have their small amount of games, maybe even game, and they spend a year on it between anything else they do. I put 1000+ hours into Smash Bros Melee, and something comparably ridiculous into (of all ports!) the PC version of Halo 1. For most people, that's more than enough for an entire year.