If you're old enough to have left the bosom of your parent's home then you'll no doubt be aware of a tradition that has been handed down from generation to generation – the unspoken but mutually understood rule that the outgoing child is able to leave belongings in the family home for years, if not decades, later.
However, for one individual, it would seem that his mother didn't get the memo. According to Twitter user @jnlgame – which is an account connected to a New York game store – over 500 games (many of which were sealed) were dumped, as well as "my Ataris, Coleco, Intelli, Famicom, S Famicom, TGfx, PCE, NG AES, MegaDrive, Master System, basically every system and game I never took with me."
The games had been left in storage at the mother's home, and she binned them as she did not realise that they were still wanted.
The estimated damage? $500,000, and that's just in terms of video games and video game hardware. She also dumped musical instruments, skateboards, Magic the Gathering cards and comics in a purge which, the Twitter user said, could cause them to "jump off a roof before the end of the night."
The moral of this story? Make sure you make it plain to your parents that your dusty old games consoles are valuable – or, alternatively, get that crap off their property as soon as humanly possible.
[source vg247.com]
Comments 99
Or just talk to each other once in a while.
She'll ask if you would like to come over to check on your own stuff before she would throw it away. Like a normal parent would.
Reminds me of when my mum told me my great granny chucked out my great grandad’s 60 year whiskies because she thought they’d ‘gone off’ 😂😂😂
If you didn't find out for years then they probably aren't that important.
It sucks when you have to get rid of/lose things from the past, but I actually prefer it these days. Just keep a few things that you actively use and care about.
My dad did something similar. Luckily I sold most of my stuff beforehand
The mother sure could consult her son - unless the act was vehemently conscious, - but I'm skeptical about the tradition itself. You'd think the nerd treasury would be one of the first things to follow a move-out anywhere, even if they were going to live in a fridge cardboard box next. Or at least get picked up later but still ASAP.
If they're important to you, either store them in your own place, or if you're not able then make their importance clear to the people kind enough to store them for you.
@AndyC_MK84 So? Some people open amiibo, some people collect them and keep them in their packaging because they’re afraid of ruining them, not unlike Star Wars toys in the 80s. Hoarder or player, he can do what he wants with them.
He threatened violence in his tweet, so hopefully he is banned.
Sounds like the guy was a hoarder as well as the mom. The mom was trying to fix things. Stop buying crap you won't use (unopened games).
In this thread: self-identified toxic parents.
@KillerBOB Tbh it is a bit of an overreaction. Like there’s being upset you’ve lost games and then saying ‘I’m going to kill somebody’ like what did the person you’re going to randomly murder ever do to you?
@Severian He can hoard or collect whatever he wants, but that's his issue. Leaving it with his parents isn't fair to them.
I probably would have asked the son before selling, but I can see them thinking "well he's left these sealed games here for years, they're probably not important to him anymore".
@nessisonett
He should leave the murder victim at his mother's house and let her dispose of the body
@AndyC_MK84 he could just be collecting them and playing ROMs, but yeah that’s a hoarder.
I’m going to sound about as grumpy as the person the article is about by saying this, but never trust your parents with anything. The thing that they did to have you does not make them qualified to do anything.
RIP. That is difficult to stomach. But I do wonder if there was any communication before any of this happened.
I find it hard to feel sorry for someone who's been able to invest half a million dollars in collectibles and not even care to keep tabs on them.
I don't believe this story, a real collector doesn't leave such a valuable collection behind in some storage bins. Maybe those were only old crap games
@AndyC_MK84 I see what you mean (I don't own any games I don't play either) but I think you have to respect the collectors. Technically, they can enjoy their sealed videogames in the same way you enjoy your sealed amiibos. Or, they may see it as an investment.
If that's what he wants to do, he's in his full right to do so. People collect lots of different stuff just for the sake of collecting. This is just his version of collecting stamps or something
That said, personally, I wouldn't buy games and not play them.
Well he should've maybe told his Mom that they were valuable. Also, what Mom throws away stuff that she knows is her son's and doesn't ask him if he wants to keep it? It's both of their faults in my opinion.
why buy and keep sealed
That's cheered me up. Funniest story I have heard in a while. If it was that special to you then why leave it and hope that your parents dont want their space back.😂😂
How is it that he finds this out years later, and if he left all that huge valuable collection behind then why the heck didn't he kept in touch with his parents?! I feel bad for the guy but clearly he could have done better...
My mother keeps telling me to put all those old games on ebay.she is loosing her patience.im out of the house for more than 10 years:)
But why is mom suddenly driving a new Tesla and taking a vacation to Europe?
Hmmm...
Two idiots in this story, the guy should have taken this stuff with him, and the mother is very out of touch, she should have at least tried to sell these stuff in a yard sale or something.
@Ahlvin23 At least she knows that eBay is a thing and old stuff has value.
What kind of parent doesn't get in touch with her own son before dumping all his stuff?
@Kimyonaakuma @AndyC_MK84
Who knows what went on with his collecting? Maybe he wanted to enjoy them later in life, maybe he wanted a little personal museum.
I have met parents who sold or discarded things even when their children lived at home, and I’ve met people who have to leave things at home because of the implicit idea that home is safe. But in cases like these, it’s ultimately why trusting others with material possessions is a gamble.
Two cases for me: 1) a friend “borrowed” my PS3 and Wii and ended up ghosting me. After 11 years of friendship too. He even stole my childhood toys that included some old Mario plushes. 2) I left something in a locked room for my mother that she swore was 100% safe. What happens TWO YEARS IN A ROW is that first my stepdad went in to find something “just this once” and caused four hard drives to get stolen by leaving the door unlocked, THEN the next year he did it again and accidentally threw away my clothes, to the point that a sign saying DO NOT TOUCH OR MOVE is there for him, but at this point, we suspect he’ll do it again and lo and behold, he caused my mother’s scarf to get stolen when he left the door unlocked.
@durr sh*ty ones.
I must say, being a parent myself, that is dang weird and bizarre thing to do.
What an absolutely stupid & idiotic tweet to write though. May explain a bit!
@AndyC_MK84 I feel for this guy and agree with you there. I sadly find that lending things, an act of trust, has brought consistent disappointment. Books and games especially, so I just give people gifts instead of lending them now and I keep all things on hand because of those experiences. People are welcome to game at my place and check out my books, but nothing leaves my home ever again, and no longer do I burden people with my things.
It has happened to me. My mother threw away one valuable, collective comic but fortunately it was just this one and not a whole collection!!!!
Poor guy....
I had "the talk" with my mom the day I moved out. I put all of my stuff in our attic. I said, "Before throwing away anything, you have to call me and ask first". It's been over 20 years and she has never thrown away anything. Now my collection is nowhere near as extensive as this guys, but I have the Nes, Snes, Genesis, Atari Jaguar/2600/5200 up there as well as a lot of toys. When I retire, I'll go back and sort through it.
On one of his replies he’s now inflated the value of stuff lost to a million dollars. This is sounding more and more fantastical to me :/
I find this story a little odd. Why didn't he take any of his stuff with him or at least most of it? If he moved into a smaller building then why not get a storage for some of his stuff. I am thinking he either was thrown out of his parents home or left without saying anything.
When I first moved out of my parents home I couldn't take everything with me but I took most of it. Also I talked to my parents before hand and asked them to save some of the stuff I couldn't take.
Just story just sounds like a.spoiled millennial who didn't communicate and because of that is mad at the world now.
Sorry but he doesn't have my sympathy.
My mum dumped the boxes for all my cartridge games over time. Surprising how much value a box can add to a game!
@nessisonett whisky doesn’t age like wine. So a 10 year old single malt from 30 years ago is still a 10 year old single malt not a 30-40 year old one. Upside, is it doesn’t go bad unlike wine.
While it would be worth quite a bit more, if unopened, due to scarcity it’s generally not on the same exponential chart as vintage wine.
Still a shocker however. I’ll raise a dram tonight in the memory
@Friendly I have to think that's it. Even if you aren't aware of the value, you still ask before throwing out someone else's stuff. Sounds like they aren't on best terms. Sad, really.
I suffered a similar fate many years ago. My parents had all my comics & marvel cards stored in their attic for years. When I moved back to my home town 6 years after leaving, they told me all my stuff had been tossed. I cringe when thinking how much some of those early 80s & 90s comics & cards might be worth now.
Keep you loved ones close and your vintage games even closer.
It sounds like the child is more annoyed at not being able to sell the stuff rather than play it as their PC can probably run emulators for 99% of the missing stuff.
For a mom to do that, it must mean she was particularly done with the hoarding.
I'd imagine they did talk about it and nothing was done for too long.
The fact that the mom apparently didn't say a word to her son and he had an absurd amount of stuff ($500,000 is totally an exaggeration though) probably means there's more to the story. At the very least, the guy has some fault for not communicating properly with his mom.
Why didn’t the mom consult her child? I feel bad for this guy xD
Guy talks about how he wants to kill someone (probably his mom, let's be honest), and yet people feel sorry for this douchebag? Yeah sure, both are at fault, but seeing that Tweet makes me wonder.
It happens. Parents get older, don’t need to move around boxes or can’t move easily what is clutter in their house. Why keep boxes of things that are taking up space? Nobody thinks about parents needing to declutter for safety, and ease of living. Want your stuff? Take it with you.
Also your folks aren’t free storage. That is their home long after you are gone and any damage you leave. Can’t afford a full storage space? Toss your folks a few bucks or have an honest conversation with a moving plan. That is just basic respect of another person let alone the people that raised you (and likely bought much of that stuff anyway to make you happy).
Every year I visit my folks and help them clean out the attic or organize it, knowing all that stuff is less useful and now more of a burden. Look beyond yourself. If it was important you plan to keep it with you or work something out with your folks.
That is purely on him that he wasn’t responsible for his things.
@AndyC_MK84 absolutely. I’m honestly more bummed about not being able to share the stuff with my kids than I am any financial loss.
Why would you leave that stuff at your parents? Get your own storage facility. This seems like something someone would know their parent(s) to have a habit of doing beforehand.
At the same time, the parents should've either asked about the stuff, or told the kid to get his stuff out their house.
Also, I understand the total panic attack about this, but to tweet, "I'm going to kill someone..." Dude, really?!
What an idiot!
I mean, how was she to know, but Christ sake!
Also, why in the living Christ didn't she know--did the plonker not tell her when he left that stuff not to throw it out because it was worth half a f'n million dollars?
And why didn't she even check with him before just throwing it all out?
Why didn't she try to sell it?
What the hell!
Parents aren't maids or storage operators. If you cannot be bothered to talk to your own mother, it's on you. And if you can't be bothered to take care of 500k dollars worth of games, again, that's on YOU!
The fact that this individual had spent half a million dollars on videogames alone while still living under his parents' roof begs consideration. Sure, there absolutely should have been more and better communication between him and his mom, but something about this reeks of years of excess while living on his parents' dime, as does his reaction of threatening violence. He comes across as a spoiled rich kid that got absolutely everything he wanted materially growing up, and the effect on his personality may well be reflected here.
I imagine that hoarding so much stuff might provoke some tension if not outright bitter feelings on their part, and I know for a fact that some parents openly consider and refer to their kids' videogames, collectibles and so on as junk regardless of the dollar value. Add it all up and the mother probably figured he had too much "junk" anyway that he likely wouldn't miss what he chose to leave behind. There's a bigger tragedy here than just some lost videogames.
I was actually staying at NY for vacation last year, and J&L game was RIGHT in front of the hotel. Really cool store, only physical place in basically all of America where you can buy Japan exclusive amiibo, golden famicom jump mini, and even pretty clean game and watches. It DID have a pretty bootleg looking pikachu statue in front though, lmao
While I initially felt some sympathy for this guy, most of that went out the window when he threatened violence. Certainly exaggeration without any true bodily harm coming to anyone, but that came off as really childish.
Overall I'd say this is on him. There should have been some communication between both parties on this issue. I totally get both the want to declutter and possibly not having room in your current place for your collection (I'm not a supporter of collecting sealed, unplayed games, but to each their own; it's their money), but then...Why not sell off some of the less important elements of your collection? Or rent a storage unit?
Situations like this are why I pulled all my valued property out of my parents' place years ago. They don't have the storage space to still hold on to my stuff.
First of all - maybe communicate or talk with your parents more and secondly, what kind of shoes is the guy in the article pic wearing? Really digging those.
@AndyC_MK84 I’m sure I could find similar items to what I lost (Marvel comics & cards, Nintendo Power magazines, garbage pail kids cards, ninja turtle toys, etc) but between my 4 kids & myself I spend too much already keeping up with our new hobbies, lol. I pretty much use old movies, shows & apps (like the NES & SNES apps) to share with them experiences from when I was a kid. I found my old GameBoy Micro recently so it’s been fun watching my kids play Pokemon Green on it.
My dad did something similar, although nowhere near the same scale. I bought a boxed Commodore 64 night moves along with a literal bin bag full of games for it from an auction house. Came back from uni one day to find my dad had taken the ‘old tapes’ to the tip. I still get angry thinking of all those pieces of history sitting in a landfill somewhere!
How about be an adult and take your crap with you...
And you didn't leave it in storage. You left it at someone else's home.
@AndyC_MK84 You DO realize that is the "current" value of his collection, not what he paid for it? I have nearly mint used games that are valued around $200 to $300 used that I paid $40 to $50 for new a decade or two ago. Those same games sell upwards of thousands of dollars sealed in today's market.
Folks can do all the armchair parenting they want, and be Monday morning Quarterbacks... but the literal least any parent looking to throw out their kids' stuff could do is either say, "Come pick it up before I bin it," or "Is there anything you want me to keep?"
Most kids understand that their parents want/need to declutter or downsize, and a simple heads up would save a lot of heartbreak (and money).
Also, in a generation where you never know what piece of nerdy memorabilia could be what puts you in a different tax bracket... why would you get rid of, especially, sealed stuff without question??
When I went to grad school, I packed what I could into my car. Mostly clothes. I was intending to pick up the rest when I went home for the first break. But sure enough, mom already threw out a lot of what I left behind. Nothing was particularly valuable, but it was still annoying considering we were only talking a span of two months. And among my stuff she got rid of was my winter clothes!
Wow she must really wanted to get rid of it, She couldn't have called and said "Hey do you mind if I trash all your ps1 game?' But no she didn't even do that like, Dude how often does he call his mom?
I find it hilarious the featured tweet says "there out" instead of "threw out". 😂
I can safety say, that THEY'RE out of an expensive collection. 🤣
@AndyC_MK84 awesome! Thanks. I will definitely check that out.
@Friendly plenty of parents just see their kids' property as their own property and don't ask before throwing away tons of stuff. happens even while the kids are still living with their parents. you come home after a schooltrip or something and see that they threw away all kinds of things without asking even once
Ha! Hilarious.
We didn't hear the parents side. Easily I can imagine the parent saying something like" I told him to take it or I'd throw it out. Finally I did." we don't have nearly enough details to cast judgement either way but your parents house isn't free storage forever.
@AndyC_MK84 Him not knowing until years later isn't indicative of his pride (or lack thereof) in his collection. If he was under the assumption that his stuff was stored in a safe spot, he would have no reason to believe there was any risk of them being thrown away.
Yes, we don't know the relationship he has with his mom, but again, if he has no reason to believe his stuff is in any "danger", there's no reason for him to bring it up in casual conversation; whether he calls every weekend or once a year.
And the "sensationalism" assumption is pretty baseless. It's more likely he's just shouting into the ether - as many do - and that shout just happened to be picked up by NL (and whatever other outlet).
She supposedly did this years ago and he's just finding out?
A lot of judgement going on with only his half of the story.
Can't have your parents sell your stuff if you don't have parents. That's how Batman keeps all his toys.
Yeah tough luck champ. Your parents house isn't a storage container. When I moved out at 16 I took all my stuff with me, wouldn't have even thought for half a second to leave it at my mom's house. Even outside of that in what world does this guy live in to have "half a million" worth of things and not at least check in on it from time to time. Whole story just seems bizarre
@Ahlvin23 If the next Conception doesn't get you, your parents will.
@k8sMum Are you feeling guilty, mum?
@UmbreonsPapa Be an adult and communicate with your children. Model the behaviour you want them to have. Pops.
@COVIDberry
About what?
First I've ever heard of this unspoken rule that it's okay to use your parents home as unlimited storage forever.
While I don't believe this story is even true, the moral of the story here is don't be a selfish douche who takes advantage of their parents. Why do people think they want your crap in their house for years and even decades after you have left?
I don't feel sorry this guy at all. I feel sorry for his mother for having a son that will publicly rake her over the coals for something that was completely his own problem.
@COVIDberry When I was officially out of my home the first time around (meaning after graduating college), all my stuff went with me. My grandmother's apartment wasn't a storage facility. She didn't even let her own children store their things in her place of residence if they weren't living there. I certainly wasn't under the expectation she would act as a storage facility for my stuff.
Currently, my kids are 7 and 4. There's quite a bit of difference, at their age, how this stuff is handled. They know their stuff gets turned over once new toys and games come into the picture. Of course when they're teens and they still consider our home their place of residence, we will be respectful and consult with them. Same if they're adults and for whatever reason, are still living at home.
But when they're adults and make plans to go live out on their own, they will be informed to take all of their belongings with them. It's not mine or their moms. It's their stuff. That probably sounds a bit harsh and uncaring. Maybe it comes from my upbringing. We didn't live in a house with an attic or basement. As I mentioned before, I was raised by grandmother in her modestly sized apartment. Space was always limited and there was no way we were storing anything that didn't need to be stored there. When my kids go out and get their own homes and families, they are free to hold on to whatever it is they choose. But I'm not holding your collector's Barbie dolls or rare LOL dolls or whatever other thing they may want to hold on to.
Well, they're both foolish here. However, I'm sure if something slipped out of the bags then one of the workers at land fill may have struck gold.
@Tyranexx agreed. If you've got assets worth 500k and can't be assed to store properly, or assume someone else will subsidize your hoarding, the problem's in the mirror.
Severs him right, but this story is most likely a lie since nobody with common sense would just leave valuables laying around.
@Heavyarms55 counterargument: even when one talks to their parent regularly, said parent may still do this act thinking it’s not a point worth discussing because the assumption is that those things in storage are just things forgotten, like old children’s clothes.
Second counter is the guy likely thought it wasn’t a point worth talking about because it was assumed it would be safe.
Assumptions on both parts—saw this happen personally in similar situations and with other friends.
Poor communication aside, I feel bad for the guy.
@Severian When it's a collection worth this amount of money, you don't leave it to assumptions.
Ugh, my heart hurts from this article. My mom tossed the original NES I had when I was growing up when I moved on to SNES. It was in the attic, and though I wasn't playing it concurrent to my SNES, I figured I'd play it one day for some reason (or sell it for a lot of money, whichever came first). Mind you I still lived at home too! Of course, I learned that the sequel to StarTropics FINALLY came out to my surprise, along with Mega Man 6-- Two of the very last NES games released from a system I thought sure was dead then (we're talking '94). So, I go upstairs to dust off the ol' NES to prep for these new games to go be picked up, and that's when I couldn't find the NES. My mom told she didn't think I wanted it anymore so she got rid of it. Sigh... So I had to go pick up "a" used one from Funcoland lol. Sad day I tell ya, I really loved "my" NES, tricky eject spring and all
@Heavyarms55 I have seen people with more money make worse assumptions, unfortunately. Never underestimate the human capacity to assume.
@MeloMan I feel for you man. Try this: when moving out as my parents separated when I was 10, my mom thought I did not want my NES before and nearly left it to be disposed of, but when I threw a fit in time, she brought it back the next time she visited... and then being technologically illiterate, she only brought the system but didn’t bring the RF switch or AC adaptor, or even the games when she got it from my room. She thought those weren’t important (even the games!) and thought it just played VHS tapes.
Mom probably at one point said to come get the stuff. Probably didn’t understand how sealed items worked for appreciation value. Also parents don’t like buying something it just being put in a corner when it was meant to be played.
That sucks but the guy could of figured a way to get his stuff out of there less he was away in military or college. Otherwise, there is no other reason to leave it there.
@Severian Ugh, that hurts!
In my case it was a flood at my parents basement, which destroyed most of my videogame and Comic Book Collections in 2009. Collections I started at the age of 8 from 1986-2007. I used their basement, because ai had none at this time. Just parts of my Nintendo, Dreamcast, PC Engine and NeoGeo Collections survived. From there on everything is stored in floodproved boxes.
"a few years ago"
Totally on the guy. Clearly doesn't talk to his parents.
The only sad part is that the parents didn't sell all the stuff and move away, not telling him. Because clearly, he wouldn't have noticed "for years."
I don't think this was much of an option back then but this is why I'm (mostly)all digital and will be taking all my consoles and few physical games when I move out of the house
Rip Thats just so sad
Mindboggling. I feel for ya bro. Even if you don't understand the hobby at least have the courtesy to check with your goddamn family before "feeling productive" and cleaning up. Not to mention she could've prevented an unnecessary landfill surge.
Absolutely brutal.
Sorry, but no way worth 500k.
@AndyC_MK84
You cannot judge on who someone is just because you don't agree with what they do or done. That's just outright ignorance.
This guy clearly had a passion for collecting games, if he wasn't a "gamer" I don't know what he is.
Further you are disregarding what they may have got from what they are doing, again because you don't seem to understand it, it doesn't make it invalid.
Broaden your horizons, or at the very least, your acceptance.
@AndyC_MK84
You have completely backed up my point. It is no use for me to say anymore to you.
all my stuff went with me. My grandmother's apartment wasn't a storage facility.
@UmbreonsPapa Thank you. Your post is quite reasonable. And yes, when I moved into the city and learned about apartment living, I learned the importance of space and storage. Quickly.
Boundaries are for everyone - children, adults, all those who can take responsability for themselves. That's why I'm disturbed by many of the posts here. But this is old news...
Pretty sure she SOLD them. it doesnt take a genius to know that video games and hardware are worth $$.
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