Talking Point: Are You A Player Or Collector?

Was collector. Now I play.

I play most of my games on Switch (the ones I don't are things I bought on sales that I did not like and do not ser myself coming back), on the other hand since 2018 I started collection of Wii, GameCube, 3ds, ds, GBA and of those I did not play more than 10 in total. I also have been buying/grabbing quite a lot on PC that I have been playing but at a way lesser speed of the ones I buy...

I play, and won’t buy new until I complete current purchases, then I sell to buy new titles.
My £ per hour also applies (eg if the game is £10 then I want 10 hour’s gameplay)

Just too many games and not enough time to play it. I’d have to give up work and give up being a father and husband

More collector than player. Got so many unopened games. Going back through some 3DS gems at the minute. At least I will never be bored.

I am person who agonizes for weeks and months if I should buy a game and often don't.
As an example, Luigi's Mansion 3 I wanted to buy on release but I was on vacation in England. And so I didn't get around to it. I finally purchased when it was in a sale during the beginning of 2020.

I need to know that I am finishing a game beforehand, and a sale often helps.

Edit;

I do try to buy all the games Platinum Games releases, but I also play all of them so it's not that special.

@Yanina same for me. I still collect, but I really try to play the games too. Nowadays I stick to one game till I finish it. Since then I've played and finished many more games as before. Really got me to enjoy playing again instead of just collecting.

Currently, i have 250 games altogether.

Nintendo
2 GBA
3 Gamecube
8 Wii U
29 Wii (27 USA, 2 Japan)
38 NDS ( 23 USA, 13 Japan, 1 Europe, 1 Australia)
42 Switch
50 3DS (39 USA, 7 Japan, 4 PAL)
Total = 172 games altogether

Sony
8 PSP
8 PS1
15 PS4
16 PS2 (11 Japan, 5 USA)
20 PS3
Total = 67 games altogether

Microsoft
2 XBOX
9 XBOX 360 (1 XBOX 360, 8 Kinect games)
Total = 11 games altogether

Grand total = 172 + 67 + 11 = 250 games altogether.

I'm player and collector.
I have finished around 50 - 60% of my collections. The rest are still not finished yet.

Hate to say it but I'm more collector that player these days. Almost every game has been put into a console apart from a few select I never want to play (Metal Gear Survive, We Dare, Animal Crossing Amibo Festival). But I never really get time to fully play a game anymore.

I fully intend to play everything, but if I never buy another game, at the current rate, I’ve got another 20 years of gaming before I run out and have to replay/100% something.

It's easier to get a backlog on other platforms due to more options and heavy discounts.

I only have one or two Switch games that I haven't started, but I'm definitely getting around to them. I don't have the budget to be buying luxury items and never using them.

The answer is: Yes

@gaga64 This perfectly describes my self-imposed conundrum. Particularly because there's zero chance that I will not continue buying games.

I don't buy unless I'm going to play it right now. If it's on sale, the sale will come back around (or a better one will). If I never get around to buying a game, it wasn't interesting enough for me to make time for it. I can't play everything. Better for me to pull the weeds before I spend money on them rather than after.

I like to think that I'm more of a player, but honestly can see myself leaning the other way as well. As an introvert, I rarely went out anywhere outside of work, even before Covid, so I always had plenty of time to play video games (or watch anime).

Since moving in with the fiancee (then girlfriend) and her two kids about seven(ish) months ago, that free time has drastically gone down a lot. Admittedly with less time for gaming, I have been somewhat more selective and not just buying every game, that has caught my tiniest of interest.

buy, play, complete, trade in- rinse and repeat!

As well as buying games to play AND collect them, I also consciously buy some Switch games just because I've wanted a hybrid system for a long time and now we finally have one I want to show my support for all the games that deserve it. I want the format of physical games on hybrid hardware to continue, so I gotta put my money down.

Recently totted up my physical collection and I'm over 1000. The majority of these I'm yet to play to any great degree (if at all for many of them). But I will play every single one of them to some extent if my life doesn't end first.

I used to buy a lot of games, especially at launch, but struggled to get to a lot of them. But that's often just a waste of money.

Now, especially since I want to reduce my backlog, I've reduced my purchases to just what I'm willing to play to completion as soon as it releases. Some games still slip through the cracks, but, in general, I'm sticking to it.

I’m a bit of both. Sometimes I love buying a game more than starting it. Some games on switch I have sunk hundreds of hours into like BOTW and ACNH. Others haven’t been opened like Xeno.

I almost bought Hades because of all the hype and the Xmas sale even though I know I hate the rogue lite element. I had to play a few minutes of Enter the Gungeon to remind myself why it’s not for me just to calm me down.

Definitely a collector. I watch the sales and tend to buy many of the things that interest me overall. I have hundreds of games between the platforms and probably end up playing less than a quarter. But like you said, it's a large library to dip into whenever you please, and sometimes those old games become your game of the year you can't put down, because that 's when you were in the right mood to play it.

The backlog used to be "look at all these games to get through, I have to hurry!" Now it's a large library to browse the shelves and see what I'm in the mood for today. My bigger problem now is when there's 6 games all speaking to me that now's the right time to dip in!

I became a Collector in 2020, because after years of just playing Pokémon or Age of Empires, I finally decided to play Final Fantasy Tactics and became addicted to strategy RPGs. Result: I bought all the Fire Emblem from Awakening onwards and a dozen more tactical RPGs whenever there was a sale; some were on Steam (e.g., Fell Seal and Disgaea 1 and 2), others on the 3DS eShop (among them Stella Glow) and some on the Switch eShop (Disgaea 5, Valkyria Chronicles 1 and Wargroove - by the way, the latter I already started playing).
I also bought some traditional RPGs that interested me (it helped that I finally finished Chrono Trigger and loved the game), like Final Fantasy VI and VII (PC), Ni No Kuni (Switch) and Radiant Historia (3DS).
In other words, I have a huge backlog for the next few months, maybe even for a year or two. I guess it's time to be less of a collector and more of a player, lol.

Used to be a huge collector but in my late 30s I realised it was all a waste of money so sold everything, now I have a Switch and just play games, 90% of which are digital purchases.

My backlog is so large to the point where I will never be able to conquer it, and I still want to play the old games I loved back when I was younger too. And It's no longer like when I was a kid when I just wanted to play games all the time either, nowadays I have some other stuff I want to do too now and then, I could go for weeks and months without really touching a single game.

I've probably got over 100 unplayed games just on Switch now, never mind the games I've still to play on PC and other consoles.

I am both. I play most games I buy and I get rid of any that I’m done with, but my essential game collection over like 7 consoles now probably spans 1000 games by now too.

I try (and want) to be both.

I don't think I suffer just one illness though. I obviously play too many hours a day from a physical health point of view. But I also suffer massively from a mental illness by purchasing more than I can play.

I have collected so many games now, that it's too late to stop. So instead I promised myself, that once this Nintendo console generation is gone I will never ever again purchase games before I actually intend to play them right there and now.
Also I promised myself that I will flip the bird at next gen and focus on catching up. I still have Commodore 64 games on the "to do list", so it's not looking good. You're welcome to root for me though

I feel the pain like almost everyone around here it seems XD

I have a scary backlog, even games I bought years ago on PS2 that are still in my "one day maybe I'll play them" list, let alone all the recent ones for switch or 3DS.
I have an hard time not buying a game I may like if it's cheap and it's surprising how the deals can tempt you often and when you least expect it.

That's why I decided to buy little to no game this year to focus only on my backlog and finish at least all the games I started and that I wish to finish before adding more games to my collection.
....then two days ago I saw a very good deal for a game that looked very cute and interesting and my resolution died instantly, I barely lasted 3 days over 365 ;w;

Sadly I am the collector. Work and school and multiple systems make it hard to focus on culling the backlog, especially when I like long games or games that don’t end (sim games). I am trying to work on that though. I’m trying to rotate in short games against my eternal/long games.

• Insert Why not both meme here *
  Im a collecter who plays his collection.

Definitely more of a collector right now, just haven't had the time/will to play much due to university and such. I do have a spreadsheet of everything I own and what has been player, and a good third of the around 300 games I own has either been played minimally or not at all. Doesn't help that I was buying quite a few game over the last year due to lockdown boredom, yet still haven't touched as many as I would have liked.

I do play everything I buy, but if it doesn't grab me right away or if it annoys me early on it usually gets abandoned.

One collector-y thing I do is buy all of my games digitally but if I really like the game I'll buy a physical copy... and leave it in the shrink wrap.

I’ve bought a couple of duffs on the eshop that I have made slow progress in, but I have played everything. Maybe not 100% but I will always get to the end credits.

It also helps that I buy physical as opposed to digital.

‘Life’ and a ‘wife’ managed to put the brakes on any impulse buys!

I play all the games I buy. Finish in a timely manner before buying another to add to my backlog? No.

I play games that I’m just in the mood for. Which is why a lack of VC titles is such a sore spot for me on Switch (don’t get me started on the NSO rental nonsense).

A player though there does end up being a point where I've forgotten I bought games because sorting options on the Switch are pretty much nonexistent.

Collector. I do play some of the games and it pricks my conscience sometimes that I have so much sitting unplayed but overall I don’t regret it. I’ve changed my purchasing habit to mostly buying digital games on sale.

I have games i used to play but don't play any ore because im not interested in them anymore. Some examples are
-FIFA 18
-Dauntless
I used to like those games but i don't anymore.

Also

YOU HAVEN'T TOUCHED FE3H?!?

I would say I'm both. I play my games, but always end up keeping them. Often times, I do go back to playing older games in my collection. I still play games on my older systems, not just Switch and PC.

I'm mostly a player. But I will say the frequency of Switch sales has gotten me in a place where I've bought a lot more games in a span of a couple of years than I have in the past (probably save for a year or two before I got married). So I'm collecting. And of course, I bought a few more games this holiday season.

What I am trying to do is buy in mostly games that are more casual in nature. More specifically, that I can put down for a week or two while I play other stuff and not feel like I'm falling behind. I bought Among Us and Wheel of Fortune. I did buy Dragon's Dogma as I was itching for an open world type game and it was on sale. Plus I had never played it on any previous console.

I am grudgingly becoming more of a collector then a player. I still play every game I buy up to a point to know if it's good enough to keep in order to play at a later date or to fob off for cash but as fatherhood becomes more and more demanding and the Switch train building in momentum, I just can't keep up with playing any game through to completion anymore which is sad but still feel the need to collect the good ones. And with all the limited prints it's becoming more and more demanding..

It’s those 90% off sales on the shop that get me xxx

Backloggery for me currently says my games sit at 1105... (EDIT: Should also point out this number is games owned; of these, 727 unbeaten of which 246 are unplayed).

To be fair, that number also includes ports/remakes/multiplatform variants of games, but it also does not include quite a few games that I have not yet added to my backlog so the figure should be taken with a pinch of salt.

I am fairly sure that I brought at least 2-3 times what I played last year. I also know that I beat 17 games last year (2020) compared to 18 the year before (2019). Only 4 of the games I beat last year were Switch games (Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition, Super Mario Maker 2, Picross S, Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity). The majority of my games last year were Yakuza games.

I would say that I am technically more collector than player at this point, but I still view myself more as a player simply because I know I have the intent to play through my collection, and when I do get time off, I do normally get decently through a few games.

Currently rotating between VA-11 Hall-A, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and DOOM Eternal.

I was a collector. But it got out of hand, so I've made it my rule not to buy a new single-player game until I finished the ones I already have. So over the last year, I played Jedi Outcast, The Witcher 3 and Link's Awakening.
Currently I am tackling the Baldur's Gate Series.
I broke my rule with Mario 3D Allstars, but I do not know if I will ever unseal it.
I have to admit that the rule does not apply to Couch-Multiplayer titles, since I've regularly invited some friends over for Gaming Nights (now suspended due to obvious reasons)

@Lord I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who thinks this way.

I am actually a pretty lucky guy, simply because my kids are obsessed with Mario, and my girlfriend has never played any of the newer Mario games. So we end up playing them all together and the kids have a blast watching my girlfriend and I play them since they are too little to be able to play them for themselves. I get alot of game time with my family as long as the games I pick are family friendly.

My backlogs have been getting pretty out of hand of late. It's the main reason I'm genuinely trying to make the Switch my last console, at least for a generation or so. I've no intention of buying a PS5, and when the Switch's successor comes out, hopefully I can resist that, too.

i try to do 100% with every game i own and my cousin have lent me(for example i have done 100%in my Luigi Mansion 3 and 100%in the Bayonetta 2 that my cousin have lent me), sadly here in Brazil, games are too pricey and i can't have all the first and third party games i want,so i have to be very wise and cautious when choosing which game, both first or third party or both i want to play in my extended battery Switch.

I collect games, but I only buy games I will play, so I'm more of a player that collects than the other way around.

http://shiryugames.odrakir.com/

The scary bit? I play them all. Finished most of them too!

Back in the day I just collected the Final Fantasy games and had my SNES that I grew up with. Now I have collections for DS, 3DS, Gamecube, Wii, Wii U, PS2, PS4, and Switch. I cannot be trusted with money.

As a kid, new video games weren't as easily accessible or forced down our maws like today and of course, they were costly. Big N64 titles were usually the Christmas and birthday gifts like Mario Party and Yoshi's Story. Other games I'd grow interest in such as Harvest Moon 64 required porous research on message boards, magazines, and older gaming websites before I would squander my collected savings and allowance on them. That actually lead me to my fanatic fascination with the first Japanese import of Animal Forest on the N64, to which I eagerly studied until it's Gamecube release in the west as Animal Crossing. Suffice to say, with the library of Nintendo Powers and EGMs piled up in my room, I often did my homework before getting a game.

Nowadays, I'm older and don't want to be burdened by a backlog, nor do I want a game that I feel will be a long slog either. Games like Octopath Traveler for instance, which I initially loved because of its demo but as the difficulty ramped up, I gave up near one of the mid-game bosses. That still irks me and I wish to go back but after a game's initial magic wears off, I find it very difficult to complete it.

Then there are some games I research and love the premise of, only to ultimately grow immediately bored of them. Untitled Goose Game for example suffers from that. Perhaps one day I'll let loose the goose again...

Then there are the games I love to just get lost in, Hollow Knight's vast caverns and engrossing kingdom, Dead Cells frantic and tight action, and Hades' mythical lore and intrigue, not to mention Breath of the Wild for a quick korok seed search. The replayability is almost infinite in these titles and I often don't mind pouring hours into them as they are more relaxing. Oh, and the children's mortgage simulator that is New Horizons, how dear it and previous Animal Crossings are to my heart.

So yes, as an adult, the plethora of games to play is overwhelming. Had I this treasure trove of gaming in the 1990's , I don't know what I would do with myself but I guess it is this conservative perspective which prevents me from splurging. Although to be honest, half the fun of gaming is doing your homework and learning about what could be your next adventure and not just another notch in the backlog.

I keep a google doc of my backlog (filled with non-multiplayer games that have a way to "beat" them) and it's getting scarily close to 200 games...one of my new years resolutions was to finish three big JRPGs, so I guess that'll be something??

I currently own 905 physical games. About 200 of which I bought last year. I only beat 32 games last year. I’m 100% a collector. Going for the 1k this year.

Guess I'm not a collector. I only buy as I play. (occasional excpetion for crazy sale prices). There are only two games I haven't touched, GhostBusters and Little Nightmares, which I bought on sale, saving them for playing around halloween with my brother or nieces.

Although, I agree with Gavin, it's nice to have an arcade of digital game options.

I'm mostly physical on Switch and PS Vita. All digital everywhere else, PS3 / 360, PS4, 3DS, PSP, etc. But I play what I collect. Games aren't meant to remain sealed and sold for profit sometime down the road.

I play everything I get. I try to beat everything I get as well. For years I kept buying game after game, and on some consoles, I had hundreds of games that I played for a little while but never beat, as I got new games, and kept jumping from game to game. So my backlog on those consoles was huge.

Starting with the Nintendo 3DS, I decided that I would make an conscious effort to beat every game I owned. Sometimes, on the 3DS, I would buy a new game when it came out, but not start it until I beat the previous games I owned, using the new unplayed game as motivation for completing the previous games. Tho, at times, I did start to play the brand new games too. In the end, I beat about 95% to 98% of the 3DS games I owned, both physical and digital games.

I kept that same "must beat every game" philosophy for the Wii U as well. Beat tons of games on that too. Had lots of physical and digital games on there, and made sure I beat as many as I could. I beat almost every Physical game, and most of the digital ones. I had a lot of both, but I had a blast with that console. Was one of my favorite consoles. Its vastly underrated. Then I got a Switch, and that's basically taken over everything.

For the Switch, I'm continuing the tradition of trying to beat everything I own. Currently I have over 300 games for the Switch, both physical and digital. I vastly prefer physical, but some games are just digital-only. So I buy physical games when available. But I still try to beat them just the same. That said, I'd say that digital games, I've beaten about half, give or take. Physical games I've beaten at least 75% of them. Still working on them all tho.

But, when it comes to video games, the more the merrier, I always say. There's a lot of games that are already out that I just haven't picked up yet, but plan on doing so. But there's also a bunch of games that I know are coming that I want to get too. So, I keep chugging away at trying to beat everything. A never ending battle, but, I'm ok with that.

I've been insanely addicted to collecting, my entire living room was a museum of games and such, and I'm underwhelmed by most backgrounds of youtubers displaying their collection for example. Nowadays I've gotten rid of a lot of that, and while I sometimes still feel the "want" for a fancy game just to have it, it's under control. Also, I live in a one room wooden cabin in a forest with several pretty wild semi-wolves now, often in conflict with tax collectors and other such "legal" organised gangsters, not the ideal place or situation to have a valuable collection of anything.

I've turned from a player to a collector over the years. I often just buy a game just to support devs I like anymore, though I'm more likely to play a game if it's advertised as short. I just don't have the patience for things longer than 20 hours anymore unless they REALLY speak to me.

To me a collector is somebody who will buy a game knowing it will never get played. Like buying a special edition of something. I buy games to play. Sure I have bought something like Alex Kidd and then realised that it's not that good but as a general rule it's to play. Or it was cheap on the eshop and was worth the risk like Horace or Bulletstorm

I now won't buy anything unless I'm sure I'll immediately play it for a reasonable amount of time. I used to get tempted by games on sale, but I figure if I wasn't willing to buy it at full price then I won't actually get more enjoyment out of it when it's cheaper.

At the same time, if I'm not enjoying a game I won't berate myself for not completing it before moving on.

I am a player. I path every game I am playing as far as I can.

I rent with GameFly or use services like PC Game Pass and Uplay+ so collecting games is not really possible.

Takes away the guessing, or need to play something I do not like. Just send it back or uninstall and move on.

People laughed at me for hoarding retro and current games but then the world went in to lock down and I was the one who had the last laugh.

Another reason I like steam, even though nintendo does have something for refunds, you don't need to buy something on sale and keep it because of its lower value due to switch game prices, you can just return it because games are cheaper on steam, and not have a crowded library of games you'll never play.

Have to say I think I'm a little bit of both. I don't really like the idea of trading in games now as I've had so much remorse when wanting to play a game I've traded in before (Why WarioLand Shake Dimension, Why?!!!)

But yes do try to play a game a least once through, although having been gifted the Sega Mega Drive Classic Collection for Christmas, I don't see myself playing absolutely every game there...

I definitely have become the collector. I buy games now, play them for 5 to 10 hours, don't finish them, and then move onto the next one. It's rare that I actually BEAT games nowadays. I think the only game I beat last year, as in, rolled credits, was Final Fantasy 7 Remake.

I've become a collector, but now I've got a few rules:

Rule 1: don't buy a game you know will have a bunch of patches and DLC until the devs are finished fixing the game.

Rule 2: Only buy a game if there is a collectors edition with stuff you actually want. If the collector's edition isn't worth it, wait to pick up the game

Rule 3: If the game is very niche and something that might be hard to find in several years get it now.

Rule 4: Multiplayer games that will not be active in a few years jump up the list. Don't make it your main game, but do enjoy the hell out of it

Rule 5: Try to finish a game before starting another. (3 games at a time tops)

Rule 6: Games that are given as gifts get to jump to the top of what you are playing so if they ask how the game is, you can give an honest answer.

I do buy games at faster pace than what I can play them. That's for sure. But I only buy games I want to play. I may not play the game right away but I will get to it eventually. At least that's what I'm still telling myself and I think it still holds mostly true.

My friend recently asked me how many games I have that I haven't even touched. I counted my DS & 3DS games as I thought they'd be most interesting to know. I have ~60 DS games, 5 of which I have not played at all. Those five games are new acquisitions though. I'll get to them soon.

For 3DS I counted everything I have either on cartridge or digitally, including VC and DSiWare. The totals were:
Not played: 30, Unfinished: 80, Beaten: 66, Completed: 53, Played (no victory conditions): 15
The "not played" category is much bigger here but there's a good reason (or excuse).

5 are Picross games I got couple of weeks ago when they were 50% off. They are there when I need my Picross fix. I already completed e3 in less than a week.

9 are Atlus RPGs that I've been buying for less than 10€ each in the last year or so why they are still holding eShop sales and they are easily available. There are also 6 additional RPGs I haven't gotten to yet, mostly because they are RPGs and require lot of time.

12 are sequels to games that I haven't finished yet. There's some overlap with RPGs here.

The rest are games I've bought in the last 2 years that I just haven't gotten to yet. Most of which are relatively short. Including Detective Pikachu, Dillon's Rolling Western and Fairune 2.

So I think I'm still doing pretty good job all things considered. At least when it comes to DS/3DS library. My current Switch library looks similar to 3DS, maybe a bit worse. The amount of great releases is so huge that I can't keep up at all. I pick those games up when they are at least -50% off. Memory card capacity also makes me think twice before committing. My 400GB card has been full for a while.

I try not to buy games if I don't intend to play them within a month or so. I sometimes make exceptions for games with steep discounts but only if I do intend to get round to them eventually. The vast majority of the games I've bought but haven't played are on PC thanks to Humble Bundles (and that itch.io bundle from last year).

I try to only collect physical copies of replayable games.

Speaking of which, I have an Ori2 cart up for trade, looking for isaac and gungeon.

Caught myself becoming the collector last year. Had to put myself in check, which kinda worked. My buying is down, but as I've gotten to be an old man, I just don't play as much as I used to. Except for rogues or roguelikes. Gimme a Dicey Dungeons, Dead Cells, Dungeonmans, Dungeons of Dredmor, Spelunky, Shiren, etc. and I'll sink 100s of hours into em over time.

My tactic now to focus: delete all games off the menu besides my go-to Multiplayer, and ongoing sandbox game. Then only one AAA game, and one indie game I intend to beat. It's working. I made a google doc with my completions haha

I probably am a player, although I do have quite a bit of hacked Wii games.

I play all my games and have lots of games I'm working on at the same time, but I have a rule not to be playing through 2 games of the same genre at the same time. For instance I will have to complete my current puzzle game (Conduct Together) before starting my next puzzle game (Overcooked 2) When I've completed Overcooked 2 I will start to play Captain Toad's Treasure Tracker and so on...

If I become bored of one of the above games I don't move on to the next at that point but play something of a different genre then return to it at a later date when I feel like playing it again... The only time I would move on to the next one without completing is if I've come to really dislike the game and feel I'll never complete it or want to play anymore. Sometimes if the game just becomes too insanely hard.

I do have quite a backlog because I buy games I really want in the sales but I'm quite particular on what I want to play so it's not out of control.

I’m a hardcore, Nintendo-only player and collector. That’s Nintendo games, consoles, magazines and more. Well into the thousands at this stage.

At the time I am writing this, only 17% have said that they play all the games they buy. That's just a waste of money.

Current estimated Switch library (by MGC app): 581 until tonight, 583 at the moment. I'm not even downloading that Moto Racer 4 yet (expecting to need its storage space numbers for higher priorities tomorrow), but this article speaks to me for sure.

I've been a collector for ages - years of emulation and CFWs coupled with an unfading interest in "retro gaming" will do that to you. While I lack the entitlement or motivation to try and excuse my black flag stashes, it's ironic how they arguably groomed me into a relatively prolific buyer (sure, mostly splurging on discounts, but still) I am today. All those romsets, meticulously archived game-by-game and foldered alphabetically and manually listed on Excel sheets (somehow I never felt like using "rom managers" found online) have always had more than I can hope to play in a lifetime, but like with books, just the sensation of having a vast library at your fingertips and being able to turn to almost any part of it at a mood's call is pretty addictive in itself. And using CFWs on my handhelds in the early 2010s got me used to having a whole number of different titles and genres on an even closer standby with me, as opposed to physical game cards where even most of the dedicated cases will pack half a dozen tops.

(To be continued immediately because TIL this website's comments also have an UPPER size limit😂)

It's not just the consoles - myriads of freemiums and giveaways and discounts of all sorts have led to me having literal hundreds of barely played games on Android and Windows - especially Windows, ironic as my least used platform (even in the recent somewhat laptop-aided times) which all the Fanatical HumbleGalas have filled with over 830 games to date. Some of them I even know I'll never play because I have no reason to - they're also available on the portable consoles I own, - but they were free or part of a bundle where I went for one or more other games, so hey! Similarly ironic is PS4 - technically my second console library in size at 218 games (or should it be 221? I just remembered it's the first Tuesday of the month already), but not only the absolute majority of them are PS+ titles... I don't even bother playing most because they either control poorly until on Switch (like Bulletstorm or Saints Row IV) or already released/announced for Switch by the time I get them in Sonyland (like Vampyr or Sonic Forces).

You can find similar numbers on my portable consoles as well, BUT. There's a reason I call myself a portable gamer. Finishing or completing games can still be a separate topic (especially with games where I deliberately take ages, like BotW and Skyrim, or open-ended games that are technically impossible to finish in concept, like Civilization VI), but my Backloggery page sees recurrent updates even then. And as far as PLAYING goes, I normally play an honest majority of the games I buy, often rotating my backlog in batches of anywhere between five and fifteen games at a period - my Saturday comments on this very site probably illustrate as much. Exceptions mostly happen when I don't have the necessary storage space or the intention to shelf anything else for a game just bought (like the aforementioned Moto Racer 4 now or Overlanders last year) or pull the trigger on a deliciously discounted newer entry while still not through with the previous ones (like this holiday's RE Revelations 2 which apparently makes more sense to play AFTER I get to and beat RE5 one day).

The rest, as probably witnessed by the folks on my Switch friendlist, goofs and frolics all around the "recently played" list. And I normally don't delete their icons either, to the point where making myself at home on the new unit included willingly going through the tedium of starting and cancelling over five hundred downloads from the eShop profile - partly for the admitted fascination of scrolling through them at leisure like Gavin here elucidates. An idly curious calculation revealed that 2020 saw me add some 260 more icons to this gallery, with more undoubtedly to come this year - and most have been at least tasted or already tangibly experienced to various degrees. This is the Way.

I thought it was just me. I find myself with much more money than time, able to buy pretty much whatever game interests me on a whim. But when the time comes to sit down and play, I boot up a few favorites here and there, but I have plenty of games I bought weeks or months ago that I played for an hour or less, if at all.

I'll probably end up passing my Switch down to a grandkid before I get around to finishing most of the games I bought.

I don't play everything because sometimes I just buy something that looks and sounds good only to discover I hate it. Overcooked and Crypt of the Necromancer were two of the more recent games to end up like that.

I did buy 40 eShop titles, 51 Wii U Retail Titles, 46 Virtual Console titles, and 16 Wii Titles during the Wii U era and probably only played about 75% of them. I have been a little more picky with the Switch as I am trying to only purchase games I want.

@Radbot42

That's an interesting list, my main take is at this point calling a multiplayer game as not your main game to play? I think that's where the collection problem starts.

People who play large single player games only to quit them for multiplayer games because of limited access to servers(be it 2 -10 years) really shows the shift in gaming. Large single player games really have the end value, but by the time your abe to even make a dent with it playing multiplayer, a new version of that large single player game comes out, along side another multiplayer game.

My shift in gaming has real influence over multiplayer games, be it GTA/Borderlands/Monster Hunter, and even racing games, and because of that I've started to steer away from large single player games like witcher, and going for indie games like the steamworld series or older games I played in the past. That way I don't spend that much money on gaming and I can complete a game in between multiplayer games.

Starting last year I've been making a list of games I want to play and beat if I can. That helped a lot, but I couldn't tick them all off, yet I made the 2021 list with even more games well before the end of the year.

It helps me focus, but with enough room to have options.

Having said that, I admit I feel a little like the author. I know a lot of games will remain unplayed. I'll have to wrap my mind around it.

I'm definitely a player but I've spent a lot of time scaling down my options over the years to keep it simple and enjoyable. I've traded/sold it all down to just having a Switch. Years back I used to have the gaming PC, multiple consoles etc. and would have a hard time trying to get it all in. Like many have said on here as I rolled deeper into adult life it quickly became obvious having too many gaming options is not sustainable.

My backlog used to be a lot worse but I've spent some time getting through the main ones on the list. I had to get working on the list because once MH Rise releases the backlog won't be touched for a long time. I'm the type of player that has a "main" game that gets most attention and everything else comes and goes. That main game being MHGU makes it easy to get consumed in for the years its been out. Rise will definitely take its place.

I guess i'm the player.

But the staggering amount of games i own makes me a collector.

Own over 80 games on the switch, and 100%ed about 60 of em so far.

Ranging from witcher 3, to diablo to splatoon to smash, to octopath to twewy, the zelda's and the mario's.

I dont however buy every game, skipped pikmin, 2d mario, tropical freeze and others for diverse reasons, such as difficulty being to low, game not interesting me or owning it on wii u.

I'd say square, nintendo and bandai are the 3 devs / publishers i own most games from.

One buyers regret being snake pass, not cause of it being bad but cause it didnt hook me persee

@daebiya I started doing the same thing last year. Even though I have the SD space I like to keep my menu screen very lean. It stresses me out seeing the huge list of tiles of games that never get played again especially after I completed them. Or even in some cases they were played a lot at some point but then not so much due to difficulty. Lonely Mountains is the perfect example. The game is super fun but once I got to the super tough last mountain I lost interest in spending hours and hours retrying checkpoints to complete a single achievement.

@RustedHero @daebiya I have a spreadsheet of games I'm currently playing. Wouldn't need to if Nintendo introduced folders which even the 3DS had but it is what it is. 🙄

I've been more of a collector since the 3DS days. I'm hoping to fix that by working through my backlog instead of buying more games this year.

I used to be a collector and loved hunting down rare bargains but I got to a point where it was taking up so much room and I realised I didn’t even look or use the things I had.

I sold it all and have never looked back...

Buying Pokémon Sword was a mistake I just want something simple like Kirby...

@RustedHero hehe totally. I have a big SD card too, but I get decision fatigue looking at my home screen seeing so many games, even though I was enjoying the last one I played. I have about 5 long games where I'm 3/4 through, and it's exhausting to see them all. So I'm deleted them except for one, and will download them each as I complete one.

@Clyde_Radcliffe yes totally! I hate deleting and redownloading just to stay organized! On my WiiU I used to have my CURRENT GAME on my home screen, then a folder for games that are next or that were in-progress. Then I had all the COLLECTION games in folders like SNES, Wii, Indie, Multiplayer, etc. Man I miss folders.

I hate to admit I have become the collector too. Its a combination of probably spending to much time on the internet (while I could have been playing games) and buying far to much. The thing is, there are sooo many good downloads to be found on the e-shop and almost every week I buy one or 2 discounted ones. Its really piling up. And then there are still some retail ones (currently I am playing Immortals a lot). In all honesty I still play every day, 1 hour at least. But I can never catch up. I am still planning to play them all someday, but if that happens.... There are even things for me waiting on the Wii u (shovel knight: king of cards as a example, locked and loaded for a year I think).

I play . I now find collecting odd, we all have short life spans, just enjoy the games. When you are gone someday, your loved ones will sell off your collections or they will end up in trash. I used to collect when I was younger, but as I am getting older, I no longer collect and just enjoy the games.

I play most of the games I buy, and cards cost extra so I don't buy digital games unless I'm actually interested in playing them. (I did grab some of the free games, but never downloaded them.)

With physical releases, I'm far more likely to pick something up to "complete" my collection, but only used and when they're cheap enough. The opposite Pokemon editions are a good example.

I've resolved to buy no games in 2021 and just work through what I've bought in the last couple of years. The only exception I would consider is if BOTW 2 comes out this year.

Oh, it's like reading about myself, the only difference is that I realized this about 5 years ago with my Steam collection. So, I just didn't bother when I noticed the same thing on my Switch last year.
Also, why there is no poll option for "I've been a digital collector for years now"?

I've been buying games faster than I can play them for a long time, and Limited Run only made it worse.

I've become a full-blown hoarder this generation. If I haven't done so already, I'll almost certainly have more Switch games than my DS/3DS/Wii/Wii U libraries combined.

And over the last few weeks, I've played almost nothing but Breath of the Wild (I finally conquered my first divine beast this week ). And I usually play something like Family Feud or the Dynamax Adventures mode in Pokémon Sword/Shield: The Crown Tundra over a meal/snack as they require minimal input (though I have to ensure my pinkie is clean at all times ).

I try to play all of my games, even for half an hour or so, but I just can't commit myself to lengthy games unless I know they're going to be great. I experienced buyer's remorse almost immediately upon playing Crash Trilogy as I thought to myself, why am I playing this when I already have something like Super Mario Odyssey in my possession? Moments like that put the value of my leisure time in to perspective.

I can perhaps say the same of Skyrim and The Witcher 3 as Breath of the Wild has ruined open world fantasy games for me (I also bought Dragon's Dogma as it was quite cheap). I can get lost in BotW for hours at a time, but the other games can barely maintain my interest. Maybe someday, but that time ain't now. I probably would never have bought games like Saints Row if the GTA games were available on the console.

I appreciate shorter games as I can at least retire them once I'm done, so that's certainly not a con in my book, and better yet if they're short games with replay value.

Im kind of a collector. i buy new switch games to play but i dont play all of them. the old ones i have i play them once every while but i play the newer ones more. I got the new Limited edition things (Super Mario 3D all-stars, Mario kart live, etc) to use them not to keep them in boxes and never use them

@Dethmunk jaguar- noice
Do you use Atari Age?

Why not both? I collect the games I intend to play or play constantly. Although my husband may have pushed me into being more of a collector as I use to only buy (and keep) games that I like. so if it is a series (like say Final Fantasy) then I may skip certain games from within that I tried but didn't like (and therefore ended up trading away). Or there are spin-offs I had no interest in. But then he said I should get them (and keep them) so the series is complete, lol. Regardless if I end up playing them or not.

How about gaming as a “healthy diet”

In this way some FtP /phone games can be like junk food, maybe smash/animal crossing/pony sim can be like carbs, the best games are nutritious, etc.

An hour a day on ftp AC or FEH can happen in a few short busts and is like filling up on bread leaving no time to dine on a great which are portable even if via gba
nothing against any particular game, just pointing out the need to audit our time

@Clyde_Radcliffe 2cute, I love spreadsheets for everything! I hope you use pivot tables!

I have over 120 switch games and I have played/am currently playing maybe 25 of them. I'm not a collector or player, I'm an abomination.

I hate taking up physical and digital space with stuff I don't use, but I seem to have become more of a collector based on this article's definition. I keep all my old physical games even though I'll probably never play most of them again. I feel like they're more reliable backups than digital versions of games.

The Switch was my first new console in 10+ years (excluding the SNES Mini), and I've bought 60+ games for it since I received it in April last year. Given the frequent e-shop sales, I can't resist buying games I'd like to play, and many have cost <£2 (<US$3). I prefer shorter games, so many I've bought are short or pick up and play local co-op.

I prefer physical releases, so buy those when available for the games I want most. Around 15 of my Switch games are physical with the other 45ish being digital (plus demos). Some of these contain multiple games (e.g. MegaDrive/Genesis Classics).

I realised a few days ago that I'll probably never need another console again. 5-hours a week is probably a heavy-gaming week for me, and games like Downwell and Hidden in Plain Sight prove even 'outdated-looking' games can be as great to play as AAA titles. I also bought a 3DS XL and some Wii 'hidden gems' last year (with the DS and Wii being unique consoles) but have barely touched those given the range on the Switch.

My dilemma is whether I should continue playing games if I'm not enjoying them as much as a favourite game? To the Moon felt like 4 hours wasted, and while I enjoyed Far: Lone Sails to start with, it's become repetitive. I don't know if I continue some games due to the sunk cost fallacy or thinking I'm missing out if I don't finish them. Maybe both.

I find I'm discovering loads of great games I might not have played if I wasn't 'collecting' - I try similar-type games and pick what seems the most interesting to play, and that's how I'm massively into Full Metal Furies at the moment.

I definitely fall into the collector category, although I try to play at least some of the games that I play. Part of my collection is feeling a bit guilty about emulating games that I don't own, especially with ones that I really liked, another part is games that I just really want to own, and the rest is mainly oddities that I might eventually play, but don't plan on playing anytime soon. The only big annoyance about actually playing them, though, is how many re-releases were on the PSP, which I'm not just going to buy for re-releases of Persona and Metal Gear games, plus FF4 Interlude, despite that probably being the only platform that they exist on that I would actually play them on. God, can we please get Metal Gear and Persona on Switch.

I know what I like, so almost every single game that I have, I’ve finished. I personally don’t understand buying a game while you’re in the middle of another one. One thing at a time, ya know?

Collect for those hard to find especially physical games and play some of them when I get a chance. But those rare one I own I usually don't get around to them until I have time. So my take is if they are limited physical that's collector-otherwise being physical carts is what I look for. That to me is important when collecting. And Collector's edition have value if resold that's what it also means.

@RandomAfricanGamer problem is if they are no longer physical made then you pay scalping or eBay price to own the physical games. So if you already collect the physical game you have no worries.

Used to be like that, buy all the Steam games on sale, but not anymore. It’s very rare that I will by a game that I’m not playing right away.

In the second image, the one of Gavin’s console, what game is third from the left in the third row from the top? Is that the EU icon for New Horizons? I’m asking because the icon is different from the one I have.

I think I've downloaded about 200 games for my switch, but I've either beaten most of them, or they're extra copies of other games I own that i wanted in handheld form. I'm more of a player than a collector. I just think of those double dipped copies as insurance in case something happens to my originals (that and I can also play them in handheld mode now). I've also fallen to the weakness of some of those super cheap dollar or 50 cent sales. Some games have really paid off, but even though some haven't...its only a dollar. Much less than the cost of a rental back in the day.

I've really slowed down with switch purchases over the last couple months. I'm at a point where I'm getting VERY picky with my games. There's a ton of games I would have snapped up a year ago, but now, I really dont need to expand my backlog. I'm mostly satisfied with what I have now. Plus, my backlog is pretty much caught up with after 11 years of hammering at it. Last year I beat the most I have ever beaten in a year (80 games). At this point, I'm pretty burnt out in terms of buying games AND beating them. Now I just want to mostly play whatever and enjoy it in the moment, rather than being hung up on experiencing everything.

@SwitchForce @Gwynbleidd Yeah I see what you guys are saying.

Collector for sure. 278 physical switch games and I've played probably 40, beaten maybe 5.

The old excuse for not playing all of the games in my collection was because I was too lazy to change discs/cartridges. Starting with 3DS, I decided to go all-digital, and I ended up buying way more games than I could actually play, thinking "I'll get to them eventually". I had the same problem with my Wii U, though to a lesser extent because a lot of the games I wanted to play didn't get released in my region. With Switch, it was that same problem, but far, FAR worse. Until I made a spreadsheet. Keeping track of how far I've gotten in different games, as well as adding my own ranking system and comments, has compelled me to actually finish them. Even though I'm still a sucker for a tempting sale (I tricked myself into buying three more games this past December), I'm slowly but surely working my way through the list. Trust me, the spreadsheet works!

I'd definitely say I'm more of a collector with between 400-500 games in my collection and if I bundle all my systems together, But on specific systems like the Switch I tend to only buy what I intend to play, I just like the ability to be less restricted by console exclusives and having a huge choice for whatever type of game I feel like playing at that moment in time.

Collector. I have an excuse though. I got into gaming again recently for the first time in about a dozen years. The pile up of classics that I've never played was massive.

My rule is to only buy on sale. I have reams of Switch games, easily hundreds, all of them were bought on sale except for I think 3 games. One was "Alien: Isolation" that I wanted to play for a Halloween gettogether; the other 2 were the "Disney Classic Games: Aladdin and The Lion King" collection and "Overcooked! 2", which I got to play with my sister on her birthday.

My 3 New Year's Resolutions are: 1.) Exercise 2.) Read 3.) Play video games.

There would be a lot less collectors around here if this site didn't give 220 Switch games a rating of "9" or above.

I'm only a collector for the Kirby series and Virtual Boy.

I only buy physical games and I play them all.

I see myself more as a gamer. In every platform I own I got an average of 3~4 games on backlog to finish. That's on Switch, Wii U, Xbox 360, 3DS and PS Vita (and my brother's PS4 which is with me right now).

My biggest problem is that in recent years I began wanting to marathon most story based games. For instance, I recently purchased Trials of Mana but won't start playing it without playing first its previous games. Same with The Witcher 3. And being like that feels like a burden, honestly.

Today PS Plus owners got Shadow of the Tomb Raider. I had played the first 2 games a couple years ago on Xbox 360 and decided not to replay them before starting the third game. And I'm feeling somewhat guilty because I don't quite remember the story. 🤦🏻‍♂️

Some games I buy with full intentions of playing but then I end up turning them more into a "collectable" that sits on my switch or shelf until the end of time for various reasons. One such example is yooka laylee. I had followed it's development from day it was announced as a Spiritual successor to the banjo series, but when I actually bought it and played it I regretted it. The game sucks imo and I haven't touched it but I still own it. Sitting there on my home screen sad and lonely. Lol.

Was always a player for 40 years and still play today but due to life demands i have evolved more into a collector more and more. EVERY SINGLE TIME I promised myself I’m gonna dive into a game I bought it doesn’t happen. I own more than 7000 retail games with more than half probably still factory sealed with many more in mint condition and thousands more games downloaded so my backlog is insane! I try to play whenever possible but with having a family with 2 kids in college, an English bulldog puppy, watching after my health AND 50 plus hours a week running a business it’s nothing close to when i was a teenager with zero responsibility. Damn I wish I was 17 again!! Sooo many games to play and no time to play them!
Some of my physical collection highlights included:

Complete Atari 5200 LIBRARY
177 Atari 2600 games
63 Atari 7800 games
36 Atari Jaguar games
Over 425 Sega Genesis games
77 Sega CD Games
52 Turbographx games
197 Sega Dreamcast games
212 Sega Master System games
85 Sega Saturn games
73 Wii U games
Over 900 Wii games
212 N64 games
233 Snes games
115 Nes games
363 Switch games
473 PS4 Games
323 Xbox One games
485 GameCube games
377 original Xbox games
623 Xbox 360 games
611 PS3 games
477 PS2 games
Over 100 PSP games plus 97 UMD movies
77 PS Vita Games
377 DS games
217 3DS games
100’s & 100’s of GBA, GBC, GB carts
Definitely leaving some stuff out lol

I wish nintendo did that steam thing where you could get your money back if you don't play the game for more than two hours. I have a massive collection of trash I regret buying.

I collect physicals to play, I dont like games still in plastic as they are not being used as the game creators/developers intended and are not fullfilling the point of them being there.
True I have panic bought some games as they are limited physicals. I need to go through my collection and sell these on to people who want to play them.

Anyone need Jedi Knights one and two?

So I literally have the exact same problem, too many games, except the article jokes about a six month sabbatical.

Well what do you know the pandemic hit, the Uk pays furlough up to 80% wages, So Since last April We had a few lockdowns, so I have been furLOUNGED playing my backlog.

I actually cant believe I'm saying this but it's finally a good chunk smaller.

@Lord Damn I couldn't, imagine how many fantastic games you've missed by your monetary constraint.

Short games are not a review or insight of quality btw!

I'm mostly a player. But I will say the frequency of Switch sales has gotten me in a place where I've bought a lot more games in a span of a couple of years than I have in the past (probably save for a year or two before I got married). So I'm collecting.

@UmbreonsPapa Do you remember that conversation about that silly collector whose parents discarded his collection? After those points you correctly made concerning limited apartment space and storage, I'm surprised that you would say you're collecting even partially, pops

Marie Kondo would disapprove of us, I fear. I think, though, that my frequent insistence on physical copies helps me here - I can look at my handmade Switch game box and see how many games I've yet to finish, and that helps me tune my impulses quite a bit.

I live in a one room wooden cabin in a forest with several pretty wild semi-wolves now, often in conflict with tax collectors and other such "legal" organised gangsters, not the ideal place or situation to have a valuable collection of anything.

@Shambo There are forests in Belgium? ... that was an interesting post. Tell us more. You've left us hanging!

@COVIDberry I guess I should have clarified I'm talking about digital games. I don't buy many physical games and if I do, it's games I plan on trading in once done with to buy another game. So no, I'm not collecting things just to collect them and store them at my parents house which isn't my home any longer.

@COVIDberry Well, more of a collection of trees in "de antwerpse kempen" that, on a good summer's day, prevents one from seeing or hearing the cities, and where squirrels and mice and birds live, and where people go for "a walk in the nature"... For now, as there are already talks ongoing to cut down even more of it to expand the city.

I refuse my taxes because
a) there's hardly any redeeming factor in paying them
b) there's almost only good reasons to NOT want the people in charge to have infinite resources to spend on their agenda's, which include cutting down even this small bit of forest, while they tried to extort 9 times (!) the current amount of taxes from last year out of me to bully me out of the forest "to protect the forest" (which obviously isn't the case) and because "having a vacation home means I"m rich anyway". I ONLY have a vacation home because I don't have the money to buy a "legal" home, nor do I want to live in the city or spend such an insane amount of my life on working for an insane amount of money to pay for what is a basic human right: housing. By their definition I live in extreme poverty, but they'd tax me for "being rich", and would put me out of my house "to protect the forest" they'd cut down to build houses... I don't FEEL poor, on the contrary, I have all the time in the world, no masters, lots of love (as I write this, all three "my" "dangerous" rescue dogs (at least one of them literally rescued from the death penalty because he's bitten some people, myself included initially, but I knew that would be part of rescuing him and gaining his trust) are sitting next to me, and their food is cooking), and a bit of nature around me (I just heard squirrels running over the roof, and probably mice under the floor).

@Balta666 I’m in the same situation for some years I have been buying physical games for my 3DS , Wii Wii U and now for my Switch, just to increase my backlog and have enough to play

@Shambo Yikes. I really liked Antwerp when I visited a friend there not long ago. But the last thing that area needs is a diminution of green space, and that's true of everywhere else in Flanders I saw. You might appreciate Canadian cities like Vancouver and Toronto then - there's enough forest and just space within town limits to let the city fade away, if you make the effort. Especially compared to the Low Countries. I've canoed a lot in both cities, and it's amazing how you can see the city but not feel like you're in it.

(People think this place is like Skyrim or Celeste, when it's more like Oblivion or early Dragon Quest games - there's usually a good amount of space between centres of civilization. Also, if you wanted to live off the grid, there's enough room here...)

I hear you about the taxman and excessive development, believe me. Good on you for rescuing your dogs! My regards to everyone in your cabin!

@COVIDberry Thanks, seriously, thanks. The centre of Antwerp is like a hell for me, and it would definitely be one for the dogs. They're towering over me when they sit on the couch next to me, and they need to be able to run and play (not just walk on a leash). The most dangerous one jumps about any fence when triggered, no matter how good his intentions are when he's calm. The two others can walk off leash in "the forest", but even that is illegal and punishable by law here in the more "open" space of Antwerp (to protect "wildlife" that was never wild, which they then go on and hunt down with guns anyway, also "to protect the forest"). "De Kempen" are considered a very green environment, and when compared to the largely urban whole of Flanders, I get it, but it's not "nature", let aloe "free nature". I moved here from Ghent (even worse, but if you like cities, I liked that one slightly more). The people I know are already complaining that I moved this far away, but they know I'm always looking for a better environment, definitely NOT limited within the borders of Belgium.

That sounds nice... But that's REALLY far. Maybe one day though. I promised the dogs I'll try to give them back their freedom that was taken (but they'll always be allowed to stay with me of course, and I'll care for them), even though they were born in captivity and never really "had" freedom, like me. I'm looking for mine and theirs.

This may be a weird place to discuss these topics... But how is Canada in other regards, on other issues? Is life expensive there? Now I'm lucky I have a deal with a supermarket that I can get all their discarded fruits and vegetables (which are about 95 percent perfectly intact), and with a plant-based certified complete dog food seller that I can have his damaged bags, to add to what I cook for them, all for a small fraction of the "normal" price, while living outside of the law but not in heated conflict most of the time, and we live like kings. We never begged or asked for handouts or harmed anyone, there's just some genuinely good meaning people who respect my good intentions and know how to make a good deal where all parties win, just not the taxman, but "he" shouldn't be involved in our fair direct trade in the first place. It's easy to find better environments, but it's hard to tell whether we'd be able to create or maintain the same financial "freedom" and win-win deals (they don't have to pay for their trash, and we don't have to pay full price for our food, generally between 10 and 25% of the price I'd say, we don't have the land available to live of the land, and if we did, we'd be charged more taxes again...).

I recently played a demo of Werewolf the Apocalypse: Heart of the Forest on Switch, and while you don't really see the forest (it's an interactive novel), that forest (correction, "buszcza", as the guide corrects the main character when calling HER a forest, if I remember correctly) really spoke to me.

1TB micro filled up and have archived a ton of games. If I really like a game, I try and buy both physical AND digital. Working full-time and having 2 kiddos, I just don't have the time to play as much as I want/used to. My Switch goals this year are to finish DQ11 and play from start to finish Xenoblade Chronicles. I love having a huge library of games on the go and esp love the Neo Geo title (have 55 at the moment). I def see me playing these games 20 yrs down the road and now I buy games moreso for future playthroughs and not nec right now.

I play every game I buy, no exceptions.

@Shambo I should have asked someone before - is there a DM or chat function on NintendoLife? Otherwise, I think I'll answer on a forum topic or something...

@AndyC_MK84 Great - I knew I wasn't the only one! I see your comment about the SNES too - I think it'll always be my favourite console, but the Switch has a chance of beating it. Given SNES was my mid-teens though, the nostalgia of it may always win out - and I seriously can't see any platform games beating Super Mario World, Donkey Kong Country 2 or Yoshi's Island. They were and still are perfection. It'll take an incredible RPG to beat Terranigma and Secret of Mana too (I finally bought Chrono Trigger on the DS recently), and no puzzler is likely to beat 2-player Tetris Attack for me.

It's the diversity of Switch games I love - Gorogoa, Downwell, Mario Odyssey, Golf Story, Astral Chain, Breath of the Wild, Full Metal Furies, Death Squared - I could go on. So many great and completely different experiences. And so many have a classic feel. Downwell looks like a Spectrum/Amstrad CPC-level game, but it's as good as (if not better than) anything I've played originally from that era. Full Metal Furies is a new spin on the 16-bit 2D games, and it's brilliant. The festival section on Mario Odyssey's New Donk City was amazingly nostalgiac too. Loving ARPGs back in the day, games like Crosscode and Cosmic Star Heroine are high up my play list.

Many of these games are multi-platform, but the Switch seems the perfect console to play them, and I love there are so many recent classics (given I haven't had a new console for 10 years) I can catch up on (if I have the time...) like The Witcher 3, Xenoblade Chronicles and Assassin's Creed.

@Mince I agree, but this is not a purchasing restriction, but more of a longevity goal.
£10 game = 10 hours required play, this includes replays until I hit that target. If I feel the game isn’t going to deliver x amount of hours then I would wait for the price to match what I feel it’s capable of delivering. Eg wait for a sale.

Why can’t we be both? I consider myself to be both.

I wouldn't call myself a collector because I make purchases selectively, but I've bought many I haven't played yet for one reason or another.