Random: A UK Company Is Inviting Customers To Smash Up Old Games Consoles

So long as we don't have to bring our own its all good

I suppose if it is actually all being recycled then why not, but as someone who takes good care of systems dating back to 1992… <shudders>

The question is - why not donate it to someone?

Beyond stupid. They don't make those products anymore. There are a lot of parts in even broken old electronics.

How about recycling the old products?

I pay the bucks, grab everything and leave. Having spare parts can be life saving.

Still waiting for the destruction of the Great Pyramid of Giza or Statue of Zeus at Olympia. You know eecycle and repurpose anything in working condition. 🙈

Even if the hardware doesn't work they might have some sentimental value.

I was about to complain about the wanton destruction of otherwise potentially upcycle-able or recyclable technology, but it seems that I am such a typical Nintendo Life reader that everyone has got there already. Good job folks.

Kind of stupid but we use to buy cheap cell phones when I was in high school just to smash them for fun...

This is the kinda thing hicks do when they are bored. That's supposed to be therapy? Yeah sounds like they could use some. Whatever happened to screaming into a pillow?

Wow what a way to wast good hardware, Thanks for wasting stuff, oh bc they couldn't just donate it, for some reason I guess its cheaper for them to smash stuff that they don't give a crap about, as you see here, games.

This is why they invented youtube so this could be a thing!

@Zeldafan79 Like really, Funny thing, I like how they say video games makes people violent, yet here they are, having whatever this is.

If they're spread the "angry gamer" lie then I wouldn't give them so much as a cent. Trash company and trash marketing.

Tell them to constructively unleash their anger at those who caused it. I've been unleashing my anger at the government, and they now know not to kick a wild wolf that is taking a peaceful harmless nap.

When I was a real Nintendo fanboy at the age of 14, I loved stuff like people destroying Playstations.
Brings back memories:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xn443c5qI48

Cursed newspiece.

@rushiosan The question is, why would anyone want a piece of broken electrical equipment?

Unless you didn't read the article, then the question is: What is wrong with people nowadays?

I just take my anger out on a punching bag. Served me well for a couple of decades now.

Even broken electronics can be recycled so they're lying.

How about deleting Twitter or Facebook. Maybe just turn off your phone. That looks like a mess. Why would you even brake your TV? I’m lucky enough to go paddle boarding or kayaking every now and then. I ride my bike. Go to the gym. I relax with my video games. I’m old enough to remember playing outside and coming home right before dark and having dinner with my whole family. What has happened to the world? Maybe the world would be a better place if we all just played outside and came home right before dark and had dinner with each other.

Imagine spending money on this rather than getting some proper help for your mental health issues.

@playoldgames Anger can manifest in literally any human being. It’s not exclusive to people suffering from mental health issues.

@River3636 Phones and social media aren’t linked with anger, they are linked with depression. Slightly different state of mind.

Maybe the joy cons. Maybe I can realign the stick and remove drift

this is the most first-worldish thing I've seen in a long time

@BloodNinja Research suggests that there is a correlation and not a causation. Research also suggest that there is a causation and not a correlation. There is also research suggesting that if someone’s already depressed and using social media it can become worse and only exasperate the issue.
Let’s take Facebook for example, you see all your friends or Acquaintances with great pics of them having the time of their life. You reciprocate by showing great pics of you having the time of your life. Were you just acting for the pics or were you having the time of your life? Let’s stop and take a picture over and over again so we can show all of society we are having the time of our life. Sometimes people forget that they don’t need pictures and should just enjoy the moment. Some people that are depressed don’t even have moments like this. They can’t even get out of bed. They cry uncontrollably. They stop their hobbies and their chores. They think no one cares about them. They are holding on but want to give up. In these trying times, most people only had them selves. If you think social media doesn’t play a contributing factor into this then you’re sadly mistaken my friend. So which is it Causation and correlation?

Its painful to think about it to be honest, destroying gaming history. For some idiots to get a kick for five minutes!!! Systems should be stored for spare parts if nothing else.

@River3636 Thanks for that, the reason I brought it up is because you seemed to be blaming those things for unexplained anger, while their correlations are with depression. Also, I said “linked,” not “caused.”

This reminds me of those dumb videos made by rich people of them smashing up electronics, this is just as stupid as those videos as well!

Is THIS why I can't seem to order a new PS4 controller!?!

@BloodNinja There is no anger here…… Correlation is the same thing as linked. So let’s look at the word correlation and causation.
Correlation tests for a relationship between two variables. However, seeing two variables moving together does not necessarily mean we know whether one variable causes the other to occur. This is why we commonly say “correlation does not imply causation.”
A strong correlation might indicate causality, but there could easily be other explanations:

It may be the result of random chance, where the variables appear to be related, but there is no true underlying relationship.
There may be a third, lurking variable that that makes the relationship appear stronger (or weaker) than it actually is.
I really don’t wanna go into the word games. I enjoyed this article and wanted to spread some awareness; you helped me do that. Thank you.

@River3636 It’s like you’re giving me pre-written responses based on what you think I’m saying, instead of what I’m actually saying. It’s an article about letting people unleash their anger. You dropped a solution for things linked with depression, which isn’t always linked with anger. What I was hoping you would get, is that deleting Facebook and spending less time on a phone won’t necessarily cure someone’s anger, unless that is the root cause. Most of the time, those things are linked with depression, not anger. Oh! What’s the article about again?

@BloodNinja too funny I did go into a rabbit hole. Alice was not happy. There is also a correlation with anger and depression.
Anger can be a common emotion among people experiencing depression. You may feel angry at the world, angry about events from your past, or even angry at yourself. This anger can be intense and difficult to control, to the point that it worsens your depression and affects your personal and professional relationships.
I’m doing it again 😀

I've always wanted to smash a TV screen with gaming fustration maybe my wish can finally come true on that one lol

And also this is all reused and recycled, the only thing you have to worry about is loose bits of glass and plastic that can fly about

@BloodNinja your knowledge on every subject that pops up on here astounds me 🙄

@HamatoYoshi lmfao, I only talk about things I know. Otherwise, I shut up and let the ones who do know do the talking, so that I can learn.

@BloodNinja Never said it couldn't. What an odd fight to pick.

@River3636 I know what you mean, and when I.....Squirrel!! Wait, where was I again?

I’ll add to your excellent post, that the source of anger is pain. My friend likened it to a cut on your hand. Someone touches the cut and hurts you by accident, and the response to the pain may be anger and so you smack their hand off to lessen the pain. For some people, that wound is on their heart, instead. Hence, the pain can cause the anger to manifest if someone gets too close to their hurt, or “triggers,” them.

@playoldgames Instead of leaving room for people to say things for you, say exactly what you mean, then. It’s certainly not a fight; it’s a clarification for you.

Would be better if they just demolished some old buildings or something instead, not gaming stuff. Or maybe some old furniture.

@Shambo I’m interested...how did you unleash your anger at your government to the point you feel they got the message?

A lot of those items contain toxic chemicals (specially screens). So hitting them with great force is a really dumb thing to do.
In fact, there are only two things even dumber: 1) charging money from someone to let him do it and 2) paying someone to let me do it.

@BloodNinja Oh, bore off

@playoldgames I will set boring, to off.

THERE IS NO PAPER JAM!!

@themightyant and so the never ending cycle begins lol 😂

In the ad they literally broke a perfectly functioning TV. That isn't recycling now is it.

Anyone with half a brain would sell a piece of retro equipment rather than lose it for nothing. Sell it or give it to someone who would appreciate it. Preserve history.

This… does not seem like a good idea. Regardless of intentions and recycling and stuff, there are decently useful parts that could be reused instead of smashed to pieces. And I was pretty sure that electronics had some nasty stuff inside which is the whole reason you can’t put them in landfill in the first place.

If these idiots would spend more time coming up with something worth while maybe they would actually get somewhere in life look at this for a second they want to smash up video game history and you nintendo life are promoting it, it is disgraceful to promote such a thing, when i was a kid you was taught to respect property regardless of who it belongs too, it seems these days the fun idea is to just smash it up.
What about the families who cannot afford newer consoles and use older consoles like these taking more out of the world leaves less to buy, the way i see it, is you don't smash something up, and if it needs fixing you try to fix it to the very end, even if that takes you years as a side project, if you care for something, you will look after it, maybe i am just one of the last people to be brought up like this.
Personally if this is the sort of content that you want to post on “slow news” day maybe you should take a hard look and realize that post rubbish like this is not always the answer.

Smash a PlayStation would be fantastic 😉😉

This is only frustrating because it is visible.

Fact is if there was a useful and commercially viable outlet for all this broken tech, there would already be a market for it. Recycling it down to base metals etc is likely the only realistic outcome.

Thousands of tons of working tech get thrown away every year, if members of the public arent paying to destroy this broken stuff, it would be happening behind closed doors anyhow.

If it's a white person breaking electronics, is a therapy. If it's an arab persona breaking a piece of art is a terrorist. Don't you see the irony?

I've been to something like this in the US. I loved it. I would absolutely do it again.

Why don't they go and destroy their cars instead?

Cool, looks like the Rage Cage from Delocated. It's fun breaking stuff, and you don't really get that kind of opportunity all of the time without people thinking you're mental. I really wish they had more of these, it's good stress relief.

@BloodNinja by refusing to work for their system, to pay taxes, backing everything I do up with human rights, commercial law, common law, natural law, and using the definition of slavery, terrorism,... against their corporate policy. Some would read that and think "Karen", but truly, the "Karen" freakouts I see happening in real life are when people can't deal with simple facts. I have a natural firmness and calm in me, and when I do get angry, people usually back off. Maybe that's why I can "control" my pack of "dangerous" rescue dogs and still give them freedom and put trust in their own judgement. Furthermore, I live a life of sobriety and harmlessness, vegan and straight edge and anarchist, so no masters or slaves. "Do no harm, take no sh*t".

They have on multiple occasions admitted that indeed, their system clearly does not respect human rights, does not reason on a human level, only in corporate interest,... But mostly they then go on "but we just have to do our job". But they did promise me no police will be sent or anyone to collect the taxes I refuse, and they have "allowed" me to live in my own forest even though it is "illegal". To which I don't say thank you, but say "as if you had anything to say in that, you just accepted a fact over your totalitarian religion, your legal fiction. Now watch as your system collapses when faced with the truth, with real freedom, real equality, real justice,..." (and no, that's not the "social justice" or "political correctness" or anything like that, it's being true, honest, sober, harmless to even the smallest of creatures and yourself and taking responsibility for what you DO, NOT for what you DON'T do, and putting responsibility of others that they deny back in their hands)

You've got to be low on gaming articles to go to these depths. 🙃

@Darlinfan no, if someone want to smash something they can smash the stuff they like...even better their stuff.

@Shambo No, I didn’t think “Karen” when you typed that. I’m intrigued. How do you not pay taxes and also not get jailed?

@Darlinfan come on, where's the "fun" if you smash worthless (for them) stuff?

@Darlinfan smashing things (even if they are broken beyond repair) is not fun, is just vandalism at some point...

This is stupid... What ever happened to respecting your stuff or selling it instead of smashing it up for fun.

@Darlinfan sure, even kids that smashes windows find it funny, but then you become an adult and you should just find some more healthy hobbies.

@BloodNinja by keeping the "negotiations" going, and challenging them to a court battle, in MY court, where human rights are ACTUALLY a thing. Sending my tax bills back unopened marked with "no valid binding contract", and saying that it is their duty to inform anyone in function of state or any other corporation that disturbing my peace will be fined and taxed for the monetary equivalent of my peace, which is infinite. That the decision of still delivering their mail knowing this, still disturbing my peace, is a choice which is then considered a lawfully binding contract that they will have to pay up. It's all a game of monopoly really, but they own the bank and make the rules, I don't live by their rules or limited by their board, but by my rights with the world as my playing field (the rights which they are sworn to protect), and hold them to their own rules and "justice", on their playing board.
In direct, personal communication, I strive for "live and let live", harmony, and they strive for control, power, and only represent corporate profit, but they're mostly still humans, and when challenged directly and faced with the systematic victim, and when they are well informed but free of blame for what they did not yet do and forgiven for what they have done when they stop doing it, it's hard for them to actually enforce their robotic system of oppression. Not all the time, but then you just calmly get angry at them, taking back all your friendliness, and try again with someone else who may be a human still.

@Darlinfan I don't tell anyone to be straight edge, I just say I keep my own mind sober, as I need it to oppose a rather smart system. How is saying that I keep my mind sober an attack to anyone? Let alone that one point you pick up on in a conversation you're not even part of or forced into? Besides, I've known and still know plenty of people who thought their drinking habits only harmed themselves, and plenty of people living with alcoholics that wouldn't agree with that. I've known people who "had no addiction" but the fact that they denied their addiction kept them from stopping, and when they finally had to stop because they almost killed someone while drnk driving, they were ENTIRELY different people. Who then picked up on drinking again and were completely lost to it.

@Darlinfan When I'm asked how I take on the fight against the powers that claim to be, I will use the term straight edge because people know what it means. It is not "my identity", it is my weapon in a battle of wits that you cannot win with a mind that's only half there. But hey, you don't have to "suffer" me, and if you don't want to, you can easily ignore me instead of forcing your opinion and assumptions on me. I guess you'd find that insufferable as well when someone did it to you, which I didn't, and I didn't get personal either, so let's stop this nonsensical "conversation" here. Or grab your final word if that means a lot to you. And let me just give a real answer to someone who asked me a real question without interrupting please. It was never about you or aimed at you.
I still have friends who casually drink, and they all see why they SHOULD quit, but I'm not forcing them. BUT, when we come together in my forest, there's most of the time no alcohol. Not by rule, but because they respect my choice, not just as "my choice". Even the few people who eat animals still respect that no animals will be eaten here. Those smoking leave my forest to smoke or skip their habit for a day, even when I say they don't HAVE to, if it's once, and their smoke isn't disturbing anyone else.

This is sick. So wasteful and such a meaningless destiny for old electronics that could be recycled and reused in a useful way.

@Shambo Interesting. I respect your sobriety. In my profession, I see first hand the negative impact that things like alcohol have on people’s lives. I too, abstain from any form of foreign substance usage. How long have you maintained that you do not have to pay taxes? Are you staying in a certain income bracket? I have no clue what region you reside in, so I can only guess the tax laws of your land.

this is so ridiculous, why destroy your consoles when you can recycle it or give to someone in need? game consoles deserve respect not this disrepect.

@BloodNinja Managed this for several years now, I live in Belgium, but if all goes well not for much longer anymore. People here don't even know the first human right, or there would be a revolution, but they do believe the media when it tells them some OTHER country's government is bad "because they broke the human rights". They think "sovereignty" is just some word to address the "king" with, who is nothing but a rich man trapped in his golden cage by a mob of the REAL gangsters. They're probably slightly less dangerous here than in some other countries indeed, if only because we have so many different governments in such a small country, that "divide and conquer" could easily be applied to them as well. Maybe even on purpose, because no other country is as much a slave to the "GREAT EUROPEAN UNION" as Belgium, probably, but their communication skills are garbage, even among themselves all they do is fight.

@Shambo Man, if I did that in my country I would be in shackles. Count your blessings.

And then, a few minutes later, you feel your frustrations coming back after you realize you just blew almost $70 to break broken stuff for a half hour.

@Scrubicius Think of all the marble kitchen countertops in upscale high-income-millennial high priced rental apartments in elite metro areas they could make with that Zeus statue! Such a waste to leave that blighted eyesore just sitting there. Won't someone please think of the ivy league trust fund children?!

@River3636 Amen to that. We sound like old geezers "remember when we had to schedule pay phone time to arrange with someone in advance. Yeah the good old days, let's go back to that!'

But the reality is, it WAS better, because it was more human. Objectively. Humans needed to plan with humans. Involvement with other people was personal and involved connections, and people were immediate to each other in a real space. It's been replaced with automation and convenience for whomever has the position to use others in the most beneficial/convenient way for them.

The trouble is the "young" now outnumber us, and they've never known any other world or way of life except the completely screwed up one in front of us. Ours "never existed". There's no way to explain to them just how screwed up things got in such a short space of time. To them the world's always been like this. To us, it was just not like this a few years back and suddenly things got rapidly messed up in short enough time to fix it. But not short enough that an entire larger generation doesn't think it's the normal that's always been and have adapted to thrive and promote the screwed up one.

@NEStalgia 😂

@NEStalgia Amen to that. It was a different time, but that’s not to say that the present day could be the same. It’s about balance. It might be just as easy as to shut off Notifications. Some people don’t have the opportunity to come home before dark because they have to work at a certain hour and there on a different time schedule. In the end everyone creates their own reality. We are still evolving, I remember hearing somewhere that we have to take a few steps back to move four steps forward.

Did people NOT read the article? The stuff that you break aren't repairable.

"Everything you can smash in Demolition Therapy was already broken to minimise unnecessary wastage. We recycle and repurpose anything in working condition, you destroy the stuff that has no further purpose."

The article says the client pays $50 for 30 minutes, I’m willing to bet most people who’d partake in this would be blown out after a minute or two. However, if you have the energy to smash things for a half hour then you have the energy to go take a damn walk for a half hour instead, or lift some weights, or play ring fit, or prepare a meal, or sit down and do something else you like until the feeling passes.

This business sounds like it’s going to get a lot of fat teenage boys injured.

@Noisy_neighbour Salvaging the components so they can fix other devices and make a living out of it. There is a market for retro gaming/computing and people need to take the parts from a surviving electronic, if you have no other purpose for your digital garbage, why not simply donate to someone who needs them? Smashing everything with a hammer is a plain stupid idea, even for first world standards.