Games played: Shinobi III (0:01), Sparkster (0:27), Strider (0:56), Paper Mario (1:09), NFL Blitz 2000 (1:48), Saturn Bomberman (3:20), Time Crisis 2 (4:00), Castlevania: Circle of the Moon (4:40), Super Smash Bros. (6:20), Altered Beast (8:20)

I never started out as a shelf collector... However, between work and home responsibilities, I have very little time to do what I love and that is playing video games!!! I'm very close to my retirement years and I have a back log sitting on my shelf!!! Guess what I'm going to be doing in my golden years??? Yup!!! Playing many video games...:)

I pull games off the shelf to play them all the time... but it's also a wonderful feeling to have a well-curated game shelf. An "all killer no filler" shelf is a thing of beauty.

That wallet taped to the ceiling had me laughing for a solid 3 minutes lol 😂

My backlog is about 20+ games so I definitely feel this lol. I literally have 0 gaming friends so I don’t buy for status or anything. I buy games that I know I’ll enjoy with the mindset of “get it now before it becomes rare, scalped, and/or hard to find.” It does get annoying sometimes, especially when a bunch of games come out around the same time like the holidays, but I’m ok with it because I know I’ll get to them eventually. It just takes time which, thankfully, is something I’ve been blessed with.

Bird I just can't dislike you, you are always humourous and make a great point. You definitely always give me a good chuckle hahaha 😂

I feel like everyone is a shelf collector to some extent. There are countless games that I've always wanted to play that I still haven't gotten around to, things are just harder as an adult

- Came in wanting to make a dad joke about collecting shelves - Remembered that this is a Retro Bird video - Was not disappointed! More on topic, I have felt a touch of embarrassment as I've had people over to play my games, and then didn't know how to play some of those games myself. Most often, it's just that I never got around to playing it ("yet", I'd say). Hopefully, they didn't judge me any more harshly for it than I did!

Yo dude, your a funny guy. I haven't watched one of your videos without laughing a few times. Keep up the great work!

Love the comedy in your videos Retrobird! Keep it up man. Thanks for the videos. Happy gaming!

as part of my Collectors Anonymous entry, I was definitely a shelf collector at some point due to sales and thoughts of "oh it will be more expensive in the future so I better get it now". This created a large backlog that was overwhelming so I sold pretty much all the games that I felt I wouldn't get around to apart from a select few and it feels so much better as my collection reflects the games I've cherished/treasure the most by having played them

I enjoying displaying games, a lot of games have nice artwork, and for my favorite games of all time, having them up for display is nice. You walk into the room and bam, soak in the memories of your favorites games of all time. There are some games I play digitally now even though I own my original copy from when I was young. Most of them are just out of convenience though. Super Mario Galaxy is easier and looks much prettier upscaled in dolphin than playing on my Wii. But I think it's important when collecting, even when you don't have time to play a game, you buy games intentionally with a knowing of what the game is about and knowing that was the reason you bought it. There are games on my shelf I haven't played, like anyone, but I can look at them with excitement knowing that as I chip away at my backlog, I'm gonna reach this game, so I picked it because I thought it was good and it looked fun to play. That's just my two sense though. I curious if anyone else feels the same way.

I guess I could be considered an “evil shelf collector.” I have nearly 3,200 games across more than 20 platforms, and yes, I have a LOT of rare, expensive games. Thing is, I’ve been gaming since I was able to manipulate an Atari 2600 controller. Many of those games were bought when they were brand new. Others I had to rebuy after a house fire. And yes, some of them were purchased secondhand for market value. The difference, to me, is that nearly every game in my collection is something I was familiar with. Maybe I rented it in my youth. Maybe I played it at a friend’s house. Maybe I owned it at one point and traded it in. Less than 2% of my collection were blind buys based on the fact they just looked or sounded cool. Now that I’m an adult making good money, I’m simply fulfilling a childhood dream. I still play games as often as life allows, and I have indeed beaten most of my rarest titles. In most cases, they were games I had special attachments to but just never got to own until adulthood. Will I play everything to completion before I die? Unlikely. But the idea behind collecting was never about status or even value. I just love games. Funnily enough, I almost NEVER play digital games. I have GamePass, I’ve bought plenty of digital games over the years - but I play them once then forget about them. Out of sight, out of mind. When I want to play something, I go into my room, find a physical game, and play that.

Given that we can't go to the store and buy this stuff off the shelf anymore, I think there's something to be said for putting it on your own shelf so you have it ready when you want it.

Im a shelf collector between the Gamecube, PS3 and PS4 I have over 400 physical games. I love playing games but not as much as I used to when I was younger. I'm an adult now, I get out of work and most of the time I'm too exhausted to play anything because my job is so mentally demanding. But my hope is that when I retire I can enjoy them all with the time they deserve.

Really enjoyed this one! Great topic. I think we are all a little guilty of being a shelf collector, what's important is that we make a good effort to play our games.

Hey @Retrobirdgaming I'm only two year late to the party. I think objectively, I'm a shelf collector these days. I've got a family, a kiddo, and a dog. I think staring at my collection (hilarious by the way) is all the time I can spare on gaming, other than the odd game of Mario Kart 8 that I get requested to play. I have pared down my collection over the years, really keeping the most sentimental and meaningful games in my collection, and shifting more to the Everdrive/ODE methods to play the games IF I want to play them. Case in point, when the iron was hot on Dreamcast collecting, it was hard to justify keeping the low print run Capcom games in the collection when some were nearly $300-$500 games. This is a great channel and I'm excited to check more out!

How does this channel not have millions of subscribers?

Shelf collector? Guilty as charged. Spending more time rearranging my game room than playing? Guilty. Lost a game or two in my room? Guilty. Am I ok with it? 👍 Even being “retired” I don’t have enough time to game. So I’ll just go and improve my Tetris skills so I can find a place to display my latest collectible. BTW, you crack me up. I continue to love your wit and take on things. Game on, or shelf on, and be happy! 😃

i used to be a shelf collector, back 10-15 years ago. having that many games and feeling chronically overwhelmed by the sheer volume of them when i wanted to game took a real toll on my mental health. I've since sold off most of what i owned (and regret a few losses, like a copy of Hagane i got for ten bucks in 2009 before anyone knew it was worth a liiiiittle bit more than that) but overall my outlook on gaming has improved significantly since doing so. these days i own a pretty curated collection, and make a point of trying to beat each game at least once. in fact, just today i gave my friend my Sega genesis with a copy of sonic 2, because she was simply feeling nostalgic. what did i lose in doing this? nothing. i own a retron 5 and can play sonic 2 literally a hundred different ways if i so choose. if anything i have gained SO MUCH in bringing joy to someone i care about by donating something to them i no longer use and know they will cherish.

You nailed it dude. I don't love that I am a shelf collector, but with a full time job and various other hobbies and personal relationships etc. it just becomes a necessary evil. Maybe one day when I am retired I can truly appreciate the collection.

I didn’t start out as a shelf collector, but life turned me into one. Once we started having children, I found that I have less and less time. I have just started selling my collection this year. I figured It will bring someone else some joy and I can recoup the money / time I spent collecting them over the last decade. I will most certainly be keeping a curated collection of games that means something to me. And if I have sellers remorse on something I’m sure I will find it digitally somewhere.

You hit it on the head. I am a shelf collector more than i want to be purely because i have to adult all the time. Sometimes i think i need more money but honestly time really is the most precious commodity.

That shot of you massaging rocket knight adventures made me burst out laughing for 5 mins straight

Well, I'm doing something special...💁🏻...and I've been doing it for years...💯✔️ I collect physical media of all kinds, and I collect what I love, what I hear and watch from others that recommend games as well, because I know one day I'll get around to playing them and enjoying them...but I'm also doing it for an apocalyptic scenario as well...👌🏼 I wanna make sure I have a good amount of things to enjoy in case something bad happens or the internet goes away, and I want media that doesn't need to run or rely on constant updates and access to an internet connection...👍🏼

I have a collection of games I'm interested in playing, some of which i havent gotten to yet, which could make me a shelf collector. Some people could consider some of my games filler, especially since I like sports games although I try to stick to one of each series per console, but frankly, it doesn't matter what other people think of me or my collection because I haven't played some, I like my collection, and that's all that matters in the end

I was falling behind on my bills one time so i sold a good percentage of my collection and I decided to keep only the games I am actively playing. I sold games that were the best games I ever played but already beat and don’t want to replay, and even games I bought recently that were my favorites when I was younger but couldn’t get back into nowadays. It really helped me curate my collection and I don’t feel as much of a shelf collector as I did 😁

Just discovered your channel and I'm having a blast!

Wow you brought back some memories about pools and video games. We lived in Central Kentucky and my neighbors had a pool. During summer break in the early 80's when it was summer break we'd swim most of the day until we got tired or thunderstorms popped up then we'd head up into his room, plop down on beanbags in the A/C and play Atari 2600 games or PC games the rest of the time. His dad was a mettalurgist at IBM so it seemed he always had the latest IBM to play games on.

Like most commenters on this channel, I wish that life allowed me more time for gaming (like things were back in carefree school days!). But I do play games from my retro collection regularly, and my kids play them too. I don't display any of them on shelves -- they're in storage boxes in the house to protect them from the elements (dust, sunlight, and the tiny droplets of cooking grease that float through the house ... that's what makes old boxes/cases sticky). So even though I have quite a sizable collection from many console generations, I differ from most 'shelf collectors' in two primary ways: 1. I don't display them, and 2. I only have bought games I want to play, and I still play all kinds of games from my retro collection on a regular basis. Bird, you sounded skeptical that a "storage box collector" like myself could feel like the games are accessible enough to play easily. For me, the solution is keeping complete lists of the games I have in my various console collections. So when I'm ready to play a game, if I don't have a particular game in mind, I browse (let's say) my Saturn list and find three or four games I'd like to play .... then I walk over the Saturn stack of storage boxes, pull em out, and walk over to the Saturn for a few hours of fun! My collection is big enough that it's imperative to keep it organized that way -- otherwise I'd feel anxiety that I don't know what I have or where it is! That's one thing I can definitely respect about the people who put their collection on shelves -- you can eyeball and see everything you have. Three side points: 1. My wife greatly prefers games to be stored away too. If our entire entertainment room were lined with shelves of videogames, she'd feel pretty trapped by my game collection. As things are, she thinks it's cool and enjoys playing occasionally herself! 2. This has come up in other videos -- but with this topic I bear in mind that the true "shelf collectors" (as you define them, including rarely playing games, seeking out expensive games, etc.) are often just smart and lucky investors in retro games. If you want to spend $50,000 on a safe, long-term investment, it's hard to imagine a more "fun" thing to invest in than a retro videogame collection that channels the joy of your childhood. They get no resentment from me ... except I do get upset when speculators push up the price of games for those of us who mostly just want to play them. 3. Some commenters are saying: "Just emulate. Why open a box and add wear to a game?" I do emulate some things (especially games I can't find or can't afford to buy). But I just find the experience much more fun handling the physical game, handling the real console and controller, sitting in front of the TV and playing like we always have. Emulation is the future of retro games of course ... but I'm holding onto the full experience for as long as I can. Disc rot has affected none of my collection yet (including plenty of those early disc games from the mid 90s), so I'm hoping I can play those 90s games until my dying day. I have more problem with cart games (especially things like GBA) whose battery die so they can't hold a save ... so in those cases I probably will be switching over to emulation as an easy/workable alternative.

I love that my room feels like a retro game store and I can pick a game off my shelf I've never played before and experience it for the first time!

I'm definitely a shelf collector. I bought all the games I played and loved in my formative years. But now I actually play them with flash carts, its just easier and the save systems are more convenient.

Love this video and all your content! Long time collector, and I think i've turned into a Shelf Collector and have found other avenues of playing games i already own (yeah, even the bad ones.). But I've been on the fence for a few months about liquidating some, if not all of my shelf-stuff just because of the fact that i'm sure another person may appreciate it more, and i could really use some more of that space. (and whatever cash i could get from hoards of old things.)

I'm trying to work, but your videos demand I pay attention and actually watch the screen.

I am the polar opposite of a shelf collector. I only buy games I'm interested in, clout be damned. In fact, for those real expensive games, I'll just use an Everdrive. I beat every game I buy and only let my backlog get 10 deep to ensure I actually keep up. Also, this topic was fantastic and your videos just keep getting better and better. I love how you delve into the philosophical aspects of gaming!

We're all shelf collectors. After you decide to collect games and get to the 100-200 mark, I don't care who you are, you have not played all of those games and each new purchase just extends the backlog. How long does it take to beat a game? Generally, anywhere between 5 to 70 hours or so? How long does it take to buy a game? The length of time required to click a mouse a few times. It makes sense why collectors have an enormous backlog of games and therefore a shelf of unplayed stuff. New stuff is always coming out, indie games, then you might find a retro game for a good price, or just say screw it I've wanted this game forever, I'm taking the plunge. My issue with collectors in general are probably the ones that are bent on owning every game for multiple systems. That's excessive and it's just going to inflate the price. But like you said, they buy it, they can do what they want. I think I'm at around 600 games physical right now and yeah, just wish I had more time. I love RPGs which consume alot of time. If I could invent a way to play games while I sleep, or a hyperbolic time chamber to play games in, I'd do it.

2:07 I laughed my ass off at this. Love you Retro Bird, never change 😂

oh yeah i ended up being a shelf collector. my collection just grew as i grew up. now its buying games for less than $30, and if i want to play it i will think about buying it. but that has ended me with alot of games that i have yet to play, but just don't have the time. i want to but i can't. and i do hold a sort of pride for my old games. games that i beat or games that i played in my childhood. i love video games, and i am passionate about the hobby. if you were to randomly pick out a game from my collection i probably have a story or two to tell you about that game. 🙂

I am a shelf Collector...but I turned into one...and I think that is how it happens to a lot of us. I grew up collecting and playing games. I kept everything I played...and now have a ton of stuff that sits on a shelf because of all the things that more important (and way less fun or rewarding) than playing games. But It all comes full circle for those of us who may have kids. My son is 4 and he's learning to read. AND...now he's playing games. So my collection is slowly being put back to use as he becomes a better reader and discovers more games that he can play. I find myself playing less and watching more.

I’ve definitely become a digital hoarder. I do buy games, but a lot of games do things that _compete_ for my time, have play styles that are more involved than I have a heart to give, and are obtuse in terms of what is a standard for difficulty. I usually also end up playing games later. I didn’t like Doom Eternal at first, then I plowed through several Bethesda shooters which left me wanting more and then I completed Doom Eternal, learned something about myself through the game and it became one of my favorites. We won’t play everything in our lifetime, nor should we, but it’s our choice, and it’s nice to have games waiting on a shelf when one is curious and ready to try them. Great Stuff, as always.

I buy only what I play.. but yes I put them on a shelf afterward and looking at that shelf gives me joy. It’s essentially my library and it’s fun to dip back in or even admire some art work.

"Show your game collection to nearly anybody outside of gaming... 'Ohhhhh I didn't know you were sick!'" 😂😂😂

The reasoning that all games in a game collection should be played is ludicrous. That's like saying that if you have a busy life (like me; full time teacher, part time entrepreneur, father of two, house, cars) you should be excluded from collecting. And if you haven't finished your previous purchase, you're not allowed to take that bargain? I get the whole meme around it, but come on, some people tend to be salty about.

@2:55 - This seriously had me cracking up, thank you for that!

I do put up my collection on my shelving unit, I love how they look and love how easy they are to grab and play. I wish I wasn't a shelf collector. Although adult life sucks... Even on my days off, I don't play much, I clean dust and organize them! But seeing family members (mostly youngsters under my guidance) and buddies enjoying them makes me so happy! I do pitch in at times but I'm glad that I can share them.

One of the biggest things that makes me more of a shelf collector than I'd like is watching KZfaq videos, so I'm looking right back at ya on this one. I also spend a lot of time on games I've already played and love over playing new ones. Part of it is I kind of see it as having an encyclopedia collection I can reference whatever whenever I want to. It's nice to be able to just pull anything off the shelf to show someone, particularly family. It's a bit of a decentralized library as well, who knows maybe one day I'd end up with the only working copy of a game so I'd like to preserve it as best I can. I also do see it as valuable art I can hold for value to hopefully pass to my kids to enjoy and experience one day, or in the absolute worst case least holding some value vs. inflation.

I sure feel guilt everytime i buy a new game knowing that i have a ton of other games that i havent even put in my consoles yet. The pure joy of just having the games that i might play (most likely when i retire) is good enough investment in my oppinion. This video hits all the reasons why people "shelf collect" and why its totally ok to do so. And also a reason why i love watching you videos hahaha

My name is Dennis McDonald, and I am a shelf collector. 🤣👍

When it comes to organizing the games, the hardest thing for me to decide is whether to organize by console or franchise. If there's a franchise that I really like and have been collecting for across several consoles, I want to be able to keep all of them together, but keeping them all together means my collections organized by console will be incomplete and missing my favorite games.

"Check out my copy of rad racer" I laughed way too hard at that.

I always set aside time to stare at my shelf and smile.

I used to be more of a shelf collector than I wanted to be, just because i didnt have time and i enjoy having games others might like to play that I dont necessarily have any interest in myself. Now I'm worse. I became a dad, and shortly thereafter became a box collector. My opinion is they're mine, I can do whatever I want with what's mine and you can do what you will with whats yours. Personal property is just that, and nobody but it's owner is entitled to it in any way.

Dust is the enemy as much as I wanna display. However I DO stack about collection of band t shirts for decoration

The wallet bit caught me by surprise and I did one of those sputtering laughs. Thanks Retro Bird!

I'm a shelf collector, but collecting games to play with the kids when they get old enough. Right now they are playing sesame street games for the nes, got to move them up the ladder on gaming

I like having a large collection. It’s like having a video game rental store in your house. I play my games, but I do enjoy having things that are hard to find for the novelty. Every rare game that I have, I have played though. I like my collection to be made up of good games, games that most people don’t have, and weird peripherals. Like a literal fishing sonar for the Gameboy. I don’t need that, but I love how weird it is and I love telling people about it when they see it on the shelf and ask about it.

he's like a therapist for game collectors 😉

@3:40 = I imagine you Retro Bird, creating the "staring at games" package: a book to note the visits at the door, and leave messages by guests when they visit. A report cart for every game, when you play or take them out, note it on the card like at the library with stamp ink and make ribbon receipts for transactions when you buy and or sell games... rent them to yourself for a dime... create an entertainment game library market for hobbyists who crave that feeling James Rolfe gives off with his video club setup ! All your products would be adorned with RetroBird logos. "The complete Retro Bird guide to video game watching"

I'm the worst kind of collector I have some kinda expensive games that sit hear there and everywhere 😂😂😂 I will now go organize my collection. Thanks for this video. You have a new subscriber.

I was a shelf collector for quite some time when I was game collecting. I am highly likely going to have to bid farewell this year to this hobby due to a financial crash for myself. I collected for over 38 years, I never, NEVER would have thought it would end this way. I obtained over 600+ games over the course of a little over 25 years (mostly by myself) for my enjoyment. My family hasn't really been that supportive, which doesn't help. Over 30+ years, thousands of dollars, and hopes of just having a fair collection are all ending for me in just a matter of months. Never did get Earthbound, and now I never will. 😢

I really enjoy the longer videos

How I can enjoy staring at my collection, trying to decide what I want to play for 45 plus minutes all while babbling to myself like an idiot is still a mystery I can't even figure out! But I am grateful that I can -- because being a dad and working full time with a collection of over 100 games I think it's inevitable that some games don't get played as frequently as others. Whether I'm playing them at this exactly moment or not, it makes me truly happy to know that I have a collection of some of my favorite games from my childhood that I can access anytime I want （now if only I could just make up my mind on what the heck I want to play!）

Retro Bird. I LOVE your videos!! You are AWESOME!!!!

I play my games but I do have the "staring at your games time" at least once a week, just stare and admire for a few minutes🤓

IMO, concern around shelf collecting is rooted in someone’s health. Hoarding, over-spending… habits that can reflect serious problems. Doesn’t feel right to celebrate that type of situation with someone. And then there’s hyper-consumption, fomo, self-defining through buying. It’s not a doubt in love of games, ultimately. It’s whether that love is being saturated with toxic baggage.

I am a digital hoarder! Great Stuff!

I'm a shelf collector. Inbetween my books and drawings, and I have very anytime that is playing video games.

See, this shelf here was a special platinum, limited edition shelf! Only 250,000 were made! Alright, not _that_ kind of shelf collector! 😆 I'm a bit of a shelf collector, but I've been trying to cut back a little. Still figuring out the best way to organize all the games, music, etc.

This video was way more thorough than I could have ever hoped :)

reminds me of the phrase "collecting books and reading books are two different hobbies".

Fab video as always. The ceiling wallet had me cackling. I know I probably acquire games at a faster rate than I can beat them. But I do try to beat, say, one in every five. And I'm not afraid to abandon anything that doesn't click with me.

My ex was friends with a married couple. One worked for Funimation as a sound engineer. The other an aerospace engineer Their house they bought for gaming. In the living room they had like 16 shelves built into the wall behind doors. Covered in games. Hidden away and easy to access

The more evolved form of the shelf collector is the cabinet collector. The doors on the cabinets that can be left open or closed are a genetic adaptation allowing the cabinet collector to blend into his surroundings whether he is entertaining gamers or non-gamers.

for me personally yeah i probably am a shelf collector but I collect games for numerous reasons. 1. so that I can play and someday i can pass down my collection to my kids. 2. to be that one guy with the "pool" who collects just about everything and let's anyone come over to play them. One of my favorite things to do with my friends is to say " pick a random game and we will play it". Ive discovered so many great games and created so many fond memories playing obscure games with friends. Growing up as an adult some friends come and go but the memories will always be there and gaming is a great way to create them.

Talk about a shelf collector, did you see his N64 controllers on the wall? Those are pretty hard to come by any more.

Who's artwork is featured at 9:40? Very cool. And of course, great vid!

Altered Beast and Shinobi 3 are the shit! After 20 years of playing them on and off I finally beat them! Also just beat Altered Beast arcade version! Like the console version better😂! You’re my favorite gaming KZfaq channel! Mad respect!

Funny, informative and entertaining. Tnx!

I guess you’d say I am only somewhat a shelf collector. Because I am a teacher, I have little time during the school year to play games… but PLENTY of time during the summer vacation. In a way, it is like being a kid again :) Plus, some of the games I don’t get to play immediately end up getting lent out to friends, so they can try them and let me know how they enjoyed (or didn’t enjoy) them. The only issue when it comes to collecting is apartment space, but maybe that’s something we can “see ya in the next video” for!

Once again, interesting topic! I echo a lot of what has been posted already. It's a natural progression for any passionate retro gamer to build up a shelf collection. It's the nature of the hobby realistically speaking. Games continue to be released. New generations and so on. Those, like myself, have held onto everything and added to it throughout the years. Compared to most avid collectors, my collection is modest. I like a variety for each platform and that usually is around 25-50 games per system not including the NES or Xbox 360 which which have more. I am constantly playing my mid and back logs. So, it may have the appearance of a shelf collection, but I don't just sit and admire them.

This was a awesome video, you make some great points

5:28 - Uncle Elroy in "Next Friday". lol

Shelf collectors, non shelf collectors. Let just all get along and channel our hate towards sealed game/WATA collectors.

My problem with such collectors is the fact that those who may want to get into retro game hardware are priced out from even starting out of the gate. If too many game hoarders have a game collecting dust, the supply plummets, the demand goes up, and prices skyrocket. So a sardonic thanks to all the *collectors* out there with a complete SNES collection or something covered in cobwebs, while the prospective *players* are out of luck.

ok now I want to say something about the pool thing... my parents own a pool and they like to spend time with me... but I don't like swimming just to swim in that pool... it doesn't have any sort of view, it's shallow, and I have very little company besides them anyway... That is why I collect and play videogames. I guess some people would call me somewhat of a hermit as most of my hobbies are either done alone or with a very select amount of people. Heck I collect soda bottle caps as a hobby.

I do this with my film collection. Anime, sci-fi, action, etc are all in categories. I only buy limited edition physical versions of games and buy a digital copy of that game in the digital sale. So my games are still unboxed and shrink-wrapped. It reminds me of that episode of The Big Bang Theory when Sheldon has a rare Spok toy, " do I open and risk devaluing the toy? or keep it sealed?". Oh the dilemma" : )

I wouldn't say I'm a shelf collector as much a storage bin collector now. Family got bigger and I had to create the space. But back to the point. I have ODEs and flash cards for all my consoles, for convenience and to prevent wear on the games themselves. Which means when I buy a game it does go straight to the shelf/storage, after I've looked at it for the appropriate amount of time, of course.

The thing is, I’ve taken issue with “shelf collecting” for the same reason I take issue with two people living in a house with 8 bedrooms. You’ve gone beyond what a need for use and gone into pure materialism. If you have an entire floor dedicated to shoes or vases or video games, it’s unseemly. And if what you want to do is play a game, you’re truly better off not having 1000’s of games. Who can actually play that many games in one lifetime? Retro Bird has touched on this before. Own what you’ll play, whatever that is. If you find that you’re spending more time looking for games and looking at your collection, i think thats a time to do some deep soul searching.

I feel this. I guess I can be considered a shelf collector. Not because I desire it but because I don't have time for gaming as much as I would like.

I always wanted to be a game developer. The games in my collection are largely for research purposes.

Love the channel! Big time kid full time adult

3:13 Cool Victor controller. I have both color variants.

haven't found any shelves I like for displaying yet(don't really look) but I do have a huge dresser that that I use to keep each different system and games for it in.

I am! I collect shelves of all kinds!

I buy almost exclusively games that I intend on playing someday, but yes, mostly a shelf collector for lack of time.

A big driver for shelf collecting is fear of missing out, even if you don't intend on reselling for profit in the future. With how the market for old games has been the last few years, there's a fear that if you don't buy whatever game now, you won't get another chance. So you buy games you want to play *eventually* just in case it skyrockets in price later on.

when i found out that my game stack was starting to look as a collection display, i told myself to only collect games that i actually play, so a bunch of games have left my shelf and some others have come, its ok to have limits when it comes to expensive habits

I prefer to have a very small collection. The games that take up the most space are the ones in cardboard boxes, so I had to get a little storage container for them. The regular game cases are displayed on my shelf and I will probably never fill it. I only pick very specific games for my collection and even so, I've set a maximum on how many games I can own.

I own 1,314 games, they sit on shelves, and an old dresser drawer. I don't play as much as I used to as working full time, and being nearly 50, I come home and have no energy to lug a console out of the closet and hooking it up. But there are times, I will pull something off to play if I'm in the mood. You also tend at that point of what do you really want to play due to having a great big selection.

I am ABSOLUTELY a shelf collector, but normally only for games that apply directly to my interests. I own a copy of Eatrthworm Jim for the sega genesis, despite not owning a functional console. ❤️