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Why do people collect cars when they don’t drive them ever? What about stamps (who use stamps anymore)? Pokemon cards? We keep things that bring us memories and make us happy from time to time. If they have ever made you feel proud or happy, I would say keep them. It definitely worths more than the monetary gain from selling them.

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I collect planes that just sit around and look cool and I can say I have them. I’d never sell them because I love planes and they make me happy, some of them are toys from when I was a kid and I don’t play with them anymore but that doesn’t mean I’m gonna get rid of them, they bring me great joy. I’d look at it that way if I were you

Congrats dude, you have a hobby. Enjoy your time, life it’s all about the small things :)

I think it’s just up to if that’s something you enjoy and gives you value then it’s worth it.

I’m similar with books. I personally prefer to read ebooks because I find the experience a lot easier and better, but there are some books or authors that I really enjoy so I like to get the hardcover books as well. Some books I have both digitally and physically even though I’ve never read the physical copies but I like and enjoy them so I keep them even though they “collect dust” as you say.

If you are thinking of paring down or downsizing, mayve just think of what games are really special to you and that you find meaningful to keep.

I’m a fellow collector and I also emulate a lot but even still I collect. For a few reasons.

I will always have the original copy in case I need to make a backup and archive.org is shut down and the cloud providers delete my backups for copyright reasons.

I can display and rotate the games I choose to display. Even if no one besides me see the games I choose to display, they are important to me and I’m glad I can enjoy them.

I can recreate formative gaming moments from my childhood and share them with my children accurate to the way I experienced them

That being said, emulation does bring many conveniences and so I do emulate most of my collection on my phone but I still maintain a physical collection and I do break out the old consoles from time to time

Are you buying things just to collect them? Or do you have a collection of stuff you bought when you were younger and are holding on to that for nostalgic reasons?

I don’t really actively buy any retro stuff anymore unless I’m wanting to play some particular game or something. It’s just too expensive.

But I would have a really really hard time selling things with sentimental value. Maybe that will change someday but for now it’s too recent (20-30 years ago for me for most of it).

The other thing is, unless you really need the money (or space) now… Physical video game paraphernalia is not likely to go down in price over time. It necessarily becomes more scarce as time goes on. So that’s something to consider even if you’re just collecting to gain value.

I also like to collect old video games but I don’t think I ever stopped to think about why I do it. I just like having them, even just seeing them all lined up on a shelf, knowing that I have pieces of gaming history in my room just makes me happy. There doesn’t need to be a real reason, sometimes we do things just because we feel like doing them. Do things because you feel like doing them and not because you have to justify them to other people.

I’d be more worried about what you’re gonna do with the last 29 years of your life

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I’m similar, except I collect rpg books and I’m 30. I haven’t sat down read a paper book properly in years, I just don’t have the attention span (thanks undiagnosed ADD). But I keep collecting because it brings me joy to do so and I enjoy the thrill of the chase going through second hand bookshops looking for deals.

These sort of hobbies are also great for bringing together like minded people, like you and your friend, so there are additional social benefits to them too if you’re looking for that. This is something Ive come to really come to appreciate more as I’ve aged and fallen out of contact with school friends and it gets harder to meet new people outside of your social circle.

Sorry for the ramble but I guess my main point is to ask yourself whether it brings you joy to continue collecting or not and if it doesn’t maybe to hold off for a few months and check back in with yourself then as you may feel different.

You can download pictures of stamps and butterflies, but people keep collecting those for some reason. Unless you’ve got issues with hoarding or it otherwise affects you negatively, don’t worry about having a collecting-based hobby.

Do you think people use coin or bottle cap collections for anything functional? The point of collecting stuff is to have your own personal little museum to look at and enjoy based on your interests. If you don’t enjoy keeping them, then don’t, but if you do enjoy keeping them, because of nostalgia or sentimentality or because you just like having physical copies, then keep them, and don’t worry about whether they serve a function or not. In that case their function is that they make you happy.

Collections add a little something real to an interest. You are into baseball? Collect baseball cards and baseball memorabilia. Some find a tactile connection improves their enjoyment. For some people, it may be old video games, for others it may be coins, stamps, achievements in video games. Yes they are digital, but you can see them in your achievement/trophy list. I think some people are drawn to collections more than others because they favor a certain learning style over another. I’m not educated in behavior in any way so I am qualified to share my opinion on the Internet. There’s nothing abnormal about that. The collecting part. Not the part where I have no real knowledge on a topic but I feel my opinion is worthy of being heard. That’s actually normal, too, probably. But it shouldn’t be.