The Horror of Horrors for the aging Gamer/Collector (Do not read this thread if you have a weak stomach)

[- Ω -]

Ok, here's the scenario...

For some undisclosed reason, like a death in the family, loss of a job, a medical situation or whatever, you find that you can no longer live where you've been living and have amassed your "10 metric tons" (possibly an exaggeration) of gaming equipment and assorted accessories.  To make matters worse you have to move into a studio apartment within the next 30 days.  To avoid cheating, this scenario precludes moving everything into storage.  What are you going to do?

  

[RickR]

I don't like thinking about it!  Horrible. 

In general, I've been selling off stuff the last few years to make it easier when the time comes. I'd pick out a few favorites to take with me along with the smallest TV I have.  The rest will have to find a temporary home to get donated or sold.  Maybe a friend's garage? 

 

[- Ω -]

I know, it's a scary thought.  What is your single favorite, small(ish) classic unit that you might be able to squeeze into a corner?  What are the criteria? The most fun?  The most nostalgic?  The most used?  The most useful?  The one in the best condition?  The size?  

Thinking about all those other items you spent hundreds, if not thousands on over the decades, only to be hauled off...  it's freaking depressing.  It's smart that you've been thinking ahead.  Sadly, I also have come to that point in my life. 😞 

I dearly hope when the time comes, I don't have to solely rely on emulation.  But if I go the way my father did, I would not even know how to turn it on.

Edited May 5, 2021 by - Ω -

[RickR]

Don't let it get you down.  i don't see any reason why there wouldn't be room for your favorite system!  Think about a TI with a FinalGROM.  Every game available in one small package.  No issue with that. 

I'd probably grab an Atari 2600jr and the Harmony Cart and be set, and also my Nintendo DS.  Those don't take up a lot of space. 

Honestly, it's like this...you have stuff to enjoy.  So enjoy it.  If you don't use it, get rid of it now.  Who cares what happens when we're gone?  Not our problem!  We enjoyed the crap out of it, and that's what counts. 

I'm sure I've told my story before.  When my dad died, it was up to me to clean out the house and sell it all.  There was so much stuff.  I decided at that moment I'd never do that to my children.  I do have a lot of stuff, but it's not as bad as what I had to deal with.  And like I said, I've been really good with selling off the stuff I haven't used in years.  And we're putting that money aside for when we can travel again.  We're flying to Omaha this summer for a wedding...and the plane tickets are first class.  See?  Win win. 

One more thing...my mom lives in an assisted living facility.  In my eyes, her room has plenty of space for several systems.  You've seen my "gaming credenza" that houses 8 systems.  That would fit in my mom's room with absolutely no problem at all. 

 

[Sabertooth]

So, coming up on three years ago I had an eerily similar scenario play out due to divorce. I found myself losing my house and "man cave" garage space and living in a studio apartment. While I definitely had to downsize, the experience forced me to prioritize my collection and cut out the unnecessary nice-to-haves. It was easy enough to hide six systems in a modern entertainment console and I was actually happier with less. 

[DegasElite]

If I needed to move into a studio apartment, I would probably have to put my games in storage somewhere. Like a warehouse or something. Emulation works with this scenario, but to a point. What if you can't play your favorite game in emulation? Some emulation may not cover all games. So, what if your game is unsupported? I would research that first to see if my favorite games are covered. But, if you have the adequate storage and the resources, do it. But, if not, maybe secure those resources somehow. Maybe share a space with a friend in a warehouse, then pick and choose your games wisely. I know this can be costly, but it can be done. Of course, I am just hypothesizing. I hope no one needs to downsize soon because of a move. These are just suggestions. Thanks.

[DegasElite]

However, I would keep my Jaguar out and my Lynx with their collections. They would take up the least space in an apartment.

[nosweargamer]

I constantly try to downsize, but if I had to, I'd most likely keep my Mini systems, like an Atari Flashback 8, SNES Mini, Genesis Mini, TG-16 Mini and such, my Evercade collection and other compilations. The beauty of those is they contain a lot of games in small sizes.

[CrossBow]

I honestly do not know how to answer this. I've always hoped and assumed my boys would want to part out and keep parts of my collection for themselves. But I've also realized more over the last few years, that they aren't the same kind of gamer I am. They mainly play games on their PCs and always have. One of my boys was really into his 360, XBone, and XBone X but I've found out he hasn't even turned on the system for the past several months.

But I did kinda go through this situation when my first wife and I separate and later divorced. At that time my collection was tiny compared to what I have today. But what I did was to take all the retro classic consoles because I knew my boys at that time didn't care and I left her with the Gamecube and PS2. But I took the DC and the rest and a few of the Cube and PS2 games that were 'Dad's and my boys didn't care about.

Within a few years I got most of that back that I left with them but it was the easiest solution at that time. I didn't have storage for what I did take so I ended up keeping most of my collection and systems in boxes stacked up in my little 750sf house I was living in at that time and only played on newer systems at that time for the most part like my Wii, and replacement PS2.

I do find that a large portion of my collection I'm not likely to ever play even with it within easy reach. Flash carts have made it too easy to just switch over to a different game vs getting up and looking for it on my shelf, taking it out of the box...etc.

Hmmm....?

 

[RickR]

An example of the purging going on here.  No video games in this pile being donated, but a lot of toys and stereo stuff (including a bitching Sony boombox -- I hope that truck gets here soon before I change my mind 🙂 ).  We have a ton more stuff to go through and get rid of.  Now that the pandemic is kind of ending, it's time again for my wife and I to look into our former plan of downsizing to a smaller house closer to her work.