Why do people not take care of their games?

Hey Guys,

Maybe its just me, but when I go to buy a used video game system and especially used games, I won't buy it unless it has the original case and manual and all three (case, game, manual) are in excellent shape.

I'm at a point in my life where I have the patience and more importantly the money to buy games that are in excellent shape.

I went to one of the local used game shops I liked last night to look at Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 for the PS2 and all the copies were either in a generic case or the original case was so nasty I didn't even want to pick it up.

I went to another local game shop at lunch time today and though I had to pay more money, I got both Metal Gear Solid 2 and 3 in Very Fine ~ Near Mint Shape. If I get new DVD cases for them and just transfer the artwork, manual and disc and I would call them Mint. The Discs are perfect, the manuals are lightly read and they look great. I also think they are a special packaged set for the Metal Gear Sold games for the Playstation 2 as both say on the back "Part of a Set".

I just don't understand how people can just beat the heck out of their video games. I just had to ship off my Playstation 3 because the Bluray drive failed. I brought it to work to get Fedex to pick it up, I was showing some of my co-workers the PS3 Slim and they all thought the console looked brand new even though its 11 months old.

My point being, games, consoles are expensive, why do people not take care of them? It kills me to see used games that are just beat up, dogs have chewed on them, looks like they were thrown out of a car that exploded from c4 going down the high at 70mph and then was hit be a 18-Wheeler, etc you get my point.

What are your thoughts on the reason why people do this and do you care what condition the games you by are in?

Thanks
Disjaukifa

 

I wouldn't: PS2 cases are different from generic DVD cases (i.e. because of the memory card space).

All of my games are in very good condition (not suntan, not scratched, complete), I don't see the fun in collecting loose or damaged goods. And it's not like I'd loose money if I pay more for a pristine copy because I can resell it for that kind of money.

Anyway, I don't think most people see their stuff as something of value. Once it is bought, it will have to serve its purpose and no more than that. Maybe it has to do with mentality... US: everything new and shiny is a must-have, but tomorrow it has lost any appeal - on the contrary the island of Japan: "we need to recycle our resources, resell everything, conserve everything!"

Europe is somewhere in the middle. Our fleamarkets are filled with damaged trash though, no difference to the US used game market...

 

Funny enough my Dad has that mentality, if something breaks, he just buys it brand new. I like buying used, getting a deal on it and then trying to fix it from there.

I just looked at both cases for the Metal Gear Solid games and they don't have the Memory card slots in the case, but have the Playstation Logo pressed into the plastic. I wonder if there is a place i can get new PS2 cases . . .

-Disjaukifa

 

Same here. The thing that pisses me off is when boxes/manuals are lost. How the fuck can you lose them. Cartridges I can understand as they dont get as damaged unboxed but still. Another that annoys me is when the box manual and game are mint. But the fucking wee willy winky on top is snapped off. Is it treally that easy to break?

 

I can't picture what you are talking about? Are you talking about the tabs that holds the discs in the case?

-Disjaukfia

 

Yeah, some people don't care about anything.

And don't forget the kids. They really don't care about anything and some parents say something but others also don't care and if the "toy" keep the kids busy for some time, it's alright.

 

Thats very true. My son's almost 2, but we have been trying to teach him how to take care of his stuff and not to break it and so far it seems to be working. He has this one stuffed animal that he loves and is really careful around. We actually bought an extra two of them once we realized how much he loved that puppy pillow.

Well he accidentally got a little juice on it, so we just got out a spare one and went to wash his main one. Well it ended up getting destroyed in the dryer somehow, we still haven't figured that one out at all.

Guess what I'm saying is I understand accidents, but not the plan disregard for the condition you keep your stuff in . . . I know my son doesn't know how to be gentle with DVDs and Movies so I keep all my consoles, accessories and games away from where he can reach them.

-Disjaukifa

 

I'm very careful with my own games. Unfortunately most people don't give a damn. That's why i envy japanese people. Every picture or movie from a game store in Japan shows how they like and take care of their stuff.

 

I've only be to one classic game convention here in the states, and since it was all hobbyest that really cared about their collections, you could by some amazing stuff in immaculate condition.

I almost wish used game stores had a stricter policy on the condition the games had to be in when returned, but I understand why they don't. I know G2K games by my house is fairly strict on the condition of both consoles and accessories, just not so much for the games. Whenever I get hardware from them, its always in really nice shape.

I'm always hesitant to buy online because even though you might get a picture of the item, you really don't know the condition its in . . .

-Disjaukifa

 

It all depends on what value people attach to things. It doesn't just apply to games but everything we buy.

I do take care of my games and ones I don't play anymore go in my game trunk where they're safe from getting damaged. Hell for my arcade stuff, since it's disc based, I take the security dongle & disc out after every use so they don't get beat up or damaged.

Yet when it comes to shoes, I have 1 pair and I'm pretty rough on them since I just wear them till they're destroyed then I get a new pair. My wife on the other hand has tons of shoes and even her really old ones are in good clean shape.

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In regards to PS2 game cases, I've discovered that a lot of newer budget games or reprints tend to come in new cases that lack the memory card slot in them. MGS 1-3 where re-released in a bundle over a year ago for the ps2 (mgs1 is still a ps1 disc but it comes in a ps2 style case).

 

Do not have children! I have some titles that no longer look like discs, but something that a sandblaster has been tested on!

I no longer own nearly as much material and most are easily replaced, but still it annoys me!

 

The tab thing that held megadrive games on the rails.

 

Great, I was afraid I had missed one of the games . . . wonder where I could just buy the first one . . . anyway there has to be a retailer out there that sells new PS2 cases . . . maybe not, but I'll check later tonight when I get home.

-Disjaukifa

 

Ah ok, I know what you are talking about now! I've actually never seem them broken before to be honest, but I don't collect genesis/megadrive stuff. 95% of the time its just the cartridge or its the case with manual in excellent shape.

-Disjaukifa

 

If it's just some cheapass used game for a current gen system or PS2 or something, then I don't care as long as it works. If it's Japanese Saturn (because let's face, finding a PAL case that's not fallen apart is impossible) then I'd rather have all the booklets, the spine card, case and disc in good condition, even though I don't really consider myself a "collector" in the sense that I actually buy games to play them.

The switch to discs probably caused a lot of this, since unlike they're easy to destroy if you don't take care of them. I bet some people actually grab the discs instead of the edges, for example.

 

While, obviously, the better the shape stuff is in, the better it is, I don't really care about the condition of something I bought at a pawn market if I can get it to work.
People don't care about manual or boxes because they do not give a big importance to them. I understand them, the game is fully playable and usable even without them, and there are many more important things than immaculate manual and boxes... I don't collect, I just like old video game and computer systems and I like developing for them.

 

If you ever get the collecting bug and want your stuff immaculate it will drive you mental.

 

Ebay tends to have some. Could also find a store that sells sealed old game for really cheap and buy up some for replacement cases.

 

That's a good idea, but it might be too late: about 2-3 years ago you could've just bought a pile of new PS2 games, but I'm guessing even stores with the crappiest of the crappy game selections will have gotten rid of their old PS2 game by now.

 

Not really. Ps2 generally still sells pretty decent for it's age.

Here in Canada it's pretty easy to find new ps2 games.