tz101 Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Is anyone of a mind like me? I prefer loose game carts to CIB due to space limitations in my slightly small home. Manuals and overlays are a plus, but the boxes just take up too much room. Limited shelf space means that loose carts fit so much better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tr3vor Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Not only space for me, but price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NinjaWarrior Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 I only get CIB of my Fav Games Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MagitekAngel Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Loose NES games look sick when they are stood up on their sides, label-out on a shelf. The only carts I like to have CIB are Master System and Genesis games, because the plastic clamshell cases are way, way cooler than cardboard boxes. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck D. Head Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Thats the way for me as well. I only intend on getting boxed copies of games that are special to me; my favorites or, something like 2600 Basketball, which was the first game I ever plugged into my first atari. I have about 130 2600 games, almost all of them are loose and almost all of them have cost me a dollar or less. Intellivision, I will be more likely to get boxed, because the games tend to need the manual more and I need a place to store the manual and overlays. Also I lucked into my initial purchase having about 30 boxed games to start things off. I also agree about the SMS and Genesis clamshells, very nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennybingo Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Not only for space and for price, but also for playability. I don't know about you all, but in my humble opinion, no matter how common, it is very hard for me to open a sealed game. I feel like I am helping to exterminate an endangered species! For example, I have had on my shelf for the past year a copy of 7800 Dark Chambers - sealed in box. I wanted to play it last night and participate in the high score club games. I had to fight with myself until today, when I finally broke down and opened it. Now, this is by no means a "travesty", as this is rather common in the wild still. But when you think about it, there is only a set amount of these left in pristine condition, and I just opened up one of them. It is a moral dilemma which I am sure some would agree with my reasoning and others would not. My reasoning is that I bought the game in order to play it, so opening it up is not that big of a deal. On the other hand, I could have been less impulsive and picked up a loose or opened copy off of eBay. This is why I prefer loose copies which have clean, intact labels and instruction manuals if possible. They are fully playable with no guilt and playing these classic games is my main reason for purchase! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGameCollector Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 (edited) Yeah the way I see it is that you only want to invest in a complete copy of a game if you absolutely love it. When your collection gets too big you might end up saying forget about it and stick with only keeping those games that you absolutely love. I was collecting a copy of every game I could find, cart only. Until I had to move and space became an issue. Then I realized I had too much unplayed stuff on every system. I had so many Atari 2600 games that I even sold about half of them - just the ones that I didn't actually like. For systems pre-Nintendo I figure it's just too hard to always be able to find it complete unless it's Atari brand and mass produced. Intellivision stuff is also very common complete. But stuff like Colecovision, Arcadia 2001, Vectrex, and the majority of Atari's other competetors are very hard to find complete games for. The way the Bally Astrocade games were packaged (like an action figure) I'm sure very few people kept the packaging. Oh and boxes for handheld games seem to be even much harder to find than their console counterparts because less people want to keep or collect them. Game Boy boxes seem to be available but cost a lot, and Game Gear boxes seem to be very scarce but cheap when found (unless it's a rare game to begin with) Edited April 13, 2011 by TheGameCollector Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
accousticguitar Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 I don't have a problem opening sealed games. In fact, I rather enjoy it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowCoder Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Is anyone of a mind like me? I prefer loose game carts to CIB due to space limitations in my slightly small home. Manuals and overlays are a plus, but the boxes just take up too much room. Limited shelf space means that loose carts fit so much better. I am of that mind. Other than my Intellivision, Genesis and SMS, I have very few CIB games. A very generous AA member hooked me up with my CIB Intv games, even though I hadn't asked for them, and the cost difference for Genesis and SMS CIB or cart only is very little. Other than that, space and money takes precidence, and I like to not have to drag out a huge box full of boxes every time I want to play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IntellivisionDude Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 I mainly collect lose games. Not so much for space (even though i don't have any of that either) but because of price. And like someone else said, loose games look cool displayed. I only try to collect boxed games for the Intellivision and Genesis. All my 2600 games are loose, same with Colecovision, Snes, N64 (wait i have 1 with a box). I do have a few boxed NES games, but that was because this video store was going out of business. Since then i have only bought loose. And 3 boxed 7800 games (only because they were the same price loose). And i wouldn't mind boxes for a few of my favorite games (on systems that i don't collect boxes for), like Paper Mario, Super Mario RPG, all 3 Mario Party's for the N64. Stuff like that. Now CD games are a different story. It bugs the crap out of me owning a cd game not in it's original case or without it's manual, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowCoder Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 (edited) Loose NES games look sick when they are stood up on their sides, label-out on a shelf. I just wonder what the heck Nintendo was thinking when they designed the N64 carts. There's only one way to display those things if you want to know which games are which, and that's side-by-side I bought a label maker to label each of my N64 carts so I can store them compactly without having to look at each cart. Rediculous, in my opinion. Luckily, I can't think of any other console that had the same shortsightedness. I guess they just figured everyone would just leave their games in big piles in the middle of the living room floor. Edited April 13, 2011 by SlowCoder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HatefulGravey Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 I have a few sealed games I really want to play, but I can't make myself open them to play them either. I have about 30 boxed 2600 games and I find that I can't play them at all really. Taking them off the shelf and opening the box, digging the game out without damaging the box, and having to do it all backwards when I'm done is a pain. I like to grab a game and play and just put it back on the shelf when I'm done. I don't mind Sega Mastersystem and Genesis games that are in plastic as those cases are much harder to damage so its isn't as tricky to get them in and out without damaging the box, and the box stores better while the game is in play. I worry that I'm going to do something crazy to my Atari box in the short time it isn't on the shelf anymore, but on the table because I'm playing the game. I always thought it was just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gooch3008 Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 (edited) I have my N64 games with labels on he sides too. Edited April 13, 2011 by gooch3008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatta Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Boxes are a burden. I buy these things to play, not to curate. But if I get a box, I feel like I have to take care of it for posterity. I really ought to go through my boxed games and see if I can trade for loose copies and some extras. Although, I love mid-90s PC game cases. The ones Space Quest etc used to come in. Love having them, hate the space they take up. What to do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jferio Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 My tendency currently is to make an evaluation of which makes sense, accounting for availability of boxed versus loose. I'll collect anything disc as 'boxed' because they tend to be the easiest. I prefer Master System boxed but will settle for loose. I'm at the point with Sega Genesis and Intellivision that I will make every effort to limit myself to boxed unless it's a really well regarded game at an excellent price point. Everything else just tends to not come boxed, so I'm willing to collect those loose, although I'm to the point on the Atari 2600 stuff that I'd prefer going for boxed on those, as well, since I'm really just interested in upgrading what I have currently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godslabrat Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Loose NES games look sick when they are stood up on their sides, label-out on a shelf. The only carts I like to have CIB are Master System and Genesis games, because the plastic clamshell cases are way, way cooler than cardboard boxes. I'm the exact same way. I don't go out of my way for boxes at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tz101 Posted April 13, 2011 Author Share Posted April 13, 2011 I am of that mind. Other than my Intellivision, Genesis and SMS, I have very few CIB games. A very generous AA member hooked me up with my CIB Intv games, even though I hadn't asked for them, and the cost difference for Genesis and SMS CIB or cart only is very little. Other than that, space and money takes precidence, and I like to not have to drag out a huge box full of boxes every time I want to play. Same here on INTV, SMS, and Sega Genesis/32X games, simply because the clamshells/boxes are so prevalent and inexpensive. But I am even rethinking that strategy as my shelves have filled up with Sega clamshells. I have found that drawer-type cassette tape storage bins hold SMS and Genesis carts quite nicely and take up far less space. Other than those, all 10 of my Jaguar games are CIB as I bought them all new back in the 90's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HatefulGravey Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 Boxes are a burden. I buy these things to play, not to curate. But if I get a box, I feel like I have to take care of it for posterity. I really ought to go through my boxed games and see if I can trade for loose copies and some extras. Although, I love mid-90s PC game cases. The ones Space Quest etc used to come in. Love having them, hate the space they take up. What to do? I have been thinking of trading my boxed games too. I like to have Activision boxed for my 2600 games, I like to have the manuals in a book but the boxed copies of everything else I'm thinking I'll trade for loose copies and such. I know there are people that like the boxes over the loose games, so I know there is are people that will trade. Just got to make myself do it. I think the sealed games are what really makes me the nutty. I have Gravatar sealed, I want to play it, but instead I have it on my wanted list because I don't want to open the game to play it. Just feels wrong to open a game that has been sealed that long. I have traded for a few loose copies of boxed games recently, but not that one or Donkey Kong for the 7800 for that matter. Stange, you would think collectors would be able to enjoy a boxed copy more, but I really can't. Whats even stanger is I have a box or two in pretty bad shape, but I can't throw them out and just put the loose game on my shelf with the others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BydoEmpire Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 I prefer loose games on certain consoles - NES, 2600, etc because I already have a lot of loose carts and there's no way I'm going to start collecting boxed games. I don't have space, and I like the way I have the loose carts arranged. Cardboard boxes aren't conducive to taking the carts in and out repeatedly as well, although I suppose if I really wanted to I could store the carts separate from the boxes, but that's even more space. For systems whose games came in plastic cases (Genny, SMS, CD/DVD-based games) I like having the box. I do pick up the odd loose Genny/SMS game, but I definitely prefer boxed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CGQuarterly Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 Loose NES games look sick when they are stood up on their sides, label-out on a shelf. The only carts I like to have CIB are Master System and Genesis games, because the plastic clamshell cases are way, way cooler than cardboard boxes. +1. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Itchy Koala Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 I have tried to rid myself of boxes to save space. The carts hold up better than the boxes anyway, so they serve no purpose unless you're a perfectionist collector. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rikkarr Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 I'd say I'm of the same mindset, man. I don't have a lot of shelf space, and a lot of it is already used up by my book collection, so having carts stacked up takes up a lot less space than boxes That said, I will only collect Master System games with boxes. No idea why, it just feels wrong without them for that system. Everything else is okay by me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DickNixonArisen Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 With the genesis/SMS clamshells I keep the manual and box insert and get rid of (goodwill) the plastic; if I ever get a home with a game room I can reconstitute them with others. Third party manufacturers like EA have slightly different boxes; I might try and get the right ones, I might not. Since a given SMS clamshell seems to be no different than any other, I feel it would be ethical to say, get rid of one for Phantasy Star, wait ten years, get a new clamshell, and put the manual, game, and insert into it and sell it as CIB. I haven't been able to find any serial numbers on boxes or any way to tell one from another as long as they're both offical sega. Cardboard boxes I tend to collapse and keep. SNES boxes collapse well and are bulky. NES boxes I often leave uncollapsed and store, though I don't keep the game in them, I do keep the manual and sleeve in the box. I don't have a lot of boxed games and enjoy collecting loose carts. Money, space and convenience are the issues for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 (edited) If you think classic gaming boxes take up lots of space, try the old PC game boxes!!Remember when PC game boxes were huge 9x12 inch boxes or bigger?I have about 400+ of those, THOSE are a problem for me.I don't want to throw them out or flatten them as most have shrink wrap, and the mint boxes demand more $$ if i ever decide to sell the games.As for my 2600, Intv, 7800, ColecoVision boxes?, i have them put away nicely in thick plastic wrap lined boxes under my basement stairs.My basement is finished and climate controlled.I also have a huge box full of 2600 and ColecoVision boxes in my closet that i had since the early 80's, and the boxes are still crisp and new just like the day i bought them and the boxes are just loose in there with no plastic bags.I store my games loose on shelves, or in boxes as i too don't have a huge house and collect other things as well.Then of course, those boxes full of boxes take up room too, but not as much if you arrange the game boxes properly inside the boxes themselves. Edited April 16, 2011 by Rik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlowCoder Posted April 16, 2011 Share Posted April 16, 2011 @Rik If you have those CIB PC games out on display, I'd love to see them. Any chance of posting pics? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.