What kind of a collector am I?

Until recently, I never really thought of myself as a collector of video games; I viewed myself as someone who enjoyed playing games. I bought games for the specific purpose of my enjoyment and I never got rid of them, so a collection just developed over time. When buying games for the current-gen consoles, I would look for something that I either wanted to play now or play soon. The games would always be good or interesting to me in some way. Sometimes I would wait for a game to reduce in price, whereas other games I would buy at launch (no preorders as it is not my thing). If I look at the games that I bought for the "current" systems ("current" meaning I bought the game while new games were still being released for that console), the games are mostly good. There were some missteps here and there, but for the most part, the games are all good. 

A few months ago, I developed the desire to experience some nostalgia through playing games on the NES, so I decided to begin buying games for it. This is when I really became a collector for the purpose of collecting. Initially, I wanted to just have a few specific titles that I craved as a kid but never had. Even after accumulating ten games or so, my library of games felt too sparse and I wanted more. For the first time, it became about quantity over quality. I still don't own a copy of Contra, but I own a bunch of titles that I purchased for $2.00-$3.00 here and there. Don't get me wrong, some of the cheap games are good, but there are some games that are pretty terrible.

Many of my purchases are downright rationalizations. Sometimes I'm buying games that aren't even good because there's some novelty to them. I find myself encountering an internal struggle, wanting to buy bad games because I can invent some reason that I would like to have it.

This just happened recently:
*Notices X-men by LJN on a retro gaming website*
"X-men is one of the worst damned games ever! Who would want that?!"
"Well, it is only $6..."
"It might be nice for the novelty. I mean, there is a novelty to it as it is an X-men game and it is so terrible. And there's also the issue with the code that's supposed to be on the cartridge. That would make it worth it."
"No no no! I can't do this!"

I had to break myself from buying a bad game even though I knew it was a bad game! It is a bizarre feeling because I know that I'd never do this with a PS3, Xbox 360, or Wii game. Just recently, I've come to the realization that I'm making myself buy things that I know that I won't enjoy, just to have it. It is easy to be swept away in the idea of getting as many games as possible, but I know that I'm not going to have a fun time playing them. The idea of one day having a room dedicated to video games with all my consoles and games in a nice display case sounds like fun, but I feel like it is a little disingenuous if some of the games are just there to be looked at.

Over the past few months, I've spent a decent amount of time online checking out various collections and I've noticed that there are a shocking amount of completionists. There are many people who've been bitten by the collecting bug and now I can understand why. However, although I've always loved games, I'm nowhere near the point where I am going to buy some super expensive rare games to finish off a collection. It is unlikely that I'll spend over $30 on an NES cart, let alone hundreds of dollars on some of the rarer titles. I've had a wonderful time recently playing a bunch of different games, but if I had a complete library of NES titles, I'd feel like I had 300 titles that are pure garbage. There's nothing wrong with having a complete library, but it isn't for me.

I've got two orders of NES games that I'm waiting on, probably totaling around 30 games or so. Not even counting those games, I have around 90 carts at the moment, and I still lack some games that I probably should have but I don't. I think I'm ready to put the final touches on my collection. Finally, I'm at the point where all I really want are some of the gems on the system.

Here's my current wishlist:
Final Fantasy

Metal Storm

Contra

Bucky O'Hare

Darkwing Duck

Super Mario Bros 2

Kid Icarus

Mike Tyson's Punch Out

There may be a few more games in there, but not many. I've got some "halfway" titles that I can think of, but I'm not going to even think about getting them unless they are at a decent price.

To wrap this post up, I've gone through a drastic metamorphosis as a buyer of NES games and now I'm in the final stages. It will likely take me years to make it through all the games that I have now, and I'm not going to limit myself to just the NES; there are current gen games that I'd love to play as well. I'm still looking forward to experiencing and enjoying many of the titles that I have, but I'm no longer going to buy any "filler" as I recognize the kind of collector that I want to be.