http://blog.wired.com/games/2008/10/gamers-buy-more.html

Gamers Buy More Than They Can Play, Study Suggests
By Earnest Cavalli October 28, 2008 | 6:02:46 PMCategories: Culture
11 percent of all gamer homes contain games that were purchased relatively long ago, but never removed from their shrinkwrap prison, reveals a recent study conducted by analyst The NPD Group.
The study polled 562 gamers, all of whom had purchased a game from a retail location within the last six months. Of the 562, the average gaming collection was found to be 48 titles.
Along with its findings on gamers' tendency to buy more than they can play, the study -- which was focused specifically on gaming packaging -- also revealed that 88 percent of gamers store their games in their original packaging, 8 percent in plastic sleeves while retaining the original cases, and five percent just ditch the original packaging altogether.
These finding are way more intriguing to me than any study on the topic has a right to be.
I personally own almost 20 games that are still unopened, but I always assumed it was by virtue of having a career in which publishers mail me games on a near-daily basis.
I also happen to be one of those people who stores games in their original cases. Any time I purchase a used game at a retailer I demand the original packaging, and I'm no fan of those who mangle the original packaging, much less throw it all away.
That's a valuable part of the game, and ditching the manual or sleeve, though it may save space, is tantamount to tearing the spine off a book.
How about you? Where do you stand in relation to this study's depiction of the average gamer?


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I do tend to keep my games' original packaging however which is why I have a closet dedicated to games now. heh

Are they spying on me? I'm guilty, I own around 250-300 games that have never been played, which includes around 200 that have never been removed from the plastic wrapping. But I sort of have an excuse:

I've been a gamer since I was a kid and when I enlisted into the navy that was one habit that they did not break me from. Being on a ship, living with 300 guys nearly 24 hours a day, exclusive access to a television to play a game does not happen very often. So I would always have games that I purchased at that last port that I didn't get to play. I kept buying the new games when I was able even though there was a slim chance I'd get to use them, my rationale was that "I will not live on this ship forever so I may as well keep building my collection." After nearly 10 years, I had acquired more games than I would ever have the desire to go back and play.

I keep all the packaging of all my games, but the games that I have opened are not in those packages. I keep them in storage containers which are in turn kept in a fireproof safe. I have around 480-500 games that have had the pleasure of being used at least once. I keep those in electronic storage carousels connected to my laptop for easy access.

EDIT: I never buy used games (or used anything) so that has never been an issue for me. And I have a firm stance against trading in my games that are in pristine condition, for an insulting fraction of their value. If I can't afford to buy it new, I don't need it and if you can't give me what it's really worth, you don't deserve it.

nope that's not me Michlo, all my disks & discs are not pristine

I certainly don't have as many un-played games as Woogie, but I do have about 4 or 5. Pokemon Colleseum, Some karaoke game, and I can't think of the rest.

lol, that is the 2nd study which fits to me(from maybe 200 I read already...). But I do not keep the original packaging, I put the discs together with the cover paper and if available the inlay or Instructions into a CD bag. I'm not sure how many games I have and didn't play yet. I think that the FPS Cold Winter for PS2 will be the only one I will never play(since I have a pal ps2 and my emulater doesn't run that game. On top of that, I suffered too much playing FPS with a control pad...).

But I also have an excuse: most of the games I have were not purchased, but presents from friends who finished them already or didn't like them, so...

And 2nd excuse: I sometimes get some games just for inspiration or if I feel like playing that for maybe an hour(best example: DiRT, Radient Silvergun, Thunderforce IV(or was it VI?)). I'm not planing to even finish them^^.

3rd excuse: Disgaea, Disgaea 2, Phantom Brave, La Pucelle Tactics and Makai Kingdom are way to huge to be finished under 300 hours... Also, I lost all my savegames(DAMN, my lv 3300 Succubus... gone......). No motivation for the next 2 years at least...

I have some I haven't played that I've had a good while, maybe over a year. I only have about maybe 30 or 40 games I think I don't know, I have at least 10 per platform so that maybe a little too low. I'm still planning on playing them though. I let oblivion lie around from 9/07 to 5/08 before unwrapping it. I just don't have much time, and I've made too much time for Oblivion actually, it's an obsession.

I keep all my games in their original cases and that includes the ones for my SNES, which is still hooked up and working, in the basement.

i have some older games but i dont play...only ones i really like such as Neverwinter Nights i keep upstairs

Sheppard

I play everything I buy, I don't rank up there with those of you with hundreds of games maybe 25.
I do have three copies of oblivion T, M and GOTY GotY has never been touched,but I opened it!

I also play everything I buy... I own maybe 35-40 games, and I've played every single one of them. I can't afford to buy many games - I've only bought one in the past 3 or 4 months, sadly - so I make full use of the ones I do manage to buy

I'm not rich enough to buy and NOT play. I'm 16, any money I can scrap together is well spent on something with lots of replay value.

I don't go out and buy trashy shooters which play themselves out in 1-2 hours. Makes you look back and think 'I spent 30 euros just to play an hour of that?'

I have 20 games for my PC play most of them all the time.
Have about 50 PS1 PS2 and PS3 games all together, i play them all the time.

i only have 2 games that i haven't played and only because my crappy computer didn't have the minimum requirements i play morrowind because oblivion requires too much cpu and ram not to mention a better video card.and i only have 20-25 games and they've all been played so much i've beaten resident evil 4 soo many times, it's a short game but still.. if it isn't cheap,or has multiplayer,a huge playing area or good replay value i don't get it by cheap i mean >20 bucks.

Wow it never occured to me that people may buy games AND NOT PLAY THEM.
Personally I rush home rip off the wrapping and stuff the game into my console
I try to keep the box and manual in as good condition as possible.

I've played all of my 250+ games... I haven't finished all of them, and there are quite a few I very probably won't ever finish for various reasons... I can't even claim to have gotten very far in all of them, because there are a few I've played for a couple of hours then given up on- but I've played all of them. I, too, tend to run right home with a new game and stick it in immediately (if only to make sure it'll work). The really good ones stay in there until they're done or I'm too exhausted to keep playing.

me too,everything that comes with them is still with them in excellent condition.

Wow Michlo I'm going to have to agree with you, it really doesn't apply to me, and I too jeep all my games in perfect condition, keep the boxes manuals etc. I love all my games equally and play them about equally also.

The only games I have that I don't still play from time to time are games which are too old to be compatible with my current computer and operating system. The only new things that I have and have not yet played are some free games online (Sword of the New World ), which again I'm having technical problems with. Like some others mentioned, money is tight so I don't waste it on a game I'm not going to play.

Actually I probably have fewer games than some and play them for a lot longer, because not every game is appealing to me. I like rpgs and can tolerate first person shooters if there's a good story. Otherwise I'm usually not interested. I can't stand most simulation, strategy and puzzle games (particularly puzzles - hate those).

I do tend to keep all my game packaging and manuals - partly for the reason that I might put away a game for a long time then need to brush up if I decide to play again, and partly for the idea of having the packaging should I decide to trade the game in. So far I've traded nothing. Isn't the trade in market geared more toward console games than PC games?

Umm wow I must be wierd or something because out of the 100-150 games I own every single game has been opened and played... serious, why buy a game you'll never play?

Well, as I stated, I didn't buy games with the intent of never playing them. I was a young, single man with a pocket full of money and no bills to pay, buying the things I wanted. It just worked out that I never had the opportunity to play them. There's a big difference.
As far as catching up on lost time, with Oblivion in one disc drive and Fallout 3 in the other, why would I want to open a game from 1999 and ruin its perfect condition just to be horrified at either the way it looks or that it's too old to run on my ginormously awesome rig?


Yes, I know I just completely molested that word.

i play ever game i buy as soon as i get home.most of my games are in the the case they that came in.the only reason there are a few that are not is because the case broke for whatever reason.

I don't really have a whole lot of money, heck most people don't where I live. After food and bills are paid for, I only have $60 left over a week. I've probably got 40 ps2, ps1 and pc games put together, and i've played and finished every one of them.