Obsession? Compulsion? Disorder? All of the above?

I never have enough time to do the things I really want to do. I have so many video games in the wrapper that I really want to play but never get around to. Yet I continue to buy them. I sometimes refer to the Mel Gibson quote from Conspiracy Theory about why he always buys a copy of The Catcher in the Rye when he sees one. That's kinda how I feel. And for myself, I always buy new. I had a couple of bad "used" experiences. I'm apauled by how some people treat their stuff. Some of the discs and cases in the used section of EB games look like they've been chewed up and spit out by the family dog.

I've been a little better lately about the games I select. I used to love dumpster diving (ie. sorting through the bargain bin) to find the hidden gems at blowout prices to add to the collection. The problem is that I seldom play any of those games. I used to brag about having them in my collection but they never saw the light of day. In the past year, I have re-evaluated my position on my game inventory and I've started weeding some out. Trade-in deals, garage sales, and eBay have helped to thin my collection down by about 10-12 Xbox360 titles.

Not that long ago, I also made the decision to get rid of my original Xbox and my xbox games. Part of it was because Microsoft made the decision to kill the Xbox servers so online play was dead (au revoir, battlefront). Part of it was because I found myself looking forward to the next new 360 title rather than going back to the old favorites. And part of it was because I felt I should try to prove to myself that I do not have a problem. I'm still not convinced.

I had 50 xbox games but I chose to keep 10 only. All are sentimental faves that are backwards compatible, with the exception of one that I've wanted to play forever but have to find the time to do so. The rest have either been sold or are in the process of being sold. As I sorted through them I noticed that this that about a half dozen of them were still in the wrapper, so this behavior had been continuing for some time.

My original Xbox console/controllers/DVD playback kit was sold at a pre-moving garage sale to a couple of kids who looked like they came from a less affluent family and were just happy to have video games, never mind the latest and greatest. While I felt like I wanted to jump them and take my system back as they walked away, I also felt good knowing it was going to people who really appreciated it. I even threw in a free game to get them started.

While I showed some significant self-restraint, I'm still not convinced. I shouldn't have needed self-restraint. This shouldn't have been a decision to agonize over. Hell, as I write this I have 4 games pre-ordered and want to lock-up copies of two more. A few months ago I picked up a couple of PS3 titles because I really wanted them. One hasn't been played yet and one has not been played half as much as I would like. As I flip through the weekly barrage of store ads that come to my house, I see that some of the games that I haven't played yet are now $20-$30 cheaper than when I bought them. Even though I know that games almost always go down in price over time, that still doesn't sit well with me. I'm generally a very patient guy. I could have waited and bought them at a cheaper price, but somehow i just can't do that.

As I think back to my childhood, I started to realize that I've always been like this. Star Wars toys, Atari 2600 games, comic books, hockey cards,... I've ALWAYS had collections and I've ALWAYS been very anal about them. I guess some things never change. Perhaps I shouldn't be too hard on myself.

Now if I could only get my old X-wing fighter back...