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 As this hobby of ours levels off and the initial rush of collectors begins weeding out those who aren't as dedicated, have grown bored or can no longer afford it, we begin to read deeper into the trends that are developed by those who have stuck it out for several years. You begin to notice these trends when chatting about certain systems or about one's progress towards their personal goals or reading about a huge score.
One trend in particular that I have found both interesting and somewhat disguised is for someone to have in their collection, a system or several systems that they don't particularly care for or play, but insist it's a worthy investment and have no wish to part with. No one seems to talk about it openly but you can read between the lines on what they honestly think of it. I call this trend "system pity".
System pity is owning a system you don't play, and buying games you care nothing for or only have a minor interest in, because you think it should sit on your shelf to complete your collection. Maybe you feel you've missed out on something by not having one. Maybe you can't understand why it was popular but every once in a while, you pop in a game and try to figure it out for yourself. Not to be confused with buying an obscure system or a rare one, system pity is directed more towards a system you have experience with, yet have no real love for.
My personal object of system pity is the Nintendo Gamecube, and on a lesser scale, the Nintendo 64. Now I'm not going to turn this into a bashing article, as that is not my intent. Not every video game system made appeals to every gamer ever born. That's a simple truth we can all appreciate.
I had a Gamecube early in it's lifecycle. It had some good games I honestly enjoyed like Star Wars Rogue Squadron II and Wave Race: Blue Storm. What it didn't have was enough games to warrant keeping one in my living room, prompting me to get rid of it later on. Much of my distaste for it came from how the games were being made and it's reliance on 1st party games to keep it afloat. Games similar in philosophy and style to the N64 library, which also has a few great games but not a well rounded library. Of course the horrible controller didn't help matters much either, especially if you have large hands.
Later on when the Wii came out several friends who knew I collected offered their Gamecubes to me, some with games, accessories etc. I didn't accept any of them because I honestly had no idea what I'd do with them. Free is free sure but if all it would do is sit in the closet untouched, well there's not much point in having it now is there?
Then at some point later on, a large assortment of Gamecubes, memory cards, controllers, games etc just seemed to be falling into my lap. Brand new stuff, top rated games etc. were finding their way into my hands and it quickly gathered into a decent collection of titles and hardware one could be proud of. I started reading about other gamers and collector's experiences with the Gamecube and why they enjoyed it so much. I talked with friends and family who have fond memories of that system and hoped the Wii would provide the same enjoyment for them.
Although for the most part I didn't share in these opinions of these games, I decided then and there that having a Gamecube collection could be a shameless indulgence of mine. I still look at the little toyish looking system with the dinky fisher price controllers and wonder how it even accomplished what it did. Oddly enough it was the one and only mainstream game system I didn't own. That's where the pity started.
So now as I type this, 7 feet away from a Gamecube that has been hooked into my AV hub for who knows how long, I don't question having it anymore. Sure it gets less usage than my R-Zone, gathers more dust than my TRS-80, but the pity I feel for Nintendo's 3rd and decidedly weakest machine, cements it's place in my collection. And someday, with patience and an open mind, I just may figure out what all the fuss was about.
So, have you got a system you own just to own? Something you have just for the sake of having and to round out your collection? Maybe something you keep hooked up because it seems popular with your friends and guests who enjoy playing it at your house? What's your object of system pity?
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