[img width=350 height=500]https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2111/32302133874_3b19110d66_c.jpg[/img]As my collection has been growing, my acquisitions have been slowing. It makes sense that at some point, you will eventually reach a saturation point in your collecting in which it's harder to find titles that interest you than it used to be when you had less games. However, I still really enjoy gaming and collecting so I don't want it to stop quite yet. Over the last few weeks, one of my collecting goals has been to update my rfgen wishlist. Sounds simple enough. Yet, I found myself pouring well over 50 hours into this project. I wanted to make sure my list was comprehensive and accurate. This meant reaching out to trusted friends with expertise beyond mine for certain libraries, doing a fair bit of research, and watching a ton of YouTube playthroughs before assigning a coveted checkmark to the wishlist box. To start off, I made a list of every unique console I own so that I could use that as a checklist. I started crossing off consoles once I felt I had properly explored the library and was satisfied I didn't overlook any hidden gems, staples, or collectible games the consoles had to offer. Some libraries were fairly quick and easy to explore because of their sizes (Sega 32X, Atari 5200, Neo Geo AES), others were easy to to explore because of my familiarity (3DS, SNES, Dreamcast), others were time consuming due to their size (Wii, PS, PC), some were fairly foreign to me and took a lot more effort to learn and explore (Game Boy/Color/Advance, 3DO, CD-i), and some were just a pain due to some of my self imposed collecting rules (360, Atari 2600, Xbox One, PS4). Basically, depending on the length of free time I had to spend, I'd choose a console accordingly and dig into the library starting at A (or numbers in many cases) and work my way to Z each chance I had. This was a really cool experience and something I'd suggest everyone do for at least your favorite consoles. There are so many games I was unaware of that just look awesome or unique or that are collectible and just completely flew under my radar (and this is coming from a decades long collector who owns a game store). It was also very enlightening to check out multi-platform games and make decisions on which version was most deserving to find a spot in my collection (and occasionally multiple versions would make the cut). Some of the consoles that surprised me most were the 3DO and Colecovision. The 3DO has a lot more to offer than I initially thought at first glance. Not a ton of traditional style software, but a very intriguing spread of bizarre offerings that looked appealing. And the Coleco just blew me away. Nearly every multiplatform game released on that system made my list. They looked stellar and seemed to play smoother than any other version that came out. That along with a few cool exclusives that I was unaware of, really sold me on this system that I've been undervaluing and neglecting for years. I've often neglected the handheld side of gaming as I championed consoles, so I went into systems like the Game Gear, Game Boy, PSP and DS with great enthusiasm. I was not disappointed. I found hundreds upon hundreds of portable gaming gems that caught my attention and that I now desire to play. [img width=700 height=384]https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2934/33020350841_2b3dd97fb3_c.jpg[/img]Not everything can be a winner though and some systems that I thought I would find more interesting games for were a bit of a let down in terms of interesting software. Sega Master System, Xbox 360, and the Atari Jaguar each fell into this camp. While it was still worthwhile exploring what each system had to offer, it was a little bit disheartening shifting through a library of well over a thousand games only to find 20 new games that I wanted to add to my collection, a few of which were multiplatform games I already owned for other systems. I really do enjoy striving for full sets on certain systems and don't intend to stop going for a few more, this project really put my collecting in perspective though. Now that my wishlist is completed and I've added nearly 2700 new potential collection items to my radar, I plan to inventory each system in my collection both to ensure their accuracy on rfgen (i'm sure I've added a few games to my wishlist that I already own and just forgot to add) and to unload some stuff that no longer has a home in my collection. And I'm excited to sell/trade some 3DO games that will likely never touch again to make room for some new ones!!
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I'm a huge fan of the wishlist or WTB list. I put one together myself nearly 2 years ago, and for the most part I haven't bought anything that wasn't on it since then.
I don't personally use the RFGeneration wishlist feature because I prefer my own methods for something like this. Mine has a column for the game title with notes in square brackets, mostly on extras to look out for. Then there's a column for the lowest price I would expect to pay on Ebay, and a column for the highest price I would expect to pay on Ebay. These prices are for CIB only and don't factor in shipping, but I do acknowledge Ebay price inaccuracy when the price is low but the shipping is bloated. In those cases prices are usually ignored or "adjusted" when I take them into account.
I have the whole list (all 1400 games or so) printed off in a small 4" x 6" booklet that I take with me everywhere. It's been invaluable in any game hunting situations, and I find a quick flip through it for prices is much more convenient than researching things on the fly when I'm in a store. For the most part, even with the ever changing used game market, I've managed to get nearly every purchase within the limits of the price range on my list. If I've never found something locally before, I do tend to be more flexible with my prices, especially when I remember that they would still cost more if I paid them online due to shipping.
I totally agree with you on how many games fly under your radar until you look in more detail at a system's library. This list has given me so many great games, many of which I never knew existed before.
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Brother, I totally feel you regarding the pickup "slump." It used to be that I would pick up games all the time, but over the last several months, I have typically come home empty handed. Many of the libraries that I want to complete (NES, SMS, Colecovision, 5200 & 7800) are nearing their end and being older titles, I come across them much less often. I will never complete the 2600, but my collection is so large now that I never come across anything. Also, the other systems I collect for are reaching the end of my wishlist for them (just looking for one more Xbox game, and PS3 and PSP are done...unless I hear about some gem I really need to add). I recently downsized my INTV collection very heavily because I am running out of room and I wanted to free up space for my fast growing CIB Genesis collection. Due to space constraints (until my kids outgrow their playroom and want to add to "our" collection...), I've put a bit of a hold on grabbing any more modern consoles and starting new collections; however, I know this will end when newer systems come out and prices plummet. In other words, right now I'm in a bit of a self-imposed, collecting dead zone.
Since I have been at RF Generation, I have always been good about keeping a healthy wishlist. I wouldn't say that it's "logical" as there are some things I will never come across, but I still like to have those games on there in case something were to pop up. I too find it helpful to watch videos on "hidden gems" or "top ___ games" to see what is out there and maybe what I might have missed. It has been quite a gradual way of adding games to my wishlist over time and it helps that I can have it on my phone whenever I am in a store.
P.S. Stay away from my d@#m Colecovision games, or send some my way.... 
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Are your Coleco are belong to me!!
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I knew there was a reason I couldn't find any Colecovision games around here....
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Good article! I haven't made extensive use of the RFGen wishlist feature, and I'm finding that maybe I should, but as you stated, it can be quite time consuming. Part of that is, quite simply, I want it all. I don't mean that to sound selfish, but in a sense, I'm collecting everything I can get my hands on, sans sports games, for every platform that I can collect for. Because I can find them between $2 and $4 right now, I'm buying up as many PS2, Xbox, Game Cube, Xbox 360, and PS3 games I can get my hands on that look even remotely interesting or worth a play. So while I'm looking toward full sets (or near-full), I'm just grabbing anything I can find while it's cheap. As for stuff that's less plentiful in the wild (at least in my area), I'm very picky about what I pick up, because I'm just in "buy it all" mode right now, getting as many of the cheaper, more common titles out of the way that I can. For example, on the NES, when I hit the game store, I try to find 2 or 3 under $10 titles each time I'm in there. As for other systems, I'm more picky - I only buy CIB Sega Genesis games, because of the plastic cases and artwork (I'm less picky about later cardboard box releases), and because I'm a cheapskate, I often pass on more rare or sought-after titles unless I can source them on the cheap. So as a collector, I tend to take a less structure approach, and just find what I find, check my RFGen list to make sure I don't have it, and if the price is right, I buy, and celebrate my find. I realize it's a bit haphazard, but as gigantic as my backlog has become as a collector, it's hard to allocate the time for setting collection goals and getting organized, because I'd rather spend that time playing.
As for the ColecoVision, I'm right there with you! I bought one last year, and recently got it finally hooked up, and wow, aside from the lousy controllers, it's a great little system! I'm looking forward to finding more CV games, and getting to put some more time into it, especially with a friend/coworker that appreciates the classic games in the same way I do.
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