People of RF Generation: People of RF Generation: Fleach

As we enter 2016, I thought it would be fun to bring back a favorite series on the RF Generation blogs: The People of RF Generation! My first interview is actually with the former writer of the series, Fleach! I had the pleasure of meeting him when we were at RetroWorld Expo back in October. Continue on through the break to learn more about him!

Name:
Floyd

Location:
Toronto, Canada

Where does your screen name come from?
Fleach is actually what my seventh grade teacher blurted out one day in class when I was goofing off. My friends started calling me that and it kind of stuck, so when I signed up here and couldn’t think of a screen name I fell back on Fleach.

How did you find RF Generation?
Back when I wanted to find all the games of my childhood the mission to buy those few games blew up into getting the ones I always wanted, at which point I figured I might as well get some info on the console libraries. After some browsing online I found RFG and it had the best catalogs and even collection tracking services.

What made you stay and become part of RFG?
Everyone probably says this: I came from the collection tools and stayed for the wicked community here on the forums. There’s such a great bunch of people here.

Have you ever met or personally know anyone at RFG?
I met Crabmaster and EngineerMike a couple years ago when I went to visit Crabby in northern British Columbia. This past October I met so many RF Gen people at Retro World Expo in Connecticut. Duke.Togo was there, so was wildbil52, singlebanana, Izret, Bickman, russlyman, Crabmaster, even erikescapade came all the way from Germany!

Number of Games Owned(at time of printing):
261 games. I need to audit my collection because I recently got some more games and the bookcase where I keep everything needs to be reorganized. It’s not a big collection, but there aren’t any stinkers in there.

Number of Games on Wishlist(at time of printing):
I don’t have anything on my wishlist here but the 16 bit RPGs and any HD collection would be on there.

Number of Systems:
Twelve including handhelds.

When did you start collecting?
About two or three years ago. That first year I acquired so many games very quickly. I’ve slowed down a little and that’s been easier on the finances. Ebay is dangerous. Wink

What was your first system you owned?
It was a Sega Genesis my dad bought for me for Christmas. I played the heck out of it!

What was your first game?
Sonic Spinball. I remember sitting on the floor, controller in hand, and pouring with sweat when I played that game. I was really hooked.

What was your first game you bought yourself?
I can’t remember. It must have been when I was in high school and probably a PS2 game.

What made you decide to buy that particular game?
Whatever game it was all my friends had it so I wanted to be part of that in-crowd.

First game you ever beat?
I think that was Super Mario 64. It’s actually the only Mario game I’ve beaten. I’m not very good at those games.

Have you ever broken anything due to frustration from a game? Be honest, we won't tell...
Not in frustration but I’ve frayed many controller cables from winding them up too tight then stuffing them into my backpack to bring to friends’ houses. And a kid who whose parents were friends with mine stepped on my Game Gear and broke it. I was sad, but we stayed friends.

Are you collecting now, if so what anything specific?
Of course! I keep debating with myself if I want to go for a complete NES set (excluding the outrageously expensive titles) but given it’s popularity right now I’m not sure, although I’ll chip away at it and grab carts when and where I can. I love action games and RPGs so that’s the main focus of my collection.

When did you feel a tipping point from gamer to both gamer and game collector?
I think when I surpassed the number of games I had as a kid I kind of said, “well, I guess I’m collecting now.” I don’t think I ever planned on collecting games - things kind of snowballed to where I am now.

What are your goals as a game collector, how have you developed them, and how do you feel about your progress toward them?
I get teased by some friends for being into “old games” so I want to show them that a lot of those games are loads of fun. I like sharing my passion for the 16 bit era so whenever a friend wants to play something I’ll show them Goof Troop (I really like that game) or something like Zelda or Castlevania.

How many games, systems, etc. are "enough"?
That’s a good question. I don’t want to say something like, “there can never be enough!” but I also don’t think I can put a number on it either. When somebody has the games and systems they’ve always wanted and they’re happy then that would probably be “enough.”

What's your proudest moment as a game collector?
Since I haven’t been doing this as long as some people on RFG and my collection is small compared to many I don’t think I’ve discovered my proudest moment. I always feel a little sense of victory when I come across a great deal though.

What's your least proud moment as a game collector?
Definitely when I naively fell in love with the convenience of eBay. I mean, it’s a great service, but it by no means is a way to collect games. I have no problem with using it and recommend it, but only as a special treat when you’ve saved up the cash. I’d rather scour the thrift stores and pawns and network with fellow collectors.

If you had to give part of your collection away for a worthy cause what part would it be, and why?
Another tough one. Now I know what it’s like to be on this side of the interview. It’s fun though! I’d definitely donate some of my games and systems to a children’s hospital. Those kids are real troopers so anything that makes them smile is worthwhile.

Where/how do you store it all?
Ikea bookcases. My gameroom is turning into an Ikea catalog with all the furniture I bought. Plus they have white bookcases and I like white.

What's your favorite part of your collection?
My RPG display case is pretty snazzy.

What about a favorite series?
Final Fantasy. That series showed me how captivating games can be and how they can have a story unfold over several hours. I was always impressed by the visuals, even the 8/16-bit ones. Playing those feels more like an experience than a pastime.

What is your guilty pleasure when it comes to gaming?
I never feel guilty when gaming.

But I do love watching and playing game jam games. There’s a lot of really cool ideas in those games. Browsing ith.io can be fun sometimes.

What is the most valuable part of your collection(Value or sentimental)?
My copy of EarthBound with the box and guide. I work in a unionized job and last time our contract was being rewritten we got a signing bonus and that’s where the money went for me. It’s also sentimental because, even though I didn’t play it when it came out, I played the game with the guide and to me that was part of the experience. The game came with the strategy guide so I feel like that’s part of the EarthBound package. If someone wants to play without the guide that’s cool too.

What game do you have the most nostalgia for?
I don’t think I can pin that down to one game. I have great memories of playing Sonic games. A friend of mine used to have A Link to the Past and Ultraman and we played those games all the time. We never beat them but loved exploring Hyrule and fighting monsters in Ultraman.

What would you like to improve in your collection?
Organization, but that’s such an on-going thing.

What do you think was your best deal while game buying?
I’m probably a terrible collector because I can never remember how much I paid for things. I’ll remember if it was less than, or at market value, but never exact numbers. That being said, I’ve come across quite a few great $2 garage sale finds.

What item in your collection do you feel you overpaid for?
The copy of EarthBound. It’s a great game, but it’s way over hyped and the market prices reflect that.

What do you feel is the strangest or weirdest item in your collection?
That’s tough to say. I don’t have any weird things. Does a Steam library count?

What item(s) do you not have in your collection that people are surprised to hear you don't have?
I haven’t surprised anyone but not having something. I think people discovering that I have these games is a pretty big surprise.

Is there any way you'd ever stop collecting?
If it becomes financially impossible, then I’ll stop. But I’ll probably start up again.

Do you have a funny story about your collection?
Oddly enough, I don’t have any funny stories about my collection. That’s unfortunate.

Have you ever had to move your collection to another house? What was it like?
I haven’t had to do anything like that yet. In the next year or two I’ll probably move so I’m sure I’ll make plenty of trips to Walmart for huge Rubbermaid bins. The idea of packing everything up and unpacking it somewhere else is kind of exciting.

If your significant other told you no more games, what would you do?
There’s no Mrs. Fleach yet, but if someone told me I can’t have anymore games I’d be very sad. Not like depressed sad, just mopey sad. I’d keep my Steam library though… Digital stuff doesn’t take up any place. Wink

What percentage of your games are still sealed?
Almost all of my current generation games are still sealed. It’s my way of signifying games I still need to play. If it’s sealed then it’s in the backlog. If it opened then I’m playing it or have already played it.

What percentage of your games have you actually played? Completed?
I’ve played most of my games. The number of completed games is much smaller. Thankfully the RF Gen playthroughs is very helpful in finishing more games. Plus, playing and discussing games as a group is so much more fun.

Do you own any complete collections?
Going for a complete collection is very ambitious. I don’t have any complete sets or even subsets, but I applaud anyone who has accomplished this.

Time to bring out the fanboys! What is your favorite game of all time?
Final Fantasy X. It was the first voice acted game in the series and everything about this game blew me away. I loved the story, the exploration, the battle system. I think everything about FF X is great!

Least Favorite?
Banjo-Kazooie. I just hate that game; I won’t even watch a speedrun of it. I don’t know why it’s so popular.

Do you collect anything else besides games?
I kind of collect vinyls. I’m not serious about it but I like to pick up new albums when I can. I’ve got every Rush album on vinyl.

What do you outside of games?
I love riding motorcycles. It’s such a thrilling, freeing experience. I used to have a 1973 Honda CB 350F but sadly our time together was cut short this November when it was involved in an accident. I still plan to get back on two wheels and do some camping next summer.

What other features would you like to see more of at RFG?
RFG is such an incredible site. It’s hard to think of anything it’s missing.

Jesse, the previous interviewee, would like to ask you: “What message, feeling, or idea from a game personally connected most with you?”
I’d say the theme of inner strength presented in FF X is quite powerful. Oftentimes it can feel like no person cares or nothing will work out, and so one has to look inward for strength to overcome the obstacles that life or our hopes and dreams put in our paths. It’s a timeless theme and I think everyone can relate to it.

Thanks for your time!
Thanks! This was actually a lot of fun. I’ve been on RF for a few years now and I’ve been involved in doing blogs and community playthroughs and I just want to say that it’s so inspiring and motivating to participate in the interview see on the forums or comments that RF is a special place to many people.