Cataloging

[bombatomba]

Do any of you catalog your video game collection? I had a friend whose game room looked like the Library of Congress (all the way to the ceiling), and he cataloged by scanning the game (whatever came with the game), and filing the pics away in a actual physical file cabinet along with a detailed summary of how he obtained the game, money paid, etc.

I use a program called Game Collector in conjunction with a MobileDB on my Palm, that way I always know what I have. It doesn't look as cool as my friends, but it does look nice.

[Liberator8200]

Do any of you catalog your video game collection? [snip]

I use a program called Game Collector in conjunction with a MobileDB on my Palm, that way I always know what I have.

Now that I'm going months/years between new 2600 finds, cataloging is a must. I'm using DB on my Palm, too. Not sure what I'll do once my PDA finally bites the dust. I'd keep my list on the web for easy access, but I can't afford a mobile Internet plan right now.

[Tony_32]

Does the info, images, manuals, etc come with the software? If so, I might try it. I'd love to have an app that had a reference to all those games offline along with images, info, manuals, box scan, etc. Sort of like GameBase but only for historical reference.

[triverse]

Does the info, images, manuals, etc come with the software? If so, I might try it. I'd love to have an app that had a reference to all those games offline along with images, info, manuals, box scan, etc. Sort of like GameBase but only for historical reference.

I believe Data Crow will attempt to gather all of that information from any number of sources (you can specify certain ones too if you like) and it is not limited to games, you can catalog anything that is able to be put on a computer (or not, like baseball cards, etc) but you may have to supply some pics and stuff.

[bombatomba]

Does the info, images, manuals, etc come with the software? If so, I might try it. I'd love to have an app that had a reference to all those games offline along with images, info, manuals, box scan, etc. Sort of like GameBase but only for historical reference.

MobileDB for palm is just pure database, but Game Collector links to their online database, so when you add a game it adds known game information as well as (usually) the box cover. I get extra images and screenshots from Google Images and The Video Game Museum. Everything else you add, such as where you bought it, how much it cost, what its worth, if you completed it, etc. There is a demo for Game Collector but it only has a 50 game limit. I haven't tried adding manuals, but you can add links, so if I can find online manuals I think it might work.

[DPsx7]

If there was a free program which was easy to use and not tied to a phone I'd think about it. Right now it's just pictures and memory.

Years ago I was guilty of trading games for a few dollars here and there. Then I started keeping them rather than get those couple dollars. One day I was asked what I have and thought, you know it's been years and I bet I have a lot. Well box after box, game after game, I knew I needed pics. After some work on Ebay I regained the games I once had plus more I never owned. Here's where it stands. http://dpsx7.stuffhosting.net/DP/main.html

I tried to keep most of the pics clean so a lot of boxes and manuals aren't shown. However I can say I do have a few NES boxes (FF, Snake's Revenge, Bart vs Space Mutants). Ebay helped give each game a manual. Many SNES boxes at least for all the important ones like FF6, Chrono Trigger, Mario RPG, and so on. Almost all games have the manual. A lot of the earlier stuff is hit or miss. It wasn't until I got to N64 when I started keeping the boxes and manuals safe so anything from there on should be complete. I'm missing 4 VB manuals and a couple boxes. ALL my CD games are complete except for Doom on PS1 which was a freebie years ago at EB.

I'm afraid to think how much money has been spent on this. But I look at it this way. People waste money collecting things they can't use or enjoy. I play all these games or try to anyway. And if it ever comes to it I'm sure it's all worth a nice amount, especially my complete SNES RPG's and large collection of black-label PS1 games.

[bombatomba]

I like the way you present your collection, DPsx7. Reminds me I need to go find Super Mario Land 2 while Gamestop still has GB games. I also like your Genesis storage tray. very cool. Do you have them your games on display? I have mine on a shelf, but I really want to build something custom, because my poor NES games are on one of those stupid CD holders, the ones that are just two poles. I hate those things.

[DPsx7]

Some of it. I don't have enough space to display everything but it would get dusty sitting out. What I did was find ROM's for all my NES and SNES games so I can play them on my PC, then safely packed them away in plastic bins. All the really old consoles are boxed up someplace. The middle aged stuff is also boxed but close by in case I want to play them (DC, VB, N64, GBA). It's just current stuff I have on display so I can keep track of what I finished. My rather large PS2 collection fills a rack meant for DVD's or CD's and I have a small stack on the side which I've yet to play. Wii has a seperate DVD tower. Then the shelf which holds my consoles is where I stack my PS3 and DS games.

I would love to be like those people you see online who have a whole wall devoted to displaying their games. But I suppose my method is safer since many of the old games don't have boxes. Although at the same time that would allow me to display my magazines (those left in reasonable shape), guides and books, collectables (I managed to get one of those rare MM9 press kits), and preorder bonuses.

[bombatomba]

I tried just packing it away, but I play with so much of my stuff (I do have a few backup consoles, and a few games that are never touched) that it turned out to be too inconvenient. When I had them packed away I would pull them out at least ten times a week for viewing and playing. Now I have them on display in my basement in a low-light room with a dehumidifier. Man, I really need to get to get to building a better shelving unit down here...