Topic: As a collector, I don’t know where to go from here

Regular viewers can probably tell that the news that Sony plans on discontinuing physical discs for 2028 has deeply affected me. It sounds melodramatic, but I don’t really know where to go from here. Game collecting has been my life for years. It’s what drives me to work every day, and Sony’s decision to stop doing it has hugely impacted me emotionally.

I don’t want to go to PC. They’re expensive, hard to use, and aren’t good for collectors either. And now I’m confused as to where to go next. I guess I’ll have to stick with Switch 2 for as long as they keep getting third party games.

But this is a very confusing time for me as both a collector and a gamer. All I can hope for at this stage is that Sony can incorporate some sort of key system for their physical releases. Something that’s at least better than a code in a box.

It’s been a horrible time for my hobby right now, and I do hope that there is some good news in the near future.

@ShadowRJ You can’t always help the cards you’re dealt in life, but it’s important for us to find ways to adjust. I won’t pretend to relate to this specific scenario exactly, but if you’re really struggling you genuinely should talk to a professional, it could really help. You’re suffering a loss at the end of the day, even if some people may argue it is petty.

@ShadowRJ Collecting modern games has been relatively pointless considering so many games either need an online connection for them to work initially or they launch in a non-optimal way as developers patch the games post-launch.

My suggestion would be to look backwards, not forwards. Retro game collecting is seemingly the way to go as we inevitably move to an all-digital future. I'm sure there are consoles you haven't gotten yet or that there are still games you haven't bought yet.

Personally, I loved collecting for the PS3/360/Wii era. There were so many great games for those systems, not to mention tons of hidden gems. They're also still relatively cheap to buy.

@kyleforrester87 cheers. I will say that I’m not so depressed I need counciling or anything. Part of me posting on the internet is to let out my frustrations, so it is somewhat exaggerated.

@ShadowRJ Genuinely sorry to hear you've been impacted emotionally by Sony's decision. I genuinely appreciate that this is very disappointing for a lot of people, but equally think that the internet vacuum has probably exacerbated this even further.

In terms of being a collector - another user phrased it well "look back and not forward". In terms of collecting, maybe look to more retro consoles/games, and look to purchase a new 'old' console with an untapped library? (N64 for example - IMO this was, and forever will be, a great era)

Outside of collecting - just try to remember that life is full of riches and meant to be lived. Embrace family, work, friends and other hobbies.... Gaming is a on of fun absolutely, but gaming/collecting are just a small part of you - and don't define you in absolution : )

And a positive - its good your initial post seems to 'accept' the digital future we are hurtling towards. A lot of people believe Sony will 180 this, but I can't see it happening.

@ShadowRJ I'm going to second what Sarge said. My physical PS5 collection compared to my PS4/PS3/PS2 and so on is barely a glimmer. I don't think the physical selection for PS5 has been all that interesting and I bought far more digital PS5 games than I even realized. The thing is as much as collecting gives me something to focus on, I'm talking thousands of books, thousands of games, movies, shoes, you name it I've collected it at one time or another but in hindsight I see it now as more of a distraction and a lot of the time it was because I could, not because I needed to. In truth gaming is the one element in my life that's even helped me understand the value of money, I can measure the hours of time spent, the prices, community response. I've never had that before, it's a hobby that's accessible to everyone or rather it was before I saw peoples feelings on the possible entry price of the next console. Now I'm not sure what to think.

My goal is still preservation but I'm well aware that things can't and don't equal people and I'm not lacking in the latter, but I've known collectors who were. I've slowed down collecting certain things because realistically speaking I'll never play all of those games, but I do like collecting retro. I'm showing my age but most of the Playstation generations are before my time and going retro also means learning from the source, it's a kind of education in where the platform started and it's given me such an appreciation for those earlier titles. Without a shadow of a doubt I'm certain going backwards has been so much more satisfying than throwing time and money at modern games that honestly don't seem to be trying that hard. Gamers have become a soft target for consumerism and those companies know they can keep turning up the dial because someone will buy it. I'm not saying that's you, many collectors are selective and steady in their convictions.

I noticed more than others your comments about physical gaming, even in the articles I did read but never commented on. What Kyle said is also very true, a loss is a loss, that's how the brain interprets it and then the heart follows. I'd go further and suggest that the constant reminders of this situation are amplifying your emotions, there have been so many articles about it, posts, comments and so on. I did feel some of what you are feeling, initially at least. It took just over one-week until I decided not to let it bother me. That's easier said that done in your case and I've seen something similar in collector circles before. Psychologically speaking collectors and hoarders often have similar reasons for collecting and I won't get into that but if it's really affecting you this much you really should consider talking to someone about it.

I appreciate that you shared those petitions and I have read almost all of your comments on the situation but I really do think these constant reminders aren't helping. My best advice would be to take a break for a couple of days. I've taken weeks and months away from here, not because of anyone or anything in particular. It's just healthy sometimes to disconnect and go do something else. I can think of a couple of other people on here who do the same thing.

Gaming for a lot of people is escapism, I have a lot of hobbies but gaming rates quite high. Until it gets a little too overbearing or there's a stream of studio closures, or other such negativity that though I feel something for I know dwelling on it will affect me offline. Which isn't fair on those around me, hence I disconnect. What you are feeling won't go away overnight, it will probably worsen if you allow it to weigh you down, like anything in life talking does help. Therapy is there for a reason and mental health is extremely important, I'd definitely suggest talking to someone because at the end of the day you could spend days, weeks and months talking to Sony and they won't listen. You owe it to yourself to talk to someone who will listen to you and value what you have to say. Right now you aren't getting that, perhaps entertain the possibility of retro too.

It might be worth, and I mean this genuinely, just trying to get a little bit of perspective on the whole matter. We sometimes focus on things like this excessively, and miss the big picture of our overall life.

Try reframing this. You presumably have a job, friends, a home, hopefully your health, you wake up every day to experience the world again. There are much bigger pluses in your life that compensate FAR more than this, however it feels to you right now.

@ShadowRJ that’s fair enough, in that case I expect you’ll gain a new perspective in time on your own. Nothing lasts forever, and you can’t take it with you anyway! I do occasionally obsess myself

One thing you can do is focus on fleshing out the libraries that are still physical and expanding those collections, rather than focusing on brand new games. PS1 - 3 have thousands of really great games out there, all physical.

If that doesn't interest you, and sticking with Switch 2 doesn't satisfy you, you could always turn your collecting impulses toward something else that interests you instead, like books, anime, film... whatever, really.

On the therapy point: you'll do what's best for you, but I find it's best to think of therapy less as fixing something that's wrong, and more a resource for maintaining yourself. I liken it to a car: you can regularly change the oil, rotate your tires, etc. and probably only see a fraction of the issues you'd see if you ignored all of those things and just drove it until a problem arose. Preventative care goes a long way, whether it's your belongings, your body, or your mind.

Either way, I hope you find peace with this situation.

As others have said you cant stop what Sony is doing so instead look elsewhere to feed that need. Retro gaming is one part of gaming that you can get into also as you said there's Nintendo and also Xbox that as of now is going to stop physical games. There is also other things that you can collect if that's your thing. Maybe look at collecting others things that interest you.

@ShadowRJ Can you not collect other non-game things like Star Trek?

@ShadowRJ Out of curiosity, how's your Switch collection looking so far? I've just started building up a collection with my new Switch 2, and I've been having a fun time scrounging around for good deals or used fare at a good price. I'm not sure why, but I find the cases of these Switch games also highly satisfying to own and see together. They're like the perfect size! I've already got my eye on a new batch of games, but need to stay precious for a bit or else my wallet might start agonising in pain.

@Tjuz the Switch collection is looking great thanks. I have about 62 Switch 1 games and 4 Switch 2 games, though that number will no doubt increase in time.

@GirlVersusGame thanks for the reply. I actually am a massive retro collector as well. I have pretty much every major console from the NES onwards, and the NES was well out of fashion before I was born.

@Ralizah Thanks. According to my PriceCharting list, I've got 58 PS1 games, 114 PS2 games and 59 PS3 games, so I suppose there's no harm in getting more PS3 games.

@ShadowRJ do you think stepping back and analysing why you collect will help gain a context to your feelings? It's tough that it is affecting you, and I hope one day you wake up and that feeling has passed, but looking from an analytical standpoint may help deal with what you are feeling.

Just a few questions you could ask yourself:

Why do I collect? Is owning the game or playing the game the most important aspect of it? And what gives me most joy: gaming or collecting? Obviously there is a good chance it is pretty much both, but only you will know your feeling about it. But, at the end of the day you can still play the games you have, and all kinds of new games in the future, that part isn't being taken away.

And if it is more that you enjoy the collecting there are so many cool things that could also take your interest, retro was a good suggestion from people, already, and you can still keep gaming for the actual gameplay/relaxation/escapism or whatever gaming means to you alongside that.

It will probably suck for a while, but, honestly, talking about it is healthy. And the forum is great for that because people here have different lives and different perspectives and will genuinely be happy to help you and chat about things.

We're all gamers, hobbyists or collectors of some kind, at the end of the day 😄

@ShadowRJ You're welcome, I haven't gotten much into Nintendo. Other than quite a lot of Animal Crossing, my collecting efforts have mostly been Playstation. I had my start with gaming on PS4/PS5 then worked my way backwards. The artwork and aesthetics feel more special. I can tell an actual human put the effort in compared to a very sparse of minimalist design that was thrown together in no time at all. There are some exception of course but a lot of studios are cutting corners there too. I think from a collectors standpoint Sony could fix a lot of potential problems by including the option to use an external disc drive. There are going to be developers who want to release on physical regardless. I saw the same thing in the music industry. Lots of bands would still send in physical CDs, to be able to hold something tangible is proof positive that they finally released an album of E.P. and not just another piece of material that gets buried under an algorithm or digital service.

This was true at least for Metal, which is a genre that respects tradition, is one of the last bastions of real integrity in the industry and when it comes to nostalgia understands established methods of buyer/fan engagement. I took away about six-hundred promo CDs from a handful of various labels and all because those bands still believed in the physical format. It improved their chances of being discovered too, it showed they cared enough to put forward that tangible effort. This goes for press-kits and press-packs too, I got into collecting those for games a while ago too, companies do that very rarely now.

Music like many art-forms is subjective, it's important to standout from the crowd, physical increased those bands chances tenfold. I applied that same thinking to Gamepass and quickly realized that a digital library really did mean I saw the format more like Netflix than an actual gaming service. It didn't feel like I invested any real resources in the service, instead it felt like the game was 'free' and thus I justified stopping midway and trying another title. I often experience that with digital, but very rarely with physical. The same for VHS, DVD, BluRay and so on, I often choose physical over the same movie on a streaming service. Books too of course, I'm read a total of (checks) 7388 physical books and catalogued just over thirty-thousand in my collection and I'm always sourcing new editions to my collection.

At first it was for the love of the books themselves, then it became about something more. I've seen restrictions and books being banned in my home country, destroyed too, it might not happen to games per-say but what it has done is teach me firsthand the importance of preservation, more-so than collecting for myself. I'm not there with games yet, eventually perhaps. I frequently travel, weekly and regardless of where I go I see the impact of restriction and control on digital formats. For the longest time I never even saw Grand Theft Auto in the UAE, now it's allowed to be sold. It's something that isn't on a lot of peoples radars but it will be when they realize how a digital only vendor can and will affect regional availability. Millions of people depend on physical imports, a substantial chunk of those sales return to Sony, they are entering this digital only environment blindly and whether they realize it or not the lack of import sales will definitely affect their top-line revenue. Couple that with a console that is quite expensive in the eyes of their existing customer base? they are well on their way to producing a veblen good, there's no way back from that. Reasons like this are why I've made peace with the future of Sony's digital future, part of me doesn't want to support them anymore and I live by principle not price. If anything I'll use the format to support more deserving Indie studios, while going out of my way to not support key Sony-led studios.

I don't collect but i am not happy they are stopping disc sales i usually buy new when games i like come out then trade for the next game to keep the price down this is just a way of them maximising their profit, being a tightwad i will probably stop buying new games when they come out and buy older used discs from the likes of CEX there are loads of games i haven't played over the years so it wont bother me.

You can start by not giving any of these corporations any more of your money. Sony, Nintendo, Xbox, Steam, none of them. Look around for games on platforms you already have that interest you, then look for physical copies at places like ebay. Even if you're looking for PS4 or PS5 games, it's still better to buy from a private seller than a retailer since your money isn't going to the game company directly. The ones that are out of print are only getting more expensive and you can count on hoarders and scalpers buying up every last game until disc production stops and afterward, then charging a ransom for them. Good luck

Like others have said, focus on retro gaming. Or maybe switch to collecting other stuff like merch, whatever works for you.
Personally I was an early adopter of digital gaming, modern games since last gen are more like physical keys anyway. But I'm also an avid collector of Blurays, CD's and Fallout Merch.