There's always a reason.
"The designer is my favorite." "The gameplay is up my alley." "I love the theme." "I really want to play this with my friends." "It has solo, so I think I'll enjoy it."
Years ago, games accumulated into my possession like a flood, drenching me in cardboard and meeples on a rather consistent basis. My collection grew to a point, and now it sorta...sits there. Waiting for that group to come over and play. Or to be brought over to someone's house to open up.
Nowadays, I'm much wiser in my purchases, only buying what I know will get to the table more often. But that wall still beckons me, reminds me of what I was, what I used to be. In a small way, it haunts me, teasing that I'll never find the ideal group of friends to share my joy with, that all this was bought for nothing.
Denial's a powerful thing, and probably the only thing holding my collection in stasis. But maybe it's time to let go. It'll have to be a step-by-step process, though...
There's no shame in it. If a game isn't getting played, tell yourself that. Whether it leads to its departure from your collection is still up to you, but the first thing to do is to just admit to yourself that possibly - just possibly - that game that's gathering dust may never get its chance to be played.
There are the common reasons of "no time to play," or "can't gather people to even play." It may even be the more uncommon case of "I've played it enough that it has lost its luster," or even "I own a game that does the same thing but better." Whatever it is, you won't know about it unless the words come out of your own mouth in telling yourself so.
Yes, it sounds silly. But you'd be surprised what can follow if you just tell yourself what you really think.
This sounds more worrisome than it actually is. It's not some "last rites" to a board game. You may buy it again at a later date, who knows? Minds can change, but you can't afford to have it change a lot now. Initially, I wanted to write something like "list all the pros and cons," but that's way too much over-thinking on your part. In the end, you're asking yourself if you will truly, really play the game...or not. It's as simple as that, and in your gut you either feel one way or the other.
Sure, other factors may sway in and nudge your decision in the end, but you can't start unless you answer that first question. Yes, I'll keep games because of rarity. Yes, I'll keep games if I had kickstarted them (most of the time). Yes, I'll keep a game just because. But before any of that gets considered, I must answer truthfully...will I ever play it?
Nowadays, I'm much wiser in my purchases, only buying what I know will get to the table more often. But that wall still beckons me, reminds me of what I was, what I used to be. In a small way, it haunts me, teasing that I'll never find the ideal group of friends to share my joy with, that all this was bought for nothing.
Denial's a powerful thing, and probably the only thing holding my collection in stasis. But maybe it's time to let go. It'll have to be a step-by-step process, though...
Admit It
There's no shame in it. If a game isn't getting played, tell yourself that. Whether it leads to its departure from your collection is still up to you, but the first thing to do is to just admit to yourself that possibly - just possibly - that game that's gathering dust may never get its chance to be played.
There are the common reasons of "no time to play," or "can't gather people to even play." It may even be the more uncommon case of "I've played it enough that it has lost its luster," or even "I own a game that does the same thing but better." Whatever it is, you won't know about it unless the words come out of your own mouth in telling yourself so.
Yes, it sounds silly. But you'd be surprised what can follow if you just tell yourself what you really think.
Set an Ultimatum
This sounds more worrisome than it actually is. It's not some "last rites" to a board game. You may buy it again at a later date, who knows? Minds can change, but you can't afford to have it change a lot now. Initially, I wanted to write something like "list all the pros and cons," but that's way too much over-thinking on your part. In the end, you're asking yourself if you will truly, really play the game...or not. It's as simple as that, and in your gut you either feel one way or the other.
Sure, other factors may sway in and nudge your decision in the end, but you can't start unless you answer that first question. Yes, I'll keep games because of rarity. Yes, I'll keep games if I had kickstarted them (most of the time). Yes, I'll keep a game just because. But before any of that gets considered, I must answer truthfully...will I ever play it?
Making a Cull-ection
When all is said and done, gather the games you've chosen to cull and stack them before you so you get a proper view of what will leave your collection. Don't fear it, embrace it. This stack before you wasn't easy to establish, but after careful consideration, it's the pile of games you're fine to give or sell to someone else in the hopes that they will bring someone else fun and joy. They've had a chance with you, and, hopefully through some practical reasoning, are fine for you to separate and move on.
And while giving games away is gratifying in its own ways, selling is, honestly, more ideal. Not full price, of course, but something reasonable agreed by both parties. Because, y'know...you can always use those funds to buy yourself more games, right?
"I sold some of my games to make room in my collection for these new ones."
There's always a reason.
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