My friend and I collect old video games. But all my physical media just sits on my shelves and collects dust. Why do I even collect them? I literally just emulate everything. Is there a purpose to what I do? People ask me why I collect and I never have a real answer because I don’t even know. If I never play my stuff, is it worth just selling?
“Hustle Culture” takes a heavy toll, but being a hoarder consumerist does too. Collecting physical media can be a harmless hobby, but it could also be a sad and futile attempt at recapturing a nostalgic time from when you were young that never really existed. Think about “why” you are doing something and ask yourself when enough is enough. Don’t worry about what others think, you should only care what you get out of it and what your goals are for it.
It is sadder to find the past again and find it inadequate to the present than it is to have it elude you and remain forever a harmonious conception of memory. - Fitzgerald