What's the deal with CiB?

[zmaster18]

Although I like the looks of box art, I prefer to buy games loose because it takes up less space. I also wouldn't want to worry about damaging my game boxes when handling them for so many years. Loose games are cheaper, and all you need to enjoy the game. I do have a bunch of CIB N64 games and gameboy advance games though, but I'd rather take the money that they're worth than keep the boxes.

[smeghead]

I have only one CIB game (with box and manual...) and incredible number of loose games, and like 3,5/4 of that amount are pirate carts.   
and i don't care about original games, i will rather buy multicart with few good games for 10$ than collecting original CIB games for xxx hundred dollars.   

[tappybot]

As I kid I threw away all my NES boxes... or my dad did.. I don't know.  Same for SNES games.

Around the N64 time, I think I tried keeping some of the boxes.. not really thinking about being a collector or anything.. just kept them flattened for some reason.  Eventually I think I just tossed them because they were shitty floppy cardboard and who has space for that kind of stuff?     Now I wish I kept them... though, I don't feel bad about it because Nintendo never did boxes right.       Sega had the right idea.  Love them for that.

[maxellnormalbias]

I'm not saying it's BAD to collect CiB. I'm saying I don't get it. And, by the way, the underlying peeve as I said is basically collectors who get everything mint and shrink-wrapped then never play it. I understand about the artwork and whatnot, I'm talking about stuff like "I N33D ST43D33UM 3V3NT5 B0XD".

[Shumi Nagaremono]

I'm talking about stuff like "I N33D ST43D33UM 3V3NT5 B0XD".

People say that because it's safe.  Nobody is going to send them a PM with the opportunity to buy one.  Same with something like Action Comics 1.  People will loudly proclaim their desire for it, safe in the knowledge that nobody will ever call them on it. 

People like that, who want a boxed Stadium Events, before they get Contra, Metroid, or Super Mario/Duck Hunt don't really want the game.  They want what it represents, a quick easy swap for life-changing quantities of money.

That said, I've never been happier for somebody in the hobby as I was when Blade Braxton found that he had a copy in his attic. 

[Bob-Bob]

Right now I don't collect games CIB. I just want to play them.

However, at some point I really want to collect all the Mario games CIB, mostly because Mario is very special to me and I want to upload decent scans of all the covers and manuals to the web for preservation purposes. Both English and Japanese.

This would be a very expensive undertaking, though. I guess I'm lucky Mario games are usually common.