Something every game collector needs to consider when they start is what the goal for their collection is. One of those considerations is what condition you want your games to be in. I don't mean if the game looks pristine or if its been run over by a dump truck, what this article is discussing is how complete the game is.
There are four basic categories that games fall under and I'll be discussing them from cheapest to most expensive.
The least expensive type of completeness is being completely non-complete. Loose refers to a game cartridge only, nothing else is included. For disc-based games, it means you're only getting the disc. For cart-based games, this is the most common way to find them since boxes (especially older cardboard boxes) were often discarded.
When a game includes the cartridge or disc and the box, its considered 'boxed.' Petty straightforward. This also refers to disc based games that are missing the instruction manuals and inserts. Newer games that don't include any inserts or manuals won't ever fall into this category.
Games that include the cart or disc, the instruction manual and the box or case are considered 'complete.' There's some gray areas in this category, since some collectors consider a game complete with just the cart/box/manual while others expect everything from promotional inserts, posters and the original packing materials (for example, the plastic bag and styrofoam spacer in NES boxes).
The term 'CIB' is commonly used, but there's also some disagreement on what this means. Some call it 'complete in box', which could suggest it includes all of the inserts, while others refer to it as 'cart/instructions/box' and consider it complete with those three items. Personally, I fall into the category of considering the game complete with cart, box and manual.
Complete games often sell for at least double, if not multiple times the price of the loose cart. For example, Contra on the NES currently sells for $27 loose, but $79 complete.
Sealed simply means that the game has never been opened. This is a controversial category, primarily because there's been a number of people who use shrink wrapping machines to re-seal games and put them up on eBay for insane prices. Mega Man on the NES sells for $50 loose, $200 complete and a whopping $2,500 new and sealed. These scammers know that anyone buying the games sealed will never open them, thus never discovering they've been ripped off.
If you plan to buy sealed games, there are certain things to look for, which I won't go into detail here. In short, there are ways to examine the seal to determine if its an original factory seal or if someone has sealed it recently.
I hope this guide can be of help to game collectors who are new to the hobby. What do you collect? Do you focus on just one type of completeness in your collection? Let's discuss!
