In the world of classic gaming there are two diametrically opposed sides when it comes to the issue of collecting sealed games. But we're all adults here. Insults aren't thrown about. Rather the merits of each side are calmly expressed in a free exchange of ideas. Games should be played not looked at! It's an investment retorts the other side and on the argument goes on countless message boards and game rooms across the world.

You ask 100 gamers their personal opinion on sealed games and you'll get 100 distinct answers. As the old saying goes opinions are like assholes, everybody's got one. So here's mine.

My opinion that is; get your mind out of the gutter!

I'm not a fence-sitter in fact I despise fence sitters. Take a side and stick with it has always been my motto. I admire a person who takes a firm stand on an issue whether I agree with them or not. So what side of the fence do I stand on?

I stand in opposition of collecting sealed games.

One could argue simply the high price tags these games fetch would be enough to turn many collector's off but that's not the reason for my distaste toward sealed copies. The reason I don't personally collect them is for the simple fact that these games have no history.

A game that is hermetically sealed off from the world by a thin layer of plastic is lifeless. No one has ever enjoyed it besides those who find in enjoyment in looking at it. This is similar to someone who enjoys looking at a beautiful woman more than kissing her; it's just not right. Much like women need to be kissed, a game should be played. In fact to me a game is given life when it's placed into the system for the first time and it appears on screen much to the joy of its user. That first play is the beginning of the game's history.

Throughout the years the game's history grows with each play. The laughter of friends as they buoy for position in Mario Kart, The brawls that erupt when your friend "accidently" blows your Worm apart with dynamite when handing the controller over to you for your turn, and long 10 hour marathons a good RPG evoke become part of the game's history. The game becomes unique.

What it basically comes down to for me is this. Opened games have a history. A painting, a statute, a monument as well as a used video game, have a unique past. This past consists of the creative process that shaped it, and the people who have played it before you. When we play a particular game, we remain conscious of its special quality because the life of the original, much like a diamond's structure, is encoded in its history.

We sometimes refer to this as the "aura" of a product, that special glow "embedded in the fabric of tradition." Never do I believe was it the intention of the people that created these games for them to sit inside their original packaging, they were meant to be played and admired in this way. Not to sit on a shelf in original plastic wrap. Each person is entitled to collect what, and how they wish. For me the appeal of having a sealed copy of a game is nonexistent. It doesn't mean there's anything wrong with it; it's just not what I like to collect.