The Video Game Critic

Hello. I'm looking for advice and this seemed like it might be a good community to start with. It has been some time since I've been on message boards so I'm a little out of practice but here goes.

My own collection of used/played video games has built up over the years and I'm looking to trim it down. What I have are some handful of games ranging from Game Boy to Wii/3DS (including a few WinXP) games and I'd very much like to find a new home for them. Ideally, if the right group or individual is out there I'm talking about putting them all into a box and sending it over. If the recipient(s) wanted to help cover shipping costs that would be great but I won't insist on it.

So far, the only ideas I had was maybe something like the Strong Museum of Play or the people who organize GDQ events, but beyond that I don't know who else might be able to give them a good home. These are all played games (well cared for) so they wouldn't fit with someone who wants to have a pristine collection, but I can imagine them going to maybe a worthy gaming group of some kind where the games will be loved and enjoyed. Even if there was someone here who would be good enough to re-distribute them to other members might work I don't know. That's the input I'm looking for if anyone can think of a good place.

The thing I'm trying to avoid most of all is the work of putting them up on eBay or them ending up with someone who only wants to do the same. Basically I just want to pass these along to some group or persons who actually care about and appreciate classic and more obscure titles from yesteryear.

Which consoles do you have games for?

Do you have Nes, Genesis, Sega Cd, Saturn, Dreamcast, Ps1 or 2 and 360 games? If so I will send you a private message.

I'll gladly give games a good home. I hate selling my games and love to collect for consoles. PM me if you want.

I dont have any shipping money yet, but I'm always interested in finding obscure and old games to play, though I sadly can't ever afford the insane prices on Ebay. I collect mostly Sega Saturn and Sega CD/Genesis/32X, if the offer is still open soon anyway.

You could organize them into interesting packages for donation prizes at the Games Done Quick events. That could be fun and memorable. I think the next one is in January, so that could give u time.

Find a local poor kid that would appreciate it. When my dad got a turbo Grafx he gave away our Atari 2600. At the time I was pissed, but then he told me he gave it to a single mother whose kids didn't have any games. He told me how the kids were loving it and then I realized he did the right thing.

Here's the list in case that helps. I've been mostly a Nintendo person as you can see.

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (1992) (GB) Nintendo
Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (1993) (GB) Nintendo
Legend of the River King (1998) (GBC) Victor Interactive

Lady Sia (2001) (GBA) RFX Interactive
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (1988-2002) (GBA port) Nintendo
CIMA: The Enemy (2003) (GBA) Neverland Co.
Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire (2003) (GBA) Jupiter Corp.
Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (2005) Flagship Co.

Call of Duty (2003) (WinXP) Infinity Ward
Monopoly (2002) (WinXP) Artech Studios
Sid Meier's Pirates! (2004) (WinXP) Firaxis Games
SimCity 4 (2003) (WinXP) Maxis
The (Original) Sims and Expansions (2000) (WinXP) Maxis
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (2003) (WinXP) BioWare

Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour (2003) (GC) Camelot Software
Odama (2006) (GC) Vivarium - with microphone peripheral

Contact (2006) (DS) Grasshopper/Marvelous Interactive
MLB Power Pros 2008 (2008) (DS) 2K Sports

Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree (2007) Nintendo
Endless Ocean (2008) (Wii) Arika Co.
Mario Kart Wii (2008) Nintendo
Opoona (2008) (Wii) Arte Piazza

Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998-2011) (3DS port) Nintendo

Most of these have the original box/case/manual. EDIT: I should have said many if not most of them, although I'm guessing as I haven't got everything gathered in one place yet.

I agree with Tron that you could donate them but if you would rather just give them to a good home I'll gladly take them off your hands. I can send you pictures of my collection. I take very good care of all my games and would give them a good home.

In addition to soliciting ideas I've been considering some of the various ways to go about it. Thinking in terms of scenarios this is how I think I would want to prioritize.

First - a group/organization that will make good use of them
I like the aforementioned GDQ prize package idea except that I don't fancy doing much more than gathering everything up and sending it off. If someone knows more about whether they would be able to make good use of a box of obscure games that would be helpful. Otherwise I'd love to hear more ideas on groups and organizations out there.

Second - Someone responsible who could take the lot and redistribute them fairly (at no cost other than shipping) to individuals in the community who maybe have one or two of these on their play wish list.

Other ways to pass them along.

Possibly an individual who would be willing to trade the lot for games on my wish list (but let's talk about the other ideas first).

An individual similar to below who could help with shipping costs (certified mail from California).

Or if nothing else a good individual who maybe shares some of my own views about old games, that they're meant to be enjoyed and shared (who might also pass things along once in a while). But how would I pick this person out of a crowd of strangers unless they could be recommended by others?

Giving some of the games to a less-fortunate person is a fine idea to be sure except that identifying such person, and that they have one or more of the consoles in question isn't feasible so far as I can tell and partly why I came here looking for ideas. It's a nice thought though.