Here's a question for games collectors out there; do you ever question your motivation to collect games?
Collecting as a hobby is something that I've always done. It's not always been videogames but, as far back as I can remember, I was always collecting something. One of my earliest memories is building up a collection of Star Wars figures, funded solely by my parents! Then there were Transformers, comics, model cars, compact discs and lots of other stuff in between. And now videogames.
Recently I've been trying my best to sift through the excess stuff that I don't play, as Mrs Alxbly and me are talking about moving house soon. In simple terms, the less stuff I have, the easier a move will be. I've also started to question why I buy some things in the first place. My most recent collecting spree has been for Nintendo 64 games and accessories. Anyone who knows me will know how much of a passion I have for that console but the collecting got slightly out of hand. I found myself buying stuff just to own it, not because it would be of any use to me. Consider these examples:
Here's my Turok 2 store demo and the standard Turok 2 cart. The demo cost over five times as much as the standard cart and has only a fraction of the game, so why did I buy it? Because it's rare? Because it's unusual? Perhaps, but why does that make me want to own it? There are some differences between the demo and the standard game that I wouldn't have discovered otherwise... but was it worth it? I dunno.
The Nintendo Power controllers. Three controllers that were only available in the US through Nintendo Power promotions. None of them were ever available in the shops and all three of them were produced in limited numbers. I searched eBay for over a year until I found them all, and I paid silly prices for shipping from the US to my home in the UK. Why? They don't do anything special. They look nice but now that I own them I'm too scared to touch them... because they'd be so difficult to replace. My only reason for wanting them was because they are rare. So why is that attractive to me?
My last example is Mario No Photopi. This "game" was only released in Japan and is quite difficult to track down. So I paid an inflated price for it and paid to have it shipped from Japan. The thing is, it's not even a game. It's very basic photo manipulation software that allows me to customise photos on my N64. Or, at least, it would if I could find a device that would recognise the SmartMedia flash card that comes with it. Which I can't. So I'm stuck with a game that does nothing that Paint Shop Pro can't do a thousand times better, and it's also completely useless to me. But would I sell it? No.
Collecting isn't rational. Maybe it's an instinct thing. Maybe cavemen collected food for the winter and I have some kind of similar urge... except that I don't collect food. No, collecting food would be pointless, where as when I collect videogames there's always a reason for it. I just wish I knew what that reason was. 
Comments
Personally, if I were to go into collecting gaming stuff, I'd probably go for development assets. I've always been fascinated with the game development process, so I've really wanted to acquire things which are directly related to it for quite some time. For example, even though I don't have the budget for them right now, I'm always eying development and debug kits on eBay (especially some of the quirkier ones for the GameCube), as well as prototype games which pop up from time to time. They're old relics which just utterly enthrall me, to say the least.
On another note, though, you do get kudos from me, yet again, for having a copy of Mario no Photopie. I do hear that is indeed rough getting photographs to actually work in the game, but the fact that you actually have a copy of the game lying around is just a neat fact in and of itself. The only time I've seen it up for "sale" is on play-asia.com, but even then it was a matter of actually having them track it down. So to see that someone actually went to the effort to go and acquire it is pretty cool in my book.
I also tend to buy lots of RPGs, if a new one comes out I'll go out of my way to buy it. Partly because I just like to have a big collection of RPGs, but also because in my opinion this is the best genre of games, and I like to have a wide choice when it comes to choosing what to play.
Finally there is the 'awesome' factor, in being able to show off a huge collection of rarities, consoles, and also the huge knowledge of games that comes with collecting. I'm pretty sure its this aspect of game collecting that lead me to get the job I'm in, and also spurred me on to write my magazine (honestly, I'll finish another one at some point
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Thanks for posting, everybody. 
My own reasons for collecting have been mentioned in the comments here. I want to treasure and preserve the past. The days of the N64 were a good time for me, and maybe that's part of the reason why I want to collect N64 memorabilia. It's also a way of expressing fondness for that console, it's games, etc. And I can't deny that I enjoy the "wow" factor as well! 
allmybase: Your interest in development hardware means that you'll probably enjoy http://assemblergames.com/forums/index.php, a forum dedicated to obscure hardware and games. There's lots of interesting dev stuff there, so it's really worth a look.
What I also find interesting is people's reaction to collectors in general; you get respect and ridicule in almost equal measure. Some gamers seem able to acknowledge a good videogame collection, others will react with envy and/or personal attacks; "You must have no social life", "get a girlfriend", "your parents must be rich", etc, etc. It's quite entertaining to see people making huge assumptions about your personal life, and all the more entertaining because I live with my girlfriend and I work hard to pay for the games and consoles that I buy.
P.S. You should mark this as an editorial and see if it makes the SoapBox.
I was kinda curious about the whole irrational side of collecting and it seems other collectors have the same irrational desires. I guess we're all crazy!
Strangely though I have the GH Tomb Raider case, but I have the non-greatest hits disc. Finding TR non-greatest hit is ultra rare. In fact, I've only seen one copy of non-greatest hit TR.
Also I own the gray and black cartridge of Turok 2.
As to why do I collect them? Good question... I don't know
Also I own the gray and black cartridge of Turok 2.
Do you mean the demo version, or the non-colored cartridge? The demo has a few differences from the retail versions of the game, which you can read about here:
http://z6.invisionfree.com/N64_Answers/index.php?showtopic=142
Well, since I'm late with a response, there isn't really anything I can say that hasn't already been said. I definitely agree that collecting is irrational; in fact, I can't even remember why I decided to start collecting every N64 game. What is it that I hoped to accomplish? Why do I continue even though I don't know what my motivation is?
I've also started to question why I own certain items. For example, I own all of the Funtastic colours of N64 systems. But why do I need six systems when one can play games just fine? I'm also depriving five other people from owning an N64, which means that collecting may even be selfish! It's time to start thinking more logicably: once I own every North American N64 game, I think I will then consider my N64 collection complete. I won't be going after the remaining colours of systems and controllers, and I won't be invading other countries to steal games not released in the US. There are many other games and systems that I would like to have; why not buy something I might actually play someday?
In the end, it does not matter if collecting is rational, practical, logical, or any such thing. The real question one should answer is this: Does collecting make you happy? Think real hard before you answer.
The real question one should answer is this: Does collecting make you happy? Think real hard before you answer.
Recently my collecting motivation has changed... I'm now more focused on collecting games that I want to play. You kinda hit the nail on the head, Mop; I was buying a lot of N64 games that I really wasn't all that interested in playing. Sure I wanted to try them out, but that's not always a good reason for keeping something (IMO). Maybe one day get around to playing them all to completion but that's highly unlikely. 
Spongemario
Turok 2 demo? Special NP controllers? Mario No Photopie? Those are among the rarest of the rare. Treasure them.