What's up with all the loose Genesis cartridges?

[KillerBean2]

This really pains me

I mostly collect PAL Megadrive games and I usually have no trouble finding them boxed with manual on eBay, while the loose PAL cartridges are (rightfully) considered to be worth next to nothing.

But sometimes, when it's a title that was never released in the EU and the japanese version has to much text to be playable (or doesn't exist), I'm forced to look for a Genesis version. And that's when I find myself drowning in a ocean of loose cartridges. To make things worse the loose cartridges are often priced like it's what you're expected to buy, and the few CIB copies are ridiculously overpriced (even the ones in clamshells).

I can't help wondering why there's so many loose Genesis cartridges?

Has it something to do with the immense popularity of the NES and it's crummy cardboard boxes? Did they just make the US youth completely oblivious to the idea of keeping the case for a purchased game?
(Or is it merely eBay that has twisted my perception?)

If that's the case, I know what I would do if I had a time machine. I would travel back to the early nineties U.S.A. and beat the crap out of any kid that didn't seem to have the utmost respect for clamshell boxes

[NeoVamp]

You're so fucking right, i have like 30 loose games that i got for free over the years (i'd never pay for a loose cart)
and i can't help but wonder "where the hell did the cases go???"

I remember hearing stories of kids who's parents would demand that they
only keep the game and throw the rest away to save space..

[SF78]

Truly a mystery. Why the hell would anyone throw away a plastic case? I can understand how a cardboard case would be different or that it would rot away in a few years, but the MD/Genesis case is perfectly functional and keeps the cart and manual intact. This is the reason why I can accept a loose NES/SNES/N64 without a problem, but I really would like to get my MD games complete or at least boxed.

[cheaterdragon1]

I was going to order some universal game cases to fix this.

[Bablefish]

The problem is a lot of people threw away both the boxes and manuals. I would honestly love to have them for mine. But I know that is impossible.

[csgx1]

I would travel back to the early nineties U.S.A. and beat the crap out of any kid that didn't seem to have the utmost respect for clamshell boxes

Maybe because of the space the cases take up? Or maybe because a lot of games were rentals?

NES games seem to be no different. But it seems that a lot more Sega Master System games that people sell do have the boxes.

It's a mystery.

[Why-Disciple]

I would always keep the manuals but whenever I saved the boxes they would just end up lying in a drawer wasting space. Since it was easier to just plug a cart in without pulling it out of a box, and since I didn't expect that I'd be a collector in 15 years, I threw them out for space. Instead of using a shelf I used a shoebox. I'm sure that's what everyone else's situtation was too.

[Assman]

In my situation, some of the boxes have simply disappeared, while others have managed to become completely thrashed to the point where I can't use them (some broken from moves during periods where my Genesis wasn't getting much action, some pissed on by a cat or two).

I gotta think that moving around has a lot to do with it, though, especially in a country where people are constantly moving around. Moving from one place to another just seems to cause shit to disappear, and you don't always have the time to make sure everything is completely intact during the process. It's a fuckin' pisser, man.

[Jibbajaba]

It drives me nuts as well. Throwing away cardboard boxes I can understand, but why would anyone throw away the cases for SMS or Genesis games? I have ~25 loose Genesis games, but I pay FAR less for them than I would for a complete copy. If it's a game that I like, I keep my eye out for a complete copy to replace my loose cartridge.

Chris

[Zz Badnusty]

I always took care of my belongings, so it is a complete mystery why someone would throw away the protective case.
There are a lot of sloppy and careless people in the US, so it really doesn't come as a surprise though.

[TrekkiesUnite118]

Well don't forget there were a lot of rereleases that later came in cardboard boxes. Especially the Majesco ones. For example, Sonic 3 had a clamshell release, a cardboard box release, a Mega Hits cardboard box release, and I think a Majesco Rerelease as well in cardboard. So it's entirely possible that most of the loose Sonic 3 cartridges out there came with cardboard boxes.

[sheath]

I think that prior to last generation Genesis stuff, the only reason the clamshells were thrown away was because of habit from NES owners (90% of the market prior to '91). That is also why people have ruined so many carts by blowing on the contacts, something that is simply unnecessary on a Sega system.

[KillerBean2]

I was looking for a CIB copy of Master Of Monsters, and I was thinking "That can't be so hard. It's a clamshell game for crying out loud!" But when I browsed through what Amazon.com had to offer, I found a ton of loose cartridges and a small handful of overpriced CIB copies. That was the last straw that made me make this thread...

[gavica]

remember alot of these games passed thru electronics boutique/babagges, etc, and they were notorious for disposing the cases and sell the carts in a huge bin because it would take less space.
Also alot of the games are rentals too.

[Christuserloeser]

Most of the loose Genesis games I've seen seemed to be rentals. That's something that's much less common in Europe.

Plus loose Sega games aren't worth the effort of reselling in most European markets. Thus you rarely see them popping on ebay or Amazon.

In the US it seems more common to collect loose games (which does have the advantage of taking up much less space) and that's why you see so many on ebay and Amazon.

Plus: If you look at it from a Nintendo perspective (one out of three US households had a NES) it'd not be too unusual to just keep the cart of your game and eventually part with the rest - or simply collect loose games.