Collector's perspective: Taking care of your collection

Overtime, we collect more and more video games, controllers, and consoles, thus, they pile up in our cabinets and containers. Taking care of them properly is one our responsibility to ensure preservation.

Cleaning BEMANI controllers during summer

Here are my basic helpful tips on how I take care of my collections;

1. Store your collection in a dry, and dust free place. Moisture absorbing desiccants can be used.

2. Avoid contact your collection with wet hands or any kind of liquid. In case of unexpected contact, immediately wipe and inspect for liquid intrusion. Liquids cause corrosion especially in consoles and may cause short-circuit. For games, it may cause box art discoloration and water stains in discs.

3. Avoid direct contact with sunlight. Prolonged exposure may cause console and box art yellowish discoloration especially in white console and controllers. Also, storing your game discs in dark places prevents data rotting.

4. After gameplay, always clean your controllers with damped cloth. Alcohol with cloth can be used to sanitize and remove grease. Keep it mind to apply in minimal amounts.

5. Avoid reaching it by children.

6. When cleaning discs, use microfiber cloth (used in cleaning eyeglasses). Make sure to wipe it vertically, not in circular direction. Check if there are signs of scratches especially in the reading side of the disc.

7. Wrap your large controllers in large plastics or bubble wraps if your controller doesn't have a box.

8. Avoid hitting your game cartridges. When we are young, when a console can't read game carts (i.e. Family Computer) we usually blow the connector thru our mouth or hitting the cart with great force. Frequent trauma to the cartridge can cause severe damage and malfunction. Cleaning the cartridge connector with microfiber will suffice.