Do you ever feel guilty buying Neo games?

Considering the fact that some people lack even the most basic necessities like food, water and shelter? I'm not judging anyone here. What you do with your money is your own business. It's just that, for myself, when I see destitute people I feel twinges of guilt for buying AES carts that cost hundreds of dollars. I still buy them but there is still part of myself that feels guilty for not using that money to help the less fortunate. I feel selfish for what I do and yet I love this hobby so much!

No.

That's funny cause the exact same thing happened to me today. I saw some homeless people and I just couldn't help but feel bad about all the expensive, unecessary games I own . My worries are all about how I'll be able to scrape together some cash to buy some over-priced, collectable, hunk of plastic. I don't have any real worries and I completely take it for granted. Regardless, I'm not going to stop buying Neo games or get out of the hobby. It just puts things in perspective.

Not a bit. If you feel bad for everyone you will get nowhere.

True Story.

A couple of years ago, me and a couple friends were walking around downtown Milwaukee, around lunchtime we headed towards the McDonalds, when some panhandler bum attempted to leech off of us. I then told him no, but I'd be more than willing to grab him some ketchup and mayo packets on the way out.

Bottom line: I got no pity for these people.

no. it's my money and I work hard for it.

some people prefer to spend their $$$ on other things... for me it's videogame specially neo.

Surviving at a very basic level (food, shelter, clothing) is easy in this country if you have even an ounce of brain power within your skull. If my whole life went to hell and I had nothing and noone to help me, I would still be able to at least get a minimum wage, or other manual labor job to feed and clothe myself.

Drinking, drugs and idiocy make for real quick tickets to the "pencils in a cup" lifestyle.

I agree with Ryogeo 100%. 90% of the panhandlers out there are drug addicted alcoholics. 8% of them have mental disabilities and maybe 2% are normal folks really down on their luck.

I bet the same people you feel pity for wouldnt return your wallet if you ever lost it. They would be too busy buying drugs and booze to care how you will be able to pay rent or buy that MS cart.

I once tried to help a friend who was addicted to drugs. I thought once he made some money he would be able to straighten his life out. Well all he did was take all his money and buy lots and lots of drugs. Long story short I saw him for my first time in 3 years last month. He was all coked out and dirty.

He made his bed now he must sleep in it.

Yes but not for the same reasons that you are talking about. I feel bad because I just bought a game for $500.00. What else could I have bought.......hmmmmmmm maybe something a little more productive than video games, but then I say fuck it, I'll make that money back in a couple weeks then I can start all over again.

As for homeless folks, I do feel bad, that's just the kind of person I am, so to make it all better I do my best to ignore the blatant truth at hand. It really sucks to do that, but I have habits to (Neo Geo) that I must support.

Criterionradiohead

I never feel guilty buying a Neo game, or any other luxury purchase for that matter. Give to charity and be kind to others...no-one is expecting you to give up what you enjoy most for the sake of others...leave that to the saints!

I would like to believe every homeless person was good and tried to get a job and so on. Sometimes they make it very obvious why they are homeless. I feel bad for them too but alot of them have problems that only they can fix before getting help from others.

I still give them change. Its good karma

No, I don't feel guilty about buying neogames, but I do feel guilty about renting some worthless movies or going to some fast food place to feed my fat ass when some guy is there asking for money or food. I always try to help people out if they need it such as if someone's car breaks down or something, & I do give homeless people money when they ask for it.

Maybe?

Sometimes i feel a bit guilty, course i´ll spend much money on Neo-Geo Stuff!!!
I´m just kidding, i haven´t felt worse yet...

I earn my money, I spend my money. That's it. I get hasseled by bums everytime I step out of my car in Detroit, why should I give it to them? Like others have said, most bums use it to buy drugs/alcohol and don't forget that some people that just go out to panhandle but they still go home to a full fridge and a warm house everynight. If I wanted to donate to charity, I'd give it to a church with a women's shelter. The people on the front pages that are working, supporting their kids, but still can't seem to break even.

I guess another way you could look at it is that you're pumping money back into the economy. If people didn't buy luxury items like Neo-Geo games and other "non-essentials" our current recession would become a full-blown depression. So a social good is being accomplished by the redistribution of money. If all people saved their money, goods and services would drop to nothing and more people would lose their jobs. Poverty would be catastrophic.

Sometimes I feel a bit foolish when I drop a fat stack of cash on a Neo cart (this feeling is attenuated when the game is GOOD, however), but I never really feel "guilty" about it in the sense that I'm perpetuating a classist society or any other such nonsense.

And on the subject of homeless people, I'd just like to chime in and mention that a good deal of them are completely whacked in the head, due to schizophrenia and other debilitating mental disorders. I go to school in a fairly affluent area, and even we're not immune to the problem of transient homeless people. There's one that I see quite frequently at a nearby fast food restaurant. He usually sneaks into the restaurant with food that he's acquired elsewhere, sits down at a booth, and proceeds to LOUDLY carry on a nonsensical conversation with himself while eating whatever he's picked out of the trash. For some bizarre reason, the workers of the restaurant, who know good and well that he's not a paying customer and still use the facilities, make no effort to remove this bum from the premises. Truth be told, they're probably scared of him. People like this guy are so mentally off that they couldn't hold down and job and provide for themselves, even if they wanted to do so. So what's the solution? I would that that basically warehousing such individuals in institutions would be the safest thing to do for all parties, but obviously the politicians didn't think so. So now, we've got them wandering the streets, where they can pose all sorts of hazards.

I never feel guilty for buying Neo games and other "superfluous" luxuries. -I don't really buy Neo games that often anyway - about every 2 months or so. I've been saving my money quite a bit lately. Aside from a few Neo releases (KoF 2k1, MS4), there's been a dry spell in gaming, which is fine by me.

As far as the homeless thing goes, I agree with DolphinLord, and some of what the rest of you said. Having first-hand experience with the physically disabled and/or those with mental disorders on the job and otherwise, I will tell you that direct experience gives you more sympathy for their situation. I realize that many are just junkies living on the street who've given up. But there are many ppl who truly need help. That's why I give change to beggars downtown and make sure the little red bucket gets a splash of silver around Christmas.

Not only is it the Christian thing to do, it's also good karma.
<img src="graemlins/tickled.gif" border="0" alt="[Tickled]" />

Like George Carlin said, let's give the golf courses to the homeless people.

I only feel guilty after buying a NEO geo game when I use my bill money to do so

Although that doesnt happen often ,

As for the poor people who ask for money I usually ask them what they want if they are hungry or thirsty , and I give them that item rather than give them cash , then I am sure they wont use it on Alcohol or drugs , one guy said he wanted smokes so I bought him 2 packs because he was honest .

Hell no - when a third of all the money I make goes to the government, and a good chunk of those hard-earned tax "donations" *cough* go straight to people less fortunate than myself in both this country and abroad. We Americans give away a shitload of money to all sorts of different causes, whether we like it or not, so we have nothing to feel guilty about.

Plus this is America, not Afghanistan. Look at all the assheads walking around in $200 shoes, wearing $1000 watches, and talking on the phone inside their $40,000 SUV to their wife about how they are going to go home and pop a $30 pill so they can get it up again. <img src="graemlins/tickled.gif" border="0" alt="[Tickled]" />

I once played this Homeless guy in KOF 2000, his name was "Trash Can Willie". He had a mean ass K', i swear he was a badass. His Friend "Boxcar Fred" had the baddest C-groove Cammy i ever saw.

I worked hard for my money so I can spend it on whatever I damn want ! <img src="graemlins/mad2.gif" border="0" alt="[Mad 2]" />

It plays on my mind from time to time certainly.

I agree with what many of you say - a lot of people in the western world have got themselves to blame - drugs etc.

But then I look abroad to the Third world and think what the money I just spent on a £250 cart could do for these people and I don't feel that they have themselves to blame - many of these people never have had anything. £250 could inocculate hundreds against minor diseases which we dismiss but kill thousands in poor African countries. Or help towards a water irrigation system to help give some people just a chance to get by?

But I do enjoy my Neo games and probably feel worse wasting £5 on some rubbish than spending much more on something but really enjoying & appreciating it.

Maybe I just don't like waste.

Windjammer

Hell ! These guys have on the streets have their stories and we have ours. All I can say is if we work hard to get our Cash monthly, They could also do the same. Life in USA is even easier than every part of Europe ( I've Been in Switzerland 7 Years ), Renting/Buying a house, other stuff to live is quite easier. Every budget on the states are mostly enough to survive, If I can do, They Also can do. The Majority of these people are lazy, they don't want to do a fucking thing, and then they are spitting out on you because you have this or this or blah blah blah.

It's always hard to see someone asking for help. If they want, I give them sometimes a penny, but PREFER to give a cake, a glass of milk or else. It's just because we see people hungry, those ones can get my attention, but those who are Junk... Should I say more?

NOT GUILTY. 46 AES Carts left to finish my collection. <img src="graemlins/mad2.gif" border="0" alt="[Mad 2]" />