Are scratch LPs part of the game ?

I'm with Audiofeil and those who say minor scratches are part of the game. Those who say they have 40-year-old records without scratches perhaps interpreted this question differently from the yes camp. It's rather impossible to prevent any imperfections from getting to the record surface with use. Virtually every brand new records right out of the sleeve will already have some minor imperfections and lines that are extremely fine and do not affect the sound. With use, they will only become more pronounced but still not significant enough to negatively impact the sound with proper handling and care. This is how I interpret the original question. I challenge anyone to a direct light test of their "perfect" records. If you tell me there is not even one blemish or a line on the surface, you're not looking hard enough.

Has2be, I don't quite understand what you mean about me making a point and me disagreeing it with at the same time. In fact your second sentence paraphrases the sentence of mine you quoted in your post to a degree and it seems we actually agree! I think where the misunderstanding perhaps lies is in our interpretation of a "medium" scratch.

I'm a perfectionist by nature and handle all my records with extreme care. Also, because I'm relatively new to vinyl, I own and have been buying almost exclusively brand new records, both to build up my collection of "essentials" and to insure scratch-free, worn-out stylus damage-free records. Despite all of this, I noticed that the records have scratches that I would define as fine to medium based on their physical size/length but do not whatsoever appear to affect the sound. I have no idea how they got there in the first place, but as mentioned in this thread, the paper sleeves might have something to do with it and perhaps my cleaning regimen with 3 brushes on a VPI RCM.

In that sense, the original question precisely echoes my particular experience with records: no matter how carefully I handle my records, I notice fine to medium size scratches (increasing with use) that do not affect the stylus tracking or sound quality, but seem impossible to avoid. Hence, my response yes, it's part of the game. I'm not talking about dropping records or scratching them through carelessness. And I don't think the original poster was either. Cheers.