Plague von Karma
Banned deucer.
My game collecting obsession started when I was a kid...it all began with me saying one day "I want to get every game console!" in some naive fashion due to being upset at there not being one console for every game. This led to me becoming one of those people who likes to chase rare games, usually notable ones that interest me like Fire Emblem Path of Radiance. I think LastGamer on YouTube influenced that part of me. Since I was bought up on Nintendo, games like that and Paper Mario The Thousand-Year Door became my own little objectives to get one day. I own them both now, and man if it isn't surreal to look back on now. I've got pretty much every post-1985 game console to date, though there are a few exceptions. So really, I've accomplished what little ol' me wanted to do.
I often go to charity shops with the express aim of getting games from them, as they're often super cheap - like a quid each - and you can find some very real gems while supporting less well-off individuals, animals and the like. Not many people look at the games in those bargain bins and DVD shelves; hell, some rot for months or even years before they find a buyer. Job lots on Facebook Marketplace are also super good as they're often cheaper than buying individual items, and there's often a lot of content available. It gets especially tasty if there are compilation titles involved since you can get tons of playtime out of them. These two methods are the premiere way to get into collecting in my opinion, especially on a budget and/or if you want PS2/Xbox/Xbox 360 games. I've got a gigantic PS2 collection (over 200 counting compilation titles) that's kind of become a meme in my family and friend circles almost solely because of these methods.
I would like to say I have an inventory of sorts, but I suck at keeping them updated. Here's my Backloggery that I updated for the first time in 4 years for the sake of this thread. Feel free to add me to your multitaps (and probably watchlists). Yes, that's 234 PS2 titles you see on that list. Yes, almost all of them are unfinished/unplayed...they look good on my shelves, though. Also, here's a forum widget for my Backloggery in case I decide to actually update it in the future. If it doesn't say Pokemon Snap after like 2 weeks, congratulate me or something.
Anyway...here are two pictures of parts of my collection that I'm particularly proud of. I can probably provide more on request.
Some of my shelves where I place collections of game franchises that I like. I have ones for Metroid, Fire Emblem, Corpse Party and Classic Sonic here, but there's also Shin Megami Tensei, Pokemon, Final Fantasy and Wario outside of here.
My non-Sony shelf. The other one is infested with PS2 games. I'm beginning to run out of space for these, so I may invest in another one. No clue where I'll put it though!
For those interested in game collecting, here's a little FAQ I decided to write up.
Is Game Collecting expensive?
Well, any hoarding habit will burn some kind of hole in your wallet, it's a matter of how large. Some game consoles, like the Virtual Boy, are naturally expensive due to being commercial failures, leading to a smaller resale market and higher demand. However, popular ones with larger resale markets - like the Atari 2600, original Xbox and PS2 - tend to have much lower prices. These also tend to be sold in job lots, which are excellent for starting out or expanding your collection. It's really a case of what you pick and how much you want to go into it. Also, ALWAYS USE PRICECHARTING to make sure you're paying the right price.
If you're out for expensive games, here's my technique for saving money: buy the bits separately. This especially applies to disk-onlies, where the price often drops off a cliff. All you have to do then is buy a box and a manual to complete the set, and you're golden. This stuff is very widely available and it almost always amounts to a cheaper purchase. I've saved tons of money with this technique and came out with the same item as if I bought it all together. Hell, you can make a profit from it, even. If you think about it, it's common sense. However, I do NOT recommend using this for GBA, where fakes are absolutely rife. I'll go over this later.
If you buy cartridge-only, I also encourage you to invest in reproduction boxes for older games that use cardboard boxes for increased protection; there's an entire market for this too. I recommend GoBoxIt on Etsy: the guy is very approachable, has cheap prices and will give discounts on bulk purchases. He's off right now, but I've managed to order via email regardless.
Where should I start?
Look at your current gaming horde. Is there a particular console you like out of them all? Pick that one. Video games are often cheaper than the console unless they're particularly rare, so it's cheaper to start with what you already have. You should always start out with a game console you're invested in, as collecting is fuelled by passion. If you treat it like a chore, it's not for you. Alternatively, look at a console you've always wanted, buy it alongside a couple of games in a joblot, and boom, the collection has begun.
Where do I look?
If you have a set aim on what you want, you should be going to eBay, Yahoo auctions, places like that. It's never been easier to get hold of even the rarest retro games, you just need to visit these websites often. I make a point to check for what I'm looking for every couple of days, or even subscribe to updates for searches if the website offers them.
If you don't have a set aim, I also suggest going to charity shops, car boot sales (that's "flea market" to the Americans reading this) and other places, as you tend to get really cheap job lots that can boost your collection by a good chunk. While those "Oh I found this super rare game for £5" stories are likely not going to happen, they do once in a blue moon; if you're not looking for anything in particular, sometimes you'll cop something interesting or find an old game console for a tenner. Always be the early bird in these scenarios, as stuff can go fast. Never skip out on Facebook Marketplace either, as it's basically an online car boot sale with how people price their stuff.
Isn't this a waste of money? Isn't it hoarding? Aren't you just spending money to show off?
But if you want a serious answer, no, I don't think it is. It's simply my passion and one that many others enjoy.
Game collecting makes for a super cool room setup; hell, I'd say it looks cooler than most house themes people go for. My game room is completely based around this idea, with me displaying games by series with a couple of figurines and stuff. There's a weird fulfilment that I feel when I get an interesting game that I take home, research, and play. Every video game has its own history that the developers built...every single one. In other words, you could say these room setups are something of a museum, and that's beautiful.
There's a game preservation aspect to this too: these days, old video games are slowly degrading and depleting in numbers, as they weren't designed to be infinite. In fact, some DS/3DS cartridges were specifically designed to fail. I feel like by possessing the games myself, I can preserve them for much longer than intended, and keep the history going. Some hardcore collectors have historically acted as a detriment to the preservation movement, such as through refusing to put ROMs of prototypes online and privatising pieces of history that they obtain. I - and many others - admonish them, though I can understand a collector's fears of legal recompense and the like. That's a complex issue that I don't want to cover here though...it's a very different topic. It's also worth mentioning that those private collectors don't really buy to show off like my question states: they're quite common and keep themselves to themselves, buying what their childhood would have wanted.
Considering collecting is almost strictly a physical purchasing topic, I'll also mention that I like the feeling of actually owning my games, which digital storage media can't always provide. DRM, optical disk storage's inherent issues, data loss, the console breaking + the "usage licences" that don't cover said breakages, hacking, poor refund policies, little to no resale value...there are so many problems that I can't even begin to unpack them in a thread like this. Physical purchases are part and parcel of collecting, and I've found it to be much more enticing overall. The eventual death of physical game purchases will be the saddest thing ever, and I can see this eventually happening in the next decade. The Digital Edition PS4 and rise of "Cloud Version" games feels like signs of the times, and I don't like it.
The resale value of retro games is especially nice, too. Game collections will almost always rise in value because as games become rarer, the price increases. As a result, collecting can be seen as an investment, think of it as buying nest eggs. They can't compare in turnover and I'll never say they're a replacement for stocks, but in 10 or so years I can always sell now-expensive parts of my collection to get a much-needed money boost in a bad spot. Video games rarely dip in value if you dive into the gigantic video game aftermarket.
How are you different from scalpers?
You'd be surprised, but I've been asked this a lot.
The difference between a collector and a scalper is that collectors have an appreciation for gaming as an art form and seek to preserve it. In other words, collectors don't buy ridiculous amounts of a single product to sow artificial scarcity and turn a profit: they tend to buy like one of something in ridiculously good condition to keep it that way. Ergo, while some think collectors are some kind of obstacle to others getting a game, they're a pretty small minority. The real problem is the quality of the products game companies used to put out that lead to their scarcity, as well as the scalpers that clown around.
As a testament to the appreciation that collectors have for gaming, how about we look at the preservation efforts that have been made as a result of these people. Without the late SNES collector Near, you wouldn't even be able to emulate most SNES games, let alone have a good emulator. They developed BSNES and uploaded most of those SNES ROMs you likely have on your computer. This is one of many cases where a collector has stepped in to ensure that the masses are able to enjoy games that companies refuse to rerelease. The ROM hacking community - no, the retro gaming community as a whole - would not exist without collectors uploading ROMs of previously undocumented games to the internet.
Do game collectors even "play" their games?
Depends. A very, very large majority of them do, but some buy sealed or "mint" games to grade and display them. I have never met a person like this in my life, and I know a wealth of collectors, though this is personal experience. Personally, if I saw a sealed or super rare CiB game, I would seek to get it graded by VGA, but that's about it.
Some have said to me that collecting suddenly means you're "taking the fun out of owning games" or "not playing your games", but this is a very common stereotype that just doesn't match how it works in practice. Collecting is a very fun experience because the reward for getting the games that I find is, well, a game to play; the average collector bears very little difference to those buying games and playing them when they get home. Collectors usually buy original games to get the pure, original, unfiltered experience of the games those consoles have. This is something emulators simply cannot replicate: playing on a typical gaming PC, often with a replica USB controller, tends to not evoke the same feeling of, let's say, an SNES on a CRT. With that in mind, I would argue that collectors are going above and beyond to play the games they own. This isn't to say emulation and other methods are "inferior" methods of playing, but to say "yes, they play their games, and they go very hard when doing it".
PSA for Cartridge Buyers: Look for fakes
This especially applies to the GBA and SNES markets. Fakes are fucking everywhere. This video is a good one to watch, but I encourage you to look elsewhere as well.
The best way to reduce the probability is, unfortunately, spending more money on boxed copies of games, or at minimum, ones with manuals. It's much more difficult to fake those and people don't put in much effort. Always check the pictures of what you're buying carefully, ask to see them working, and/or ask for more photos of the product. Don't be silly. This is probably one of the biggest drawbacks to my money-saving concept for rare games in the first question, so I recommend not using it for those platforms.
Well, any hoarding habit will burn some kind of hole in your wallet, it's a matter of how large. Some game consoles, like the Virtual Boy, are naturally expensive due to being commercial failures, leading to a smaller resale market and higher demand. However, popular ones with larger resale markets - like the Atari 2600, original Xbox and PS2 - tend to have much lower prices. These also tend to be sold in job lots, which are excellent for starting out or expanding your collection. It's really a case of what you pick and how much you want to go into it. Also, ALWAYS USE PRICECHARTING to make sure you're paying the right price.
If you're out for expensive games, here's my technique for saving money: buy the bits separately. This especially applies to disk-onlies, where the price often drops off a cliff. All you have to do then is buy a box and a manual to complete the set, and you're golden. This stuff is very widely available and it almost always amounts to a cheaper purchase. I've saved tons of money with this technique and came out with the same item as if I bought it all together. Hell, you can make a profit from it, even. If you think about it, it's common sense. However, I do NOT recommend using this for GBA, where fakes are absolutely rife. I'll go over this later.
If you buy cartridge-only, I also encourage you to invest in reproduction boxes for older games that use cardboard boxes for increased protection; there's an entire market for this too. I recommend GoBoxIt on Etsy: the guy is very approachable, has cheap prices and will give discounts on bulk purchases. He's off right now, but I've managed to order via email regardless.
Where should I start?
Look at your current gaming horde. Is there a particular console you like out of them all? Pick that one. Video games are often cheaper than the console unless they're particularly rare, so it's cheaper to start with what you already have. You should always start out with a game console you're invested in, as collecting is fuelled by passion. If you treat it like a chore, it's not for you. Alternatively, look at a console you've always wanted, buy it alongside a couple of games in a joblot, and boom, the collection has begun.
Where do I look?
If you have a set aim on what you want, you should be going to eBay, Yahoo auctions, places like that. It's never been easier to get hold of even the rarest retro games, you just need to visit these websites often. I make a point to check for what I'm looking for every couple of days, or even subscribe to updates for searches if the website offers them.
If you don't have a set aim, I also suggest going to charity shops, car boot sales (that's "flea market" to the Americans reading this) and other places, as you tend to get really cheap job lots that can boost your collection by a good chunk. While those "Oh I found this super rare game for £5" stories are likely not going to happen, they do once in a blue moon; if you're not looking for anything in particular, sometimes you'll cop something interesting or find an old game console for a tenner. Always be the early bird in these scenarios, as stuff can go fast. Never skip out on Facebook Marketplace either, as it's basically an online car boot sale with how people price their stuff.
Isn't this a waste of money? Isn't it hoarding? Aren't you just spending money to show off?
But if you want a serious answer, no, I don't think it is. It's simply my passion and one that many others enjoy.
Game collecting makes for a super cool room setup; hell, I'd say it looks cooler than most house themes people go for. My game room is completely based around this idea, with me displaying games by series with a couple of figurines and stuff. There's a weird fulfilment that I feel when I get an interesting game that I take home, research, and play. Every video game has its own history that the developers built...every single one. In other words, you could say these room setups are something of a museum, and that's beautiful.
There's a game preservation aspect to this too: these days, old video games are slowly degrading and depleting in numbers, as they weren't designed to be infinite. In fact, some DS/3DS cartridges were specifically designed to fail. I feel like by possessing the games myself, I can preserve them for much longer than intended, and keep the history going. Some hardcore collectors have historically acted as a detriment to the preservation movement, such as through refusing to put ROMs of prototypes online and privatising pieces of history that they obtain. I - and many others - admonish them, though I can understand a collector's fears of legal recompense and the like. That's a complex issue that I don't want to cover here though...it's a very different topic. It's also worth mentioning that those private collectors don't really buy to show off like my question states: they're quite common and keep themselves to themselves, buying what their childhood would have wanted.
Considering collecting is almost strictly a physical purchasing topic, I'll also mention that I like the feeling of actually owning my games, which digital storage media can't always provide. DRM, optical disk storage's inherent issues, data loss, the console breaking + the "usage licences" that don't cover said breakages, hacking, poor refund policies, little to no resale value...there are so many problems that I can't even begin to unpack them in a thread like this. Physical purchases are part and parcel of collecting, and I've found it to be much more enticing overall. The eventual death of physical game purchases will be the saddest thing ever, and I can see this eventually happening in the next decade. The Digital Edition PS4 and rise of "Cloud Version" games feels like signs of the times, and I don't like it.
The resale value of retro games is especially nice, too. Game collections will almost always rise in value because as games become rarer, the price increases. As a result, collecting can be seen as an investment, think of it as buying nest eggs. They can't compare in turnover and I'll never say they're a replacement for stocks, but in 10 or so years I can always sell now-expensive parts of my collection to get a much-needed money boost in a bad spot. Video games rarely dip in value if you dive into the gigantic video game aftermarket.
How are you different from scalpers?
You'd be surprised, but I've been asked this a lot.
The difference between a collector and a scalper is that collectors have an appreciation for gaming as an art form and seek to preserve it. In other words, collectors don't buy ridiculous amounts of a single product to sow artificial scarcity and turn a profit: they tend to buy like one of something in ridiculously good condition to keep it that way. Ergo, while some think collectors are some kind of obstacle to others getting a game, they're a pretty small minority. The real problem is the quality of the products game companies used to put out that lead to their scarcity, as well as the scalpers that clown around.
As a testament to the appreciation that collectors have for gaming, how about we look at the preservation efforts that have been made as a result of these people. Without the late SNES collector Near, you wouldn't even be able to emulate most SNES games, let alone have a good emulator. They developed BSNES and uploaded most of those SNES ROMs you likely have on your computer. This is one of many cases where a collector has stepped in to ensure that the masses are able to enjoy games that companies refuse to rerelease. The ROM hacking community - no, the retro gaming community as a whole - would not exist without collectors uploading ROMs of previously undocumented games to the internet.
Do game collectors even "play" their games?
Depends. A very, very large majority of them do, but some buy sealed or "mint" games to grade and display them. I have never met a person like this in my life, and I know a wealth of collectors, though this is personal experience. Personally, if I saw a sealed or super rare CiB game, I would seek to get it graded by VGA, but that's about it.
Some have said to me that collecting suddenly means you're "taking the fun out of owning games" or "not playing your games", but this is a very common stereotype that just doesn't match how it works in practice. Collecting is a very fun experience because the reward for getting the games that I find is, well, a game to play; the average collector bears very little difference to those buying games and playing them when they get home. Collectors usually buy original games to get the pure, original, unfiltered experience of the games those consoles have. This is something emulators simply cannot replicate: playing on a typical gaming PC, often with a replica USB controller, tends to not evoke the same feeling of, let's say, an SNES on a CRT. With that in mind, I would argue that collectors are going above and beyond to play the games they own. This isn't to say emulation and other methods are "inferior" methods of playing, but to say "yes, they play their games, and they go very hard when doing it".
PSA for Cartridge Buyers: Look for fakes
This especially applies to the GBA and SNES markets. Fakes are fucking everywhere. This video is a good one to watch, but I encourage you to look elsewhere as well.
Anyway, some questions to get this off to a flying start...
- What are the rarest and/or most interesting games you own?
- The biggest purchase you regret?
- Any "abused" games you've recoiled in horror at while browsing stores? Think of that Twitter page.
- Any hot collector takes or tips to share?
- Any weird stories?
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