The first system you built your own library for?

[BetaWolf47]

We all have our first system. For some of us, however, someone else chose the games for that system. I myself grew up on NES, and then SNES, but between both of those I only chose one game to buy. My dad and my brother chose all of the games.

Me and my brother got a Nintendo 64 for Christmas in 1996. Both of us were addicted to it for a little while, but he subsequently "grew out" of video games. Most games became too complicated for my parents that era, so it was mostly just me playing them. In the end, I had an approximately 28 game library built from allowance.

What system held your first personalized library?

[buzz_n64]

It was the Super Nintendo, got it with Donkey Kong Country in 1994, and bought Sparkster for it. Gradually bought games as I went, but I never had an allowance to have a big library.

My first system wasn't even mine, it was my brother's Atari 5200, and then I got an NES, but my brother bought most the games for it.

[8bitgamer]

ColecoVision. Got it for Christmas in 1982 (I was 15), but I had to pay for half of it. Donkey Kong was included with the system, and I bought Mouse Trap before Christmas. I quickly added Cosmic Avenger, Lady Bug, etc.

[kupomogli]

NES. While I had to have my parents purchase all my games, if I could I kept all the booklets boxes etc. I had to also ask for games for SNES as well and would try and get games with the boxes and booklets if I could.

As I finally had a job during when the PSX was out that portion as well as anything else I've been putting time into to collect is much larger. So technically the PSX is really when I started collecting.

[Shadow Kisuragi]

NES. My mom purchased an NES for me when I was 3, and when I grew up, we would go to the flea market every weekend and I could pick up any game for under $10.

For my birthday, I was able to pick games from a Funcoland catalog and get anything under $50. I was also given $5 for each A on a report card towards a game.

Worst purchase ever: Bulls vs. Blazers and the NBA Playoffs, SNES, brand new for $50.

[ubersaurus]

I used to spend my allowance money on Atari 2600 and 7800 games at Big Lots. Even though I got quite a few from family members, those were the first I started buying myself.

[Smashed Brother]

The Coleco was my very first system, and then the NES afterwards, but my mom purchased all of the games on those systems for me. I received an SNES for Christmas one year and shortly thereafter I got my first job so I purchased the majority of those games myself. When the PS1 arrived, I purchased the system (a total of 3 times eventually) and the games completely on my own. So I guess technically the PS1 was the first system that I 'built' my own library for!

[Emperor Megas]

The SEGA Master System was the first system that I accumulated a library of games for with my own money. I'd used the money from my allowance and lawn mowing jobs and get a game or two every other weekend, usually from Children's Palace.

[allyourblood]

NES. I averaged about 5-6 games a year: 1 or 2 on my birthday and another 2 or so on Christmas. In between, I would save up my allowance and buy a clearance priced game now and then. My family never owned a video game that I didn't select myself.

[jonebone]

NES, I don't have any siblings and all of my games were "my" games.

[NYLatenite]

Well, it depends on how you look at it - I mean, sure, I saved my lunch money and such as a kid and picked up Atari 2600 and ColecoVision carts at a local used book/game store in junior high, and later did the same with the C-64/C-128 while in high school, but looking back, I still don't consider that building a library myself... (after all, it was still mom & dad's money when you think about it)

So I'm going to have to go with the Sega Genesis, as that's the first system I had where I was buying games with money I made while working.

[Double Ugly]

SNES. I got up to over 30 games on my own, including birthday money of course. I was very proud of it.

[RPG_Fanatic]

NES, when I got my first job in 89 all my paychecks went for games.

[BetaWolf47]

My first system wasn't even mine, it was my brother's Atari 5200, and then I got an NES, but my brother bought most the games for it.
Same deal here. NES was my brother's birthday gift in 1991. SNES was a gift for both of us, and I was too young to select the games. Like I said, my brother lost interest in games, so now those systems sit in my room, with my collection. N64 was also for both of us, but after my brother lost interest, I got to pick the games.

[gumbyandpals]

I had my first decent sized "library" with the NES, but I would not consider myself a game collector at that time.

The first system I got serious about and actually tried to collect and build a library was for Sega Saturn.

After the collecting bug hit me, I went and re-purchased an NES and a Genesis. My collection only grew from there.

[raptor94k]

We had an NES when I was growing, but I was also a victim to the whims of my brother in terms of game selection. Next we had a Genesis and a Sega CD that my mom bought us, so I guess that would be the first system that I truly had a say in what we bought, though I think my brother and I had to agree on what to get.

So, maybe the actual answer to this question is the N64, I remember getting it when I was in 4th or 5th grade and getting Goldeneye with it. Over the next few years I bought WCW vs. NWO Revenge (wrestling got really popular in 6th grade), Hybrid Heaven, and Resident Evil 2. And that was it. All the other games I played during that era were borrowed or rented. :D

[YoshiM]

The first system I probably bought games "on my own" was my Sega Master System. I had a NES but that was more of a "family" machine when it arrived and my parents would buy games for it (my Mom liked to play, my Dad liked to watch, both weren't good at it except for Golf). The SMS I had acquired through a trade of sorts (where the kid tried to weasel out of the deal after a few weeks saying it wasn't really his to give, parents got involved but I won out as the other kid had to "learn a lesson", according to his dad) and my parents didn't even play it so I got all the games on my own.

After that, every game system I bought and became my own, though I'd let my Mom play and get her hooked so I wouldn't get in trouble for "blowing money that was burning a hole in my pocket" :D .

[tom]

(Europe) Atari 2600 of course...fun times getting in touch with Joe (DP) and Tim (2600 Connection) in the early 90s to find out about the obscure US-only releases....Man, I'm old!!!

[Oobgarm]

NES, since I was the only one playing it. Parents bought what I asked for on gift giving occasions.

PSX was the first I bought with my own money. Been downhill since.

[nebrazca78]

The first systems I had decent amounts of games for were the Atari 7800 (including some 2600 games), Master System, NES and then Genesis, in that order. But that stuff was all paid for by my parents and with birthday and Christmas money.

When I was 14 I got my first job detasseling which brought in an amazing amount of money ($300 is amazing for a 14 year old). My first order of business was to immediately spend it all on a Sega CD system and some games. But since games were so expensive I never really built up anything that could be called a library.

So when I was 16 and could now drive I made a pilgrimage to Omaha in search of games. This was before there was a Gamers in Lincoln. Gamers had a ton of Master System games for $2 each so I bought them all. I kept acquiring SMS games through various sources and formed a small library. Then when I got older and started making decent money I eventually got all the U.S. releases.

[garagesaleking!!]

I guess it would be the ps1. I had about a 50% input on my genesis collection, and as far as n64 I dont really recall how I acquired those games.