Are the pre-crash games just not as collectable anymore?

[ShinobiMan]

Forgive me if this has been discussed. I've hovered around the roundtable for over 10 years now, but my presence is nowhere near as prominent as it was from 2001-2004. I've come to noti that in those days, most of the old schoolers here were late 20 - early 30 - somethings who grew up with the Atari, Coleco etc.... and that's what they mainly collected. Discussion was high on these systems and games, and most of the collecting "scene", as it were, was centered around pre-crash gaming.

I was considered one of the young collectors in those days. I believe I was 14 when I made my first posts here (back in the EZboard days!) Now that I'm 25 going on 26, I notice that not only has the demographic changed, but the focus on collecting as well. Has collecting in general shifted it's focus to NES games and on? It seems that most people these days call the 8-bit / 16-bit era the GOLDEN AGE, where as years ago the golden age was always considered the Atari days.

Have the older gamers vacated the thrown? Passed the torch to a new generation? Or are the number of gamers from the 8bit / 16bit era vastly greater and they're just now coming around to that "nostalgia" age?

I just remember a time when there was a such a focus on the old school, but now the old school seems to have become the REALLY old school. Someone (I think Arcade Antics) mentioned in another thread that the demand is just not there anymore. That's a shame. And it will probably happen to the 8bit 16bit era too. :(

[goatdan]

Interesting question...

I think that the demand for a lot of the "8-bit / 16-bit generations" as you call them will remain. Why? Because Nintendo is the main collectible system, and Nintendo is still big out there. Sega, which is also decently collectible, still has Sonic everywhere. So, both of these have a LOT of people that see them as a link to what is currently out there.

Atari lived / lives on nostalgia alone, basically. While the Flashback systems have reminded people of those games, there wasn't much in the way of character-driven games back then, and the games that were character driven (Pac-Man, Pitfall, etc) either don't have a great ability to translate to huge, sprawling 3D worlds (Pac-Man, those 3D games are fun, but not mind blowingly so) or have transferred very poorly (Pitfall). The Atari generation doesn't have any Marios or Sonics, and it makes the games not as intrinsically interesting for a lot of people.

The only exception to this rule seems to be the Turbografx consoles, as those seem to be living based on the love that people had for them. But, consoles like the CD-i, 3DO and stuff like that have never been overly collectible.

[Griking]

. Has collecting in general shifted it's focus to NES games and on? It seems that most people these days call the 8-bit / 16-bit era the GOLDEN AGE, where as years ago the golden age was always considered the Atari days.

Unfortunately the hobby has grown up and there's now more buzzards out there collecting for profit then there are people collecting because of love or nostalgia. As long as the people in the antique shops and flea markets continue to see games like Stadium Events listed on eBay (they don't even have to sell) for thousands of dollars the NES will always be considered a collectable.

That being said, it does seem like over the past few years pricing for uncommon and rare (though not insanely rare) Atari games have been going down as the buzzards have moved on to the NES, SNES and PS1.

[Sanriostar]

It's about age and technology. I'm one of those older collectors who focuses on Pre-crash, and things just change. It will happen to the later generations. I still like what I've collected, but Multicarts make collecting so much more easier in a way, and when you get older, priorities shift. Most of any remaining verve and interest I have in game collecting has mutated into helping run and promote SC3 (see .sig below) whenever we do it. I'm of the mind that I just want to AV hack and muticart all my pre-crash systems and just kinda ride off into the sunset, knowing I've fought the good fight.

But I do still thrift and flea from time to time, just out of habit; and I do like to keep abreast of any Proto discoveries for pre-crash systems.

[Bojay1997]

Forgive me if this has been discussed. I've hovered around the roundtable for over 10 years now, but my presence is nowhere near as prominent as it was from 2001-2004. I've come to noti that in those days, most of the old schoolers here were late 20 - early 30 - somethings who grew up with the Atari, Coleco etc.... and that's what they mainly collected. Discussion was high on these systems and games, and most of the collecting "scene", as it were, was centered around pre-crash gaming.

I was considered one of the young collectors in those days. I believe I was 14 when I made my first posts here (back in the EZboard days!) Now that I'm 25 going on 26, I notice that not only has the demographic changed, but the focus on collecting as well. Has collecting in general shifted it's focus to NES games and on? It seems that most people these days call the 8-bit / 16-bit era the GOLDEN AGE, where as years ago the golden age was always considered the Atari days.

Have the older gamers vacated the thrown? Passed the torch to a new generation? Or are the number of gamers from the 8bit / 16bit era vastly greater and they're just now coming around to that "nostalgia" age?

I just remember a time when there was a such a focus on the old school, but now the old school seems to have become the REALLY old school. Someone (I think Arcade Antics) mentioned in another thread that the demand is just not there anymore. That's a shame. And it will probably happen to the 8bit 16bit era too. :(

This same cycle happens in every kind of collecting. The vast majority of people collect what they grew up with or have nostalgic feelings about and while there are some people who can grow a strong sentimental attachment to items that were long before their childhood, it's not super common among rank and file collectors. Right now the NES is very hot because those collectors were kids when the NES was in its prime. In another decade, you might have a big burst of Playstation collecting. Ultimately, if you can ride out the cycles and you do actually like all generations of stuff, you can get some great bargains as people move on to other hobbies. I would also echo what others have said about priorities changing. At some point you get married and have kids and start to focus on your career more and trust me, your time and what's important changes substantially.

[VertigoProcess]

just wait until all of those nintendo collectors grow up, they'll be saying the same thing when people are collecting "old school" PS3s, 360s, and WIIs....

collecting video game gear is still a very new hobby and this is just the first jump to be seen. There will be more jumps for generation to generation.... until we get to the point prob 15-25 years from now when all of the original atari collectors have died off and a new group will start collecting, but not collecting for nostalgia... it'll be more for the reasons that people collect ww2 stuff or civil war stuff...

[VertigoProcess]

This same cycle happens in every kind of collecting. The vast majority of people collect what they grew up with or have nostalgic feelings about and while there are some people who can grow a strong sentimental attachment to items that were long before their childhood, it's not super common among rank and file collectors. Right now the NES is very hot because those collectors were kids when the NES was in its prime. In another decade, you might have a big burst of Playstation collecting. Ultimately, if you can ride out the cycles and you do actually like all generations of stuff, you can get some great bargains as people move on to other hobbies. I would also echo what others have said about priorities changing. At some point you get married and have kids and start to focus on your career more and trust me, your time and what's important changes substantially.

damnit! you beat me to the point!... jerk...:bawling:

[Sunnyvale]

Unfortunately the hobby has grown up and there's now more buzzards out there collecting for profit then there are people collecting because of love or nostalgia. As long as the people in the antique shops and flea markets continue to see games like Stadium Events listed on eBay (they don't even have to sell) for thousands of dollars the NES will always be considered a collectable.

That being said, it does seem like over the past few years pricing for uncommon and rare (though not insanely rare) Atari games have been going down as the buzzards have moved on to the NES, SNES and PS1.

Perhaps I'm the exception to the rule, but I was/am a 'buzzard', and flipping games required testing them, and...
The 5 year old in me woke up and yelled "Quit selling these, if you don't have it!!!" I don't quite to hold everything, but for myself, I would rather find a crappy Arcadia game in the wild then Contra Force. Cause I'm old.

Also, 'buzzards' don't drive the price up as much as you'd think. We tend to never pay top dollar for anything. Most don't sit on their stuff. They flip it now. Or, if someone is solid video game seller on Ebay, they most likely have some love for it, or why would they specialize?

OK, point blank: I don't like being called a buzzard :-/
If not for guys like me, the prices could be much higher, as less would be floating around for sale. I'm not picking shreds of meat off a bone, I'm finding things we treasure that the current owner does not. Much of this will be destined for a trashcan if not for guys like me. And if I make a profit... do I not deserve it?

As for why the shift has occured, I think it's younger people getting in, and they want the 'Historical' system, and the NES has that in spades. Unless you're old. Then you know it's the 2600. Personally, I am of the opinion prices will climb again, at least on the Atari 2600 stuff. But only time will tell there.

[homerhomer]

I think what you're seeing is the NES/SMS/Genesis/SNES generation are becoming nostalgic. While I still think that people will always be collecting pre-crash games, the current popular is what you're seeing. I can't help but compare game collecting to other types of collecting, for instance people that like cars. I think the pre-crash games are like the Model-T people and NES is like Honda.

I currently collect NES and Genesis but, I would love to find a copy of crazy climber for 2600 to play on my 7800.

[InsaneDavid]

You also have to remember as things get older there's less of them found in the attic, garage, basement, etc. A lot of pre-crash stuff that people may have uncovered has either been tossed out or changed hands already. That's not to say that collecting tastes don't change or that different generations will become hot as their original young audience comes into money.

Really though, you're more likely to find someone with a Super Nintendo collecting dust in a box somewhere than a Super Pong these days.

[Griking]

just wait until all of those nintendo collectors grow up, they'll be saying the same thing when people are collecting "old school" PS3s, 360s, and WIIs....



And they'll likely be the last generation of collectors since everything after that will likely be downloadable titles.

[InsaneDavid]

Collecting talk these days always reminds me of this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5j3aSygMuI&t=5m3s).

[Griking]

OK, point blank: I don't like being called a buzzard :-/

If not for guys like me, the prices could be much higher, as less would be floating around for sale. I'm not picking shreds of meat off a bone, I'm finding things we treasure that the current owner does not. Much of this will be destined for a trashcan if not for guys like me. And if I make a profit... do I not deserve it?

If you visit your local Goodwill, thrift stores or even tag sales looking to purchase games with the sole purpose of turning them over on eBay for a profit then how are you saving someone money? There's nothing wrong with being a reseller but I find it hard to believe that they some how help keep the prices down. Think of it this way, you're the middle man. Cutting out the middleman will almost always save you money.

[Sunnyvale]

If you visit your local Goodwill, thrift stores or even tag sales looking to purchase games with the sole purpose of turning them over on eBay for a profit then how are you saving someone money? There's nothing wrong with being a reseller but I find it hard to believe that they some how help keep the prices down. Think of it this way, you're the middle man. Cutting out the middleman will almost always save you money.

I would agree with your evaluation of middle men keeping prices high, except there's a big difference here: This isn't an in-production item most the time. Guys like me reduce rarity in the collector's realm by pulling these out of the bins. If there was as many copies of Earthbound floating around as there are people that want them, the price drops. But that's not the case. However, if a case of em ever shows up all at once, odds are it's a 'buzzard' that found it. And the price would go down.
Yeah, I make it more expensive for the guys in my town to get Mike Tyson's Punch Out cheap, but I help the gems pop up.
Example: I own that copy of Custer's Revenge Kitsune 'scavenged' from the wild. One more copy around now, thanks to him. It existed before, but like gold 20 miles down, for practical purposes, it did not. And I am happy as pie he made a healthy profit on it. He deserves it.

[Atarileaf]

I can only speak for myself personally as anyone that knows me, I'm primarily an Atari collector as well as other precrash games and systems and for those of us who've been doing it for many many years, our collections are, for the most part, completed.

Also, as has been mentioned, when you become and old fart like me with a job, family, and other responsibilities, you don't have the time and inclination to go hunting all day for video games. I used to love it but the thrill of the hunt has kind of waned on me and if I do want something I buy it online (ebay is a last resort though).

But yes, there's a definite shift in collecting choices and the meaty part of the curve seems to be in the NES/SNES/N64/Genesis/PS1 era as opposed to my old favorites - 2600/7800/Atari-8bit/Colecovision/TandyCoco (ok that last one has a very small following) but I'm still very interested in the hobby as a whole and still visit Atariage daily and here (less frequently) to read and discuss everything retro gaming.

I think Atari will always be collectible but its just not the prominent focus for a majority of gaming collectors.

[Ryudo]

How many of you like films from the late 1800's and early 1900's? Probably not one of you.
It's kind of like that for Atari. I'm 29 and while I played Atari back then it just does not hold up well at all.
It's just to well some may hate this word but primitive for me. My fave era of gaming is 1987-1999.

I only collect games and systems I love and want to play. Many of those are from the 16-32 bit era.

[badinsults]

It definitely has to do with people getting older and having other priorities in life. People in their 20s and early 30s generally have the most disposable income, and are most apt to want to get things they wanted when they were kids. The people who grew up with the Atari 2600 are in their late 30s and early 40s now.

[Arcade Antics]

The audience is still there, they've just completed their mission. The supply has met the demand.

[Atarileaf]

How many of you like films from the late 1800's and early 1900's? Probably not one of you.


While not quite that old, I do enjoy many movies made well before I was born. One of my favorites was just on the other day - 12 Angry Men - the much better original version with Henry Fonda. I also enjoy music that is well before my time too. A lot of great Jazz and Blues was created long before I was born.

[Ryudo]

While not quite that old, I do enjoy many movies made well before I was born. One of my favorites was just on the other day - 12 Angry Men - the much better original version with Henry Fonda. I also enjoy music that is well before my time too. A lot of great Jazz and Blues was created long before I was born.

As do I and films as far as the 30's but never silent films. The point was to me and why many don't is just it's like the silent era. A select few will always love it but most will not.

[Sunnyvale]

How many of you like films from the late 1800's and early 1900's? Probably not one of you.
It's kind of like that for Atari. I'm 29 and while I played Atari back then it just does not hold up well at all.
It's just to well some may hate this word but primitive for me. My fave era of gaming is 1987-1999.

I only collect games and systems I love and want to play. Many of those are from the 16-32 bit era.

Here's where the dedicated collector and the dedicated player diverge. Look at Harley Davidson's. Many of the most expensive are all but unusable. Same with collectible guns, cars, reel to reel tapes...
It's a psychological thing. When my nephews come over, one always wants to play whatever GBA or DS games I have he doesn't. His younger brother (6 years old) wants to play the "oldest Gameboy you have, please". He'll want an Atari, if he collects when he's in his 20's, while his brother will not. Some people like cutting edge, some want nostalgia, and some like the history of it. That's why I think Atari stuff will do well in the long run. It really was the start of the home console craze.

[Gameguy]

As do I and films as far as the 30's but never silent films. The point was to me and why many don't is just it's like the silent era. A select few will always love it but most will not.
I'm basically the same way, aside from a few silent films I'd rather be watching better made films from the 30's. 1939 was considered to be Hollywood's greatest year and there were so many great films made during that general time period.

With games, the main problem with pre-NES games is that the best games were arcade titles that only got subpar ports on the Atari 2600. I still love playing Pong, Breakout, Asteroids, Battlezone and so many others but the Atari ports just fall short for most of them. I'd rather play those older arcade games on other compilations on newer systems or on the PC. I still have a system but there aren't many games I find to be worth playing. The best NES games weren't ports and those games are why people still collect for the system, there are also good ports which make the system even better. I'm saying this as someone who never played an NES system until after the PS2 was released.

I do remember around 2000/2001 that Atari stuff was really popular, that's when I was starting to get into older games. After playing that stuff for awhile I mostly lost interest in games that old. I keep an eye out for rare games but I don't get excited about commons anymore.

[PapaStu]

Basic gist is that those who've got the $$ now (in theory, forget the shit economy) are getting what they previously had, or what they never could have, or are just plain getting it all from the times they were 'growing' up. That group? The '8-bit era' kids. The Atari and other early systems have hit and lost peak demand because those who really cared either have it, or did get it again and have moved on to bigger/better/other things. Life does have that funny way of messing up what we think we'll do forever. The whole procreation, house, life thing really puts a damper on those little boxes of silicon and memory chips that we swore we'd collect forever and never let go.

Additionally so many games of the last decade (actually 15 years) have been treated to collections of older stuff that the need or desire to have another system and 30 games instead of one PSOne disc that has 30+ Activision or Intellivision classic games sure gets hard to justify.

[G-Boobie]

I was going to reply, but PapaStu said everything I was going to. Very eloquently, I might add.

I'll add this, though: the best people in the collecting community are the ones that don't take it so seriously that it distorts their perspective on life. It's just "stuff": the best part about collecting games are the sweet people you meet. Which is basically Digital Press in a nutshell. You should come around more often, Shinobiman. Even if we're talking about Sega Saturn.

[jupitersj]

I grew up with the NES; I believe I was 5 or 6 when it launched in North America. As much as I love videogames, I have never had the urge to collect or even try Atari generation games outside of a few times a system has been hooked up in a store.

I had great memories with my NES but I still do not collect for it either to this day. I can't explain why....I just have no urge for it. Snes/Genesis/Saturn/PS1/PS2 is 99% of my collection as well as handhelds. I guess it is the RPG gamer in me, but I love these systems and their technology. Saturn and PS2 rock my world and I'm past the big 30, yet I pretty much loathe current gen consoles. So many people proclaim we are in the golden age of gaming but this gen feels too much like cookie cutter bean-counter driven :( I am not happy with the direction the industry has been taking these past few years.

OK, I'm done rambling..... :monkey:

[tom]

Atari Inty Coleco Vectrex A8 C64 collecting is still alive and well and growing, it's just shifted from DP to AA.

Whereas here the main focus is now NES and after, the pre-crash collecting scene is growing, but games are getting more and more valuable/expensive too.

80s VCS games like Star Wars The Arcade Game, Wing War, once common titles, demand a pretty penny nowadays, cib. The supply is getting less. Try getting a cheap Odyssey (72) now.

Boulder Dash a new 2012 title for the VCS is already in the top 10 of homebrews, Coleco collecting is rising, and the computer scene, eg games for A8 from SSI, Infocom are very sought after.

NES, on ebay US, still seeing many titles for $1 or 2, maybe that's why people buying them up quickly, because you never know, a common title now is not necessary a common title in 10 years from now.

On the other hand, Atari was old school 10 years ago, NES SMS 16bit is old school now, that's just the way it goes.

But fear not, pre-crash collecting is happening and growing.

[Atarileaf]

With games, the main problem with pre-NES games is that the best games were arcade titles that only got subpar ports on the Atari 2600.

Not necessarily. There are 2600 ports which I actually PREFER over the arcade game. Space Invaders is a prime example.

[tom]

And Gyruss, Kangaroo, many Atari coin-ups actually, Frogger, Super Cobra etc.....

[Sunnyvale]

I still love playing Pong, Breakout, Asteroids, Battlezone and so many others but the Atari ports just fall short for most of them.

Wow, I never thought I'd hear someone say Battlezone got a bad port. It's a lot more playable then the coin op, imo.

[NeoZeedeater]

How many of you like films from the late 1800's and early 1900's? Probably not one of you.
It's kind of like that for Atari. I'm 29 and while I played Atari back then it just does not hold up well at all.
It's just to well some may hate this word but primitive for me. My fave era of gaming is 1987-1999.

I only collect games and systems I love and want to play. Many of those are from the 16-32 bit era.
I like movies and games from all generations. Video games evolved at a faster rate than movies in the early days. I would say the '60s and early '70s would be more analogous to the silent film era. The early '80s/Atari heyday was much more advanced in design. Video games had come a long way in a short time. Not everyone likes "play for score" games but that era excelled in them and many games have aged quite well. I think that game era probably has wider appeal than the early years of movies but the younger generations doesn't get much exposure to it. It doesn't help that mainstream media sites act like nothing outside of Nintendo existed in the past.

[chrisbid]

NES and 16 bit era collecting has already passed its peak. N64 is now becoming the hot system for game collecting.

[Slate]

Forgive me if this has been discussed already, I didn't bother reading past the first reply, But I thought I'd throw this in: When I first joined here in 2005 loose copies of Stadium Events could be bought for $900. I'm not sure what they go for now but I know the prices have gone up a lot.

Austin

[Kiddo]

NES and 16 bit era collecting has already passed its peak. N64 is now becoming the hot system for game collecting.

I'll only believe this if I ever see any one game sell for as much as a 64DD normally does on eBay.

The N64 didn't have nearly the market success as the NES, SNES and Genesis did. It also has a library in which pretty much most of the titles worth grabbing have more or less the same degree of rarity. Even the games that -are- more rare like Bomberman 64: The Second Attack didn't approach the price ranges of Earthbound - or even a few Sega Saturn titles, for that matter.

And on top of that all there's still too much undocumented Satellaview material to even make a claim that anyone's SFC Collection is "complete".

[Bojay1997]

Atari Inty Coleco Vectrex A8 C64 collecting is still alive and well and growing, it's just shifted from DP to AA.

Whereas here the main focus is now NES and after, the pre-crash collecting scene is growing, but games are getting more and more valuable/expensive too.

80s VCS games like Star Wars The Arcade Game, Wing War, once common titles, demand a pretty penny nowadays, cib. The supply is getting less. Try getting a cheap Odyssey (72) now.

Boulder Dash a new 2012 title for the VCS is already in the top 10 of homebrews, Coleco collecting is rising, and the computer scene, eg games for A8 from SSI, Infocom are very sought after.

NES, on ebay US, still seeing many titles for $1 or 2, maybe that's why people buying them up quickly, because you never know, a common title now is not necessary a common title in 10 years from now.

On the other hand, Atari was old school 10 years ago, NES SMS 16bit is old school now, that's just the way it goes.

But fear not, pre-crash collecting is happening and growing.

I disagree. While truly rare and in demand items have continued to go up in price, the vast majority of pre-crash stuff can be had for a fraction of what it was selling for 5-7 years old when it was really at its peak. Indeed, some of the prices for sealed NES stuff, including dirt common stuff, eclipse anything I have ever seen for pre-crash games with the exception of those few holy grails that rarely appear. I also disagree that collecting is growing for pre-crash stuff. I am seeing and meeting fewer and fewer pre-crash collectors and many of the folks who used to frequent here and AA have sold their collections or just slowed down considerably. On the other hand, I am meeting more and more NES and later collectors as that is where the growth is happening right now. Heck, even many of the old school collectors I know from the early days have started to focus on post-crash stuff, myself included, possibly because they already have most of what they wanted from the early era.

[Atarileaf]

NES and 16 bit era collecting has already passed its peak. N64 is now becoming the hot system for game collecting.

Thats how I know I'm out of the collecting loop. I tried to like it, I really tried but I just can't stand that system.

[old_skoolin_jim]

NES and 16 bit era collecting has already passed its peak. N64 is now becoming the hot system for game collecting.

As much as I didn't want to admit it to myself, this does seem to be the way things are now. Why this is so is beyond me (IMO most of its games don't hold up that well, especially visually, and many can be D/Led via the Wii VC, but I digress)... I think it's gotta be the previously noted "nostalgia" factor. Kids born in the 90s are now becoming the older teens & 20-somethings with disposable incomes that once sat in front of their TVs and played Glover and BattleTanx 'til the cows came home. More power to 'em for essentially doing what we (or at least I) did at their age.

[drthielegood]

I don't entirely agree that pre-crash systems are losing popularity.
Do they hold up as well to a new generation of collectors? Well....no, but this happens to be, as mentioned before, due to the generation of buyers that are driving the market these days.
It is true that many collectors actually HAVE their classic stuff in their collections and this may explain why the market has dried up somewhat. In addition to this, most attics have been cleaned of their pre-crash stuff. I actually pulled 3 different 2600 consoles and pong system out of my parent's attic. Whats left up there now? A PS1 and a N64. The number of treasures to be found has dwindled over the years but that hasn't stopped the growth of the pre-crash collectors market.
We mustn't forget the non-Atari systems of the pre-crash era. As was mentioned, Coleco-stuff has been doing very well lately. Don't get me started on Vectrex, as that stuff has been doing very well in recent months and years.
Also, while I don't begrudge anyone trying to make a living, the reseller/ebay market has slowed the growth of the market somewhat. As the hobby grows, regardless of the generation, the prices of items will go up. Rising prices will put off many and the popularity of a system will seem to go down. To this end, I wouldn't be surprised if the market shifts its focus to the late 80's/early 90's era, that the prices of those games and systems drive collectors back to the classics.
There will always be a market for pre-crash games and consoles. A car collector, even if they focused on the 50's-60's autos, would ABSOLUTELY make a run at a Model-T if given the chance. As collectors of classic games, we are purveyors of pop culture history, whether consciously or sub-consciously, and pre-crash consoles and games actually transcend the nostalgia...to an extent. They turn game rooms into gaming museums and collectors into historians.


Bob

[Bojay1997]

I don't entirely agree that pre-crash systems are losing popularity.
Do they hold up as well to a new generation of collectors? Well....no, but this happens to be, as mentioned before, due to the generation of buyers that are driving the market these days.
It is true that many collectors actually HAVE their classic stuff in their collections and this may explain why the market has dried up somewhat. In addition to this, most attics have been cleaned of their pre-crash stuff. I actually pulled 3 different 2600 consoles and pong system out of my parent's attic. Whats left up there now? A PS1 and a N64. The number of treasures to be found has dwindled over the years but that hasn't stopped the growth of the pre-crash collectors market.
We mustn't forget the non-Atari systems of the pre-crash era. As was mentioned, Coleco-stuff has been doing very well lately. Don't get me started on Vectrex, as that stuff has been doing very well in recent months and years.
Also, while I don't begrudge anyone trying to make a living, the reseller/ebay market has slowed the growth of the market somewhat. As the hobby grows, regardless of the generation, the prices of items will go up. Rising prices will put off many and the popularity of a system will seem to go down. To this end, I wouldn't be surprised if the market shifts its focus to the late 80's/early 90's era, that the prices of those games and systems drive collectors back to the classics.
There will always be a market for pre-crash games and consoles. A car collector, even if they focused on the 50's-60's autos, would ABSOLUTELY make a run at a Model-T if given the chance. As collectors of classic games, we are purveyors of pop culture history, whether consciously or sub-consciously, and pre-crash consoles and games actually transcend the nostalgia...to an extent. They turn game rooms into gaming museums and collectors into historians.


Bob

Strongly disagree with your point about car collectors. Model Ts actually aren't that rare and most car collectors I know don't collect cars from different periods. They tend to focus on a particular make or type (muscle cars, exotics, hot rods, early models, etc..). It's hard enough to keep older cars going without having to worry about the even broader knowledge needed to maintain cars from multiple eras. Not saying video game collectors don't tend to cross over more, but I know a good amount who have zero interest in pre-crash stuff and probably never will care much about it.

[Jack7]

I was born in 1987 and grew up a nintendo kid with my earliest VG memory being mario/duck hunt for the NES. but i find all the pre-crash systems fascinating, and depending on game, just as fun.

[Gamevet]

I think a lot of it has to do with expendable cash. The people that grew up with the pre-crash systems are starting to think about saving for their retirement, and while they may still have an interest in collecting those games of old, the amount of cash they are willing to spend isn't like that of someone in their late 20's.

[leatherrebel5150]

As much as I didn't want to admit it to myself, this does seem to be the way things are now. Why this is so is beyond me (IMO most of its games don't hold up that well, especially visually, and many can be D/Led via the Wii VC, but I digress)... I think it's gotta be the previously noted "nostalgia" factor. Kids born in the 90s are now becoming the older teens & 20-somethings with disposable incomes that once sat in front of their TVs and played Glover and BattleTanx 'til the cows came home. More power to 'em for essentially doing what we (or at least I) did at their age.

This has alot o do with it I was born in 1991 way too late for pre-crash stuff, late for NES, and just barely in the SNES era. By the time I was old enough to comprehend video games it was the last year for the SNES. So from age 6 or 7 until around 12 it was all about the N64. It all has to do with the nostalgia for the N64. I like to play it because that's where my memories are, with my friends playing goldeneye and no mercy. But I do collect for basically any (cart based) system from N64 back I don't have because it's about the pop culture. I would much have preferred to have been a teenager in the 80's so any way I can get closer to 1985 I'll do it. That includes pre crash games the only reason I do not focus on those games is because I don't have the systems. My focus is for the systems I currently own and I don't really seek games for systems I don't have but if I happen to come across them I will pick them up. Thankfully I'm only half a dozen games away from completeing N64 because I got a feeling it's gonna get expensive really soon.

[ifkz]

As another long-time older console collector, I think the 2600 and ColecoVision collectors got what they wanted from the system and have either moved on to new systems or stopped with those.

I got my first gaming system, the SMS, in December 1988. I collected it for a few years, even branched into importing games from the UK and then stopped once I achieved my goals. I haven't bought another SMS game in years. I still love the system. But, I have moved onto newer systems, up until I am caught up with the present day 360 and Wii. Reliving memories and loving old system and games is a great hobby and passion, but eventually a collector gets everything that they want.

I got my ColecoVision and Atari 2600 expansion module from my brother as it was heading out to the trash can. I was never that active with it, but I made a note of getting any ColecoVision carts that I found in the wild. I got the rest of the 'good' titles online when my thrift store days were behind me. I still treasure Q*Bert, Q*Bert's Qubes, Spy Hunter, and Star Trek SOS on the ole CV. Great titles. Anyhow, I guess my point is it is always possible for 'newer' collectors to go backwards and enjoy some of the older games. Other posters in this thread are right, the supply of these things is not plentiful anymore.

Enjoy being a collector while you have it. I always knew that there was only a limited window of time for me to be an active collector. Real life catches up. I will still have time for gaming, just not as much as when I was younger. Thanks to collecting I have a great connection to my younger self. Some of the games and all the systems from past Christmas's are still in my collection. I can look at them and think of when I was still in the old house with my parents, when the most I wanted from my day was to spend it in a comfy chair playing games. I think I am pretty lucky to have made the choice to get these older games/systems while I could. I am not sure what my future children will think of them, but I'm eager to find out!

[Atarileaf]

As another long-time older console collector, I think the 2600 and ColecoVision collectors got what they wanted from the system and have either moved on to new systems or stopped with those.

I got my first gaming system, the SMS, in December 1988. I collected it for a few years, even branched into importing games from the UK and then stopped once I achieved my goals. I haven't bought another SMS game in years. I still love the system. But, I have moved onto newer systems, up until I am caught up with the present day 360 and Wii. Reliving memories and loving old system and games is a great hobby and passion, but eventually a collector gets everything that they want.

I got my ColecoVision and Atari 2600 expansion module from my brother as it was heading out to the trash can. I was never that active with it, but I made a note of getting any ColecoVision carts that I found in the wild. I got the rest of the 'good' titles online when my thrift store days were behind me. I still treasure Q*Bert, Q*Bert's Qubes, Spy Hunter, and Star Trek SOS on the ole CV. Great titles. Anyhow, I guess my point is it is always possible for 'newer' collectors to go backwards and enjoy some of the older games. Other posters in this thread are right, the supply of these things is not plentiful anymore.

Enjoy being a collector while you have it. I always knew that there was only a limited window of time for me to be an active collector. Real life catches up. I will still have time for gaming, just not as much as when I was younger. Thanks to collecting I have a great connection to my younger self. Some of the games and all the systems from past Christmas's are still in my collection. I can look at them and think of when I was still in the old house with my parents, when the most I wanted from my day was to spend it in a comfy chair playing games. I think I am pretty lucky to have made the choice to get these older games/systems while I could. I am not sure what my future children will think of them, but I'm eager to find out!

Very well said :)