Destruction of a Hobby?

[atari_overlord]

I don’t know if this has already been brought up or not but I was just interested on other peoples thoughts. I read in the Digital Press news that there is a monthly price guide coming out for video games. Is it just me or does anyone else think this could be a huge blow to the hobby. The beginning of the end so to speak. Video game collecting is fairly new beings that video games are fairly new. And I knew this would happen eventually but not this soon. My collecting started with nostalgia then moved on to wanting to try games I had never heard of before. I just went to Flea markets and bought every game I saw that I did not have. Years later I learned about rarity and that there were others like me. I think one of the things that was appealing to me about collecting was that one mans junk was another mans treasure. People did not want there “junk” anymore. (Nintendo, Atari, colecovision) Me and others like me were there to pick up the pieces and appreciate the games for what they were, both good and bad. But making a price guide is just going to give the junk a value to people who don’t care. Example: I love baseball but I don’t care about baseball cards at all. A Mickey Mantle is pretty much worthless to me but I would not use it as a coaster because Beckett Monthly says its worth $100. It is no longer my decision what the card is worth. Beckett has decided that for me. There was a time when I was young that I did collect baseball cards and I remember trading my bother a ton of players he liked for his Chris Sabo Rookie. Prices were never a factor. I loved Chris Sabo. I needed that card. It was a very pure thing. There is a copy of Golden Axe Warrior for the SMS at a store in my local flea market with a $50 price tag on it. It has the box and the book and I would love to get my hands on it. It has been there for over a year now and the guy will not budge a dollar. Every time I ask he just says “Do you have any idea what this is worth?” Well it has been there a year and nobody has bought it so I am guessing not $50 dollars. Items are only worth what people will pay for them and I would hate to see this hobby get further away from that. This, in my opinion , is the sweetest message board on the internet so I am very interested to hear what others think about this.
Andrew@primax.com

[Ed Oscuro]

Without a price guide, people can pull all sorts of stuff, and random item X might seem worth a lot because some person really wants it. This poor sap might be tempted to pay whatever's being asked. Horrible markup rates (and low tradein values) are one thing; that's the price of the convenience a store and an instant sale bring to you. That's just the way it is.

With a price guide out there, people know more about what their stuff's worth and will be less likely to mistreat or trash items the rest of us really want to get.

At the end of the day, though, this is an IRREVERSIBLE PROCESS. The core component of any economic transaction is that I, as the buyer, want your stuff more than I want the money, and you want the money more than you want that stuff. It doesn't matter if some kid wants that stuff really bad, because he's going to have to pay more than I am, and I have deep pockets when I feel like shelling out the money.

That's just the way it is.

I'd be dumb to buy something 'cuz I thnk it's gonna pay off someday, but I'd also be dumb to think that anything's going to lower the demand of old video games or increase the supply (though I certainly welcome rereleases of old Nintendo products, see the Famicom to GBA ports they're doing).

[ringo42]

No one collects any more for nostalgia, it's just "how much is this worth" and "I have to have them all" That's how things are these days, it's a depressing world we live in, and it's only going to get worse. That's just life.

[christianscott27]

it is kinda sad but dont panic. with ebay out there setting real dollar values daily price guides are IMHO moot. there have been record, book and toy collector price guides out there for much longer and that doest stop thrift stores and yard sales from selling those items for pocket change. you'd have to be a motivated seller with a lot of videogames to bother using a price guide. your average flea market seller is either gonna have a price you like or have some nutso price like that golden axe warrior. bottom line, its still a niche hobby outside of our little world here, most folks dont pay any attention to us and wont be using any guide for good or ill.

[tynstar]

it is kinda sad but dont panic. with ebay out there setting real dollar values daily price guides are IMHO moot. there have been record, book and toy collector price guides out there for much longer and that doest stop thrift stores and yard sales from selling those items for pocket change. you'd have to be a motivated seller with a lot of videogames to bother using a price guide. your average flea market seller is either gonna have a price you like or have some nutso price like that golden axe warrior. bottom line, its still a niche hobby outside of our little world here, most folks dont pay any attention to us and wont be using any guide for good or ill.

That is one of the first times I have ever agreed with you.

[Kejoriv]

it is kinda sad but dont panic. with ebay out there setting real dollar values daily price guides are IMHO moot. there have been record, book and toy collector price guides out there for much longer and that doest stop thrift stores and yard sales from selling those items for pocket change. you'd have to be a motivated seller with a lot of videogames to bother using a price guide. your average flea market seller is either gonna have a price you like or have some nutso price like that golden axe warrior. bottom line, its still a niche hobby outside of our little world here, most folks dont pay any attention to us and wont be using any guide for good or ill.

Yea I agree with you too

[atari_overlord]

Sorry for repeating what was already written. I just read almost the same exact same thing in the DP/manci partnership thread. sorry
Andrew

[atari_overlord]

Sorry for repeating what was already written. I just read almost the same exact same thing in the DP/manci partnership thread. sorry
Andrew

[atari_overlord]

Sorry for repeating what was already written. I just read almost the same exact same thing in the DP/manci partnership thread. sorry
Andrew

[Ed Oscuro]

No one collects any more for nostalgia, it's just "how much is this worth" and "I have to have them all" That's how things are these days, it's a depressing world we live in, and it's only going to get worse. That's just life.

I collect stuff that I like to play. So, once again, blanket statements fail.

[StrychNiNE]

No one collects any more for nostalgia, it's just "how much is this worth" and "I have to have them all" That's how things are these days, it's a depressing world we live in, and it's only going to get worse. That's just life.

That and filthy ebaywhores who buy tons of games just so they can resell them to people who actually appreciate the game for being a game and not just a instrument to line their pockets and screw over the people who love this hobby.

[Flack]

It's doubtful that people at thrift stores or yard sales will have price guides, which is where I find most of my things. Someday video game collecting will be just as popular as baseball cards and everything else, and people will want a mint for their SMB/DH carts, but I doubt price guides will be the cause of it.

[goatdan]

I love how these threads always go. In one thread, everyone is pissed that GameStop is stopping carrying NES, SNES, Geni and DC games. However in this thread, anyone who sells video games to make money is somehow a bad person.

The price guide won't do anything that hasn't already been done to the hobby by other things like CGE, retro game collections, remakes of classics and so on. I don't think that anyone here is going to argue that those things are horrible and that we should "stop CGE" or any other game show because "it might draw attention to our hobby, which means more people will want games and prices will go up!" That's ridiculous. I think that anyone who has gone to any gaming show will admit they had a fun time -- whether it is E3, CGE, MGC, AGE or PC. Why not let others have a fun time with our hobby too?

Video game collecting is by no means a bad thing. I have a complete Jaguar and Dreamcast collection -- not because I am going to turn around and try to screw all of you on prices of the games, but because I completely enjoy these systems and would like to have everything that has been released for them. For my other systems -- 2600, NES, SNES and 3DO, I have a handful of games for each that I keep for whatever reason -- 2600 and NES because I've had them for a long time, SNES because of the same type of thing and 3DO because it has the Incredible Machine. I'm not a collector that needs one of everything unopened. But if I was, would that really make me a horrible person?

I am a video game dealer, and as many people know I sell games through the GOAT Store, and there is a link below. Why do I do this? It seems like many "collectors" believe I can do this so I can screw the "gamers" out of their cash. Actually, I do this because I have always loved the feeling of finding a great old game, and I love getting letters from people thanking us for having that old game that they have been looking for. I don't make much money from it (erm... any money really), and neither do 99% of the video game resellers in the world. I would love to do it full time, but that just won't happen if the company is making a few cents for every game we sell.

Getting back to the original point, a price guide won't hurt the hobby at all. If you can still find stuff in thrifts or stores that are rare now, you will be able to do the same thing in the future. Almost one year ago today, I walked into one of my favorite game stores and I found a copy of Star Fox: Competition Cart for $5.00. This same store sells stuff through eBay. Finds happen. It is up to YOU to find them.

[chrisballer]

I really don't see price guides changeing the price of games. I really dont think they even change the price of anything there is a price guide for. The price of anything is what people are willing to pay for it not what the guide says imo.

[TheSmirk]

No one collects any more for nostalgia, it's just "how much is this worth" and "I have to have them all" That's how things are these days, it's a depressing world we live in, and it's only going to get worse. That's just life.

All depends on the person, when I first started back in the 90's, I just was trying to get what I had as a kid, wasn't trying to get everything under the sun, and I'm still that way. Now, my modest collection is at about 500 games spanning multiple systems, and No I certainly didn't have that all back then :) I get what I LIKE and enjoy, if I come across a rarity, sure I'll pick it up, why not? And when looking at a yard sale or flea market or ebay, I pick up stuff that looks interesting, not just because I don't yet have that game. For me and a few other collectors I know, we just get what we like to play. Yes, there are "completists" and if that floats your boat, thats cool too. And yes, there are some that hoard shit hoping to "cash out!", but in my experience, those people usually end up getting burned, cause' they hold out thinking their stuff is worth more than ANYONE is willing to pay for it, years pass, they get sick of holding onto it all and dump it cheap, just like life, everyone is different, and I don't see the monthly price guide affecting too much, other than it may be harder to find those "super deals" where the seller doesn't know what they have

[Ed Oscuro]

Some extra support for The Goat Store -- it's not the retailers/vendors/resales folks who're screwing gamers out of their cash, it's the gamers. If you don't like the fact that things are priced what they're worth, then you obviously aren't as committed to buying it as somebody else.

That's all there is to it. Nostalgia and fun are the basic factors driving current prices...without these, nobody would value old games. If there's competition for their goods, the seller only has to throw up their item for sale and hope for the best. If you don't want to buy it, don't. That'll teach em.

I've seen a number of games on eBay that were commanding outrageous prices for a while, which have finally slid back to acceptable levels. Heck, my sealed/new copies of two highly sought after Akumajo Dracula games cost less than the opened ones. You have to be smart about things. If you don't like your local thrift's prices, start looking around eBay, and vice versa. If those don't work, go to another city to look, go to garage sales, go everywhere. If you're truly committed, you'll find what you're looking for (rares excluded of course).

[ManciGames]

I really don't see price guides changeing the price of games. I really dont think they even change the price of anything there is a price guide for. The price of anything is what people are willing to pay for it not what the guide says imo.

I think that post pretty much sums it all up.

The MG/DP Monthly Price-Guide will not be about "setting prices." It will be about "reflecting prices." Manci Games Magazine is a magazine written by gamers, for gamers. The prices are indirectly set by you. If the consensus is that Golden Axe Warrior is worth $50, then it will list for $50. If you think it's worth $25, then it will list for $25. By the way, that's a collective "you..."

As far as bargains go...they will always be there. There is always going to be the guy cleaning out his attic or the awesome thrift-store find. It still happens in cards, comics, and action figures, and it will continue to happen with games.

You can look at the price-guide as a harbinger of doom, or you can look at it as a tool to be used by collectors. If you make trades, you'll have a better understanding of the trade terms. If you are unfamiliar with a game you've spotted at a show, just look it up in the guide. No more being suckered into, "Now this game is unique. Only 5,000 were made. I'll sell it to ya for $75." Later, you find that it's barely worth $5.

The fact is (and others have probably stated this better than I will), there WILL be a monthly price-guide. If not now, then soon. The question is: "Who do you want running it?" Gamers like the ones at MG and DP? Or some flea-market baron or a guy in a three-piece suit who knows nothing of games, but everything of cash?

Besides, there's more to Manci Games Magazine than the price guide. We are gearing up to present some of the most recognizable writers in the retro-community. Our articles, features, columns, and reviews are going to give you that warm and fuzzy feeling that only a mag dedicated to your favorite hobby can give you.

So, try to stay positive...and for the love of God...subscribe!

[buttasuperb]

I collect stuff that I like to play. So, once again, blanket statements fail.

Same here.

[Chunky]

To me beckett price guide taught children to gamble. and shaped the entire sports card collecting industry that way. But again it is way different too when the main way the product gets circulated is from packs of cards that you don't know whats inside. but beckett is a scam to me anyways.

[Jasoco]

I say, if you're gonna make a Price Guide. Make all the prices $1. That'll make it soooo much easier on me.

[swlovinist]

I first of all think it is a great idea. I see this topic on both sides of the fence. On one hand, if you operate a gaming business, this may reflect price differences, and If you deal with hardcore gamers, that may be bad. On the other hand, if you are a collector, and you want a "ballpark" idea on how much something is worth, then there is a current reference you can look at. The problem is that collecting video vintage video games has gotten popular....way beyond this site. Personally I am tired of seeing crack prices on the net...I dont pay them anyway! That is what I feel and I dont want to upset anyone...espically people who have their own business and are just trying to survive! The bottom line is that there will be a price guide to reference prices on....Something way overdue! Oh yeah, I am one of those pepole who collect for Nostalga and History...I am not in it for the money...which is(and should be) what your primary goal of having a business is!!!!