Do You Collect Because It's a "Fad"?

[SkiDragon]

Ok, I know this is a dumb question for this website, and I know what the answers will probably be, but still I'm curious. I thought of this question based on a previous post.

Ive been asking the same question of myself. Although I still have all my old systems and have never sold a game in my collection other than ones bought for that purpose (and even some of those I keep), I only really started collecting on a broader scale recently (around 2 years ago). The thing is, I did not know it was a "fad" in the slightest when I started. I only started buying a lot of older games when I went to look for the original Shining Force. But then of course I continued to buy, and now I have a lot more games than I had previously.

Anyway, I was just curious, because sometimes people collect stuff and dont realize why.

[Gamereviewgod]

When I started, I thought I was the only one in the world collectig this crap. Then, I found DP. Man was that a blow. LOL

[Kid Ice]

When I started, I thought I was the only one in the world collectig this crap. Then, I found DP. Man was that a blow. LOL

My story exactly. When I started, people were grateful to be able to get rid of this "junk".

[PDorr3]

Yeah i knew people collected games, and when i found DP i didnt feel lonely anymore :) i'm a senior in high school and i am more than certain I am the only person in there that collects videogames to my extent. I also have never sold any of my games, even the most crappy of crap games.

[Porkchop]

I started out collecting Home computers. My first system was a C64. I dug my old system out and went looking for more old computers (pre PC). There always seemed to be a lot more video game stuff in the Thrift stores than computer stuff, so I started picking some of it up thinking I could sell it on Ebay and get more money to buy computer stuff. Before I ever sold any of it I got to thinking that home video game systems were really home computers.

I now have more video game stuff than computer stuff, because I discovered that video games are more fun to collect. LOL

[Aboliax]

I have kind of a different story. I started getting gameboy games when I was 6 (I'm 18 now) and every year I'd pick up 4-8(depending on how bad I scammed my parents ;) J/k) Lo and behold I reach 17 and find I have 70 games. It was never my intention to begin collecting until then. I read in tips and tricks one day about this site, hit it up and then about a month ago finally signed up for the message boards, here I am. So nah, I don't collect cause its a fad, I collect cause I love playing GB games, especially the ones I rented back in the day and now get to try and remember the names of. (I will admit though I always love telling people I have around 150 GBA compatible games though, It goes to my head at least a little) :)

[Crush Crawfish]

I was collecting this stuff long before I knew that anyone besides me collected it. And I'd still collect, even if I was the only one.


i'm a senior in high school and i am more than certain I am the only person in there that collects videogames to my extent.

Are you sure? I'm in the same state as you and also in High school. And I'm a bonafide hardcore-psycho collector. But as far as I know I'm the only one in my school as well.

[Nesmaster]

i dont collect because of a fad, i collect because i love video games, and collecting them makes playing them more interesting :-P

[Habeeb Hamusta]

Well. I'm a big Nintendo fan so I pretty much just collect Nintendo merch. Mostly the SNES. I've just recently started collecting SNES because I've finally found something that i am into.

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

I got into collecting because I love to play the games more than anything, love to learn about the ones I missed back in the day, wanted to see how the "other half" lived with Intellivision and Colecovision and so on.

I don't collect so much now. Because playing is much more fun.

[kai123]

I don't collect so much now. Because playing is much more fun.

That is how I feel about it as well. I love my collection of games that I love to play.

[TNTPLUST]

Well since the 80's first my Mother then my wife just called my "collection" the Junk I refuse to throw away. So no I do not collect because it has become fashionable. For me it is a time machine a way to relive many happy times I had as a kid.

[Cmosfm]

When I started, I thought I was the only one in the world collectig this crap. Then, I found DP. Man was that a blow. LOL

That's me, I started about 3 years ago, on my own....when I felt that I was just clearing everyones stash of games they don't want. I thought, man, I'm glad I'm the only one that does this. Needless to say, DP was a shock when I found it, but I was happy! Still am!

So no, I'm not a fad collector, I've been doing it before it was "cool". God I hate it when stuff I like turns "cool". :(

[Stark]

I wouldn't call this hobby of ours a Fad. A Fad is something that usually just comes and goes in a short timespan. Some people here have been collecting games since before some of the younger members were born- scary huh!

[SS]

My story exactly. When I started, people were grateful to be able to get rid of this "junk".

Me too. I'm hoping that the "fad" starts dying down so I can start getting my Atari games cheap again!

[imanerd0011]

I starting collecting N64 around 3 1/2 years ago when it was dying because all the games were dirt cheap. Around that same time I saw Mario 3 for sale at a local game store and HAD to have it. I remembered how great it was and how much I used to love playing it. So I bought a nice system on ebay with a 72 pin and have been collecting ever since. I have over 250 games now and all my friends think I am a complete idiot for spending tons of money on old nintendo games (that's what they say to me). I collect because I love the games, I could care less what others think of them , and I think I'm the only serious collector in my entire town.

[Berserker]

...you're not going to get anyone to admit that they're part of a fad. :D

just look for who's still around when the interest dies back down.

[neuropolitique]

While classic games may be a fad, I don't think collecting them is. Most people I've met try to sound like they are really into classic games, but whenyou ask them a few questions, you can tell they're not.

Example;
I've been playing a lot of stella in my school's "Cyber Cafe" lately, particularly Laser Blast. Every dork that comes up, and they are all dorks in there, starts going on about how they "have four Ataris" or "I don't have that game, but I have two E.T.s!" Then ask them what else they have. Usually they can't think of anything else, or it's all the most popular stuff, Pac-man, Space Invaders, etc.

For the most part, I think they are gamers. But they read an article in a mag about classics, think it's the cool thing, then act like they're into it. Why, who knows?

Myself, I've been collecting since I bought my SNES. Then, though, I would just pick up a game here and there. I've only been collecting seriously for a few years. Shopping mostly in retail stores, now and then. I picked up my Lynx, some odd hardware, some games. Then, about a year ago, my collecting kicked into overdrive. I found I had way too many consoles, with only about 10-20 games for each. Stores are too expensive to buy a lot of games, so I started looking elsewhere. Caught the thrifting bug, and the rest is history.

Over the years I've collected many thing. This is the only one that stuck, or that makes sense.

[AFGiant]

I've always been a collector of sorts. As a little kid, I collected bottle caps from the ground on the playground. I had an entire shoebox full LOL
I went on to collect odds and ends, hotel soaps (They're Free!), airplane barf bags, and little pins from every state I traveled to, to name a few (I still am collecting those pins and ones like them as souvineres, to some extent)
I didn't get into game collecting until recently. I had always been a gamer, and always saved every game I bought. My videogame collecting drive kicked in, as it was put before in this topic, when I bought a used game.com from my dad's videostore. I asked a friend on prices for game.com stuff and he reffered me to DP. From there, I realized that videogame collecting was something that I'd never thought of before. So, I did a little research here at DP and decided that it was for me. I all ready had a base of about 200 games (for various systems) to go on, so it wasn't hard to start. I just picked up where my childhood had left off with the old systems. I still love it, and don't intend to stop.

[classicb]

I'll tell you what was a fad was me going for a complete Genesis collection. Now I'm back to my normal habits of just buying great games and holding on to them like the pack rat I am.

[sisko]

Game collecting a fad? This ain't quite Pogs and Yo-yos here. You'd be wasting a hell of a lot of money if you werent in this for the long haul, and only had a minor interest.

That being said, no. I collect games because I like to play them, a lot. Granted I haven't come close to playing half of my collection, but I do have full intentions to play every game eventually.

Excluding DC games (the one collection I am striving for "true complete") I've only got about 25 retro games that I REALLY want, and about 100 random titles that I wouldn't mind picking up should I come across them. After that, console collecting will be done, and I'll focus on cabs and pins. :D

[maxlords]

Well, being as I've been doing this for nearly 10 years...I'd have to say no. Much as I love to be a fad follower....I used to wear Hammer pants after all!

[kainemaxwell]

I got into collecting because of DP!

[Fuyukaze]

I started colecting back when I was 7 and given my first atari 2600. My parents figured it would be a cheaper alternative to arcades. At the time, I was much to young to realize what colecting ment. I knew if you didnt take care of stuff that it would break down as many of my friends and relatives who owned the 2600 system would have it stop working while mine continued to work. I started colecting, not because I wanted to but because I didnt know what else to do with the games I had played to death. Back then, there was no stores only for games in my area. I couldnt sell em, and as most had either trashed, given away, or sold off their stuff I could only keep what I had. One game finished, onto the next two. Once those two were done, I'd go get 4 more. It was like drugs. Only I was young and spending much more then I would in those arcades my parents feared so much. By the time I realized what it ment to be a colector, years had passed and I had a SNES with 40 games. For a teenager without a job thats not a bad colection. After being shown this site, my preceptions on being a colector though have changed. While I admit I have colected games over 20 years, I know now I was never realy a colector, more a player. I say this because I have never been able to resist opening a new game. A new game to me is something to be played, enjoyed, oogled, and if bad, scorned. To keep it in the wrap? It almost feels as if its been given a death sentance. So in closing, I may not be a colector, but gaming has never and will never be a fad to me. I may spend the rest of my life with dateless Friday and Saturday nites for it, but I love gaming.

Plus hour for hour, games are much cheaper then anime. Which is my other great love/drug.

[christianscott27]

i think it only seems like a fad cause we're attuned to it, out there in the real world you dont hear too many people getting jazzed over the sega master system or having every 7800 game. sure people enjoy a little taste of the old school in some form or other but collecting is still the exclusive province of us freaks. i think we feel the trend growing because for anyone born after 1975 video games have been around as long as you can remember, thus all of generation Y and half of gen X at least has grown up in a video game world. as the gen Y kids hit their 20s the retro-gaming scene grows but its focus moves from the atari/coleco stuff to the SNES era, look at this board for example...less and less 80s talk every year.

for the fad thing...in my case i was collecting for about one year before i went online, DP was one of the first sites i visited but didnt start posting for another 2 years.

[SkiDragon]

Perhaps "fad" was not exactly what I meant, but the answers are still good.

Its a shame that as soon as a thought I found something pretty unique, I see all these shirts with NES games, etc. on them. I still kinda want one, but havent got one yet.

[classicb]

i think we feel the trend growing because for anyone born after 1975 video games have been around as long as you can remember, thus all of generation Y and half of gen X at least has grown up in a video game world. as the gen Y kids hit their 20s the retro-gaming scene grows but its focus moves from the atari/coleco stuff to the SNES era, look at this board for example...less and less 80s talk every year.


I would agree. I'm in my mid 20's and while my grandma had a 2600 I don't really collect much stuff before the NES. I'm sure the NES being my retro system makes some people on here feel the way I do when my cousin and his friends brake out the "old N64" and play Goldeneye for old times sakes.

[YoshiM]

When I started, I thought I was the only one in the world collectig this crap. Then, I found DP. Man was that a blow. LOL

Count me in here.

I didn't really think of as a "collection" at first. When I started finding and actually buying up the odd gaming stuff nobody seemed to want for cheap (four port 5200 for $5, found a 2 port with controllers for $10, tons of games for 2600 and 5200 for $0.25 to $1 each, etc) I thought this would be more fun than continuing to collect comic books. Before the Internet and discovering DP I thought I was the only one of few who did this.

I've been collecting off and on for about 12 years, so I started before the recent "fad" kicked in.

[Mitch_Naz]

I dont see it as a "fad" for me atleast, because I was buying and collecting (or keeping) my video games since I was old enough to remember.

[DTJAAAAMJSLM]

I started collecting so that I could acquire some of the games I missed in my younger days.

[jerkov]

I really started collecting for the NES after my family bought a top-loader back in 1993. Our front-loader was practically dead, so I kind of stuck with my Sega Genesis instead of the NES just because it was a pain in the ass to get working. Once I had an NES that worked, I would go over to FuncoLand (since I didn't turn 16 until 1998, it was a bit tougher trying to bum rides from my parents and my friends' parents) and buy games. Bought a lot of cheap ones, but also spent cash on more expensive ones that I really wanted (Pac-Mania, Micro Machines, RC Pro Am 2, Uninvited, etc.). Once I got the Internet, I found a few websites dedicated to the NES (like TSR's and NES World) and an email list that had some good NES discussions. However, this was a time where I was basically laughed at by Funco employees for still collecting "old shit". So it definitely wasn't nearly as mainstream as it is today - now, everyone is hip to the old NES games and it's become sort of an icon.

I collect for a lot of systems now, but the NES will always be my main concentration and more than half of my collection is made up of NES games. Collecting was definitely not a fad when I started, and I imagine that I'll still be doing this long after the "fad" is over.

[PS2Hawk]

When I started, I thought I was the only one in the world collectig this crap. Then, I found DP. Man was that a blow. LOL

My story exactly. When I started, people were grateful to be able to get rid of this "junk".

Same here, I got rid of all my earlier systems and then I found this site and saw people's collection. So I started to get my other games back.

[slip81]

I've always been a gamer, but I didn't start collecting untill about a year or so ago after I read a little thing about DP in and issue of EGM. I had never thought of collecting games before, and when I saw DP it just got me interested and that's what I've been doing since. I really didn't even know that collecting this type of stuff was as popular as it is until I found out about DP. I didn't start collecting because it was popular, I started because I like games and I like collecting things.

[-hellvin-]

I didn't really start collecting until DP. I've gotten everything in my ign list in about a year. The most fun part of course though is going back and revisiting thing I've missed from the past. I remember reading my old gamepro subscription and just desiring the play the saturn and snes and many, many other consoles.

[Iron Draggon]

Since when did it become a fad? I've been doing this off and on for about 20 years now. I started with the 2600, moved on to the 5200, and then I lost all interest in videogames when the great crash hit. So by the time the NES came out, I could care less. I didn't get back into them again until Sonic the Hedgehog came out for the Genesis. I got one as soon as it became the pack-in for it. And I've been collecting videogames nonstop ever since then.

When I found DP, it was like finding out that I wasn't the only gay guy in the world. I couldn't believe that there were actually collections that put mine to shame, and alot of them too. With somewhere around 1500 or so games in my collection, I knew that the chances of anyone else having as many games as I do now were very slim, and suddenly here were all these guys and gals who had all that and then some. I really couldn't believe it.

My parents were always saying that I was just wasting all my time and money on something that was never gonna be worth anything to anyone else in the world but me, and now I finally had proof that they were dead wrong about that! I always knew that they were wrong, but it sure was nice to finally be able to prove it to them. They don't think that I'm just wasting all my time and money now! Well actually they do, but at least now they know that I'm not the only one with "the sickness". That still doesn't really help them understand it though. They're convinced that the games all have some kind of subliminal messages in them that make us all buy them all the time!

Someday, when I really need to have a good laugh, I'm gonna show them the manual for Virtual Pinball for the Genesis. Remember that line about Nu Romantic Productions being involved in a conspiracy to corrupt the minds of the nation's youth with subliminal messages hidden in the game? My parents would totally believe it! I haven't dared to let them see that for years now, but one of these days, I'm gonna be in just the right mood to show them. However, looking at the size of my collection sometimes, I wonder if they're right! I've certainly gone well beyond the fad stage with this hobby of mine. Wouldn't it be spooky if we were all victims of some sort of mind control?

Anyhow, lately I guess I have been collecting more because of the current popularity of collecting, but only because I wanna get as much more stuff as I can, while I can still afford most of what I want! The "fad" has made alot of games that I really want become virtually impossible for me to obtain now, so I just gather up everything that I can and hope that the "fad" dies out soon, so I can go back and get all the stuff that I want that I can't afford now. So I think that I'm in a win-win-win situation. If games become cheap again, I can get the rest of what I want cheap. If they stay expensive, my collection is worth a fortune. And if they get even more expensive, I'll retire in style.

The question now is when, if ever, will I sell all my games and cash in on it? I always thought that my game collection would become a legacy for my heirs someday, but being gay and all, my only heir is my nephew. And he's in the Army in Korea now, about to be sent to Iraq. So he may not even live long enough to inherit it from me, which makes me wonder what will happen to it when I die, if I don't ever sell it before then. Is this something that kinda bothers other people here? I really don't know what to do with it all. I don't want to sell it, but I know that someday either I or someone else is gonna end up selling it, so what then? Will it all go to another collector, or will it all get split up and go to alot of other collectors? Will it end up in a museum?

I've actually thought about donating it to a library or something in my will, or maybe even the Smithsonian, but I really don't know yet. And there's so many special instructions that would have to be left for it's liquidation, no matter what I do, unless I sold it myself. Who else will know where I keep all my manuals for all my games that aren't in boxes? Who else will know what goes with what, and what needs what to work? Who else will even care? I am very much the caretaker of my collection, so I'd like to know that my collection will end up in good hands, no matter what happens to it, or me.

So I dunno, but one thing's for sure, I value it far too much for it to just be a fad for me. It's become so much a part of me that it almost seems like it all should be buried with me sometimes, surrounding me in a mausoleum, like a Pharoh's tomb. But I'd never go that far. That would be far too materialistic, and a sure way to catch alot of crap over it in the afterlife. But I do wonder what will become of it. Sometimes I fear that it might all be taken away from me in a natural disaster or something too. That would just kill me. How could I ever prove what it's all really worth to an insurance company? It would be irreplaceable! I could never collect another game again, or even play one, if anything like that ever happened to it. I'd have to spend all the insurance money on an exotic car or something, provided that they would actually pay me a reasonable amount of compensation for the loss, of course. But I still would have to find a new hobby either way. I'd have to get out of games.

[Sibs]

I started collecting games back when I got my first system(NES) when I was 6. Sure, I wasn't old enough to buy games on my own, but the games I did get for my birthday or for Christmas accumulated up to eventually form a small collection. I was always collecting things since before I can remember, so it was natural to consider my handful of games a "collection", and it just grew from there. So no, I wouldn't consider collecting fad, but I would consider classic gaming a fad now, what with all of the t-shirts, backpacks, jackets, wristbands, and other "retro" Nintendo merchandise being sold in stores now.

[swlovinist]

I started collecting video games 10 years ago, but when Episode 1 came out, I sold my Star Wars Stuff and funded one hell of a lot of video games. After working at some game stores and a pawn shop, I now am sitting on close to 4,000 games and over 50 systems. I started collecting because it was fun and I can play my collection. When the fad ends, I will still be collecting, nerdy shirts and all.

[Push Upstairs]

I started collecting so that I could acquire some of the games I missed in my younger days.

This is what got me into back into collecting. I bought Genesis/Gameboy games up until mid-1994 then took a hiatus from consoles while i did the PC gaming thing (I'll always love you Duke3D).

Sometime in 2000 i bought an NES with some games at a yard sale which led me to buying the NES games i used to own and then digging out the Genesis and its games.


No, i dont think i collect because its the fashionably "IN" thing.

[LiquidX01]

Since when did it become a fad? I've been doing this off and on for about 20 years now. I started with the 2600, moved on to the 5200, and then I lost all interest in videogames when the great crash hit. So by the time the NES came out, I could care less. I didn't get back into them again until Sonic the Hedgehog came out for the Genesis. I got one as soon as it became the pack-in for it. And I've been collecting videogames nonstop ever since then.

When I found DP, it was like finding out that I wasn't the only gay guy in the world. I couldn't believe that there were actually collections that put mine to shame, and alot of them too. With somewhere around 1500 or so games in my collection, I knew that the chances of anyone else having as many games as I do now were very slim, and suddenly here were all these guys and gals who had all that and then some. I really couldn't believe it.

My parents were always saying that I was just wasting all my time and money on something that was never gonna be worth anything to anyone else in the world but me, and now I finally had proof that they were dead wrong about that! I always knew that they were wrong, but it sure was nice to finally be able to prove it to them. They don't think that I'm just wasting all my time and money now! Well actually they do, but at least now they know that I'm not the only one with "the sickness". That still doesn't really help them understand it though. They're convinced that the games all have some kind of subliminal messages in them that make us all buy them all the time!

Someday, when I really need to have a good laugh, I'm gonna show them the manual for Virtual Pinball for the Genesis. Remember that line about Nu Romantic Productions being involved in a conspiracy to corrupt the minds of the nation's youth with subliminal messages hidden in the game? My parents would totally believe it! I haven't dared to let them see that for years now, but one of these days, I'm gonna be in just the right mood to show them. However, looking at the size of my collection sometimes, I wonder if they're right! I've certainly gone well beyond the fad stage with this hobby of mine. Wouldn't it be spooky if we were all victims of some sort of mind control?

Anyhow, lately I guess I have been collecting more because of the current popularity of collecting, but only because I wanna get as much more stuff as I can, while I can still afford most of what I want! The "fad" has made alot of games that I really want become virtually impossible for me to obtain now, so I just gather up everything that I can and hope that the "fad" dies out soon, so I can go back and get all the stuff that I want that I can't afford now. So I think that I'm in a win-win-win situation. If games become cheap again, I can get the rest of what I want cheap. If they stay expensive, my collection is worth a fortune. And if they get even more expensive, I'll retire in style.

The question now is when, if ever, will I sell all my games and cash in on it? I always thought that my game collection would become a legacy for my heirs someday, but being gay and all, my only heir is my nephew. And he's in the Army in Korea now, about to be sent to Iraq. So he may not even live long enough to inherit it from me, which makes me wonder what will happen to it when I die, if I don't ever sell it before then. Is this something that kinda bothers other people here? I really don't know what to do with it all. I don't want to sell it, but I know that someday either I or someone else is gonna end up selling it, so what then? Will it all go to another collector, or will it all get split up and go to alot of other collectors? Will it end up in a museum?

I've actually thought about donating it to a library or something in my will, or maybe even the Smithsonian, but I really don't know yet. And there's so many special instructions that would have to be left for it's liquidation, no matter what I do, unless I sold it myself. Who else will know where I keep all my manuals for all my games that aren't in boxes? Who else will know what goes with what, and what needs what to work? Who else will even care? I am very much the caretaker of my collection, so I'd like to know that my collection will end up in good hands, no matter what happens to it, or me.

So I dunno, but one thing's for sure, I value it far too much for it to just be a fad for me. It's become so much a part of me that it almost seems like it all should be buried with me sometimes, surrounding me in a mausoleum, like a Pharoh's tomb. But I'd never go that far. That would be far too materialistic, and a sure way to catch alot of crap over it in the afterlife. But I do wonder what will become of it. Sometimes I fear that it might all be taken away from me in a natural disaster or something too. That would just kill me. How could I ever prove what it's all really worth to an insurance company? It would be irreplaceable! I could never collect another game again, or even play one, if anything like that ever happened to it. I'd have to spend all the insurance money on an exotic car or something, provided that they would actually pay me a reasonable amount of compensation for the loss, of course. But I still would have to find a new hobby either way. I'd have to get out of games.

I bet no one could beat that life story... LOL

[hydr0x]

I've always been a collector of sorts. As a little kid, I collected bottle caps from the ground on the playground. I had an entire shoebox full LOL

THANK GOD i'm not the only one who did this LOL

my next thing to collect were stamps (i've still got ca. 5000 unique stamps, i've got to sell them and buy video games from the money, there are two >5000 bucks stamps in the collection)

then in 2000 i felt like i wanted to own a SNES as my parents never did buy me one, and that's how i ended up collecting, it wasn't popular at all back then, especially in Germany.

@Iron Draggon

i know how you feel man, i'm very very happy i've got a girlfriend which i'm going to marry and have kids with. i hope my son someday will own my collection and respect it as much as i do

if that doesn't work out as i want it i've got 2 other possibilities on my mind:

1) find a young "apprentice" (maybe through dp or another community) whome i will teach in the art of collecting and who will someday take over the collection from me (oh man, that sounds weird)

2) find a good video game museum and give them the stuff, it would be even better if i could found my OWN museum :) but what i don't like about a museum is the fact that noone could play my gems anymore, but this is of course better than have them dumped :(



How could I ever prove what it's all really worth to an insurance company?


huh? i've got no problem with this, i recently talked with someone of my insurance company about this issue and they said they will pay me exactly as much money as i need to get exactly the stuff i owned, the only thing i've got to do is to have a list of all my stuff along with some photos to proof it. of course it's still going to be a pain in the ass to regain all the stuff and to proof to the insurance company that i really had to pay that much for some things, but i'm absolutely sure there should be no financial problem to acquire 95% of my collection again if it gets destroyed...

[Iron Draggon]

I bet no one could beat that life story... LOL

Yeah, alot of my posts have a nasty tendency to become novels, but that's what I love about DP. Nobody complains about it here. The last place that I used to hang out at frequently got pretty assinine about it. As if long posts take up that much more bandwidth on a database like these kinda boards. If you don't wanna read 'em, you don't have to, but most people who do find them very entertaining and informative. I write just to entertain people alot.

(Including myself!)

:bday:

[charitycasegreg]

Well no. I have had the sega and nes since I was little at always had it hooked up at my house. Played it once in a while. Then one day last summer a couple of freinds and I just started collecting. I didnt know taht a lot of other people did. Then in december last year mke (xenu) showed me this site. Good thing too, because I would have missed some good deals if he didnt.

[digitalpress]

Here I am, late for the party as usual LOL

I just read all the comments. First, two comments about the previous comments.

1. Neuropolitique said it best, I think. Classic gaming *may* be a fad (though I think it will always just be a niche), but no way is collecting a fad. It may be reaching its prime, but I'm certain it's here to stay.

2. Iron Draggon, we really need to use your first post in a DP publication somewhere. Dave G does the 'zine editing these days, at the very least your post should be in the "letters" column. It's just so... US. Thanks for sharing that!

I think everyone knows my opinion on this. Digital Press - the organization which everyone who isn't just a casual passerby is a part of - EXISTS because gamers like to remnisce. To reminisce, you must collect. Even if you don't call yourself a collector, if you OWN and PLAY even a handful of NES games, I've got news for you: you're a collector. It's not about the size of your collection, it never was. It's about your love of the hobby and your desire to preserve its history somewhere in your own home. If you're even reading this, you're part of that group.

Now considering that this organization was formed in 1991 and has grown steadily for over 13 years now should tell you it's not a fad. It has, however, become more mainstream. That may seem like a bad thing to a lot of gamers but consider this: you're "connected". While collecting 10 years ago was certainly CHEAPER, the network you're a part of now gives you much better access to get the things you really want, even if it's just one game you haven't been able to find in your local area.

If you haven't already replied to this thread, please do! It's the best read I've seen in a long time.

[Iron Draggon]

LOL I've been wondering how long it was gonna take you to notice me, Joe.

Now I kinda wish that I hadn't condensed that post. (Yes, that was actually the short version!) Originally I went into alot more detail about my 2600 & 5200 days, but I think there's another one I made like that a few days ago lurking around here somewhere, so that's why I didn't revisit all that again.

This is the one that I was hoping you'd see though:

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=41655

It needs to be slightly edited for DP guidelines, but I don't have any way to take screenshots here without a crash course in how it's done, otherwise I'd submit it for the database. (Funny how the reviews link only takes you to a page with the guidelines for submitting one, but not any actual DP reviews!)

Still trying to get settled in here. I wasn't very active at first, but lately I've become somewhat of a DP forum junkie, and feeling very much at home too.

Now get that thing off me!

:embarrassed: ACK! Spotlight! ACK! :embarrassed:

[Canadian Psycho]

In 1996, at age 19, I suddenly wanted to recapture my childhood by getting ahold of the NES carts I had earlier. Needless to say, like many of you on this site, I didn't stop there. Soon I was buying NES games that intrigued me as a child, i.e. games that I had never played before, and then I moved on to other systems. It's not until late 1997-early 1998 that I started collecting more seriously. However, it's late last year that I began buying more and more like a madman as I realized it was becoming way harder than years past to get good games for cheap.

[digitalpress]

LOL I've been wondering how long it was gonna take you to notice me, Joe.

Like I said in my PM - I'm much more oblivious than people think. I do read a lot of the posts but despite the amount of time I spend here during the day I don't read 'em ALL.


(Funny how the reviews link only takes you to a page with the guidelines for submitting one, but not any actual DP reviews!)

Eh? If you mean this page: http://www.digitpress.com/reviews then you should see a frame where the left frame has all of the game systems and the right has the guidelines. Is it possible you're only opening the guideline HTML (the right frame)? Either way I should change that.

Anyway, I've sent a PM to you so we can continue this discussion off-line.

And now back to this fine topic at hand!

[orrimarrko]

Well, might as well throw 2-bits into the ring...

I agree that retrogaming is more popular than ever, but ask yourself why?

I honestly don't believe that most younger kids (under 18) prefer to play older games than the newest releases. I say this in the context of an "on average" basis - there will always be exceptions, many of them frequent this site.

I believe that the majority of the retrogamers exist for primarily two reasons (again, this is my opinion):

1. Gaming is largely a social activity - the easier the game s to play, the more people can play (and enjoy.) Some of today's games are just too damn intricate for your casual gamer to enjoy, with any regularity. Simpler (NOT necessarily easier) games appeal to a wider audience - young and old, male and female. Retrogaming is appealing to those who want to play games, but not invest 80 hours to complete one. Note, this is different than collecting, but I will get to that in a minute.

2. Retrogaming is nostalgic. Nostalgia = memories, and we all love to say, "I remember playing that game - it kicked ass." Playing older games is a way of reliving your past in some way, and it feels good.

Now, on to the collecting part...

When you're a kid, funds are limited. You can only afford to buy so much stuff, especially games that are expensive. You can only expect so many as gifts, so there is no way you can expect to "collect" for a system. Similarly, the goal was to PLAY the games when they came out, and move on to the next one.

Prime example. When the 2600 first came out (and I'm 33, so this is based on my own experiences), I would borrow games from friends, get one or two from birthday or Xmas gifts, perhaps even save up to buy one. (I even have a cigar box covered with Star Wars stickers that says "Cartridge Savings" on the top!) At most though, I only had about 10-15 games in my arsenal at any given time.

When the 5200 came out, the 2600 didn't even exist. The 2600 and games were outta here, and on to bigger and better. My behavior continued to repeat itself up through the Sega Saturn era. It was furthered by the introduction of local stores (pre-Funcoland) that would take in used games and systems in exchange for credit towards new ones. (I traded in a brand new Panzer Dragoon Saga, Burning Rangers, House of the Dead and Shining Force III on the same day - I shit you not.)

Anyway, it wasn't until this same exact time that I started to notice the older games. NES games for dirt cheap - you know the drill.

My goal at that time, since I now had money, and could afford to buy as many cheap games as I wanted, was only to buy the good ones. Especially ones that I wanted to play before, but couldn't buy at the time because I had no cash.

I imagine that this was about the same time that many others here started doing the same thing.

So, is classic gaming a fad - I actually would say yes. There will always be those who will enjoy classic gaming - now, and years from now. But it is popular as hell right now (just like Poker) because of the publicity and television. As prices rise on old games, so will the demand, and we will ease back into where we were 5 years ago.

Is collecting a fad - I agree with Joe on this one. No.

Collecting ANYTHING appeals to (sorry to get scientific here) certain parts of the brain. Obsessive compulsive people can become bent on collecting anything until their focus changes to something else. During that time, however, they will get whatever they can get their hands on.

I am one of those people, which is why I collect. I don't have time to play games that much anymore, yet I am still buying games for every system, if the price is right. That behavior, in regards to collecting, has followed me from bottlecaps to matchbooks to Star Wars to gaming, etc.

Games have been the only one that has been continuous though, since about 1995. It appeals to my compulsive yet completist nature.

Is it a fad - maybe for some, but certainly not for me.

Chat on...(sorry to ramble)

Steve

[qbertandernie]

i started slowly back in high school, where i had a long period where i wanted to play atari(2600). all my friends have always been older, and when i was talking about playing a lot of my friends let me 'borrow' games. they never cared toi have them back, and evyone i knew had a story about their old system, and 'have you ever played....' i guess thats where i got started.

i had a girlfirend at the time that used to shop exclusivley at goodwill type stores, and got me into going along with her. before her i always thought thrift shops were dirty places where poor people shopped for used clothes. well after the inital shock i started finding atari games fairly frequently, and at $0.50 a crack i decided to buy as many as i could find. then one day, i found an NES with 31 games at goodwill downtown. $1 for the games; system, 2 controls, rf and power cord for $5. classic games i rememberr playing at others houses when i was younger.

i was never allowed to have an NES, even thought literally everyoine else i knew had one. we didnt have a lot of expendable money growing up, and as mom said 'you already have an atari'. i think she knew id neglect school activities playing on an NES anyways... but i still had a love for the system, and would play late into the night when i stayed at friends houses. (so go forward about 8 years to the goodwill incident) maybe the fact that i was deprived caused me to feel i needed to collect..

i found that you could get almost any NES game for $5 or less at the local cd resale shops, so thats where i began buying games for my blinky ass NES. my brother had bought a super NES on his own and offered me that when i got into NEs games, so suddenly i had three consoles, and tried to buy as much stuff as i could. eventually i started looking on the internet to find a list of all of the NES games, and found mike etlers list in several places, then eventually found this.

i, too, believed i was one of very few people who would care about old games, and planned to buy as much as i could and open a game museum. now i see my collections isnt as comprehensive as i once thought, and ive since become kind of like an anorexic in reverse - as large as my colleciton is and as much room as it takes up, i still sit in my game room and think 'man, my collections not that great'..

i guess this would fit better in a 'how did you get into collecing post', but here it is...i suppose the consensus is the same...not in it for the 'fad' aspect, just kind of came into collecting thinking i was alone like everyone else. now one of a bunch of independents united towards a common goal...

[theoakwoody]

Yes and No,

I don't really have anyone to show my collection off to because none of my friends are really into collecting older games so in that sense its not a fad.

However, reading boards and forums and such I get excited hearing about all these rare games blah blah blah and then go out and buy them and then realize that I just blew money on a piece of shit so maybe I am a fad fag

[LiquidX01]

I bet no one could beat that life story... LOL

Yeah, alot of my posts have a nasty tendency to become novels, but that's what I love about DP. Nobody complains about it here. The last place that I used to hang out at frequently got pretty assinine about it. As if long posts take up that much more bandwidth on a database like these kinda boards. If you don't wanna read 'em, you don't have to, but most people who do find them very entertaining and informative. I write just to entertain people alot.

(Including myself!)

:bday:

I have read a few of your post's in previous threads and it makes for good reading, regardless if their long or not. Too bad I myself dont have that much to share since I recently just started collecting a little less than a year ago and havent had the type of experiences that many DP'ers have had. I used to sell/trade my games constantly until I realized how much money I was losing out and because when I got rid of "that" game because it became boring and then wished I still had it later on down the road. I had many systems growing up and I got rid of them all, I have just found myself buying back alot of the stuff I had as a kid and re-living my childhood later on in my life.

Ok, I need tio stop now before this turns into my life story... :D

[QBert]

So no, I'm not a fad collector, I've been doing it before it was "cool". God I hate it when stuff I like turns "cool". :(

Ditto man, once something is too mainstream or everyone starts liking it too, I'm usually outta there.

Not a fad for this guy. 8-)

[Wavelflack]

I've been "officially collecting" since about 1987, so no. By "officially collecting", I mean more than just retaining the games you owned in the first place.

I was lucky, in that I lived in the country and garage sales were a pointless waste of time (as a would be seller). My parents made one abortive attempt at a garage sale, and one person showed up. Therefore, I not only managed to keep all of my toys from childhood (I have most of them in my house now), but also kept all of my games.

Sometime in 1987, after I bought my NES, I decided that I wanted more games. I wanted older games. There were a bunch of games in the old Atari catalogs that I wanted to try, but I never saw them or owned them.

I had a friend named Dave Lenz, and I knew he owned a LOT of Atari games (I remember playing them at a sleep over one night). His parents weren't rich, so I don't know how they got them all, but he had them. He also was no longer interested in them. So I offered $5 for everything, and he agreed. He had 50+ games in a couple of shoe boxes. being the tightass that I am, I also asked if we could look in his closet and see if any had been forgotten or misplaced. After picking through underwear and model kits, we managed to find six or seven 2600 carts that had escaped the shoeboxes. I ended up with nearly 60 2600 games for $5, and from that point I was hooked. I wasn't old enough to drive yet, but when I was, I hit the Goodwill and Salvation Army every chance I got.

My cousin joined me shortly thereafter, and until 1996 or so, we thought we were the only people in the world who were interested in old games. It was 96 or so that I found (on a Web TV unit at Sears) a listing of Atari rarity (I can't remember who's list it was--VGL? It had alphabetical ratings--A+, B, C, etc.) Only then did we realize we weren't alone. A year or two later, we found DP.

[Black_Tiger]

I only started after reading somewhere on the internet that it's cool.

But I'll probably stop as soon as someone in real life tells me it's lame.

[Ed Oscuro]

@ Black Tiger
Haha, best answer ever.

Update to previous statement! Or not.

For many, many years I've had a collector mindset. Parents even tried to get me into stamp collecting, for goodness sake! What's scariest is that I plodded along as best I could for a while.

In recent times I've managed to get a better grip on things. In my daily life it really seems to me that the only things I can buy and get any sort of return on are games. Coins? That trash I find in coin drawers isn't worth a penny over face value, and when it is, that's because I stumbled across some silver or a semi-rare date (one coin out of a thousand or more).

Last night I signed back up on eBay and immediately started browsing stuff. I've got something like 12 items in my watch list, but I'm almost 100% certain I'm not going to buy any of them.

My mantra will remain the same now and forever hereafter -

I don't buy games that I don't like, and I will only buy games that I like.

This doesn't preclude me buying tape games for the Sinclair Spectrum, or buying all sorts of hardware variants, but when it comes down to it I'm starting to drift away from the junk clogging up the consoles. I haven't quite managed to consider selling off some of my unplayed carts, but I should consider doing that in the near future. I need to think about making the hobby make ME some money, instead of being a sink for multiple thousands of dollars.

So...what does that have to do with fads? The reason I have an Atari VCS and an Astrocade has been, so far, just because I thought it had "cool factor" or some garbage. I haven't played EITHER of those (in the case of the Astrocade I have a good excuse, but not so with the Atari system). All the same, I'm loath to dump something that costs me nothing to hang onto (for the moment) and that I might eventually get a lot fun out of. For stuff I have tried, though, it's either fun or out the window it goes.

The only system I'll buy most anything for (XXX titles more or less excluded) will be the x68000, just because. I still haven't found a reason to limit buying games for that system :P

[Barbarianoutkast85]

I started collecting because my friend said he wanted to get all the US released NES games. Then a friend and I decided we would try to as well so I picked Sega Genesis and he picked SNES. My friend that was collecting NES games just bought like 200 different NES games off Ebay and the other friend just bought like 20 SNES games from a pawn shop then stoped. Now a year and 6 months later im still collecting games and they just have a bunch of video games sitting around that they dont play. But at first I thought that my friends and I were the only people that "collected" videogames. But I found this website and found out I was wrong.

[Black_Tiger]

I started collecting because my friend said he wanted to get all the US released NES games. Then a friend and I decided we would try to as well so I picked Sega Genesis and he picked SNES. My friend that was collecting NES games just bought like 200 different NES games off Ebay and the other friend just bought like 20 SNES games from a pawn shop then stoped. Now a year and 6 months later im still collecting games and they just have a bunch of video games sitting around that they dont play. But at first I thought that my friends and I were the only people that "collected" videogames. But I found this website and found out I was wrong.

Similar deal with me.

I loved the Turbografx from the get go, bought the Turbo CD as soon as I could(along with 3 PCE CDs), got the Turbo Express and Turbo Duo as soon as they came out and bought every single game I could find.

It never occurred to me whether or not this was normal or if anyone else still liked the system as I did until I first got online.

Not long after getting the Sega Netlink for my Saturn, I discovered The Turbografx Network, a hardcore Turbo/PCE Yahoo Club(which would die a painful death after the bullshit 'Groups' was forced on us).

There I met some really cool people who shared my formally unique intresrt.

Tracking down a couple of whom I've lost touch with is what led my here.

[stuffedmonkey]

I think a lot of the people here collect old games from systems they remember playing as kids. I basically started with an atari my grandfather used to have. We would play it whenever we went up to see him. That was the funny thing, he didn't have it so the grandkids could play - he had it so HE could play and would let the grandkids play for short periods of time if they promised not to eat around it :)


I've had a bunch of systems back in the day, as I was always doing odd jobs around the neighborhood for cash. What I really regret now was selling a ton of stuff. I was always selling the games I wasn't playing anymore to get $ for new games. The old NES and atari stuff I don't really miss as much, since I don't find myself wanting to play those. Mostly the TG16 and a few SNES games I don't ahve anymore. Fortunately my origional SNES survived to this day...

My question is - is collecting old games really popular now - much more so then it used to be? I really don't have a goodd sense as to how it fis in as a fad.

[XxMe2NiKxX]

I started collecting because old games are awesome. New games are simply too easy and not satisfying enough, and reliving old memories is fun. When my cousin and I got into the collecting thing, we didn't have a lot of money. We bought only our very favourites, but as we got more into it, our money allocation tended to lean towards games. Eventually, we combined our collections, and our money -- We created one hell of a collection. Only recently have we started individual collections.

[Jasoco]

I never thought about collecting until I started visiting AA and found a copy of SMB3 in box.

But mainly, I collect what I think will make me happy. I cut back significantly a while ago and now only buy what games I either think I'll love or I like the packaging or it appeals to me in some way. If it don't make me happy, why collect it?

[dethink]

I think everyone knows my opinion on this. Digital Press - the organization which everyone who isn't just a casual passerby is a part of - EXISTS because gamers like to remnisce. To reminisce, you must collect. Even if you don't call yourself a collector, if you OWN and PLAY even a handful of NES games, I've got news for you: you're a collector. It's not about the size of your collection, it never was. It's about your love of the hobby and your desire to preserve its history somewhere in your own home. If you're even reading this, you're part of that group.\.

agreed. i've gone from a massive collection of several systems to a handful of neo geo MVS carts, and i'd hardly say my love for the hobby has dwindled. if anything, i can spend more time playing, since there's a very finite number of games i want for the system, and most of them are just sequels, so it's a matter of getting the best one of the bunch, and if the other's come along at a decent price to fill up some space on the shelf, great. it's not like the NES or MD where i can think of 50+ must have games off the bat. then there's finding the time to devote to them, etc.

i agree with orrimarrko's post 100%.

[Psyleid]

No.

Infact, I'm probably the one of the only people in my area that collects.

[Kroogah]

Yes.

In fact I was the most popular kid in high school because of my NES collection. The quarterback of the football team was like "Dude I so wish I had Donkey Kong Jr. Math"

[imanerd0011]

Yes.

In fact I was the most popular kid in high school because of my NES collection. The quarterback of the football team was like "Dude I so wish I had Donkey Kong Jr. Math"

Me too!!! I was the big man on Campus because I owned a sweet copy of Totally Rad!!!

[Necromutant]

Yo, I only collect because of all the babes my collection attracts. I tried to wow them with the roms at first, but it just doesn't work like the real thing baby... 8-)

[Richter Belmount]

dont know if i posted in here already but I have started collecting classic games cause of the lack of originality in modern games , such generic titles it makes me cry :bawling: :roll:

[Jumpman Jr.]

I got into collecting because I had surgery on my foot last May. Due to the surgery, I was not able to walk for about 2 weeks, so I did the only logical thing: I cracked out the old N64. I guess it just spirraled from there. I really started collecting in about August of 2004. So here it is now.. 6 months or so later... and I've got 700 games :D .
I am definitely not collecting because it is a "fad", although, I don't soley collect for playing the games I buy. In my collection, theres probably about 20 games that I play very frequently, and then maybe about another 20 that I play every once and a while. The thing is, I collect because of that voice in side of me that is driving me to complete these collections.
I don't think that collecting is a fad now either. I think Joe said it right, being that it is 'at its prime.' And I am thankful that it is at its prime because I owe 90% of my collection to you guys, that wouldn't exist if it wasn't in its prime.
Jumpman Jr.

[ozyr]

I got into collecting only because I'm a 'pack rat'. I have never thrown out any game system (or computer for that matter) I've had over the years (except broken junk). I've got my first computer (zx81), first game system (RCA Studio2), and the list just goes from there. This goes for systems mainly, though. I have sold/traded some games over the years, due to multi-carts.

At this point in time, I've actually run out of room in my house to put stuff. Well, not completely, but I have boxes stacked everywhere. I even bought shelve units for the basement last Fall - and they are now full - and there is still stuff stacked on the floor. Upstairs and the Basement are dangerous places to walk - one trip and you'll hurt yourself and my collection.

I would like to get a bigger place, but...

Top this off with boxes of comic books and D&D stuff (the D&D stuff takes up more room than the video game stuff). If I wasn't single, this would be a big problem. ;)

[The Great Dane]

For me, I am into collecting what I think I will like not what I think will be worth a lot of money. Like, I don't have and don't want any classic games that are still sealed. I could care less if the game is brand new. I mean, its the same with people who collect comic books and never open up certain ones because they are worth more money that way. Well, if it is just sitting there in packaging then its useless, I think. I'm refuse to spend an extra $100 or more on an NES game that is still in the packaging when I could get it for $10 on ebay. It just doesn't make any sense to me :hmm:

This is just me, though. If other people are like that, its fine with me. I just like playing games, so I'm going to buy games to play.

[stevec1636]

i started collecting about 8 years ago when friends of mine sent me a sega master system and an intellivision system because they didn't want them anymore. These got added to my Genesis, Super Nes, Nes, 3DO and Jaguar. since then i have been trying to collect for over 40 systems. now i know getting every game out there will never happen but it is fun trying.
I won't way it's a Fad, more like a sickness X_x i can't keep $5 .00 in my pocket without buying some game i don't have. so over the years i have collected over 4000 games and have to have a whole room to keep it all in. i just hope my son dosn't get the sickness until he gets older, he is 7 now and he won't play anything but PS2, GameCube or X-Box saying that the older games don't look cool enough.

Oh well the classics are wasted on the much younger generation i guess.

[Puppetmaster]

When I started collecting video games is about the time I became the "dork" at school. I now go to a different school now, but sometimes I "visit" my old friends houses with my paintball gun to give their house a paint job. I collect video games because No one else I know is collecting them.

[Puppetmaster]

When I started collecting video games is about the time I became the "dork" at school. I now go to a different school now, but sometimes I "visit" my old friends houses with my paintball gun to give their house a paint job. I collect video games because No one else I know is collecting them.

[AtariBuff]

i collect them to relive a part of my youth AND to look at them damn nice boxcover art 8-)

man, the magic back then. activision. imagic. pitfall. cross force by spectravision...

[starchildskiss78]

I agree with AtariBuff. I collect mainly to tap into that part of my youth that I really enjoyed. It's more of an advantage now though because instead of paying $50+ (Street Fighter 2 and The Duel: Test Drive 2 come to mind) I can pay usually less than $10 and get a game that I like. (Or maybe one I never got the chance to play because it cost too much to get.) Ironically it was my girlfriend's brother giving us his toaster Nintendo and the 5 or 6 games he had that got it started. (At the time all I had was the Playstation which was the current gen system which was still duking it out with the Dreamcast and the N64.) Now I'm up to 8 systems (2 portables and 6 console...none of which are current gen) and 160+ games...more than I EVER owned growing up!!!

[legov8]

I just collect because I love video games.

[SSJ3]

I used to be the collector of "fads", but there was one problem when I started to collect, one reason would be I would probably be late into the "fad" or too early and it ended up not being a fad.

I remeber Pokemon cards in my area how big that was everyone was playing them. But, now a few years later it seems like no one wants to remeber what they were.

The one "fad" I loved was the yo-yo "fad" everyone ahd a yo-yo inculding teachers during there breaks rolling down the yo-yo, it was a great thing all the parents liked it becasue it got us the kids at the time outside. But, I dont know why the "fad" died down maybe since all th eguys who came late tried to act cool with them and than everyone was offended by them.