Why I Stopped Video Game Collecting (And the state of the retro market)
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- Опубликовано: 3 фев 2023
- Thanks for watching. I've been working on this video for 2 days now and procrastinating alot.
Music:
Chrono Cross - 生命 ～遠い約束
Mabinogi - Field Avalon Gate
Sonic Unleashed - Cool Edge Day
Mabinogi - Emain Macha
Mabinogi - Taillteann town 
Игры
Beautifully spoken. The many of us that grew up with videogames and remember them warmly, we often forget that amassing hundreds of videogames can often get in the way of creating more of those warm memories we cherish, because of the resources collecting/hoarding takes up. That's my opinion and many collectors will probably disagree, but I think their massive backlogs supports my point of view.
I used to collect as well and had hundreds of physical titles.. now these days I own about 25 or so, across a few consoles, just the games I grew up with. I enjoy keeping these physical pieces that I grew up playing because they connect me to my past in a way that creates a healthy relationship with my nostalgia. They can even bit-rot away and seize to function and I will still be happy to have them around. These titles have been preserved and there are many other ways to experience them and others if needed.
Great video dude. 👍
I had accumulated a total of 40-50 games between nintendo's handhelds / consoles growing up. I sold it all off during the covid. I used the money to buy newer experiences.
It gets sold by your family, and off to other collectors to enjoy. Collections don't die, we do.
That or it's thrown in the trash depending how old it is.
Never know.
@@b4rs629 I’d be so pissed lol
@@lordeuronymous Can't be pissed you be dead :D
I collect games because of the memories, the enjoyment, the preservation of the media. A video game history library for my son to grow up with and enjoy and appreciate. Too many people care far more about the plastic wrapping around a "sealed" game than the experience within the case itself. And it's ruining it for the rest of us
Does your kid actually play any of them though?
The only reason i would buy a sealed copy other than i find it cheap by chance is to get a game that i 100% will know it works so i can play it without worry, otherwise what is the point?
@@Bird-Birdy-LoveChances are youll have to replace the battery anyways so if you could get a cheaper copy you could possibly use the money you saved for another game.
collecting is a hobby too. if you die your hobby dies with you. so it's not a big concern what happens to the items afterwards
My video collection doubles as a collection of memories. When i look at a game on my shelf, i remember when and where i was when i played it. Owning the gane isnt just an item with value its a memory from my past. Without that cartridge to remind me, the memory can be forgotten. Its a reminder to jog my memory of my wonderful nostalgic past with my friends.
Yeah, physical items are like memory banks for when you get old. :D.
'
This argument is beautiful but also a slippery slope. The type of argument you make can easily be applied to everything in life.
Why collect cars? Why collect VHS tapes? Or figures? Or movies? Or jewelry? Or sneakers? Or clothes? Why does anything in life matter if we will ultimately die?
We collect because it makes us happy. You don’t need a reason to collect, even if we can’t take it with us. And who’s to say people aren’t making memories collecting the physical objects themselves? You have no idea how a real score might feel to someone, same as the feeling one might get for playing the games.
You found your truth and that’s beautiful. But it doesn’t apply to everyone.
Thanks for watching! I do agree but I did state in the video that if you ENJOY doing it. That's fine. But if you do it just for an investment or no good reason. You're wasting your time and ruining the items value. If you enjoy collecting VHS tapes, then you like the things about them other people don't. Like maybe the boxes, or manuals, or the unique startup commercials. Same with games and whatever they contain. But if you're collecting VHS tapes just for the sake of collecting or want to make value off them. Why bother, for the people who just want to watch the VHS tapes, there's no point in hoarding. Especially when everything is online nowadays and better than an actual VHS. Since its not a hassle. I was collecting at one point too just to be a collector but I also just wanted to play the games but now I've gone all digital and emulate old games. Because the game itself is what matters to me. The manuals I don't care for but if I did I can just look them up.
@@residentfortress420 That’s a valid response, but only because it applies to you! You came to the realization that you don’t really care for the physical media itself and would rather play digital. And that’s perfectly fine! Emulation is awesome and I’m a huge supporter myself!
However, this discounts the idea of how others interact with physical games too. People have fun collecting video game media. People also have fun game hunting and reselling games to make money. There’s nothing wrong with this at all, (though it can be unhealthy if you are running up credit cards to fund your hustle/collection). It’s fun to find something in the wild that’s stupidly expensive but you paid a few bucks. Maybe you add it to your collection. Maybe you sell it. It’s also fun to invite friends over to discuss your game room that you spent weeks/months/years putting together.
There’s many different ways to enjoy the hobby. 🔥
Bro, this absolutely amazingly and beautifully said. You have a gift and I hope that you use it more often.
@@Greazvstheworld Man, I appreciate you brother! Was just speaking on my heart after watching the video!
He didn't have a bad argument, it just doesn't take into account a lot of emotions that we go through.
I wholeheartedly agree! People put too much emphasis on video games nowadays. Which is why I sold my entire physical collection except for my ps2 which I only have about 25 games, honestly I’m so relieved and fully embrace digital gaming instead of holding onto nostalgia, games I’m never going to play, games sitting on my shelf collecting dust, have no attachment to etc… it’s hoarding and takes up too much space. Plus retro collecting has become toxic , too many scam artists looking to get rich overnight smh 🤦🏽
I did exactly the same as you did!!!!! Right now I'm more into emulation & piracy when it comes to retro games that aren’t available in the market.
Ikr people are just hooked on nostalgia like a drug! These collectors cannot accept the truth and reality and would much rather stick to spending hundred upon thousands of dollars on plastic and cardboard instead of sticking to convenience. These people don’t care about emulation and are so fucking dumb it’s immeasurable
I have no idea why this was recommended.
But honestly I agree, there are plenty of games I go back to play now and then. I used to collect games, but they're online now, they're better preserved. Pretty much the only thing that really makes me worried about losing it is my original Xbox titles, because so many of those simply do not exist online, original XBOX emulation is barely getting to a partially playable state now.
Honestly though 100%, the retro-market is nuts. I played a lot of games that were terribly expensive back then, Suikoden 1, 2 and Radiant Silverwing were incredibly expensive. I'm so glad that they are no longer so exclusive as they were, comically, in the PS1/PS2 era.
Also: Saddest thing is hearing how impressed people are by the old stuff that came with games. PC gaming was where its bad for that, but preservation of the side-materials for PC gaming is rare. But I have fond memories of Starsiege's box, which included a 300 page lore book, a 100 page manual, which was in character, a short story and boxes of blueprints. A lot of old PC games feel depressing to emulate because so much of the game, fundamentally, was ill-preserved materials that came with it.
Red Baron had its Western Front maps and flight charts taken from actual reconnaissance teams from WW1 which were by year and month, so if you played on realistic, you could plan your routes by following trench lines. and landmarks.
Ultima 4 was literally unplayable without the manual.
Earthsiege and Starsiege had their massive manual and lore dump that was large enough that it helped drive the passion for the series that still manages to somehow exist to this day with the Tribes fandom.
Hell, even Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind, a game everyone and their mother knows who's played any Elder Scrolls title is really missing a lot unless you buy it from Good Old Games, because it lacks a very important piece of the title: The Morrowind Prophecies, which was a bizarre combination lore, world book, developer commentary and strategy guide combination.
Even more bizarre, because its one of the (to this day) Better known retro Star Wars games, Dark Forces completely lacks its strategy guide online near as I can tell, which is sad as it was usually packaged with the game, is a hefty tome, and was more developer commentary than strategy guide.
That's the stuff that, really, to a collector would matter most. Because these were necessary parts of these old games, but it's also what is impossible to find because they're heavy, expensive, ill preserved online and frankly the PC market, the market that really has trouble remaining preserved, something most collectors generally insist they care about, isn't a big seller. No one's going to pay money for some strange, 1994 obscure shareware title that probably only has a few hundred full games in existence, if you're lucky. You can't pretend to up-sell Bip-Bop 2 for 4000 dollars, even if a floppy disc for it is rarer than literally any title put out for any console, you could probably not sell it for 5 bucks. Even something with (extremely) limited release like Steel Battalion for the Xbox isn't as rare.
Well said
Great video i dont really agree but it made me think about why do i even collect games and its a nice thing to think about
Thanks for watching!
@@residentfortress420 just found your channel keep it up and as soon as the algorithme choose you you Will become popular your videos are great
Excellent video. Lots of good points. I agree about not wasting too much time or money on physical media. It personally would stress me out to have too many. I’d stop at a small curated collection of physical media that I actually will play or watch.
I understand your take, but we can't trust the digital age anymore and sooner or later the only way to play these games will be with physical media and if we pass down this to our children and they understand the actual value be it based on nostalgia or on preservation of the games then it's a win for these treasured games. I think the overall goal is to share these experiences with your kids and the classics are still alive because of the push by collectors and nostalgia driven loonies take Sonic for instance, I grew up with Sonic and I shared that game with my kid to the point that Sonic and 80's character was his most beloved character and companies see the demand and push for these old IP's and eventually put them back to the store front.
Emulation exists within the digital age but I get what you're saying. There's always burning your games onto a CD. But I also keep the physical games I'd want my kids to play if I ever have kids.
I love everything about collecting from the rush & thrill of the hunt to bringing it home, playing it and then shelfing it!
Lol... bring it home, shelf it,... maybe play it when I get time off work.
Very interesting video, really made me think. Good job Sir 👏🏼
I read a RUclips comment on another video about physical media. A collector passed away and his kids didn’t even bother to sell or give the collection away, instead they just threw it all into the trash. 😕 The man had a huge movie and tv shows collection on Blu-ray/DVD, VHS, etc.
Grading video games was when I thought retro game collecting jumped the shark. I can understand they're like the modern day baseball cards or comic books, but they're meant to be played. Not vaulted. I grew up during the original NES and Gameboy era and still have some of my Gameboy games, but they were simply entertainment.
Agreed. I grew up with n64-wii (skipped the wii u) era though.
Great video, really made me think about what will happen to my collection when I die 🤔 You just earned a sub 👍🏽
Thanks
Personally I am happy with owning physical games like Super Mario 64 and Zelda Ocarina of Time they are on my shelf and everyday I walk by them and it brings me joy and a smile to my face. Playing the games and looking at the manuals is so awesome I can feel the nostalgia like a time travel machine. No emulated downloaded rom version would give me the same feeling. When I pass away who cares its just for me to have fun and enjoy while I am alive. Same as buying anything in life and money is worthless when you are gone. I rather spend it on something that makes me happy and I will appreciate for decades 😄 Good video tho I appreciated it and watched the whole thing 💯
This is a very thought provoking video!
as a aspiring collector with a few hundred games, it makes me really think.
Ive always basically hunted for deals, and bought some fairly priced games because theyre rare, not because i wanted them.
ive basically now limited buying to only games id ACTUALLY play. and ive got like 20 games in line already, 80 hour per game long games, waiting to be completed.
You raise some good points. The more fun that gets sucked out of collecting makes the hobby worse for everyone. More people should buy what they want to play instead of hoarding for a play session that might never come due to obligations and disinterest.
actually, i'm looking for tips on collecting games and i think you opened my eyes.
i should probably not be collecting games i don't have an interest in playing
Whenever I seen someone's basement gameroom tour / man cave. It's cool, but who has that kind of time.
I do totally agree with you that grading games and investors have soured the hobby for a lot of people. It's a shame that it's happened and emulation is definitely the way forward and best for preservation. Even today, physical games are probably going to be the worst way to play them when they become "retro". Nothing is finished and everything is patched/updated/expanded so often, the only way to play the best/finished version of the game (and sometimes just the one that's not broken), is emulating, since the physical doesn't have that.
I loved this video. I have a sizeable collection of 1640 games and 31 systems. I have alot of debt and dont know what I can leave my kids. So I want to give these to my kids and they can buy a house or a down payment to it. I love collecting and the thrill of the hunt. But if they dont the collection i want to sell before I die so they don't have to go through the trouble of doing it. But I like to play the orginal it was orginally.
I'd say, keep what means the most to you, as in keep what you want to show/introduce to your children. For me, my first ever video game was Ocarina of Time on the N64 at 5 or 6 years old, and my dad played it alongside me. It's a memory I'll never forget. That's why it's in my top 3 games. So go that route if you want, and sell what's uninteresting.
Great video with lots of good points. I have a bit of the collector urge sometimes but also I don’t want to fill my house with plastic I’m not going to use. Better to pass them onto someone who might enjoy them
Subbed from dkoldies video but this video is very calm to listen to.
I collect games simply because of the enjoyment of seeing the evolution of gaming companies. I mainly collect Nintendo titles, and seeing the evolution from Mario party 1 to say for example 6, and then seeing the difference from 6 to superstars, is just so cool to witness. I haven’t been purchasing as many games as of recently, but I do still save a little money for games after every paycheck, expanding my collection by a game or two every 2 weeks.
It is very important to pay attention to prices and resellers. I usually check the market value of every game before deciding a purchase. I manage to find deals on each game I collect, whether it’d be a small discount from the average price or even a steal (like half off). The important thing is only do it if you like to do it. Don’t be like a reseller and use it solely to profit, not only do you get a terrible reputation but you also don’t make much out of it and make the hobby less appealing to the public.
There are only two sad and empty endings when it comes to collecting. You're either going to end up getting everything you want, or you won't.
Yup, and when you do get everything you want... then what? Most of it will forever just sit there on that collection and rot. Until you decide to sell it all and only be left with what you want to keep but in that case collecting everything else was pointless. I mean I guess it scratches some people's itch when they complete something but you have to take a step back and think, is this really what I want to do? Is it worth the time, effort, and money. When you could just be playing the games you want to instead. Try something new maybe? Play with your friends? If some people think it's worth going through all that effort then props to them and continue to enjoy doing it. But I'm just here to give a reality check. It's not worth it.
@@residentfortress420 Yup. I reality checked myself out in 2019. Thanks for the video. I enjoyed it. I share the same mindset.
Sold off my old nintendo collection gba, ds, gamecube, & wii /w a total of 40-50 games from my childhood
I mainly put my money into physical switch games since they hold their value.
I made a list of games I wanted to play that I never played before.
Right now I have a total of 76 games for my series x & 57 titles for my switch. Total 133
Right now I'm currently enjoying Tiny Tina's Wonderlands.
At the slow rate It takes me it's probably gonna be a 10-15 years before I finish them.
I do a bit of both. Emulation is a great way to experience retro games; especially expensive ones, it can even add more to the game with modifications to the textures. But there’s something about hooking up a N64 to a CRT, inserting the cartridge and playing the game in its original form. Sure a large part of it for me is nostalgia, but there’s more than just that.
Preservation of the physical hardware is part of it; it’s not quite about the game itself but the physical entity that it represents; a manual, a case; even if it sits in the shelf 99% of the time. You can say the exact same thing about books or movies. Why would people have a library of books in their house? The answer is so that they can read them again as and when they want to; sure they could find the contents of the book through Google; but there’s something about physically turning a page that most book readers prefer. It’s all down to the physical aspect of an item. Some prefer emulating a book on a kindle, others prefer turning a page.
Personally for me; I don’t buy with the intention of selling. I keep my games; maybe it’s PTSD from selling practically my entire collection back in 2005 to buy an Xbox 360 which red ringed 3 years later. I sold my childhood for 3 years of gaming and a paperweight. Now I buy games I used to own; or had a memory of playing round my friends, or something I always wanted when I was younger to experience what it could have been like. However in years to come; when I’m old and loosing the control of my bowls, my games will act as a form of investment. Once my pension is spent at least I could sell up to syphon a few more months in some form of care.
A lot of people spend their money on alcohol or drugs or just consumables in general that will disappear in less that 30 mins. Go out; spend £300 in one night, come back home throwing up and spend the next week on the come down feeling miserable. Not me though; I come back in with £60 spent and a weeks worth of nostalgic entertainment.
The reselling of retro games has certainly dampened the experience of collecting all the games I used to own again. It’s not something I’d want to further contribute to. I personally preferred the days when you could dip your hand in a 3 for £10 bargain bin and pull out some rad retro games. But those times don’t exist anymore. I’ll never go hunting for bargains so I could list them on eBay at 5x the price I got it for. At the same time if the price of something I own goes up I’m pretty glad because of the investing for the future side of things. I could put thousands into a corporation and watch arrows fluctuate; or I could put that money into video games and do the same thing whilst experiencing a piece of history.
I needed this
Ive been thinking about the death thing too , best case for me i think is if im still alive , sell up when i retire and have enough time to research pack and list games.
Your friends and family can still keep the games if they're into retro, or they can just sell them on eBay or something. That's you looking up for them. While you brought a valid opinion for be done with it all, for me it is the equivalent of saying why am I living. Of course to enjoy the moments and memories, but like you pointed out the prices have skyrocketed and now you could have emergency funds when needed by selling your collection. I don't think people should be discouraged of having a collection, just because it will no longer be yours one day (like 40years from now). Budget yourself responsibly and you will never regret any of it all. And if you ask me what's my purpose of keeping it all on my shelf. I will tell you it's a goal for me to push myself to be in a better position financially and career wise, so I don't force myself to sell it all out. That's the main quest in my collecting, my side quest will be the enjoyment of finding a good deal or playing Super Smash Bros on the GC with my cousins over a weekend.
Valid. I'll be your first subscriber.
So I’m a zoomer born too late to play the nes, snes, n64 or GameCube in their primes, yet for some reason as a kid me and my brothers were obsessed with retro games and would pool our money to buy them off eBay. I think it’s something to do with the inherent value and differences in the games back then, and there’s something undeniably magical and historic playing games on the original hardware as intended
I can relate to this as i had to get rid of a PlayStation and the games due to moving too. Left it outside too. I gave away my guitar and amp too. All good because there is so much fun things to do now.
I agree with 90% of this video, very well put. But to counterpoint there are a few reasons to collect retro games, for starters yes they bring old games to new consoles, but those games are usually digital only. The problem with digital only is your games are tied to your account so you could lose them anytime, I don't like giving money to something that can be taken from me at any point. Secondly these retro games on modern hardware on HDTV's have a lot of input lag compared to say hooking Mario up to an old CRT. Thirdly that guy talking at the end saying movie collecting is easy compared to video games obvious hasn't tried to collected lesser known movie titles or limited print ones 🤣 and lastly emulation of some consoles is terrible. for instance PS3 and Sega Saturn. The only way to play some of the games is to have the old console. I know it's not your point, but just saying why I still collect. But i am definitely guilty of getting carried away with collecting, that's the trouble. But I do agree with most of your points. Thanks for the vid
All completely valid. Thanks for watching.
i ended up buying a bunch of game cases (depending on the console), printing the game cover and burning the game onto a DVD-R and spend less than $2 in the process. Some games like rule of rose are sitting on my game collection looking minty af and no one has noticed its pirated lmao. The next step is to buy a dvd printer to have the actual dvd as close as possible. But for the moment my collection looks great until you open the game cases.
How was this video? Any criticism?
None, loved it. It's weird and terrifying seeing the change in retro-game collection honestly, just as someone who had a collection because I loved games as a kid, and there wasn't a way to easily get them. Like, I rented Suikoden 2, it was absolutely amazing. We were lucky, and i mean lucky, to pick up Suikoden 2 shortly after for cheap because a game rental place shut down.
Why? Because until its re-release many years later, Suikoden 2 was selling for 200-300 dollars and was widely considered one of the most expensive games in existence, along with Suikoden 1. We got Suikoden 1 for a cut down 80 dollars because we loved the series.
But that's because those were absolutely incredible games that didn't have marketing behind them and had poor production amounts in English-speaking markets. They were expensive because they were desired by people who wanted to play them. Despite that 80 dollar price tag being something me and my sister had to save up for a long, long time to buy (Note, a new game was like, 30 and we were poor) it was worth it.
I am beyond glad for emulation, for re-releases, and for the upcoming steam release of those titles, because they're some of the best JRPGs ever made despite their age. But that's the thing, why would I want to preserve a copy forever? Games are experiential media.
While I ranted in another how PC gaming sadly hasn't well preserved some of the materials behind the titles that were shipped with them (the massive manuals and lorebooks that were common in the 90s are not well preserved)
There are a few console games that I legitimately still wish had better preservation and had a retro market or rerlease today for good reason. Steel Batallion's 120 button controller/pedal/joystick setup for Xbox has a collector's market for an obvious reason. You can't preserve that title in ROM form even if we had good Xbox emulation, which we don't. I wish it'd get some kind of re-release with proper PC conversion, even if it'd be a shallow experience compared to the twin-joystick, three pedal experience and dials and nobs and flip up eject buttons, at least a game would be playable...
Similarly you cannot, despite easily being able to preserve its rom share the uh, 'full experience' of the Bullet-Hell Rez. Unless you somehow manage to rig up lovesense support. Because you can't exactly emulate the 'sensations wand' that was many a girl's first intimate moment of discovery.
@@or3con 5 second Google search and I already found it. If you think finding roms/iso's is hard then I don’t know what to tell you. Plus I'm speaking for myself here so you can call it juvenile but that's my take, you don't have to agree. You clearly missed every single point if you think all I said was "we all die so do nothing" I honestly don't know how you even came to such a conclusion, is English not your first language? Because how was that your final conclusion? Matter of fact did you even watch the entire video or stop halfway?
That last part I do agree with though. I know you're a collector so you're going to take offense to this video which is fine, but don't act like what YOU think I'm saying is what is actually said.
Rewatch the video and don't put words in my mouth.
@@or3con I don't know if you know what criticism means. But changing an entire videos topic to how YOU think it's being presented is not criticism. Your example of food is flawed because even food is an experience you have in the moment. Just like games when you play them. Just like humans video games don't last forever either. They degrade too. I don't know why it's so hard for you to understand that. And I also don't know why it's so hard for you to stay on a videos topic and not derail it to what you think is being presented rather than what's actually said. You're not inferencing anything, you're just using bad examples as a means to pretend what I'm saying isn't true. Because surprise surprise, everyone dies. Tell me what happens to your collection when you suddenly pass away. You just want to justify your time being wasted collecting the games rather than actually playing them. And yes if you don't know that this is the guy in the video then you didn't finish the video. That is a group group.
Why is the broken record still talking. Goodbye you're now banned, stop wasting my time going in circles.
I keep the games that mean something to me. Gifts from family games i played with my mom and friends. I dunped the stuff i got just to have stuff a while ago. And i feel better for it. But collecting something isnt inheritantly bad. But addiction can be.
I just like physical media lol. Theres something that just tickles my brain about having the box, manual and whatnot.
Same. But not at the cost of just "owning it" for the shelf. Reprints are the way to go for me.
Love how you mentioned that even though you were a kid in '08 you were playing games much before your time or your friends and you didn't care about graphics. I was born in 1992 and grew up with a super nintendo (which in my opinion the best-looking 2D console). But now I'm a small game collector and I own a 64, 2 Ataris, and a super nintendo and I was able to get back most of the games I remember having for my super nintendo along with a lot of new ones. But the point is my friends now are either younger than me, or back then they never played games so when I'm telling them about this new old game I got from 30 or 40 years ago and they have no clue what I'm talking about I can show them video footage of me playing it and they either usually like it or start laughing in a playful way and call me old
That's exactly me as well. Telling your friends in elementary school about a "new game" you got just for it to be something old they've never heard of is an interesting part of my childhood. However in highschool I met guys who were the same so that was fun.
@residentfortress420 yea it's sad I don't really know people personally that like to play retro games now. At best they will call it interesting but they don't actually want to play it
@claptrap4084 Go to a retro game store, lurk around your favorite section (SNES, N64, etc) and when someone who looks interesting is spending time in that area too, strike up a conversation about a game on that section. My friends and I would wander around retro stores and would usually see people our age with the same interests we could talk to and be friends with. You could always join a NSO discord server because they look for people to play retro games with online on the switch.
Lol why are you so concerned about whether you take the collection with you when you die? When you die you won’t know what happened to them regardless of what you do with them.
I have my collections on my shelves because I like looking at them and I like talking about them with people when they come over. I and many collectors get joy from that, which is a totally valid reason to hang onto them in my opinion.
Yeah that's valid. For those that don't have the same reasoning, It's pointless. And I was guilty of it too. Just owning games I rarely or never played sitting there collecting dust. I handed those games off to a friend's little brother so he could play retro games.
So many games I wish I knew at the time how precious and valuable they’d be in the future. That I would just sell or trash.
I've been looking into starting a more expansive and expensive game collection than the one that I already have. For awhile, I've at least had an interest in intentionally buying collector's edition consoles and games from my favorite franchises.
My interests is growing in looking to buy graded sealed games for specific games or consoles to keep on a self. Partially to recapture that sentimental and nostalgic feelings that have been lost to time from older games or consoles that I've regrettably sold, traded or lost track of entirely in my past. Also just to have the "wow" factor of knowing I own a rare piece of video game history that most people don't have. If there are inexpensive releases or digital copies that I can enjoy playing without opening my sealed physical collection, then all the better!
To each their own in how they choose to enjoy gaming and collecting.
I have only recently begun collecting games. Growing up, I couldn't afford more than 3-5 games per year, but I treasured them and played them for hours. It's those same games I still replay today (and play with my kids). Ocarina of Time, Banjo-Kazooie, Super Mario 64, Goldeneye, Mario Kart and Smash Bros. - the reason those games hold any value to me today is because of the memory of who I played them with. My dad lives a long way away now that I'm an adult, but he used to come into my room and say "battle me", and I'd jump up and fire up Smash Melee and we'd play several rounds before supper or on a lazy Saturday morning. You are right that we can't take these games with us (and we won't want to). I collect now because I love seeing my son or daughter's eyes light up when I bring home a new game - something we can play together and hopefully create brand new memories.
Wow, same story as mine. If I could've kept my favorite cartridge I would have (OOT) but there's a million ways to play that game now so I don't feel like I've lost anything really. I see your point though.
I started collecting back in 2017 amd since that time i have 1005 games across platforms and ya know im ACTUALLY happy with it. Sure theres games i don't have and i want but i dont need them im happy where i am. And worse case scenario i can sell them for cheap. But until that ever happens i have things i can play and i don't have to spend another dollar
I collect video games not for nostalgia (been around since the Atari came out) but rather for the enjoyment of collecting, a hobby if you like. I don't have a monitory value to them, I literally just enjoy going to a retro gaming shop, looking through all the games and bringing some home to play. I haven't played every single game in the world and I discover games I didn't even know existed from a time when I thought I knew every game out on each console. I collect for the Xbox360, the PS2 and PSP systems and love collecting. I also use those games to populate my content on my RUclips channel by doing let's play live streams. I experience new games that way and really enjoy it. Collecting doesn't have to be about money values, my most expensive game is the recent Switch triple Super Mario 3d all stars which is worth maybe £50 or something? I bought it because, back when the games on the cart were available I hadn't play them. In fact until the switch came along (I briefly dabbled in Gamecube back in the day) Nintendo consoles and games weren't touched by me. I was a PlayStation/xbox person so I missed out on the Ninty stuff I'm now experiencing Zelda, pikmin,Mario, Luigi literally for the first time and enjoying them. I think that a lot of ppl feel the way you do, but I nearly always hear them talk nostalgia. Why can't it be for the love of the console? Don't get me wrong, I've played with the demons you talk of, but ultimately it's the experience of collecting that gets to me just as it probably would football shirts, stamps, books....whatever the hobby maybe. Good video, thanks for uploading it.
Whatever brings you joy 😊
But what will you do with them if you die? Will your kids play them?
@@Mario-zi8wrstrange question, but my kids play games so they'd get them. They could do whatever they wanted with them once I'm gone. I won't need them
@@Skyridertv91 They would probably play on emulators lmao
I really think you have a good point on being minimalist when it comes to collecting. I feel for some reason you are combing you justification of why your getting rid of your games when this conversation to your self about what happens when you die. I am glad you found a happy spot and do think you have some points for you why. But for me i like the side quest and just the fun of collecting and playing as i dont think most people are collecting to make money some are but just food for thought.
I don’t consider myself a collector, I play the games I purchase. For me it’s about playing the game how it was intended. On a crt with original hardware. Also, the games play so smooth with little to no input delay, which is nice for challenging older games. The modding community is also very fun. I mod many of my older consoles for better video output and sound quality. To each their own, and you make some solid points which could be extrapolated to many facets of collecting in general.
I had one of those moments. When you realize a single flash cart lets you play literally every game ever released on that system with the original hardware, 100% as if it's the real cart... it made me question whether it was really worth buying the physical original games. Did I just waste thousands of dollars over the years? But in the end, being able to read the manual, hold the cartridge, see the box on my shelf, I like those things too. I still collect, but only games I actually want to play or have some emotional connection to from the past. I just think it's cool and enjoy the hobby. Prices are crazy, though. I'm glad I've only got a limited set of titles I want.
I been collecting just games that I had in the past and some that really enjoyed and have good memories, that was around 2014 when retro collecting wasnt as big as right now so I didn't expended that much. Stil there were some games that I still wanted to have but the prices are ridiculous for some of those game. I just have them on a shelf, I still play them but on emulators and with all this going I just started realizing that, why I want those missing games on my collection, and will my collection still leaves after I die. Basically I stoped hunting them, if I see one that I really want in a good price maybe I get but isnt something that worth get out of the way like crazy and paying so much money specially for a plastic to put on a shelf. Isnt fun to collect anymore plus prefer to use that money to enjoy with my family. I still buy physical games but only ones that I will play and that I know will be meaningful in my collection not just buying everything, and the rest buy them digital when they are on sale. People should value more their money. Great video!!
Great comment 👍 you understood the very really well unlike some other comments.
A good video. Dad of 3, my collection is three fold. One, for me to play. I enjoy collecting N64 and back. My parents hated that I played video games as a kid really discouraged it, so it wasn't until my teens that I really got to dive in. I was 13 when I bought my Playstation so I like to play the things that made me happy growing up. I get to share it with my wife, who grew up playing the 64 and we get to spend time together.
Second, to share with my kids the games that I grew up with and had fun playing. Not all of them are going to hit with them, but if a handful do thats awesome. My youngest loves anything Mario related and his favorite game to play is Super Mario World. My middle likes Sonic and plays Sonic 3 a lot. My oldest really has gotten into Final Fantasy lately, so this year I'm gifting him my modded playstation classic and I'll be adding all the PS1 JRPG's to it for him to play.
Lastly, the investment aspect of it. This is the smallest point, but if my kids don't want to hold onto these things when I go, then there is a nice little extra payout for them. I would hope that they hang on to their favorites from what they got to experience as kids, but if they don't that's fine too, but the important thing is, is that either way, I will have provided a little bit extra, plus whatever else is coming to them from inheritance.
If you can't find a reason for yourself to collect anymore, or feeling nihilist towards it, that's totally understandable. It's supposed to bring you joy and if it doesn't it's definitely time to move on from it. I love it. I love to share with my wife what I was able to find down at my local game store when I pick something up, fire it up on whatever console. I like sharing it with my kids when its something we can play together, or introducing it to them to play themselves. Good video dude.
Thanks. At least you have kids who took a liking to older games. That's always 1 way to pass them on.
I remember growing up, i had about 15 NES games + a game genie that all fit VERY neatly inside a Payless shoebox...
I LOVED that shoebox, and all the hundreds of games i've bought since then as an adault don't match the attachment i have to that set of NES games that I played endlessly as a kid
Long before the pandemic when I was in my rebellious youth I seen a loose Super Mario World for $50 at a local antique shop, It angered me that someone would sell such a common game for so much so I stole it, I still have the cartridge til this day granted I would never do something like this now days, but I still don't feel like I was in the wrong for how the retro gaming market was beginning to see a wave of greedy scalpers and price flippers, I took good care of that copy and replaced the battery etc so it's in good hands.
HAH, I don't condone thievery but that's funny.
Man I wish people thought like you do, you're a good guy. The world pretty much sucks nowadays.
Thank you
I had all my old video games in my closet but I didn't get into game collecting until COVID. When I actively started to buy these old games. Definitely money wasted and stress trying to check conditions, if they are complete, etc. I limited myself to games that were stuck on older consoles. If they got ported to modern consoles/PC I would just grab them there. However, even the list of games that aren't ported is fairly large and I'm running up on space constraints. I'm spending more time trying to collect these games rather than actually play them. These thoughts were growing in my head but this video really brought them out. I think it's time to reevaluate what I'm buying. Funny enough I don't even plan to use some of those discs in the console itself. I'm buying old Wii and GameCube games however I would never actually use the disc, my Wii is hacked so I would just play off the flash drive..... so what did I even buy them for? I'm probably just going start selling them and limiting myself to games I will physically use such as PS3 and DS/3DS. Not gonna sell off my actual childhood games (there aren't that many), but probably will start selling off these COVID games.
Good idea, glad you realized that's it's not worth it and saved your future self any more trouble. Oh and btw the value of the games are going down and will continue to do since the market is pretty much crashing.
@@residentfortress420 Time to get to selling then. I bought TTYD last year and now that they announced the remake earlier this year I feel stupid and should have just waited to get it on the Switch. I'm def losing money on that sale.
@@TheAravindtopif you are going to sell the time is now because the hobby is definitely starting to slow down.
You know it's getting bad when you see major RUclipsrs selling off huge chunks of their collection.
I couldn't believe my retro life sold off his collection.
If you haven't seen his channel definitely check it out.
Personally, I like playing on original hardware with original controllers. I also just collect games that has replay value to me. Like fighting games for example.
Then like you said, its a piece of art and an investment. But thats just a bonus. Nothing is forever and if someone would like to buy something from me. I might let it go.
Man your voice is so relaxing I wonder if you talk like this when your in public or when your talking with friends.
BALLER 🗿
Late comment but relevant now more than ever. The modern state of video games, and all media in general, is that everything is going digital only, and the publishers constantly cave into complaints from the loud, vocal minority to censor and/or retroactively remove media they find offensive. The future value of physical media cannot be understated. Online isn't forever, period.
I agree. But also, piracy exists and it's a good thing.
This comment is very long. If you don't read it I totally get it. But if you do I highly recommend that you put it into text to speech or something. It's been cut into sections so it doesn't exceed the character limit. Unless you just like reading haha.
This video is really good. I actually have a story that relates to this. Growing up I got a Wii U, I really liked that thing. I played so many games that I look back on fondly. Fast forward a couple years and I got a switch for Christmas. I was obsessed with this thing! I ended up selling my Wii U and my collection of I think 10 games to a Woman and her two kids (I think, the details might be wrong). A couple more years pass and I start to really miss the times I had with that system and It's games. I started to regret selling my console and all my games. This regret kept growing for years. Looking back at it now I think I was just missing the simpler times of being younger but back to the story.
Years later Nintendo announces that they're shutting down the eShop. I was so sad that I was gonna miss my last chance of getting some of the games that I used to play at a reasonable price. I ended up finally getting a Wii U off of eBay with a couple of games. Now my original plan was to start getting only the games I grew up with and get the only two eShop games I ever bought. This is not how it went. I began watching RUclips video's that had titles along the lines of "Get these Wii U games before it's too late!"
I convinced myself that I now had to get at least a couple of the best eShop games before it's too late. But wait there's this cool version of Batman Arkham City that I could get even though I can already play it on steam! It might get expensive in the future so I should get it now even though even though back than I had little to no interest in it. Oh yeah there's also these cute Yoshi and Kirby games I remember having slight interest in while I was growing up but never got. Oh! There's this Sonic racing game I used to have that I can also just get on steam for $5 dollars! But I have to play it in the original format I played it in before, so I'll get more expensive Wii U version!
I ended up getting 3 metroid games and a few indies from the eShop which I'm lucky wasn't more damage. I ended up getting every Wii U game I used to have (minus 2 I have other places) plus the new ones I listed that I felt I needed to have or I'd miss out. I have now surpassed what my original plan was by a lot. I now have this collection of Wii U games that I have already replayed (and did enjoy quite a lot). But now it's over. I'm probably not gonna replay a lot of these games again so what now...
I feel nothing when I look at these games. A lot of which I can play legally on other platforms like steam for cheap. I guess I'll just keep them here and maybe I'll just play them some other time. Fast forward 3 months or so and I find this video. This video really changed how I look at this smallish pile of games I call a collection. I went into this looking for a console and a couple of games I used to play and look at what this turned into.
I'm done with them, so why keep collecting. I had my fun so why not let someone else have fun with them instead of hoarding them in a closet . Like those two kids hopefully had fun with my original console that I sold so long ago. Unless I actually want to use something consistently why hold on to it when someone else could be having the same fun I did. After coming to this realization because of this video I think I'm gonna start selling some of my collection. If I hadn't seen this video, I very well might have just kept building this pointless collection.
If you really read or listened to all of this thanks a ton, you deserve a lot of credit for that. Very good video dude, keep it up.
I read this entire comment and WOW. That's insane to me that I was able to give someone a new outlook in a positive way. That actually makes me really happy.
Yeah collections usually go like this and I had that experience too "I'll just get what I used to play as a kid, oh but this game looks cool, and I've put off this franchise for a while now so I should get into it, oh but this same studio has other franchises and I need those too, aww but I already own some of these on steam/other platforms, that's ok I'll get them anyways"
It starts to spiral past more than just games you wanted to play again and goes to games you might never even play. I'm actually in the process of moving and gave the retro games I own now to my close friend. It sucks that digital shops have to close down but emulation only gets better. Instead of getting what I used to play, why not try something new on what I CAN play on.
Great read, thanks.
@@residentfortress420 Thanks for reading!
I definitely think the grading thing is out of control and some game prices are hilariously ridiculous. However I don't have anything against this really as they are preserving a part of history that ultimately long after they're gone could end up in the hands of some future person who will get to experience something that many in their time won't have the opportunity to.
I personally collect to play. I also just prefer to actually own the things I like. I don't even care to display what I own, it being there ready for me to play, whether by myself or with family and friends, is enough. Emulation is rarely as good as playing an old game on a CRT TV on original hardware. Whether a game is good or not has little to do with when it's come out. Just like a good film has little to do with when it's been released. Something that's excellent simply is. And it always will be.
People in the future may get caught up in what's relevant to them, just like people do today, but a good game will still matter to those with an interest in the art form that is video games. And as decades pass, many digital games will disappear. I've had more than a few since the ps3/360 generation go the way of the dodo bird due to licensing issues or whatever else happens. But want to know what won't disappear? My game collection. I'll be able to rock all Super Mario and Donkey Kong Country games with my niece and nephew, and one day if I'm lucky enough to have my own kids, whenever we want. And they'll have the benefit of playing a form and era of video games that isn't just trying to milk their attention and money through odd subversive algorithms that often seems more important to modern developers. Where does my collection go when in gone? Hopefully to someone who loves video games like I did during my lifetime.
Oh to follow up with your question i have as stated 1005 games that has been collected since 2017. Yes MANY MANY MANY are sitting on a shelf. Its my retirement one day i will FINALLY get thru the backlog and ONE DAY i will get to play the last of us. I collect ps1 longboxes just for the sake of it because its a relic when games also had personality. Ideally later down the road i can sell them if i need money (profit or not its a cash alternative). Theoretically i have untold amounts of entertainment. Side note i recently played kane and Lynch for PS3 i didnt get very far it was horrible. Maybe i will try again OR just accept the fact that some games are just going to be stinkers for me
Kane and Lynch is a bad franchise.
I stopped collecting video/retro games this year after the 3DS/Wii U eShop closed down and I was able to grab a bunch of physical games for cheap that have now sky rocketed in price. I'm a firm believer of "rock. don't stock" and actively play them and after a long time, I really don't care about actively hunting for certain titles and only get the games I like and was nostalgic for. Buying a game just to have it sit on the shelf is the worst thing. I really agree with everything you said in this because at the end of the day, yeah...once we're gone, these ain't coming with us. Well spoken
Thanks
I collect because it is for me and I enjoy my collection, when I am dead I honestly don't care what happens to my games.
These days I resort to eBay auctions for most of my collecting. I don't go for full sets or anything I just go for games that I grew up with or find interesting.
The N64 was the only console that was retro when it was released.
I don't really see much sense in the "what happens to your collection when you die" argument. At that point why would you care at all since you are dead.
Also I agree collecting for a lot of systems is too expensive to be fun, but Xbox 360 PS3 and newer all are hard to emulate and also cheap to collect for.
I meant it in a sense of, where does it go? Do you have a backup? Kids? Grandkids? Etc.
I agree with everything you said. Like why should I pay someone a huge amount of money for a game that’s not even half that price. I rather just emulate the game instead of dumping all money video games. Thanks man, you really opened my eyes lol.
interesting insight. it's the younger generation that grows up looking back at the yesteryears of gaming that keep these prices growing. i've been collecting for about 21 years (i was born in the 80s). i like collecting and game collecting is but one of my hobbies. i dont really care what happens to my collection after i die, but my wife and kids know the value (well into six figures) so i'm not too concerned about loss of value, my wife knows who to talk to in order to move it. naturally i've slowed down a lot, and sold some to put a down payment on a house once, but overall i enjoy keeping and collecting. also, playing the games authentically is very important to me... CRT and all.
people are naturally attracted to owning things, and that will never change regardless of availability of digital versions. look at prices of silver age comicbooks. BTW, C64 games kind of suck, as do atari games... that's why the modern game collecting hobby is mostly revolved around 90s and later.
You got a plan, that's good. Keep doing what you enjoy
I have a collection of games, but i don't consider myself a collector.
I buy games to experience what i couldn't afford to do and play them as intended on original hardware on a CRT.
But i only buy and keep what iwant to play and if it sucks then i ger rid of it.
So why do i hold on to them?
Because retro games generally don't have game saves and are hard as hell to beat. So i give it a go and til i feel defeated give up and then i come back to it later and find myself actually progressing along each go around.
My boy and i love play streets of rage and ninja turtles together and for now seems like he will continue with jy hobby after im gone and since we're building memories, I'm feel good that he will keep them and share with his future family.
But only time will tell. I told them that if they don't want them to put it all up for sale and split it.
And j do genuinely believe that there will always be collectors and enthusiasm for older tech specifically retro games that people will want to experience in the far future.
Morbid... I'm not a game collector of sorts. I mean I do have a ton of games across all of the PC launches and consoles as far back as PSone or as far back as DS when it comes to handhelds. Is it worth it, no? However, they are games I plan to play at some point or have played already.
Each game I have, I either have interest in playing, have played or would like to play. Why do I have them? They bring joy to me. Younger kids need their safe space or their happy place. My games are my safe place, my happy place, full of memories which I'll always have.
However, with the games on the shelf, I can physically touch the game case of Gran Turismo one that me and my mother played. The case with the chip on the side when she beat be in a close race and out of frustration I tossed the case around the room. I can't get that feeling from another copy of the game. I hold the game and its like I'm right there with her in my bedroom, sitting on this massive pillow my grandmother made for all her grandchildren in 93.
When I die, I die. It can all be junked as I won't be around to care. Hopefully, God willing, I will be in the afterlife with family and friends who are no longer here or those who I grew apart from. While I am alive though, it gives me a physical attachment to my life, my parents, my friends, the better times long after they are gone. If I have children and they are into games, I can play the same game that I played with their grandmother when I was their age and I can play it with the steering wheel that their grandfather bought for me. I can tell them of the memories I had playing each game, show them physical proof of the memories attached with each game and scuff on the game case. Who knows, maybe my children can later in life tell their children about the time they played GT1 with their father and tell them about how each of the scuff came to be, old and new scuffs on the case.
The speculators have tainted and infiltrated Pokémon as well… I hate them.
The problem is when people collect games and don't play it, just for dust holders
People also buy very expensive food when they could just eat what is necessary to stay alive. The food cannot be resold once consumed and cannot be taken with you when you die. And yet billions of dollars is spent on luxury food. People buy luxury cars. People buy expensive art. People buy stocks. People buy all sorts of things that are unnecessary for basic survival. If you feel a need to buy something that makes you unhappy then definitely stop. There really is no point then.
I collect games (PS1, PS2 and PS3) and in my country its hard to get some games, thats what makes it fun for me.
I dont go out and throw away 100 bucks on a game the first time I see it. For example, I wanted oblivion for the PS3 and when I got it it was the best feeling ever cause it wasnt a beat up copy, it was a perfect copy with all the manuals and the map! Plus I bought it in a game store while I was on a vacation trip with my friends, its a memory, the plastic itself its a memory for me, so I will value the game because Im playing the hell out of it and I will cherish the plastic even because it symbolizes a memory.
I dont buy games I dont wanna play just for the sake of having them, my collection only consists of games I cant find anywhere and I really want to play basically (because I dont like emulation on PC, its more confortable for me to sit on my sofa and play on the console instead of sitting a crapy chair in front of my PC)
I even play my old playstation games with my friends and girlfriend when they come over to my house (specially sports games)
Its not only about having plastic on a shelf but instead its more about playing those games and sharing them with my friends.
Idc what happens to them when I die, Im just happy that I have them now and I can enjoy them while Im alive!
Sorry for my bad english
EDIT: I agree with the market being bad, I hate people that buy these games to sit on them and make profit. Thats why I like collecting my playstation games cause they didnt hit a crazy value yet, although PS1 games are starting to get crazy expensive. But anyways, if i can still buy my PS2 and PS3 games for 2 or 3 bucks like I usually do I will keep buying them!
When 3d printing becomes more advanced and accessible, y’all gonna be praying to Wata. Reproduction cases are already being mass produced. Food for thought
just too expensive and a waste of time. i prefer emulating or using a optical disk emulator like xstation, gcloader, gdemu, fenrir, etc. or flash cartridge like everdrive, ezflash, powerpak, etc.
The way to go!
People like Krikzz have saved this hobby. Thank god for Wii homebrew.
@@sharporigami5216 and PS2 FMCB and OPL, PS3 Jailbreak and Multiman, etc.
I still have a big collection but have given up on retro now, too much money and not fun anymore. Thank god for emulation and everdrives
Right! I’ve seen people hoarding a bunch of CRTs and a ton of retro game consoles because “emulation isn’t as good as the original experience”
Yeah, this is good
While im too stupid and autistic with money to stop collecting games, because no real reason to... especially when stuff like emuVR exists, which allow you to see whats like to own a old school collection and play them on a old TV.. i honestly think this is how people will experience these authentically in the future, and thats ok
i want to collect physical games just for the novelty of it but i dont. because aside from having a tangible collection, my true desire is to PLAY the games. so i dont actually buy any. i bot consoles that i already love (psp,ps vita etc.) and am trying to play through as many games on them as i could possibly enjoy in the free time i have now. so far, ive played more games than i did in the last few years and i feel satisfied. i also got xbox game pass ultimate for free for buying a laptop and this service makes me realise no matter how many games i have at my disposable i will never feel good just because i have a "collection" of them. so i have picked a few titles from xbox pass and am trying to enjoy the story of each games. i finished 1 game so far and i feel so much happier than when i was just collecting (hoarding) things to cope with my depression. PLAY YOUR GAMES and STOP BUYING COLLECTIBLES. this is advice i would like to follow.
i really like your take on money. very refreshing for someone on social media. your video serves as a great reminder that games are used to escape real life for a few seconds, make those memories and move on and save your bank account for actual needs. i feel i have been too attached to the worldly pointless things these day and you've reminded me to take a break and pray. imma go back to gaming after that tho. you earned a like from me.
Too many RUclipsrs lately are doing the same copy and paste wanting to quit collecting or selling what theyve got. Sad part is that many are so easily influenced by social media telling them what they should or should not be doing?
I see nothing wrong with down sizing or if you choose sell/trade what you've got but should only be what that person wants not what others may think? And nothing wrong with any kind of collecting as long as your paying the bills and having a healthy lifestyle.🙂
This video is 7 months old and I wanted to make it the month before that. So I hope it doesn't seem like I was riding the "quitting" wave or anything. But yeah I totally understand.
Okay but if the games are worth anything there is going to be people who will buy it. I think that’s the value of keeping the games if you want. But your point of why keep it when you die you can’t take it with you. Then you can say that to literally anything. Like your digital purchases
Digital purchase are another problem since they can disappear at any time. However, that's not the point of the video. I'm talking strictly collecting. Nobody is collecting Digital games. People go Digital to play those games conveniently. You missed the point entirely. A Digital game isn't collecting dust on a shelf with an inflated price, a Digital game exists as an available convenient way to play the game. If I got Digital only ports of many games, I'd take that any day of my life over staying true to physical plastic.
Furthermore, some games don't have that "worth" they're only expensive because of limited copies. For example, devils third is not a good game. But yet it's very expensive. But aside from the godsend that is emulation, your only way is an overpriced ripoff or emulation.
200th comment. Too busy to say any more 😂
You've got a nice hobby going. I was doing that for community service highschool hours. Fun time.
7k retro roms on my Nvidia Shield TV
I actully started video collecting, however i am only buying something that is its actual worth or lower, i wont give this slimy scalpers my time and money for something way above even if it is something i desperately want. it is just not my style
Relax man we collect because its fun and a great memories we all know that one day we will die. And we all know that are stuff will disappear as well. It's a part of life just enjoy the games because one day either you die or your collection fades away slowly. Plus there's always going to be someone out thier that collects games,music cd,movies dvds&blue ray etc. Everyone knows that homes and car are important but you know what's even more important then those two? clothes and food and love. People can survive without cars and a fancy home if something were to happened in this world 🌎.
People need to realise games will NOT live a long life. As someone who works in archives and special collections, CDs, tapes, and cartridges disintegrate very quickly. You need to put in a ton of special measures such as controlling the humidity, temperature, UV rays, and even use special archival boxes, to keep these things preserved. I doubt collectors are doing this, therefore the argument of collecting for the sake of preservation just doesn't hold up.
Game collecting especially retro game collecting is a long game. You buy what you can find in the wild for a good price, you dont go online and overpay for an instant find that raises selling prices from then on, you just be patient and purchase what you can when you can. The idea of an overnight collection on the cheap is ridiculous and absurd. If you have no patience you need to find another hobby because game collecting takes years and years. Emulation is an option that makes sense when prices are peaking.
I am 14 and this is deep
Tell em
Many of my best gaming memories with friends was shit I emulated.
I can get behind the idea of collecting, I think it’s nice hobby. But to me personally, I just don’t like a lot of clutter. Just try to keep it simple. Digital is just way more convenient
5:19 The realization that you can fit literally everything in that room on a $20 MicroSD card, and also run them on a $200 tablet.
I had one of those moments. When you realize a single flash cart lets you play literally every game ever released on that system with the original hardware, 100% as if it's the real cart... it made me question whether it was really worth buying the physical original games. Did I just waste thousands of dollars over the years? But in the end, being able to read the manual, hold the cartridge, see the box on my shelf, I like those things too. I still collect, but only games I actually want to play or have some emotional connection to from the past. I just think it's cool and enjoy the hobby. Prices are crazy, though. I'm glad I've only got a limited set of titles I want.
@@viridionwaves Just my 2 cents, and take it for what it's worth. I still own quite a few "vintage" games in mint condition (and plan to sell them when they peak), but I bought them when they were reasonably priced. As soon as the scalpers come into play, it's time to move on. I bought a Samsung A8 Tablet, that will run everything up through Dreamcast. My wife and I can play Mario Kart, Bust a Move, Dr. Mario. My kid and I can enjoy Sonic 2 AND Sonic Adventure 2. And I can play every good Final Fantasy and Panzer Dragoon Saga AND Skies of Arcadia in my bed, without worrying about upscaling to HD, plugging in cables/controllers.
You are right, but if you are still having realization issues, you can sell me your collection.
Emulation is the way to go
There are a Million ways to enjoy and collect video games, it‘s not for everyone.
I personally just enjoy researching a series, learning how and when they were released, learning the market, tracking those games down, getting them into my hands, playing and comparing them.
That‘s why I collect
Couldn't agree more. I cringe when I hear (particular retro enthusiasts) talk about "ownership". Whether it's a digital license or a physical disc/cart, it's still on loan until you expire.
Exactly. Once a copy wares out or breaks. That's it. And physical media does degrade overtime so I'm a believer in re-releases.
That’s everything in life when you look at it that way though lol.
bro started talking talking bout video collected and ended up questioning the meaning of life. You okay bro?
😂😂😂
I think it depends on perspective. You've grown up and moved on and watched investors ruin what you love.
For others it's a form of entertainment/hobby.
I understand your Nihilistic viewpoint, in terms of what do you do with it after you die. the issue with that argument is it can be used for any noun in your life.
Collecting, family, friends, movies ect. Your dead so what does any of these matter.
I think the hobby got tarnished for you by outside forces, and it made you despise it as a whole. Or nothing else matters to you bu food, water and oxygen. "Survival" but what does survival matter if your dead. Jk
Anyhow I enjoyed your insight on the topic. Most youtubers dont dive this deep. Good stuff.
That's not what nihilism is. Yeah of course nothing matters when you die. But with collecting you actually have a massive stash of games there. It's not like a house or a car where you can pass it down to family, what if your family doesn't care about collecting? I've seen people throw out their parents collections as they got older. You're just wasting your time. Enjoy games instead. If you're fine with just collecting in the moment then you do you. But for alot of people they don't realize collecting is stupid until they're done with it. Then they sell it all off.
@residentfortress420 I agree, I've seen people not care about collections passed to them. But I've also seen people do that, with House's, cars and family as well. I'm not saying you're wrong. Im saying that your argument can apply to anything in life.
Ultimately, whatever people can do to find a resemblance of whatever makes them happy on this planet is finite. A lot of people sometimes collect to fill a void everyone is not as fortunate as you are, "that's assuming".
And your right that's not what nihilism is, however your statement comes off Nihilistic. Instead of saying what does it matter? Why not ask multiple different collectors why they do said thing?
Personally I think you've stumbled upon on an interesting gem of a topic. And would love to see you dive deeper on the psychology of your View point against others.
Thanks, great read, fellow shin megami tensei fan.
A reseller sold your stuff
Why do anything?
Why do some things?
Let’s be honest retro games going to the bin eventually people will see you can emulate on og hardware best of both worlds
Everdrives are the way to go. But I can see the appeal of wanting the cartridge, blast to the past. But yeah emulation is peak.
Bro, what happens to YOU when you die?
I get buried
maybe i'm naive but i feel like you've reached a point i haven't yet. you've collected so many games and had so many memories that you reached a point where you began to ask why. and the scalpers and investors gave you a good reason to quit.
but that being said, i don't think collecting is as hollow of a hobby as you're making it seem. if you're doing it for some grand reason, of course you're going to be disappointed. the point of any collection or really any hobby isn't to change the world or anything. it's for fun. are you having fun? if not, move on. but i'm not there yet and if i get there i think i'll be in your exact place:
wondering why i did it to begin with.
for fun
i like the sidequest metaphor. why did i spend so much time collecting every korok seed just for a golden turd?! well it actually wasn't for the golden turd. it wasn't even because i loved collecting the seeds. it was because i loved the game i was playing and the seeds were an excuse to keep going.
maybe collecting games is my excuse to keep going...
you made me existential
Not to be preachy, but your realization is exactly what the Bible teaches us on the concept of greed, envy, gluttony. It mirrors Jesus interacting with the rich man who wouldn't get rid of his wealth for salvation. Ultimately I think we get too hung up on our past, that we can't live in the present. I myself have a certain nostalgic depression, and constantly have my mind drift towards memories that are ever becoming more and more distant. I almost felt a need to relive my past, but was my past just the hardware or the cartridge, or the unboxing experience, or was it mostly the games? I love Ocarina of Time, but I love it for how good of a game it is, not because I played it on the 3DS. It almost feels silly since I'm largely a PC gamer, and we've basically been all digital for over a decade now. So it's not like I practice this obsession in the parts of my life that I've arguably spent more time in (PC gaming).
I have such a huge backlog of games, that the idea of spending more money just seems silly, and yet I want to. It's almost a mental parasite implanted in me by marketing companies. What I really want is my childhood back, but these games, this hardware, will never give it back.
To add to this, I really hope Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft, port/remaster/remake/emulate all their old games on current hardware. I'm sick of the drip feeding of Nintendo with their older games, and locking them behind online, but at least it's a step in the right direction. If we could just have all games available to us, it would make gaming as a whole not feel like such a chore.
@@readifdumb Interesting. I've never read the Bible so that's cool. Also you're 100% right with all of that.
You touched on a lot of things, but I think you completely missed a few aspects. First of all, I totally agree with your main premise which seems to be, if you're not enjoying something, stop doing it. That makes total sense. However, I think you conflated that idea with various justifications on why you particularly shouldn't be collecting, which is that it is expensive, impermanent, and will be meaningless once you die (therefore having no real value, to you at least). But that is really couched in your own circumstances and your own perception of the hobby.
For a lot of people, the act of collecting itself is what's fun. The hunt, the search, the thrill of finding a good deal, meeting other collectors, the social aspect of connecting with people, the enjoyment of showing off your collection to someone who appreciates it and values it, and had their own meaningful experiences which can be shared. Having the physical games is like holding a part of the past. Like your friend said, you are exposed to a whole slew of things that give you a brief glimpse into how life was, what media was being released, how tech and parts of society functioned when the game released. You can get a taste of that the same way someone originally did in x year. You can experience the games with original hardware, controllers, and peripherals, which can be unique (blowing into a nes lol) or can't always be recreated (some unique peripherals). You can display the boxes as art on your wall. Some people don't care what will happen to their collections after they die because that's just not important. What's important is the fun you have doing the collecting or enjoying your collection.
For some people, although you or I may not be one of them, the expensive prices may be a drop in the bucket and well worth it to relive part of their childhood. Money may not even be a factor when they decide whether to buy a game, because they have that domain of their life well handled. Instead of money being important, it's the experience. They aren't worried about what happens to their stuff after death, because they aren't collecting for anyone else or to build something besides a fun experience they can share with others or enjoy themselves.
You are right that we can experience the vast majority of games via emulation, but some people just enjoy collecting the real things. I will share that I personally collect some games because I wasn't able to get the games I wanted to as a kid. There were games that I simply didn't know existed but would have loved, some I even wished had existed, like DBZ games. I buy them now and plan to play them for the first time. It helps that I just love that era and that console. For me, it's fun to buy those games that I never got a chance to experience as a kid and experience them now. Plus, I enjoy the visual reminder of those franchises I grew up with and loved as a kid. It's fun to think about once in while after you've forgotten them for years.
In the end, everything on this world breaks down or is forgotten over time, even history and media. So just do what helps you be the best person for yourself and the people around you.
The prices are so outta wack now the hobby is gonna die