Top 5 Reasons Retro Video Games Have Become Expensive Collectibles
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- Опубликовано: 26 авг 2024
- Top 5 Reasons Retro Video Games Have Become Expensive Collectibles
Yes, there are five reasons vintage video games have become valuable. It began during the 1990s and continues to the present. Everything from video game conventions to eBay to RUclips to slabbing and grading games. If you like to collect physical media, it makes it a challenge to be sure.
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When I first got into collecting I used to tell people that the lowest barrier to entry was the VCS/2600. You could get a working console for $10-$20 and games typically were $1-$3. My how times have changed.
One of the major factors imo is that a lot of the games still hold up. There’s still a demand from people like me who didn’t even grow up with them.
Do I see an SGM in that Colecovision?
Yes!!
Great synopsis!
Thanks!
I want to to collect my childhood, but it can be tough to collect video games now a days
Cool video. I'd consider experimenting with the lighting and your set.
I love seeing all the games behind you, but dress it up a bit, less wires everywhere, better camera, and better camera angles. I have other ideas but start with that.
That fact that people actually want to play these great old games on original hardware using original cartridges.
How many people actually want to actually play these, and how many people buy them just to put them in shelves and brag about their collections?
I have been playing since the 70's, but I didn't have the available income to start collecting before 1997. The most amount of games I had at any one time was 60 games before 1997. However, at Christmas that year, I broke 100 games, and I haven't looked back since. Today, I own over 13,600+ games, 363 consoles and 44 complete libraries.
I will say however, that to me, collecting ended with the 360, PS3 and Wii U. Today, with the PS4/PS5, One,Series X and Switch, most games REQUIRE an update before you use them for the first time, WHICH MEANS, that in the future, when these games are no longer supported, those games will be worth about as much as a coaster. Thus, I only buy what I will play for those consoles.
Good stuff, thanks for sharing!
The first retrogaming collector guides were rarity guides, not price guides. There was a fascinating era that lasted 3-4 years (maybe 1990-94) where most transactions were trades. It was kind of a golden era because prices and money were far less connected to the hobby. I collected for a few years only buying at flea markets and trading; I didn’t sell games to collectors and only rarely bought games from collectors. A couple of other notes: 1) the first fanzines were around by 1991. The first significant convention was in Vegas in 1999, but that only drew a few hundred people. My point is that conventions, as a factor, came basically 10 years after fanzines. 2) If any one individual launched the hobby of retrogaming, it was Joe Santulli of Digital Press. He and his fanzine brought us together. He, Sean Kelly, and John Hardie launched Classic Gaming Expo. Joe was the George Washington of the hobby, the Founding Father.
The first 2600 Connection was actually Summer of 1990. Digital Press #1 was fall of 1991. But yeah, Santulli and those guys were really ahead of the curve and very important to fandom. I believe I mentioned that fanzines were before conventions, though there were some smaller shows in Portland before World of Atari. I remember seeing some price listings in some pretty early fanzines, but I haven't looked through them in a while.
@@BrettWeissRetroGamer Conventions are hugely influential now; just sayin’ that the hobby was well launched before that was the case. It would be interesting to know when game buying/selling became widespread with the (much smaller) collecting community. The first (or maybe even the first couple) DP Collectors Guides had rarity values (1-10). Quite a bit of debate among the editorial staff accompanied the decision to move to cash values. The concern involved how that step would affect the entire hobby. Do you remember Jerry Greiner? He was the first big time “dealer.” We didn’t like him very much. There was also a Frank Polaski who marketed a crude black and white catalogue/pamphlet called “Video Magic.” He sold games for 2600/5200/CV/Intellivision, mostly for a few bucks each. This was all before the internet, which fundamentally changed everything, as you noted. Btw Tim Duarte is still around, should you ever want to interview him.
It's getting harder to find, but still once in a while I find Atari games cheap. Got a box of 2600 games for $1 a piece last week when a local game store was having a sidewalk sale. None were rare, but a lot of them were in very good condition.
Found two NES games for $11 each that are good ones and a CIB Sega Genesis game of the Williams Arcade Collection for $11 too. Glad to see sales l😅ke that still.
Sealed, graded collectibles are silly indeed. I figure that if I wanted to just look at a game box, comic book cover, toy box, etc, I'll take or download a photo of it and hang that on the wall.
I've done that already with covers of the super expensive first appearance comics.
Another reason why demand has gone up for some of these games is because of emulator consoles like the HyperKin consoles and the Atari 2600+ which can play original cartridges.
It only seems ridiculous because people were giving away 80s and 90s video games for pennies on the dollar. When a console was considered obsolete people literally threw them away. Even though it seems expensive today and I agree there are ridiculous examples out there, the vast majority of classic games still barely sell for the original MSRP, and most are far less. I mean if you paid $50 in 1989 for a new Nintendo game, and it may have gone for $2 used at flea markets in the 90s ... most of them have rebounded to what? Like $20? That's not a real ROI after 4 decades unless you happened to be the one hoarding them out of clearance bins.
Brett, do you think retro games will hold longevity into future or do you feel it will end with those who lived the time. Or do you feel the over popularity of the games will fizzle out like the baseball card craze of the 80s, 90s. And just become a hobby again in the future versus a investment?
Good question! I wish I knew! Key baseball cards are still highly sought after and valuable and are still breaking records. So it could happen with important video games.