Game collecting is not what it once was

[Ack]

I don't have a problem with the "whatever people will pay, that's what it's worth" magic bullet of an argument, I just have a problem with the fact that it doesn't go down that way most of the time. Most of the time it's "this website says it's worth $X and that's what it cost so I'm buying it!". It's not about what it's worth to a person it's about dumbass people taking perception for truth and opening their wallets with a smile without even thinking if they actually want to spend what they're spending.

...or they open their wallets because they think, "It's worth that price to me to own this game."

[MrPopo]

I don't have a problem with the "whatever people will pay, that's what it's worth" magic bullet of an argument, I just have a problem with the fact that it doesn't go down that way most of the time. Most of the time it's "this website says it's worth $X and that's what it cost so I'm buying it!". It's not about what it's worth to a person it's about dumbass people taking perception for truth and opening their wallets with a smile without even thinking if they actually want to spend what they're spending.

...or they open their wallets because they think, "It's worth that price to me to own this game."

Beat me to it. I would certainly love to pay a lot less for everything I buy, but the things I do buy are worth the money I've spent on them to me (and this is not just games but everything).

[PinkPanzer]

There has been some excellent feedback in this topic. Obviously factors such as critical reception, physical copies in circulation and potential for port/re-release will certainly affect a retro games worth. As for determining what an actual game is worth, I can't provide a definitive answer to it. Sure the internet, especially "game rarity pricing" sites is a big factor, but it alot depends on what the seller will sell it for, and usually when you check to see how much a game you own is worth, you look on sites such as eBay and get a ballpark figure, and everyone seems to list their selling price as such.

Eventually, the price just sort of sets itself. This is why you can always find deals, good ones too, if a person doesn't know how much a game is "worth" (obviously conflicting opinions between the collector and the reseller) then you can get a quality game for cheap. Always good to keep an eye open from my experience.

On a side note, I don't understand how a game like Shantae for GB Colour is so expensive!? Is there really someone willing to pay $200 for a CIB version of it? Or Dracula X.. Its insane, especially since the latter has been ported!

[ExedExes]

On a side note, I don't understand how a game like Shantae for GB Colour is so expensive!? Is there really someone willing to pay $200 for a CIB version of it? Or Dracula X.. Its insane, especially since the latter has been ported!

It was one of the last releases for the GBC, had some amazing graphics, as well as special features when put into a Game Boy Advance.

[yomomma1]

On a side note, I don't understand how a game like Shantae for GB Colour is so expensive!? Is there really someone willing to pay $200 for a CIB version of it? Or Dracula X.. Its insane, especially since the latter has been ported!

There are only either 15,000 Shantae carts that sold (or produced, it is worded differently in different sources) It is not 200 dollars for a cib version, it is 200 for a loose copy, about 400-500 cib.

[prfsnl_gmr]

On a side note, I don't understand how a game like Shantae for GB Colour is so expensive!? Is there really someone willing to pay $200 for a CIB version of it? Or Dracula X.. Its insane, especially since the latter has been ported!

There are only either 15,000 Shantae carts that sold (or produced, it is worded differently in different sources) It is not 200 dollars for a cib version, it is 200 for a loose copy, about 400-500 cib.

FYI

I found two copies of this game in the wild in the last five years. I paid no more than $10 for each copy. (I sold the one with the worn label on eBay for $75.) Keep on hunting!

[Tanooki]

I've found it once around 5 years ago for $5. I tried it for a few hours and really disliked the odd way it handled so I ditched it. Sure it would be nice getting $200 for it now, but even at half that price when I did I'm not complaining.

It is very rare though, lowest production allowed more or less at the time. Out over a year after the GBA hit the market. The game was coded for added color/animation when run on a GBA instead of the GBC. I think that was about it for the upgrades. So very few games did this, Wayforward did it twice as Wendy Every Witch Way does this too on GBC-GBA.

[prfsnl_gmr]

It is very rare though, lowest production allowed more or less at the time.

Speaking of low production runs, anyone who is remotely interested in collecting Nintendo DS games should get a copy of Diamond Trust of London. It received the lowest print-run allowed for the Nintendo DS, but you can still buy copies online from the developer for $30. There are still 3,798 copies of the game left for sale, and it will be interesting to see if the game becomes a collector's item in the coming years. (Also, the game is really cool and thought provoking; so, you should also buy it for that reason.)

[Exhuminator]

There are still 3,798 copies of the game left for sale, and it will be interesting to see if the game becomes a collector's item in the coming years.

It won't. Jason Rohrer's games sometimes have interesting concepts but they play and look like crap. Hence he can't even sell the bare minimum run.

[Ack]

There are still 3,798 copies of the game left for sale, and it will be interesting to see if the game becomes a collector's item in the coming years.

It won't. Jason Rohrer's games sometimes have interesting concepts but they play and look like crap. Hence he can't even sell the bare minimum run.

True, but over time even the bad games can shoot up in price. Fun 'n Games on the SNES is awful, but it only had a print run of about 2000 total, so it's price shot up once the community started discussing it. The price has since dropped from its peak of around $130 to around $70(it is a pretty awful game), but it's still way up above the $20 you used to be able to find it at before the collecting community noticed how rare it was.