Game collecting is not what it once was

[Ashrei]

I have been collecting games for the better of 10 years now. I had a massive sell-off and sold my NES collection to my brother.

I've been slowly getting back into collecting and it's a lot different than it was even 3-4 years ago. Harder. Much harder. There's is literally nothing at goodwill anymore. I can't seem to find anything in the wild and it discourages me.

Has there been a surge of collectors recently or something? What do you guys think? Agree or disagree? I would at least like to find SOMETHING at the thrift shops.


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[foxhound1022]

I think alot of it has to do with a surge of collectors, but mostly with the huge jump in values lately. Plus, people having access to internet anywhere, the resellers can strike as quickly as the discerning collectors who actually have knowledge of their hobby.

IMO, money-grubbing assholes who have little to no interest in collecting are to blame.

[Flake]

It depends on what you are trying to collect. If you are after special edition, black label, first print everything then yeah, it's going to get hard. If you are after anything retro in greater than cart-only condition, well, it's not like they are cranking out CIB copies of SNES games anymore.

On the other hand, I feel like this is a marvelous time for the gaming hobbyist as opposed to the dedicated collector. I have cranked down the volume on collecting and instead just chase down entries in the four or five game franchises that I love most.

Some stuff is just going to be harder to find because there is less of it every day and there are more collectors. Don't go after that stuff unless the thrill of the hunt is what you are after. Blessed is the gamer whose goal is to collect Madden games.

[Erik_Twice]

Obviously, as time goes own it becomes harder to find a product made in 1988 at the local pawnshop. You cannot expect a finite resource to stay in shops forever when there's no turnout and people become more interested in the product.

The "money grubbing asshole" is a boogeyman. Supply is low, no new games are made and over time they are taken out of the market. That's what drives prices up and makes them scarcer.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Flat-rate pricing is dead at thrift stores and the like. They are wise to the fact that people will pay top dollar for this stuff.

I'm just a "game hobbyist" these days. I don't "collect" as I have no income. I scavenge and pick here and there, but I don't blow huge sums of money. I also never buy anything I don't intend to play, nor do I purchase anything simply because it's "collectible" (rare games, special editions, whatever). It's not bad.

I also have an enormous backlog. If you combine that with the fact that I don't exactly enjoy or care about most modern games than I could theoretically never purchase another video game and still be set for life.

[AppleQueso]

Retro gaming is enough of a 'thing' now that there are brick and mortar retail chains who specialize in it. It's more popular than ever, and there's plenty of folk who are interested in cashing in on that.

The market has shifted a lot, 'specially with anything Ninty

[Forlorn Drifter]

Seeing as there's been such a jump in Nintendo prices, I'm really interested to see how long it takes them to rule the world.

On a more serious note, the rest of the thread has pretty much covered it. Supply is low, and demand is really high right now. Collecting isn't much of an option anymore, unless you have a lot of disposable income. I, like others, only focus on certain games I intend to play, and more than likely keep to play again.

[dsheinem]

Threads about game collecting not being what it once was are not what they once were.

[AppleQueso]

Threads about game collecting not being what it once was are not what they once were.

We all gotta change sometime

[Nemoide]

TERROR TALES OF TOMORROW: You may live to see the day when there are no more perfectly intact cases for US Sega CD/Saturn games existing on this earth.

BELIEVE IT OR DON'T!