finalark
SNORLAX
A beginner’s guide to Video Game Collecting
By Finalark
So you’ve gotten yourself a cult classic, or a limited edition, or some other hard-to-find video game. Suddenly, you find yourself interested in getting more games, not just any games, but specific games. Congratulations, you’ve made your first steps into the world of video game collecting. This guide is for you who want to get serious about it. While I’m nowhere near as serious as I used to be, I’ll be glad to give some pointers to new collectors.
Why collect video games?
So why would you ever want to collect video games over cards or stamps? Well in my opinion, it’s because they will bring the most enjoyment. While other collectibles you just kind of stare at them and think “well that’s nice” then put them away, with video games your collecting will not only give you a wide variety of games to play in your spare time but will also provide you with hours of entertainment.
How much will it cost?
Now here’s the downside, video game collecting can get expensive. Many rare games can have price tags that go into the triple digits (I’m looking at you, Panzer Dragoon Saga) but if you shop smart and know where to go you can generally get a much fairer price on the games you want.
An epic adventure into a world of fantasy that will cost you anywhere from $300-$800
Into the Nitty Gritty:
So now that we’ve gotten introductions out of the way, it’s time to get down to things.
How hardcore are you?
So exactly how much are you willing to spend and collect? Well, this is really up to you. You can only go after cult classics, or you could peruse specially editions, or you could just keep every game you buy. It’s all up to you, there is no wrong answer. However, depending on exactly what you want to collect things can get expensive. As previously mentioned, some rare games are expensive. So before you commit, remember that how hardcore you are is not only gauged by the quality of your collection but also how much money you’re willing to part with.
Where to buy?
So assuming you haven’t been scared off by me constantly letting you know that this particular hobby is expensive, then you’re probably wondering where you can get the best deals on certain games. Well, the first place you want to hit are any used Book Stores that also sell electronics. If you have one of these in your area you may get lucky given that some of these places don’t realize exactly how valuable some games can be. For instance, I one saw a copy of Final Fantasy VII for fifteen dollars, a game that usually goes anywhere from $30-$80 online (although I will admit that it has gone way down in price recently). However, these places can be double-edges swords. Sometimes they do realize exactly how much a game is worth and will overcharge. Such as how I once saw a copy of Earthbound for $150 when I could easily get the game online for half that price.
The next best to check are some used games stores. While these guys will usually charge you quite a bit, many of these stores are lowering these prices due to the fact that if you really want to play them you can get many old games through downloads for cheap. However, this doesn’t apply to everywhere so be cautious.
And finally you should check online. Now shopping for collectible games online is much like the Used Book Store example, some places will charge you high while others will charge you low. However, if you snoop around or get lucky you can sometimes get games for a really good price online. For instance, I got my copy of Skies of Arcadia off of Ebay for around $20 after being patient and looking around the sales. And note that this is a game that generally goes for around $30-80.
I swear, this site was practically made for collectors in mind.
Consoles:
So now that you’ve got a general idea on how things work, you might want to start going out and trying this “collecting” thing. But wait, what’s the point of owning games if you have no console to play them on? In this section, I’ll go over many of the consoles and about collecting for them:
Atari and consoles from it’s era - I personally have no experience here but from what I’ve seen, Atari’s are really cheap and the games even more so. Although some of the other consoles might run you a bit.
NES/Master System - I’ve seen prices for the NES all over the place. Some places charge dirt while others will ask for your firstborn. However, a majority of the games are really easy to get and really, really cheap. Almost all of the NES games around my area run for maybe $10 at most. However, if you want to collect for the Master System and you don’t live in Europe or Brazil this might be an issue. Master Systems tend to be a lot harder to come by and their games even more so. Oh yes, and if you want a copy of Phantasy Star… well, good luck.
SNES/Genesis - Probably the easiest consoles to collect for (or so my fellow collector buddies have told me). These two were neck-and-neck back in they’re golden days meaning that pretty much every used games still will probably have a number of SNES’ and Genesis.’ Most of the games are also pretty cheap, just like the NES. The only games that will be costly will be some of the much harder to find titles (such as Super Mario All-Stars, EarthBound, Chrono Trigger, ect.).
Great game, too bad it eats money.
PlayStation/Saturn/Nintendo 64: The Saturn is a collector’s nightmare - So you want a Sega Saturn? That’s not too hard to get a hold of. You want some games for the Sega Saturn? That’s a little harder. You want a specific, famous game for the Sega Saturn such as NiGHTS Into Dreams, Panzer Dragoon or Burning Rangers? Better get ready to empty that wallet of yours. But don’t worry about the other two, most games for the Nintendo 64 have reasonable price tags (except for many of the extremely rare titles like StarCraft 64 or Ogre Battle 64) and the console itself is really easy to find. Given that the PS2 and PS3 can both play PS1 games, the original consoles themselves are really cheap and you can probably get one for around $10-20, sometimes $30 if you’re unlucky. Some of the games can get expensive depending on where you’re shopping, though.
It's a (money) trap!
Dreamcast: I decided to list this separately because I’m not exactly sure what generation to put it into. Regardless, the Dreamcast can be a pretty fun system to collect for (take it from a self-proclaimed Dreamcast Collector) but some of the games can be hard to get a hold of. Good luck getting a copy of Jet Set Radio, Shenmue or Skies of Arcadia. Even a game like Sonic Adventure 2, which you’d think wouldn’t be that hard to find, can be a hassle.
PlayStation 2/Game Cube/Xbox - The PlayStation 2 is easy as dirt to get a hold of, nearly everyone had one they’re still on sale today. Most of the games are really cheap too, the only ones that might be a bit costly are some of the obscure JRPGs that popped up on the system. The Xbox is the same story, only I don’t think I’ve ever seen a game for the Xbox get expensive (except for Steel Battalion…). Now Game Cubes are a bit harder to get simply due to their low sales. However, most of the games are pretty easy to get and not too expensive (with a few exceptions).
First there's the matter of finding it, then there's the matter of paying for it...
Conclusion:
So that’s a brief guide to get you started into the world of video game collecting. So what will you do? Specialize on one category or just pick up whatever rare game comes your way? It’s all up to you, so picks your games and get ready for a hunt. But most importantly, have fun with your hobby and make sure to spread the word about any awesome but obscure game you may come across during your time as a collector.
