I think there is a collector in all of us. There’s something primal about gathering all the things you love in one place. You could collect comics, cars, cards, elegant pens, or if you’re my wife, pets. Having a healthy hobby of collecting can be fulfilling and a great alternative to dangerous habits. Today I’d like to talk about video game collecting.
I don’t think a collector happens overnight. You don’t wake up one day and say to yourself, “I’m going to collect garden gnomes!” No there is a seed that gets planted which slowly over time builds into the desire to be a collector. If you are reading this and have the mindset of I want to collect you have probably been building up to this for a while now. So where did I get started? Well I don’t think I became a “collector” till I was in my mid twenties. Up till that point I had this mindset of buy games, beat them, then sell them back to get something new. When you grow up with limited funds this is a super common practice. That being said, things started to change when I bought a friends Super Nintendo.
There was something special about this SNES. No it didn’t come with any super rare games like Earthbound or Chrono Trigger that made it a super deal. It was however a SNES I had played on before and had many great nights with. I think what set this SNES apart from the other games and systems I had was I never sold it or traded it in. From the beginning I knew I was going to keep this SNES and to this day, I still have it. This was the seed in the ground. I wouldn’t for a few more years get into collecting but this SNES was the first brick on the house I would build.
I think the first place to start with this discussion is to admit that I am no wise guru when it comes to collecting video games. That being said, I don’t think anyone is. I have seen a great number of tips and tricks online about collecting video games and they are all different. The collecting experience is a unique one and there are so many factors that go into it for each person that it’s hard to come up with one list of the do’s and don’ts. The list I am going to be covering today are tips that I use when collecting games. I hope you find it helpful but, make your own path and walk it!
So what have I learned over the years of video game collecting? Let’s dive in!
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Have fun! This is a hobby and should always be a pleasant experience. If you start to feel like you’re just going through the rhythm it’s probably time to take a break. I think my golden age of collecting was when I got into collecting for the PSP. Every time I got a new game it was like christmas! I would buy games online which was fun because it made the mail an exciting thing and not just a bunch of advertisements I threw away. I also scoured craigslist and the local game stores. Spending a Saturday just going up and down the wasatch front seeing what stores had to offer was a great day. As I said, make this a fun experience!
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Network. This is another tip that is super common in the hobby. Let people know you’re collecting. Not just store owners but friends and family. Getting others involved can take this from a one man band to a Mars Volta supergroup (seriously they had like 13 members at one point…) I still struggle with this tip if I am being honest. I tend to worry that asking people to find games for me or keep a lookout would make them feel like I am just using them. You and I gotta get out of this mindset though! Your friends and family will love to be part of your hobby because it’s something that makes you happy.
One memory that will always stick with me in my collecting of video games is when a friend of mine picked up Popeful Mail for me. He and I had talked about video games a few times and he knew it was one of my holy grails (more on this term later). He picked it up while on a trip and I will always be thankful he did. Now of course I paid him handsomely for it but still, if he didn’t know I was looking for it, he would never have picked it up.
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A tip people will often share is to avoid buying games online and instead go on the hunt for them. Well sure that’s great for people in urban areas where there is a lot of game stores but this doesn’t always work for everyone. Plus as I said earlier, getting games in the mail is like a christmas present from your mail person. What I do suggest though is take your time. If you’re looking for a particular game, don’t feel compelled to get it just because it’s available. Do your research on the games value and be a smart shopper. This can help your wallet go much further than you’d expect. This is a tip I still struggle with though. Sometimes I am really restrained and can tell myself I don’t need it right away but, I get excited and jump on it. I would say that tip #1 of having fun trumps this tip though and if you find something you really want, don’t feel bad if you pay a few extra sheckles. Just be a smart shopper. All of this being said, we will talk more about budgets here in a moment and that’s key with purchasing games in general.
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Encourage others. One part of this hobby I didn’t expect but I love is meeting others that share the same passion. Not only have I built relationships with people in real life but I also find myself pretty active on the game collecting reddit. It may sound silly but seeing what others get inspires me. Also generally there is a lot of positivity in the game collecting hobby that makes you feel like what you’re doing is worthwhile.
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This final tip is probably the most important: Set a budget and stick with it. In the right setting, game collecting is a great hobby and can be very fulfilling. It can however turn dark if you spend too much money on it. I made this mistake. I think I crossed the line when I purchased Magic Knight Rayearth. If you haven’t heard of it thats alright its an obscure game based on an obscure anime. What’s so special about it? Well not only does that obscurity make it rare but it’s also made by a company called Working Designs. Not aware of who THEY are? Again that’s okay but in the collecting world they are one of the most infamous creators and their games go for lots of money. This game wasn’t even on my radar when it came across my desk and unlike Popeful Mail which I had been wanting for a long time, this was a game I had no knowledge of. I did however know who Working Designs was so I HAD to have the game. I went way over budget for it. Like WAY over budget. This wasn’t the only time I’d do this but this example will always stay with me because it was SO unnecessary. Here’s the deal, video game collecting should never come before important things like bills or food or gas or whatever necessities you have. Nowadays I have a budget for how much I can spend each month and I stick to it. Sure this slows down the collecting but I think it actually adds value and even makes the experience more enjoyable. If you get whatever you want all at once it definitely takes away from the adventure.
So, that’s it. I know there aren’t a lot of tips but really that’s because as I said at the beginning, each collectors journey is unique. I think the tips I gave are the most consistent but outside of those you have a lot of decisions you get the joy of making. Here are some of those decisions and what direction I took:
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You’ll want to decide what systems to collect for. I started off with the PSP because it was a handheld I loved and, if I’m being honest, isn’t that expensive to collect for. What matters is what system you connect with. I never had a Sega CD growing up (hell I didn’t even know it existed till AVGN) but I love collecting for it. Its so unique for the time and although many of the games are expensive (I’m coming for you Keiko’s Flying Squadrun!) they look great on a shelf and are actually fun to play. Now if you’re simply looking for a cheap system to collect for and don’t have a lot of attachment to any one system, I’d say go for the previous generation of systems. This would be your PS3s, Xbox 360s, Wii U (this one is especially cheap to collect for.)
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Are you trying to collect EVERY game for a system or are you just collecting the games you’d like to play. Like I’ve said a few times in this article, there is no wrong answer here. Personally, I started out just collecting games I had played in my youth or games I knew I’d like. I have however started to branch out into games that I think might be interesting or are especially cheap for the PSP. I don’t know if I’ll ever go for a complete collection of any system but fleshing out my collection is fun too!
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Come up with a few holy grails. Think of the games or systems you REALLY want but due to price or rarity are just out of reach. I firmly believe having this north star really makes the hobby exciting. Popeful Mail was my holy grail for a while and now I think my new holy grail is Shining Force 3 for the Sega Saturn. The beauty of this hobby is there is always a new game to get and a new holy grail to dream of.
Anyways that’s all from me! What ideas or suggestions do you have? I think all of us reading would love to hear about your experiences and suggestions!
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