Philosophy and the Art of Video Game Collecting

As I fall deeper and deeper into my collecting hobby (I recently bought three Japanese systems . . . but I already touched on that in my previous post), I've started getting philosophical about why I collect and what value a complete-in-box (CIB) game has for me.

When I was a kid, I remember reading a riddle book with a paradox that I guess has really stuck with me. I'll summarize here: A man builds a brand new wooden boat. Over the years, as it ages, he starts to replace each of the boards as they break, one-by-one, until he reaches a point where he's replaced every single piece of wood. Now, is it still the same boat that he originally purchased? Or is it a brand new boat altogether?

I think about this tale whenever I see a CIB game. Does it matter if the box and manual/inserts are what was originally sold with the game? Would you care at all if it were rather piecemeal-ed together? I like the idea better that this is the box that some kid opened 20-whatever years ago and this is the cartridge they took out and put in the system and this is the manual they read when they couldn't figure something out. Collecting is more to me than just plain fun; it's about nostalgia and history and sentimentality. I may never possess the exact consoles from my childhood (I still have yet to fully dig through my dad's basement), but if I can piggy-back off of someone else's memories and objects, why not?

One of my favorite boxed games that I own. With original receipt!

This isn't to say that I, myself, wouldn't piecemeal a CIB game, but I do wonder about a game's origins . . . mostly just for the sake of wondering. There's so much (monetary) value attached to a game's condition and look. I say, take a moment and consider its sentimental value. That kid popping in this copy of Super Mario Bros. for the first time, that could've been you. Are you the first one to blow on the cartridge to get it to work? How many times has someone bowed their head over this controller, praying to the video game gods that they'll survive the boss battle this time?

Go ahead, take a minute and look at your collection. How many people's childhoods do you own a piece of? How many hours in front of a tv does it represent? Who else coveted their Vectrex and its bright, clean lines the way you do? Was the person who owned this Sega CD just as entranced as you to hook it up for the first time?

These are the strange things that go through my head sometimes when I think about video games. I can't help getting excited over little things. It's what makes me smile.

And So the Infernal Importing Madness Begins . . .

As I mentioned in an earlier article, I recently purchased a Famicom, Neo Geo Pocket (not Color, mind you) and WonderSwan (never heard of it? Neither had I before this purchase). It was just some sort of weird divinely thing where a co-worker sent me a link to a pseudo-Craigslist ad for the Famicom. Looking through the other stuff he had for sale, I came across the other two systems. He had originally wanted $50 for everything ($30 for the FC and $10 each for the others), but I offered $30, thinking I was low-balling and would get a counter-offer, and he accepted!

The LOOT!

Now, before this occurrence, I had little interest in import gaming and had never sought out foreign gaming stuffs before. But these just so happened to fall into my lap, so who was I to say no. I had the money and was certainly excited about the whole process of countering and purchasing. In an effort to find out more about the systems I had just purchased, I searched on the internet (as I, like most of you, do for all things I wonder about). I was surprised to see that while there are some resources for the Famicom, there are very few for the handheld systems. And just try searching for price guides for any of them. Forget about it. Well . . . maybe they exist on Japanese sites? I dunno, I don't speak Japanese.

I did find a pretty good resource for Famicom games at famicomworld.com. I like that it allows you to filter your results to your liking. Unfortunately, it's not totally complete as it's missing many games' ID number/code and doesn't always mention the NES version.

So . . . this leads me to a little (ha!) project I've started. Following in the footsteps of some of my favorite price guide sites, rarityguide.com and videogames.pricecharting.com, I've started tracking the eBay sales of these three systems and their games. Sure, it's not complete, and it's pure insanity to track multiple completeness-condition as well as accessories, and I'll be working on this for years to come, but I figure, if it's something I can put out there on the internet to share with the English speaking world, then why not?

I hope to turn this into a monthly-type post. Feel free to ask any questions or correct any misinformation you see. Enjoy!

[Edit: Sheets removed.]

My So-Called Gaming Life

While I have my slumps of non-gaming, I've considered myself quite capable of fitting in an hour here and there during the week to devote to video games. Of course, this means I'm often playing catch-up with the stack of games I haven't even gotten out of the shrink wrap, but I get enough in to satisfy my gaming need. This all changed when I had the opportunity to game in a week more than I have any week since the end of my pre-motherhood days.

Where it all happened.

I had to go out of town to visit my parents. I had to travel solo (no child or spouse), so to keep me occupied, I stopped at my local Hastings on the way to the airport. I had originally been looking for a puzzle magazine to fiddle with when I couldn't use my DS (I'd brought Puzzler World) on the plane.

When I couldn't find the particular magazines I wanted (either Games Magazine or their World of Puzzles magazine), I started browsing the DS games section. In my cheapskate ways (especially since I was buying retail), I only paid attention to the used titles. I nearly picked up Pokemon White, but it wasn't in the original case, and if I'm paying $30 for a used game, I'd better damn well get the original case with it. Fortunately for me, I found Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for $19.99 (they tried to charge me $22.99, but an old price sticker left on the box saved the day).

Sure, eventually I'll get past this screen . . .

I have played various Zelda games over the years, but the only other one I actually own is Windwaker. Of course, I was soon to find out that Phantom Hourglass is the sequel to Windwaker, so it works out. Plus, I happen to have the strategy guide which I picked up at Goodwill for $.99 (their paperbacks are buy one get one free, so I also got Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov).

Normally, a game like this would take me months (if not a year) to complete. Over the course of flying and just having delectable hours a day to myself, I was able to get 3/4 of the way through the game by the time I got back home. And let's not speak about how much further I've gotten through since I've been home . . . cause it's not much, if anything, really.

And hopefully you believe that I ever actually made it this far.

These events have caused me to really and truly realize how much time is 'lost' to everyday issues. When you're a kid, you can run home after school and plop down in front of the tv to pick up where you had stopped the day before on whatever game you were playing. Hey, maybe you even left the system running overnight (because who could beat Super Mario Bros. 3 in one run anyway). And you probably even had to yell (or lie) to your parents that your homework was already done. Ahh, those were the days. No job, no errands, no taxes, no dishes or laundry. Sure, sometimes I wish I could go back to those days of blissfully wasting hours on a daily basis, but that daydream lasts but a few seconds. I lived through all that, and I'm an adult now. I'd rather just stay an adult. Life is worth the fewer hours with controller in hand.

(**This article was originally written December 2012. I have since beaten Phantom Hourglass.**)

Blog Update!

Thinking up some good stuff to write.

Hello, fellows who happen upon my blog.

I just wanted to give you a heads up that this is not all lost and forgotten.

I have been going through some personal stuff over the past year, and it's been hard getting back into writing . . . or anything creative, really.

Hopefully, this will change soon. I already have some posts half-written and should be able to publish something in the next week.

Thanks for your patience, and be sure to return!

Much love and appreciation,
-Kyh