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.]

A Wannabe Collector Too

I am a lucky gamer.

I once asked my significant other if when I brought home random gaming stuffs or bought them off the internet if he thought "Oh great, another box of useless shit". He thought about it for a minute and said, "I guess that's true, but, no, I don't think that" :)

So, as you can imagine, I've been buying lots of useless shit lately. And what I once read on the internet is true: you have to watch out about becoming a collector because all too soon it becomes an obsession. Obsession? No, no, no. That'll never be me. I thought as I checked the pseudo-Craigslist every hour. (I live way out in the boonies, so we don't have real Craigslist. It's just some stupid website run by some locals who feel the need to shut down their site every freaking Sunday!)

Oh, NES, someday you'll be mine again.

What's maybe a little sad is that this obse . . . um, 'hobby' has come to the point where I've started collecting games for systems I hope to own someday. You know, when I find it at the right price at the right time and place. (Please remember that I live out in the middle of nowhere without flea markets, so I'm left with online and thrift stores.) Hell, if it's cheap enough, I don't mind the games sitting on my game shelf. Not like I really play the games I do have the system for :(

Sometimes I think, Well, this is certainly a waste of money, but I rationalize it to myself by saying that I don't spend money on manicures/pedicures, I don't go to a salon to get my hair cut and I don't buy clothes to keep up with the latest fashion trends (though with my subscriptions to Vogue, Elle and Runway, you'd think otherwise) . . . you know, stereotypical 'girly' stuff, so I think it's okay to spend a few bucks here and there on video games. (Longest sentence ever!)

I certainly wouldn't want to encourage or discourage anyone from collecting games, but here are a few things I've learned over my transition into a collector:

1. Unless money isn't a concern, be aware that getting the more coveted games are going to cost you. If you don't happen upon a random copy of Earthbound for the SNES from someone who has no idea what they have, you'd better be prepared to spend $100+ to get it. Sorry, I don't see it's value dropping any time soon (or ever).
2. Know what you're jumping into before shelling out the shells (however few) for something. Find a few websites (always good to have multiple sources) that you can check up on for price checks. (I like Rarity Guide and Price Charting , but don't be afraid to find others.)



And these are just my recent PS1 purchases.

3. Don't just take things at face value. Just because some guy on a website says he has a PS1 controller for sale and you agree upon a price shouldn't stop you from looking it over once you have it in your hands and depressing all the buttons, plugging it in, etc. I always look any game over before buying. And I'm not just talking about CDs, I check the boards on cartridge games too. Sure you can't exactly tell if there's something wrong, but if it's insanely dirty or has a gouge in it, it may be better to avoid (not to mention this, in particular, can tell you if a GBA cart is pirated).

I'm no expert; I know I still have a lot to learn about as far as collecting goes, but I thought it might be nice for other beginners out there to hear about collecting from someone who's a beginner herself. Someday I'll have a collection worthy of its own game room video, but for now, my games and systems will have to be content taking up a little bit of shelf space in my closet. And I don't mind it one bit, it's a sort of personal haven for me.