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

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.

Interview with a Vampire (and Other Scary Things) Flee-er

The past week or two, I spent a fair amount of hours with an indie game by by Dreampainters called Anna. Being 'in the industry', I was privy to a review copy of it. I was really impressed with the graphics and mysterious story, and of course adventure games always catch my eye. But I passed on reviewing it cause I'm such a weenie when it comes to horror games (though I did offer to do the walkthrough). So if you hate scary games, why did you play through it (more than once, I heard)? What kept you going? Well, let's discuss that, shall we?

Random scary event. Fun.

Right off the bat, I got that freaky feeling, just because Anna's in first person (Really? Yes, really. That's why I don't play first person shooters). After about 30-40 minutes of play, I hadn't run into any sort of jump scare (where ghosts and goblins and the like jump out from behind the bushes just to catch you off guard). I find jump scares a poor tactic on a game developer's part as it relies much less on atmosphere and other aspects to just go for ye olde 'boo'. Their absence helped me push through the game.

So other than your odd idiosyncrasy with camera views, what did you find scary? Hmm, I think Dreampainters did a fabulous job with atmosphere. While interesting to look at, all the details in the virtual world couldn't help the fact that you're alone. So you never see anyone in the game? Well . . . not as such. An essential coupling in a scary game is not only the world you create, but also how completely you do so. Nevermind the stack of books you painstakingly created titles for or the fact that your attention to detail ensured that the kitchen had a full compliment of appliances and not just a sink. I'm talking about entertaining as many of the senses that a computer game can: not just visually, but aurally as well.

This game makes even plants look scary.

Umm, orally? I know you're not afraid of adult topics, but come on. No, no, no. Aurally. As in hearing, the ears, sounds. Oh, right. Don't mind me, I'm not thinking anything dirty. Going back to my example before, it's not enough to have made a realistic setting. Who cares that you bothered to put a dishwasher in your haunted kitchen? Now if it starts to run periodically when you're not looking . . . that's freaky. Wind howling outside through thin-paned windows? I'm shivering. Random tin cans flying through the air at you? Well, at that point I just turn the sound off. You get my point? Huh? What? Oh, yeah, yeah whatever. I was just sitting here googling "oral games". Interesting results . . . It appears I'm beginning to lose your interest, so I'll just tack on a quick conclusion paragraph below and let you get back to your internet 'fun' . . .


Ahem, as I was saying. Anna=pretty cool game. Read JohnB's full review of it here. Then purchase and download the game and use my walkthrough if needed. I got a lot of help from Cinnamon Toast Ken, whose youtube videos are entertaining, so watch them, like, subscribe or follow him on the Twit-thing. Oh, and me too. Last self-promotion: my stuff on Jay is Games and The Punk Effect (new stuff is coming soon, I promise). Check it!

Kyh's Finds

As I continue this journey deeper and deeper into retro gaming, I've become more intrigued by game collecting. Sure, it's easy enough to find most stuff on the internet (I certainly do more than my share of trolling through Ebay), but by searching through physical bins in places near you, that's when it becomes really exciting. Before I continue, I have to give most of the credit for my new obsession to The Game Chasers. They do not currently have their own website, but you can find their stuff on RetrowareTV and Blip. They tote themselves as American Pickers for video games. It's great stuff.

I hope to make this a regular column as I find more and more cool stuff. Unfortunately, I live in a tiny community and the nearest town with a Gamestop has no independent video game stores. Thus, I'm forced to resort to the many thrift stores in the area. It's not so bad, just very hit or miss. All of my finds today come from Goodwill.

Sigh. How I love to beat up the pedestrians.

A couple of months ago, I went into my local Goodwill (which happens to be by my dentist) and saw a PS2 behind the counter. I was mesmerized and knew I wanted it. When I asked the price, the lady told me $45. I didn't have the money, so I passed on it (it ended up selling several weeks later, though I did get one more chance to drool over it). It was the set of Xbox games, though that really got my attention. I knew these would be more in my price range.

Among the small stack of mostly sports games, one particular title caught my eye. Grand Theft Auto III. On the Xbox was where I learned to love this series (Vice City, I believe), so right away I wanted it. When I asked the lady how much, she said $2.99. Hey, three bucks ain't too bad. The manual and map are in excellent shape and the disc only had a few tiny scratches. So I bought it. Quite a pleasing game chasing experience.

Aww, childhood memories . . .

Fast forward to a week or two ago, and I'm in the same Goodwill, hoping for another satisfying find. I knew they didn't have anything in their case (this time I did have the cash for a PS2), so I just wandered around their basic electronics section. I'm just hoping for maybe an accessory or extra controller, but lo and behold, I find a PSOne underneath an adding machine. I couldn't believe myself, this was one of the systems I had growing up (well, the earlier version, at least)! I didn't see any of the cables, but I did find the instruction manual and a third party controller. $4.99 for the system, $2.99 for the controller. Not bad, I'll take them.

In my excitement and eagerness to find those dang cables, I continue scouring the shelves. Double jackpot! I found a lone Sega Genesis under some more junk! I couldn't believe that I'd found these systems on the same day in the same store. Sure, they're relatively common consoles, but if you only knew the isolation I live in, you'd understand. $4.99 for this system as well, why not.

Completely new territory for me.

I looked over each system carefully to make sure I wasn't just dumping my money into total crap. The latch for the PS door stuck a little, but nothing too bad, and the laser crystal looked pretty clean. Especially considering the gunk on the rest of it. Nothing a little rubbing alcohol couldn't fix. The Genesis looked to be in even better shape (perhaps surprising considering how much older it is than the PS). I opened the dust cover and it looked clean in there. Clean enough to play an old cartridge, at least.

I took my treasure up to the counter to pay. There were a few people ahead of me, so I glanced behind the glass as usual. Hey! That looks like a Playstation A/V cable! Sure enough, it was. The guy let me have it, and in my excitement, I forgot to ask if I could get some kind of discount for buying both systems. Ah well, $13 for all that isn't bad at all. Another pleasing game chasing time.

A few days later, I did go back to Goodwill to see if I could find the other cables I needed for the consoles but didn't see them. I'm pleading with you readers, if you know where I can find them for cheap (or perhaps, have them laying around your house), please let me know! I know where I can get PS A/V cables $1 apiece . . .

I'd love to hear about your own game chasing experience, if you'd like to share in the comments below.

P.S. - I got the gig at The Punk Effect. Look out for my articles there. Or if you follow me on Twitter, I'll tweet when they go up.