Game Collecting As A Newcomer

I love playing and talking about videogames, so buying something new and seeing its case on my shelf is always a pleasure. So let’s talk about the ins and outs of collecting and my experiences with it. What is game collecting like as a newcomer?

For starters, money is the obvious barrier for me as I currently don’t have a full-time job; so I have to resort to only buying the new releases for both the current generation and previous generation of consoles, specifically, the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. The PlayStation 4’s lineup decreases in price often, so I don’t need to worry about breaking the bank on those titles. However, I’m a Nintendo fan, and I almost exclusively play my Switch; this presents a problem because Nintendo doesn’t like to put their games on sale that often.

As someone who loves to play the system, it's hard to collect for the Switch because I will likely be paying £60 just to own a game physically. I then have to prepare for the next release, the one following that, and so on. That’s without even mentioning the eventual DLC and Collector’s Editions. What I’m trying to say is, that collecting for the current systems is difficult because some companies either refuse to put their games on sale or excessively rely on post-launch content. If they were to change these business practices, then it may lead to a friendlier market. What about the fossils, though?

The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo 64, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, GameCube, and the Original Xbox — all these systems and more keep going up in price to the point that you can almost guarantee you won’t be getting a bargain on some of them. Especially the GameCube, some of the games on this system are pushing the thousand-dollar mark here in Canada, which is unacceptable for those wanting to enter the market. I know there is the supply and demand spiel, but I don’t care about that because, in my opinion, people should have access to whatever console they want, regardless of what scalpers think.

What a great segue for our next topic, access. I don’t have a driver’s license, so I have to rely on other people to get me where I need to go. I could shop online, but my shipment might be delayed or arrive in sub-par condition. The obvious answer is learning to drive, but I wish retro game stores were more prevalent. Before I moved, the closest place to buy games was a Walmart, and if I wanted to find retro titles, I would have to look up somewhere that sells them, which doesn’t even guarantee I would see what I want. Videogames are not as widely recognised as we might think, but disregarding that, preservation of the medium is not being taken as seriously as it should be when it’s practically screaming to be.

The thought that all these consoles could die out on us and these old discs rot away makes me want to preserve this medium more than others. So that brings us back to access; being unable to drive is a significant barrier, shopping online for classics is not as developed as it should be, and preservation is a serious issue. What do these problems mean to me? It means that I might miss out on good deals for games considered to be some of the finest of their craft, and it severely hampers the accessibility of a community that prides itself on being for everyone.

Game collecting is a fun hobby, so when did it become about having everything in pristine condition and submitting it all to a rating company? This topic doesn’t affect everyone directly, but it is a little disheartening when a copy of Super Mario 64 sells for an absurd amount online, and everything increases in price around it. All of this brings us back to what this hobby is all about. Is it because you want to have every single game on your shelf? Is it because you have some extra cash and want to spend it? Or are you all about preservation? None of the above? That’s the beauty of it all; game collecting has no rhyme or reason. It can be accomplished by whoever, in any way, for whatever price, which brings us back to the beginning.

What is it like as a newcomer? Is it friendly for newcomers? My answer is yes because there is no way to do it without enduring some challenges. So you might as well start because now you have some preparation. I know this article is negative, but I want to stress that collecting is for fun, and everyone should always treat it as such. These three topics are just some of my issues with the hobby. I really enjoy it, but I wish I could enjoy it even more. So go out there and buy whatever you want in any way you like because that’s how videogames should be. As a newcomer, I love it and hope you can love it too.