What should a collector be collecting in 2023?

[RegularGuyGamer | 2,013]

2 scenarios

1. You meet someone who is actively considering collecting games but doesn't know where to start. What would you suggest? I know it would depend on their preference but given they have an average collecting budget, nothing extraordinary, where would you point them? The endless abyss of modern collectables on Switch & PS4? Or to the classic market that is now filled with graded cart only game and the other silliness that's cropped up over the last few years.

2. Pretend. You haven't collected in over a decade and you want to get back in. The last new game you bought was Mario Galaxy 2 and decided the waggle on the Wii broke your will to enjoy games. Now you got the itch and you want to collect again. Looking at the current market and considering what you've missed, where do you get in? Do you buy classics games for 5-10 times what you had paid for them before or potentially regain lost ground on the consoles you've missed out on?

What direction would you advise or would you take personally?

[spacepup | 2,404]

Honestly, it is really hard for me to think about advice without knowing the person (scenario 1).  Beyond just preference, I'd need to know their motivations for collecting - something to do to keep them busy? The best financial investment?  The best way to ensure they are successful long term in collecting (in terms of enjoyment / not necessarily financial) is for them to get into something they enjoy and are passionate about.  Some people just want the most number of items, others want to have complete sets, and others want games they can actually play.  There are simply too many variables about what they might enjoy and their reasons for collecting, that I can't think of a good answer for scenario 1 that would actually be the best for them.

For scenario 2, it also depends a lot on personal preference and interest - but for me, I'd probably change it up.  For example, I sold off most of my NES, SNES, and N64 games a while back, despite me having great love and appreciation for those systems.  I found that I wasn't playing a lot of the games that often, and had already beaten my favorites, so they just sat on a shelf getting no love.  It's hard to see me going back now and repurchasing those games, especially at the wild prices they are now.  I've shifted my collecting interests quite a bit and have been exploring completely different areas in collecting, such as Japanese imports, games I never knew existed, and other items that are a little but more niche and interesting, and less covered in media, forums, etc.

 

 

[Sumez | 2,952]

24 minutes ago, RegularGuyGamer said:

You meet someone who is actively considering collecting games but doesn't know where to start. What would you suggest?

I'd suggest don't. If someone "doesn't know where to start" they obviously don't have a drive in the first place. If there's a game you can't help but getting because you really want it, that's where you start.

25 minutes ago, RegularGuyGamer said:

Now you got the itch and you want to collect again. Looking at the current market and considering what you've missed, where do you get in? Do you buy classics games for 5-10 times what you had paid for them before or potentially regain lost ground on the consoles you've missed out on?

No matter how many games I buy, there will always be a ton that I don't own and still want, so despite never having been "out of the loop", this seems like a very real scenario to me. If you still want the games, there's really not a lot to do aside from pony up.

That said, I recently visited a used games store run by a friend of mine. It's become super succesful, so he's already expanded a lot since the last time I was there. The prices of course are a bit higher than usual going prices since it's a brick n mortar store, but with that considered, he's generally super fair about them.
And I browsed a bunch of his NES and SNES games and various other platforms, and I felt extremely relieved that every game I'd potentially be interested in, are games that I already own. Because holy shit, with the way prices are now, I wouldn't have bought most of them.

So I guess my advice to anyone in that situation who doesn't already have as many games is, find a few select games that are special to you, which you really, really want, and just get those.

[Ankos | 441]

For scenario 1, they should take a deep dive and find something they find interesting that there isn't a lot of competition in. That way the prices will be lower and there will be more surprises in store for them. There's lots of computer games and obscure systems to collect for, and plenty of little niches to get into for systems that have large libraries. I'd also suggest treating collecting as a hobby to screw around with rather than something super serious. Its supposed to be fun, so getting super stressed over things like what other people think, or how much everything is worth is not good. If it isn't making them happy, then they should be doing something else

[RegularGuyGamer | 2,013]

1 hour ago, Ankos said:

For scenario 1, they should take a deep dive and find something they find interesting that there isn't a lot of competition in. That way the prices will be lower and there will be more surprises in store for them

I remember back in the day people used to recommend collecting PSP since it had a lower barrier to entry and had a great library. Things have changed now, obviously. I wonder if there are any particular consoles that offer real quality with a low entry cost these days.

[Ankos | 441]

21 minutes ago, RegularGuyGamer said:

I remember back in the day people used to recommend collecting PSP since it had a lower barrier to entry and had a great library. Things have changed now, obviously. I wonder if there are any particular consoles that offer real quality with a low entry cost these days.

I don't know about "real quality" but there is definitely stuff out there that can be had for cheap that I find fun to collect. To some extent I think that every system is going to have at least a few great games that are pretty inexpensive, especially if you aren't region sensitive

[Renmauzo | 1,201]

My methodology is:

Scenario 1 - What game(s) make(s) you feel some kind of way? What can you see yourself playing over and over? I think of my top 5-10 games, and price doesn't matter because they are the ones I feel passionately about. If I was asked, it's what I'd suggest. I'm nobody's keeper when it comes to individuals' finances, so if they want to get in in 2023, I have to assume they are prepared.

I don't bother with 'systems that have a low entry point', because that's just getting things for the sake of getting things; $1000 spent on a bunch of stuff to fill a shelf that you don't really feel any particular way about vs. that same money spent on a handful of titles that get played and cared for...well, it just seems like the way to go for me.

Scenario 2 - I'd follow the advice I'd give in scenario 1, because, knowing me, I wouldn't have given up my favourite games because I wanted to, but because I had to. So if I was not in a good place financially and found my way back to stability, I'd buy what I love and leave it at that.

[DefaultGen | 5,405]

If you want to mass hoard stuff so you can have a full shelf on your Youtube background, just buy all the modern good stuff.

$5 Bioshock
$5 Mass Effect 2
$7 Portal 2
$8 Dark Souls
$10 Grand Theft Auto III
$11 Katamari Demacy
$12 Halo
$15 Shadow of the Colossus
$15 Zelda Twilight Princess
$15 Super Mario Galaxy
$15 God of War 4
$16 Demons' Souls
...

You could go on forever with stuff like this. Games are cheap, mass produced media and the majority of them have no collectible value, even all time classics. The expensive games are like survival horror games no one actually gives a shit about. Oh great, Kuon is $700, a game no one ever played but it says From Software on the box. I guess buy Dark Souls for $8 instead?

--

But like Sumez said, people should collect whatever they personally like regardless of what the market says about it, not just find what's "good to collect" right now. If you like nice CIB NES games, save up for SMB3, Contra, and Ninja Gaiden. You'll be happier than buying PSP just because because they were cheaper. If you like mid 2000s PC games but no one else considers them collectible, who cares. Go nuts on small box PC, the world will be your oyster and your collection will be different from everyone else's.

[Code Monkey | 2,010]

I never understand this question, you should collect whatever you think would be fun. Do you want NES games? Then buy NES games. I don't get it.

If you're asking someone else instead of just doing what you want, I can only assume you're asking what to buy as an investment in which case the answer is nothing. Video games are a terrible investment compared to bonds, metals and technology companies.

It just seems like a strange question to me, it's like me asking you what I should have for supper tonight. It all comes back to whatever I like to eat.

[final fight cd | 186]

i would suggest porno games.   they go all the way back to the 80s.  

 

shoutout to CQ podcast because i want to now collect porno games. 

Edited September 11, 2023 by final fight cd

[Brickman | 3,986]

2 hours ago, RegularGuyGamer said:

1. You meet someone who is actively considering collecting games but doesn't know where to start. What would you suggest? I know it would depend on their preference but given they have an average collecting budget, nothing extraordinary, where would you point them? The endless abyss of modern collectables on Switch & PS4? Or to the classic market that is now filled with graded cart only game and the other silliness that's cropped up over the last few years.

If they're interested in older games I'd just recommend they go cart only and focus on the popular titles or things they remember playing. You can get a lot of great games in cart form and if they're looking around the PS2/GC era there are still a lot of great CIB for cheap (although GC is on the rise a bit). If their budget is say $1000 they can easily get a nice collection of cart only games.

2 hours ago, RegularGuyGamer said:

2. Pretend. You haven't collected in over a decade and you want to get back in. The last new game you bought was Mario Galaxy 2 and decided the waggle on the Wii broke your will to enjoy games. Now you got the itch and you want to collect again. Looking at the current market and considering what you've missed, where do you get in? Do you buy classics games for 5-10 times what you had paid for them before or potentially regain lost ground on the consoles you've missed out on?

I'd collect what I wanted to, whether that means paying crazy prices for a NES game or collecting a heap of PSP games for cheap. I think it's important to have your own goals and focus on those and not collect because everyone else is doing X console.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,533]

Good games

They're pretty fun to play

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,105]

1 minute ago, Reed Rothchild said:

Good games

They're pretty fun to play

[fcgamer | 4,723]

3 hours ago, RegularGuyGamer said:

2 scenarios

1. You meet someone who is actively considering collecting games but doesn't know where to start. What would you suggest? I know it would depend on their preference but given they have an average collecting budget, nothing extraordinary, where would you point them? The endless abyss of modern collectables on Switch & PS4? Or to the classic market that is now filled with graded cart only game and the other silliness that's cropped up over the last few years.

2. Pretend. You haven't collected in over a decade and you want to get back in. The last new game you bought was Mario Galaxy 2 and decided the waggle on the Wii broke your will to enjoy games. Now you got the itch and you want to collect again. Looking at the current market and considering what you've missed, where do you get in? Do you buy classics games for 5-10 times what you had paid for them before or potentially regain lost ground on the consoles you've missed out on?

What direction would you advise or would you take personally?

I'd recommend buying a crt, actual hardware, flashcarts, and homebrews as they first come to market if you want actual cartridges. Otherwise, I'd personally just stay out of the whole thing.

I could never recommend someone collecting the way I did, it's just too crazy to be getting in , from a financial perspective, these days.

[T-Pac | 7,548]

1 hour ago, DefaultGen said:

But like Sumez said, people should collect whatever they personally like regardless of what the market says about it, not just find what's "good to collect" right now. If you like nice CIB NES games, save up for SMB3, Contra, and Ninja Gaiden. You'll be happier than buying PSP just because because they were cheaper. If you like mid 2000s PC games but no one else considers them collectible, who cares. Go nuts on small box PC, the world will be your oyster and your collection will be different from everyone else's.

@DefaultGen knows what's up. 

Unfortunately it can take a lot of trial-and-error to find out what you personally like.
You start out buying key titles from "top 10" lists, and you slowly parse through it until you finally find your 'niche', then you can go all-in on the systems / genres / franchises / etc. makes you happiest.

If only there was a way to skip the part where you inevitably cast a wide net and buy stuff you don't end up caring for.

[T-Pac]

[fox | 1,667]

Buy games you actually want to play, new or old or bit of both.

If you just want something that looks nice in the background, buy a painting.

[Tanooki | 4,934]

In either scenario nothing changes much.

I'd find out what their, both, real budget and real will to take the hit is once the luster wears off asking for a true bit of honesty.

 

From there I'd suggest a few things.  Real hardware with a modern android style PC like low refresh panel and an HDMI original modded console/handheld, or real old school with a CRT if they really want to go there, but nothing over 20" to really keep that period feel.

As to the games, I'd strongly suggest not diving into buying on line, unless they wanted to patiently watch for a fairly decent sized 20-50+ games lot with system pops up to get started and more or less stop with that, online that is.  I'd tell them to get their goods, clean the stuff with the right things, get it clean, sanitary and happy...then take a break and enjoy it, chill, see what you like, love, are passive or hate in the lot, and make some stacks to keep or release.  From the get go, I'd tell them whenever out, see what you can find locally at stores, private, fleas, that are somewhat to grossly under the ebay troll rates.  Buy that, see if you like it or not, keep and and play that, and what doesn't, add that too to the turn stack.

From there that turn stack I'd suggest selling or trading them, if selling maybe you end up with another spare system, bundle it.  Get a nice nest egg going, then use that money to buy a game you want that's more toxic (over old MSRP) so you don't get into the habit of screwing your budget.

That's basically what I'd do, and I'd suggest picking no more than TWO systems, like a console and a handheld, or two of one or the other, and that's it.  FOCUS is key, if you just buy whatever whenever and don't care, it always leads to disaster of some sort.

I'd also push them towards aliexpress for cheap copies of expensive or translated game carts since $10 is better than $100 or $500.  I'd also show them their flash kit options as well, why not enjoy things without being bit by a shark right?

[RegularGuyGamer | 2,013]

2 hours ago, Code Monkey said:

it's like me asking you what I should have for supper tonight. It all comes back to whatever I like to eat.

But if I knew what I wanted to eat, I wouldn't have asked

[TDIRunner | 2,740]

For the 1st scenario, I've actually had the conversation a few times in recent years, and I always suggest to just go with the retro collections available on the modern consoles, or to just emulate with a Raspberry Pi or similar.  

 

For the 2nd scenario, I would hope someone would give me similar advice.  

[Link | 2,712]

Dank games.

[fcgamer | 4,723]

3 hours ago, final fight cd said:

i would suggest porno games.   they go all the way back to the 80s.  

 

shoutout to CQ podcast because i want to now collect porno games. 

I have a large collection of porno games, been collecting them for about a decade

6 hours ago, Ankos said:

For scenario 1, they should take a deep dive and find something they find interesting that there isn't a lot of competition in. That way the prices will be lower and there will be more surprises in store for them. 

That's something I've always liked about Paul's crappy NES collection and @Ferris Bueller's Dragon Warrior collection - they found cool, fun ways to collect, and it was outside of the mainstream snooze fest most generally go for.

My brother's favorite color is green, for example, so I've been tossing this idea around in my head of assembling a green Famiclone cartridge collection for him, since even games like the original Super Mario Bros had green bootlegs. 

 

[GPX | 1,369]

1. I’d tell them to “figure it out yourself”. Kind of like someone asking me what what career should they choose, I’d say “figure it out yourself”. 
My general tip though is to collect at your own pace and within your own budget. Because whatever you choose to buy in the first instance, it can be swapped and changed at a later date. If you don’t get the pace/budget right from the start, then things can go very wrong, very quickly.

2. If I’m interested in collecting again after a 10 year hiatus, then I’d collect what I had missed out previously, but must have some genuine interest in them. General principles still apply from point 1.

[RegularGuyGamer | 2,013]

For me, I think scenario 1 suggesting to get a flash cart or a compilation game to try games out first is a must. When they get a solid idea of games they want to ad to their collection, I would encourage them to look at game prices with what a new game costs on mind. Most new games cost between $20 and $70 just generally with nice CE pushing over $100. With that perspective, I wouldn't feel bad suggesting a new collector to get ready to spend $50 per game, to get the box for a NES or N64 game they're eyeing up because inflation adjusted its probably still cheaper today than it was 30 years ago. Throwing money at a wall full of games never hits the way a collection that reflects the collector does.

Of I was getting back in, I'd largely skip what I missed. Even now, there are so few games released in the last 15 years that held my interest. Instead, I'd buck up for the CIB games I wanted. The other thing about buying those games is even if you sell them a 6 months later you only lose out on fees and shipping if you change your mind.