How long have you been a game collector?

[T3rra | 18]

I started collecting games in the early 2000s. The earliest games I remember trying to find for a set were the Playstation era Final Fantasy titles. I started hoarding a few years later, probably 2003. I stopped collecting, and sold almost everything, in 2014. Now I'm back  I can't get away.

[fox | 1,665]

On 7/16/2020 at 7:40 PM, Tekdrudge said:

 I started collecting in 1999 a few months before the release of the Dreamcast. I realized I missed my NES games while watching the sneak peeks at the new games coming that fall. It was mostly the 8 bit graphics I missed.

This was me, cept SNES.  Had sold mine years back in order to afford whatever new game we’re out at the time, but started to miss the classics.  Nintendo had done a soft relaunch of the SNES, so I got an SNES jr and went to town.

You could still rent SNES games 2 for 1, find new games in kee bee bargain bins, funcoland and warehouse music had used games super cheap.  It also became a weekly thing over the next couple years, going game hunting with a buddy and picking up all kinds of classic and random titles.

[Super Nintendo Chalmers | 53]

I started collecting around 2005-2006, so yeah roughly 15 years give or take. I would always game with family and friends, had a strong association with certain titles and systems (Donkey Kong Country, Smash Bros, Halo, GTA, Mega Man, Pokemon and Street Fighter were staples) plus I held onto most of my childhood games, browse certain forums, but I didn't actively collect at the time. So didn't take that next step until....

I got my first job in retail when I was 14-15, around that time so I had more pocket money to spend. Lo and behold a local Cash Converters (basically a pawn shop/second hand store) was near my work so I would bug my Mum or Dad, who was driving, for a quick stop before/after work! Began to build that base and then it just evolved from there. Discovered eBay, Gumtree and more places to find stuff and discovered other digital communities to converse, buy, sell and trade with other like minded people. Australia is a tough market to collect retro in but what hobby doesn't have its challenges  

 

Edited August 9, 2020 by Super Nintendo Chalmers

[MegaMan52 | 2,441]

Since 1990. 

Still have my original copy of Rad Racer as well as those "Super Mario Bros. Trapped in the Perilous Pit" and "Winning Tips for Nintendo" books, all three of which were among the first video game items I ever got.

[11strings | 90]

I still have my childhood Vectrex I got for Christmas and all my games for it.  So I guess since December 1983. 

[snes_collector | 56]

I was around 12 and reading an issue of Tips and Tricks magazine and came across collectors corner in the back of the magazine. The area was on rare Super Nintendo games with a huge list of harder to find titles. I still loved my Super Nintendo so I decided to start collecting for it, at yard sales, flea markets, and GameStop’s with what money I had. I joined Digital Press forums and got the advanced collecting guide for Christmas one year. I read the thing end to end many times and basically had it memorized so I knew what to pick up. By high school I had slowed down buying since I was not finding much at flea markets and I had other interest. 

Shortly after graduating and after I started working I met a now great friend of mine off a Craigslist ad that really kicked my collecting into full gear. I managed to finish my snes collecting 10 years after I started it, and just as prices were picking up.

Since then I collected for a few other systems- NES being the biggest and Im still working on that collection. It really was fun hunting games at yard sales, flea markets, and game stores in the early 2010s before the market exploded. I’m glad I was able to do it though I wish someone told me how much room it takes!

 

I still find things occasionally though nothing like the past. Although I love the games, I think my favorite part is going out looking for them with friends and family and checking out new spots and meeting new people

[DoctorEncore | 3,690]

I started collecting casually in the early 90s with Genesis and Super Nintendo and became more of a serious collector in the early 2000s as I scoured GameStop, Babbages, and EBGames for good deals on PS games (specifically RPGs, which were hot items even back then). I kind of stopped gaming and collecting late in high school and through college as I had no time or money. I started collecting again in med school and residency in the late 2000s. I went down a deep rabbit hole buying for the 360 and PS3, particularly collector's editions which ended up being a huge money pit (I've now sworn off all but the most interesting CEs). Now I'm focused on going back and collecting for older systems since collecting for newer stuff is not particularly interesting (buying a full set for any console starting with the Dreamcast just doesn't excite me... yet).

I have never sold or traded a unique game in my 25+ years of collecting with the exception of 10 SNES games I traded in to get a $100 discount on a launch Playstation. Even though there were a few gems in that SNES collection, I don't regret it in the slightest because the Playstation was revolutionary. I spent countless hours on FF7, FF8, Xenogears, Symphony of the Night, Metal Gear Solid, Twisted Metal 2, Tekken 2, and many more. I'd probably choose the NES or SNES as my all-time favorite console, but those years with my PS1 hold many of my most cherished gaming moments.

[Foochie776 | 1,051]

Started back in 06-07. Started with loose NES and just other childhood games, now I’m trying to complete CIB sets because I’ve lost my mind 

[doner24 | 1,195]

1999 when I started my eBay account is when I first started buying NES games not intending to play them.