Why (and when) did you start retro-collecting?

[Waffles]

As I'm sure it's the case for many people, I started collecting older games and consoles after the advent of YouTube, chiefly by watching AVGN and RinryGameGame. They were the spark that lit the inferno for me, so to speak.

Unfortunately, this also meant that I landed right in the middle of the "retro" gaming market, a really hostile environment that favored those who had thrown their old, yellowed consoles and beat-up cartridges at the bottom of their wardrobes and only fished them out after getting actual dollar signs pasted over their eyes, cartoon-style. I'm almost embarrassed by the fact that I paid their outrageous prices just to get a piece of my childhood back, particularly because they were very smug about it (and also because I was making the money as a 17-year-old handing flyers on the street, scarecrow-style. Which was painful). I later moved on to retro gaming forums and tried their markets just to get a semblance of fairness and maybe to even catch a break, but no... they were even more smug about it (although the prices WERE fairer).

I'm almost amazed to report that I managed to get my hands on an NES, a Famicom, a Gameboy Pocket, a PS1, a PS2, a Dreamcast --the crown jewel of my collection-- and a knockoff NES for convenience's sake.

What about you?

 

[Strategist]

I did the opposite. I sold out of my collection that I had accumulated over the years. My NES/SNES/PS1/PS2/PS3/Wii collection has been downsized. I kept my DS and Switch. The prices were too appealing and I needed the space. I do want to acquire a 3DS and a PSP as I find having portable systems more convenient at this time in my life.

 

[It's Thinking 2]

Random purchase in a Goodwill, it was a NES cart of Dragon Warrior for a buck. Then when i got a job at a McDonald's, i started collecting for both the NES and the Sega Genesis because they were dirt cheap in the 2010s. Had a big shoebox for the NES games and one of those cassette drawers for the Genesis carts that were loose because they were the same exact size as cassettes.

Post automatically merged: Nov 3, 2024

Random purchase in a Goodwill, it was a NES cart of Dragon Warrior for a buck. Then when i got a job at a McDonald's, i started collecting for both the NES and the Sega Genesis because they were dirt cheap in the 2010s. Had a big shoebox for the NES games and one of those cassette drawers for the Genesis carts that were loose because they were the same exact size as cassettes. First NES games after Dragon Warrior were Ninja Gaiden 1 and 2, Zelda 1, and the Super Mario Bros. trilogy. Later got Double Dragon 2, Castlevania, ect. Used to play Ninja Gaiden every night after work until i got really good at it.

 

[Waffles]

Random purchase in a Goodwill, it was a NES cart of Dragon Warrior for a buck. Then when i got a job at a McDonald's, i started collecting for both the NES and the Sega Genesis because they were dirt cheap in the 2010s. Had a big shoebox for the NES games and one of those cassette drawers for the Genesis carts that were loose because they were the same exact size as cassettes.

Post automatically merged: Nov 3, 2024

Woah! That brought back some memories for me...

This incredibly beat up copy of "Rad Racer" was the first random purchase I made as a retro collector (it was also the very first NES cartridge I had ever laid eyes on).

 

[CRTRebel]

When I first started vodeogaming on my Atari ST I did so essentially through illegally pirated games that I bought at a small store in my town. The moment I was given an NES I began to take pleasure in collecting what few games I had, partly because they cost a lot I could only afford to buy a few thanks to the pocket money my parents bestowed on me monthly. When I started working in a machine shop when I was 17 and could finally enjoy my own salary, I was able to devote myself to this passion of mine practically without paying too much attention to my wallet. To this day I have a decent collection dedicated exclusively to the few platforms I have owned, namely NES, Genesis, Sega cd, Saturn, PS1, Dreamcast and PS2.

 

[stealthRUSH]

Well at the time they were considered modern, I started playing video games at a very young age starting with arcades and home console NES and handheld GB. At one point I would consider myself a collector but these days I'm a player- I decided to get around in completing my favorite games and logging my progress.

I grew up during the 16-bit transitioning to 32-bit generation and would always anticipate upcoming releases from reading video game magazines at the supermarkets. SNES was my 2nd home console and I would go onto rent games at Blockbuster Video for many years continuing with Sega Saturn, PlayStation and Dreamcast.

The limited games I owned were from Christmas or my birthdays- some of my favorites were Little Nemo, Kirby Dream Land 3, Mega Man 7, Die Hard Arcade, Silhouette Mirage, Trap Gunner, Team Buddies, Tech Romancer, and Cannon Spike all around their respected North America release dates.

Around the early 2000s I discovered imports, back-ups, modding from using on torrents, p2p clients and my first system I would buy a mod chip for was Saturn then PlayStation (which rekindled my love for Sega's 32-bit system). Despite owning PS2, GC, NDS eventually PSP, 360, I wasn't particularly interested in games as much in that generation- I did enjoy Capcom's Gotcha Force though.

After a small hiatus with zero interest in current modern gaming, around 2010 I went back to retro gaming on systems I missed out growing up. Started with TG16, which I ended up buying a PCE IFU. Then Sega Genesis, and it's add-ons (CD, 32X) and more recently (in 2022-present) 3DO Interactive Multiplayer.

 

[PhrawzT]

I have always wanted to collect games and in the 90s had a NES, SNES and Turbo Grafx. I had quite a collection of consoles and games by the 2000s, but had to sell off quite a bit of my obscure and expensive stuff to pay bills over the years. Now I mainly just want original consoles and just use ODEs or Flash cards so I don't have to collect games which only seem to get more expensive by the day. However I will make an exception for the NES and I currently have over 60 games and more I'd like to get.