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Foreword:
I started a thread some time a year or two ago with the intent of drawing together a pool of photos and experiences form fellow video game collector's. But it never gained much track. I am hoping to fuel something special in a new thread. So, here it goes.
Last year I sold off my GC collection, some Saturn Holy Grails, and everything else you might think of I had acquired across multiple platforms. And that was not the first time. I had a good sealed only (I later realised sealed games did nothing for me!) Dreamcast collection, too.. man. The list goes on. Such is life. I only collect Mint, so I put literal blood, sweat and tears into my video games collection. Due to the scarcity, condition criteria and ways in which I acquire my pieces, each one is almost always a task.
That said, I did keep hold of most of my gems and still had almost all my Mint SNES and N64. And this year, I sought to claim back what I had. So, I have again built back my collection of Mint GC games almost to the extent of last year, and it being even better in many ways - how, man, I do not know, but again, yes, it was blood sweat and tears (count CeX as a major cause of that, too). Overall, for me, as a Mint only collector, CeX do in fact win over eBay in acquiring the pieces I need. eBay is secondary for me). And hey, it is so much fun and the reward and pride gained is fulfilling, especially as I sit here typing this with my collection to my right.
I keep a strict regiment with how I handle, organise and take care of my video games. I have lots more to do to ensure their safety as I truly want. So, I feel fairly hardcore, but fairly casual at the same time in my approach to video games collecting - I guess I am not quite experienced and fully sure as to what constitutes 'hardcore' video games collecting.
I am by no means an expert nor consider myself very knowledgeable about video games and the culture as a whole. I mainly collect the gems from my childhood that hold meaning and value in the regard of of memory and nostalgia and experience. This spans multiple platforms but it really is mainly Nintendo. And anything that resonates with me, even on an arbitrary level. It could be a rare game, or cheap games cover art work I love, or the colours of the artwork, or the feeling it gives me when I hold it or look at it. Part of it too, is the kick and pride from having video games that are rare, Holy Grails, oddities or valuable.
But as a whole, it has really turned into: Love for things I loved as a child and growing up to the present where those characters, franchises and creators may still live on, and the new things that continue to spark and stir my imagination.
I must mention playing them. I am a big time lapsed gamer who only plays about 3 titles at most a year now. I spent much of my childhood playing video games, so I feel totally content in that respect. But most recently Xenoblade Chronicles 2 singlehandedly got me back into JRPG's, back from a time when my younger brain could process, hack and absorb all of that information better, I feel. Back then you had all the time in the world, your imagination left to nothing but your experiences. For me, the purest memory I have of this, is holding my original Game Boy in my hands, sat hunched over, wherever I might be, playing a game: A Link's Awakening would have to be the one - a profound impact on my gaming life. But exceeding this would have to be The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. That game was monumental for me. And also, certainly other Game Boy games such as Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, and very poignantly, Donkey Kong Land 2, bless David Wise and Rare.
So, today, I am still captivated with the experience of video games and am in love with Xenoblade Chronicles 2 at the moment. And man do I still love them, the culture and the community. Video games are an amazing and unique platform and in it's relative infancy and fast paced industry and modern climate means they are still full of potential. There is truly nothing else quite like it.
Again, the majority of my video games collection comprises of Nintendo - nothing captures the magic, imagination, colour, spark and essence of video gaming and many's childhoods (in my heart, mind and experience) than gazing over a shelf full of Nintendo. My collection is humble, still... it is very special to me. Hopefully my collection will inspire other's, or those who have stopped collecting, to start again. And I hope to be inspired and learn something knew about anyone who might share what they have.
@hippo99, @sprahm |
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26-11-2019 22:19:41
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