Tips for New Game Collectors

Game collecting is a hobby where those who partake in it have a hard time explaining why they do it. Think about it, you could very easily get a $100 computer that could emulate every console from the Atari to the Playstation 1 at full speed, with save states, and the entire library at your disposal. That being said, when you start you just can’t stop. For those who choose this insane path you could quickly be overwhelmed by figuring out where to start, and how to pick up all of the games you want on your budget. This purpose of this guide is to help you get started, and hopefully pass along some of the tips and tricks that I have picked up over the years.

The first question you probably have is where to start? There is no right answer to this question, but I would take into account your personal tastes. While a system like the Atari might be cheaper to collect than most other consoles, if you have no connection to the system then you will quickly lose interest. What I suggest is to start with a system you know you love. Personally I started with the Nintendo 64, and then went from there. I chose this system because when I was a kid this was the first home console that I ever owned. There were tons of games that I used to own, but then sold when I got older and had other interests. There were also plenty of games that I had heard about, or rented, that I never got to fully explore. I wanted to recapture those memories of playing my N64 in my childhood home, so it was a natural pick for me. Some may tell you, you are not a real game collector if you do not have an NES. Don’t listen to those people, they are just trying to put their views ahead of yours. If you grew up playing the original XBOX, or the Playstation 2, then start there, there is nothing wrong with that.

You could also easily choose to collect for a system you already own. Chances are if you are interested in game collecting you at least own a current generation system. There are hundreds of great games for the Playstation 4 out right now. Many of them are cheap, and even more are going to be cheap in the near future with the release of the Playstation 5 just over the horizon. It would make perfect sense to just start with what you already have.

Once you decide which console you want to start collecting with, you then need to grab that console if you do not own…