For the longest time, I collected video games.
I have a very good collection of them, spanning everywhere from Atari to Xbox One…and? I love my collection! I probably started fully collecting somewhere in the mid-2000’s where it was pretty easy to do. You could hit up a Funcoland, garage sale, or wherever and just clean house on NES games for like $30! These days? Not so much.
Retro game collecting has become a REALLY expensive hobby to do, to the point where I have basically quit collecting thanks to the insane prices of these things. If I see something I want and willing to pay for it? I’ll still get it. For example…I used to be able to pickup an NES copy of Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt for .25 cents….which it’s truly what it is worth. Nowadays? You’ll find them anywhere from $10-$20! WHY?!?! A few reasons….
- Social Media & Media awareness
- Price gougers
- Market increase
- COVID
- Brand Recognition
- Grading/WATA Games
If it has Mario on it? WELL IT’S GOTTA BE WORTH MILLIONS! No…not necessarily.
Some of my games like Earthbound, Castlevania Dracula X, Splatterhouse 3…have jumped immensely in price! I remember buying Castlevania Dracula X for like $35 (which I thought was expensive at the time…) Now though?
Price charts at $326!!!! What the hell?
Part of me is fascinated that some of my games have doubled in worth, but I don’t plan on selling them, so it really means nothing. For buyers? It sucks the big one. Maybe someday I’ll be able to get a shoebox full of games again for like $10.
