Have You Been Priced Out of Game Collecting? - Retro Bird

Paying a lot of money for anything is never fun, but have some of us become priced out of game collecting? I go over some of the various factors that contribute to why people get priced out, as well as some of the different ways that the rising prices of retro video games can affect a collector's psyche.

Have You Been Priced Out of Game Collecting? - Retro Bird / Have Retro Video Games Become Too Expensive to Collect / Unaffordable? / No Longer Afford Retro Video Games

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#retrobird

[RetroBirdGaming]

Games played: Symphony of the Night (0:01), World of Illusion (0:10), Einhander (0:18), Super Monkey Ball 2 (0:35), Mario Superstar Baseball (1:00), Super Mario Kart (1:38), Time Crisis 3 (4:05)

[Zachilles]

I think the worst part is knowing you used to have specific games as a kid that you foolishly gave away and now they're too expensive to get back.

[RetroSpectiveGameReviews]

I stopped collecting after I stopped being able to find games in the wild. My favorite part of collecting was the thrill of the hunt. Sure I’ve bought a couple games on eBay. But going to a thrift store and finding some random game always felt more exciting. Even if it wasn’t a game I cared too much about.

[attackofthetheeyecreatures]

Remember FuncoLand? Check out what retro games used to cost. A lot of people blame Wata for the price increase.

But anything Snatcher is absurd. Even the vinyl.

[NoMereRanger]

One thing that I’d like to do more often is have that social aspect of local multiplayer that games used to have. The reason why many games feel nostalgic isn’t just how good the game was, but spending time with people who were fun to be with while playing them.

[mrbrocephus]

Finding the consoles broken and fixing them I find it satisfying and such an accomplishment

[Freezer]

Every week or so I like to look through a random game's case and instruction manual. There's a lot more to appreciate that is just missed with a ROM or ISO download.

And it also makes me feel less like I wasted my money.

[samuelbaugh]

My buying habits really haven’t changed much for a long time. For years I’ve been able to spend about $80-$120 on games. Big difference now is instead if 5-6 new games to try out, it’s just 1 or 2. Definitely a bummer, but at least it gives me more reason to replay the stuff I already own

[tymaginnis]

I think another big thing that isn't being mentioned is that recently everything has become so much more expensive than it was, groceries, cars, gas, rent... People have less money and we are all getting older priorities are changing. It's just getting harder or impossible to justify the cost.

[ban-dayed]

Definitely replaying my old favorites is fun. Fortunately, i have kept all of my favorites through the years which allows me to play through them over and over. I will say, even with all the other options to play these games now (truly incredible), I can attest, there is still nothing like playing originals on the hardware itself.

[HyperSniperCo]

I like being able to use my technical knowledge to bring formerly thought to be dead older consoles back to life. Im a retro gaming necromancer and it feels great.

[drew]

Great video! This applies to other collectors as well. As someone who has a modest collection of guitars, I wholeheartedly agree with your observations and advice.

[ShadowEl]

Retro game collecting stopped being a hobby and became a "market". That's when I got out. It was something I did for fun and out of passion, not profit or investment.

[kingedwin]

One thing I'll say for the upcoming Genesis Mini 2: It has several games that cost more in their original form than the entire system. I'm tempted to pick one up just so I can play Crusader of Centy again.

[jaysherman]

Even two or three years ago the local thrift stores were treasure troves. Picking up $400 of games for $28 was possible. Now it is just Madden on the shelves. Goodwill screwed us and sends all games to an electronic online division.

[AndrewRathburn]

Thank you for making these videos. Your channel is going to blow up someday soon. Keep up the great work.

[marccaselle]

I feel like Saturn and Dreamcast and GameCube have been hit hard with covid inflation.

Luckily for me, all the intellivision games I have, boxed CIB and loose have been very cheap still. 🙂

[karimcheese]

Glad I got most of my retro games 15-20 years ago (esp my Saturn titles). Neo Geo games are beyond anything I can consider collecting

[MattKimura]

I don't collect anything myself, but I still watch your channel. Your skits are entertaining!

[MrCalvin]

Collecting has become really hard for many of the consoles I enjoy playing (Turbografx sticks out the most). I have done a couple things to stay invested in the hobby.

1. Downsized certain parts of my collection and reinvested that money into buying games for other systems. For example, Saturn has become too expensive for me, so I have begun selling and using that money to fill out other collections I am more passionate about.

2. Playing the games I already have. Just like you alluded to in the video, sometimes just sitting down and trying to enjoy what you already have can keep your love alive for the hobby and appreciate what you have.

3. Homebrews. I think this is a standout aspect of collecting/playing on retro hardware in the current day. I love supporting, buying and playing so many great homebrew games for many of my favorite consoles. Genesis, Jaguar and Intellivision are getting tons of support to this very day. The cost of purchasing many of these great homebrews also is fair and in line with other modern released games!