Road tripping retro style

My games collection is fairly vast. Well, vast may be stretching things a bit. I know a guy who has a lot more. And I know a guy who knows a guy that owns a lot more than the guy I know. But what I have is vast in my mind.

To quantify what I have, if I were to try play every game I have to 50 percent completion would take several lifetimes. Which begs the question, do we collect to play or do we just collect to have?

If I were to value my collection at new prices, the physical media alone would run into hundreds of thousands and be well out of the grasp of a low wage earner like myself.

Here's the thing. I hardly ever buy new. By nature, games hit the market and quickly lose value. In fact, they lose value faster than pretty much anything else you ever buy. To a point that a few years after release, you can acquire games in retail bargain bins or on ebay type websites for next to nothing. Bundled hand fulls of software for cents.

Aside from the joy of playing games, there is an inherent joy in collecting games. Its in the searching, uncovering rough diamands online, walking into a thrift store or a charity shop and stumbling on a deal thats incredible, a game thats rare, a system thats cheap. There is a thrill and sense of fulfillment when you hit the jackpot.

I often start my day, still in bed before the sun rises, by browsing the local online second hand sales. It was here that I found a guy selling a second hand NeoGeo arcade machine in Port Alfred. He was looking to sell or trade for an old second hand mobile phone.

A day later, a buddy and I woke up at 4am and took the 300km round trip to complete the trade and take ownership of my first coin op. I travelled to an area I would never have seen and engaged with another gamer I would never have chatted to had I not taken the plunge and committed to collecting.

Looking back, I havent actually used the aracde machine all that much, but its one of my most endearing gaming memories. The adventure of collecting and then restoring the cabinet is a real life experience.

And it was cheap. Barring a very few unique and ultra exclusive titles (mostly things like Nintendo world championship gold carts where there were only a few ever made), we have a hobby where the price of entry is dirt cheap. It may not stay this way, but right now the time has never been better.

Yes, I have also bought a few duds. hardware that doesnt boot, software media thats damaged. But as I never offer much, its never a big deal, and the wins far exceed the losses.

So why not take a few bucks, browse the net and find a few gems for your cupboard at home. Just remember, its not only about whay finally ends up in your collection, but also how it gets there.