Retro Rules: Starting your Retro gaming journey.

Welcome back to the game room Blerders! Not only am I attempting to do more game reviews but I’m literally trying to fill my “Game room”, both virtual and literal. My current job keeps me on the road a lot so I don’t have a physical game room yet but I have a space where ever I am to put games I collect and play.

I’ve been playing video games since the age of about 7-8…maybe before but I really can’t remember currently. The first game and game system I remember playing is “Zombies Ate My Neighbors” on the Super Nintendo. I remember watching my uncles and cousins play video games and sometimes they snuck around and let me play a level or two. Most of the games they played were “Mortal Kombat” or “Killer Instinct” or something along those lines so they were too violent for me to play (I was an innocent and angel of a child) but there were a few I could get my hands on like “Super Mario World” and “Dr. Mario”.

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Jumping for 16-bit joy.

Over the past few years, I’ve been collecting (and finding) retro games wherever I can. But it’s only been games that I’ve played and felt some connection with so that limits the amount of games I will be collecting. There are a few that I have obtained that I have never played before and have always wanted to play. The issue with collecting older games is the pull/want to buy games just because they are cheap and there. I did this very early in my collecting adventures and my wallet disappeared a few times. Over time I’ve developed rules that I choose to stick by when it comes to purchasing retro games and systems so I decided to share some of these with you guys in-case you want to get into the retro game (see what I did there?):

RULE #1- Choose your fighters!

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This may not be for everyone but choose a genre (or a few) and stick to them. It’s hard to start buying a bunch of games with no real direction. That’s just a waste of money and time. I know there are collectors who really buy games  just to buy games but that’s not what I subscribe to. I usually collect older games that I have some connection to, played before or have always wanted to play. I also intend to play every retro game I have collected (and stream some) so I’m not collecting them to keep them in pristine condition but they have to be at least playable for me. Though some games I am collecting are strictly nostalgia.

RULE #2- Keep your wallet happy

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You never want to break your wallet for a 25 year old game. Shit, not even for a 10 year old game but with how retro games sell through stores…it’s hard. When it comes to buying retro games, I tend to budget for them instead of all out spending money when I get paid. I have a running list of retro games that I am looking for as well as a running price list for each. The retro game market price tends to fluctuate so I like to keep an eye out for a game on my list that I can go out and buy when the price is down. There are ways to be frugal and still get what you want.

  • Find a price you are comfortable paying. If you don’t pay full price for PS4 games, chances are you won’t do the same for an older game. Find a price range that YOU feel comfortable paying for ONE game for. I hate buying games full price so my usual price range for games are between $30-$40, less if I can find it.
  • Check out eBay, Mecari, OfferUp, garage sales. This way is a little time consuming depending on the game you are looking for but the return can be great. I compare prices from multiple sources and make my decisions that way (also depends on the price of shipping…two day shipping has spoiled me). Garage sales/estate sales are wild cards. You never know if the person selling items are just getting rid of stuff AND they know the value of their items, or just someone throwing “crap” out.
  • Ask your friends, family, etc. You never know if your friends are moving things from their childhood homes and happen to come across their SNES or Sega. This is more of a crap shoot than a sure thing. Some may not be willing to give up those old games but not because they want them…but because they may want to sell them on their own.

There are many ways to keep your wallet happy and heavy. But be prepared to spend a bit more for older games. The older the game, the more likely you will pay more, so again, pick your games carefully.

Rule #3Enjoy your haul!

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In the end, it all comes down to how much YOU enjoy the games. Do you want to buy old games and sell them? Or do you appreciate older games for your own reasons? Whatever your reasons, enjoy your choice. There are many ways to go about showing your love for games. These rules are MY rules that I follow, so there is no need to take them to heart if you don’t want to.

These rules work best for me when it comes to collecting retro video games but they are not limited to that. I’ve applied at least one of these rules when it comes to my other collecting hobbies (Gunpla in particular). I hope these help you if you decide to get started with collecting retro games or anything else you decide. Hit us up in the comments or our Twitter if you have some rules to add! Until next time, Nerd out!

 

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