Game Collector

I blame ebay. It was the summer of 1999, and I had just discovered ebay, and was selling a few things I had laying around, when I decided to beef up my Nintendo collection. Since purchasing my Nintendo in 1990, I had only aquired 9 games, because my parents would only buy one for me at Christmas. However, I was allowed to rent two games every weekend, so I sampled many of them. So I started looking on ebay for some of the games that I had rented, but never owned. Metroid, Kid Icarus, Super Mario 2 & 3, Toobin, A Boy & His Blob, Adventure Island, Princess Tomato, Final Fantasy, and the list goes on. Then I came across an auction where a guy was selling off his complete collection of 700+ games. I was floored. I had no idea people actually collected video games, but suddently it seemed like a great thing to do.

So I began searching the net for for information about collecting video games. I had opened up a new world. I discovered games and systems I had never heard of. Atari? Yeah, heard of that. Atari Jaguar? What? A modern Atari system? That plays CDs? I had to have one. Same for the Lynx, Sega Master System & Sega Saturn. I was addicted, and it was great.

Now, seven years later, I still collect games. I have narrowed my spectrum somewhat. Sold the Jaguar & the Lynx. Know why I had never heard of them? Because they pretty much suck. I will always be loyal to Nintendo and collect all forms of it, because that's what I grew up with. I also collect Sega Genesis, Dreamcast, Atari and the modern stuff, GC/XBOX/PS2/DS. Turbografx, Sega Master System, Neo Geo and maybe the Colecovision are on my list, but not until I have more room & money. And don't even get me started on the vintage computer games. That's for another Lens.

Finding old video games to add to your collection can be difficult, but it's also half the fun! Ask around amongst your friends and family. Chances are you'll find someone with an old Nintendo or Atari stashed away that they don't care about anymore. Maybe they'll be happy to give it a new loving home with you.

Thrift stores such as Goodwill and Salvation Army are another option. With the advent of ebay the thrift store selection has dried up a bit, but if you stop by once or twice a week you're bound to make a few good finds.

Game stores such as Gamecrazy, Gamestop, or Mom n' Pop stores are an okay place to find old games (If you can find a store that still carries older games. The Gamestops in my area don't stock any NES/SNES/Genesis games anymore.) You probably won't snag a Final Fantasy II for $5.00, but they will likely have a lot of common titles for okay prices.

Garage sales are my favorite place to find games. Prices are usually all over the spectrum. I once found a mint condition Tactics Ogre for PS1 for $5.00, and sold it on ebay for $65.00. Then there was the person that wanted $75.00 for a Nintendo 64, at a time when you could go to Wal-Mart and buy a brand new one for $50.00. I went back to that house the next summer, and they were still trying to sell that N64 for $75.00.

Ebay of course is the King of online sales. There are still some deals to be found, but they are usually few and far between, because everybody thinks the old Nintendo they found in their closet is worth it's weight in gold. On the plus side, you can find almost any game ever made on there at some point or another. You may end up paying a steep price, but that's probably the only way you'll ever get your hands on a Nintendo World Championship Cart.

My favorite time for game hunting is April through September, because I get to spend every weekend treasure hunting at garage sales. The first order of business is to know where you're going. Check the newspaper the night before, so you don't have waste time in the morning. If there is an ad mentioning they have a Nintendo/Playstation, etc, for sale, I usually don't bother. If they put it in the ad, it's because they think it's really special and it will most likely be overpriced. It also means that someone else will be at their sale before the door opens waiting to snap it up, so unless that person is you, it will probably be gone before you get there.

If there is a large subdivision garage sale, don't go there first. That's where everyone else will be going, and the streets will be clogged with old ladies and stroller nazi's (More on those later). Check out the other garage sales in town first, you'll be more likely so find the bargains because they aren't getting all the traffic.

I've developed a few techniques to avoid wasting my time. Slowly drive by the sale and check it out before you stop. If it is full of brightly colored baby toys and fisher price stuff, forget it. There's no games, save for a few crappy PS1 sports titles that the dad is selling since he has kids now and no time for games anymore. Conversly, if the overall color of the sale is a light brown, there's a 85% chance the house belongs to someone who is 70 years old, and there will be no games. If you see toys (but not baby toys), board games, bikes, or other electronics, check it out.

Also pay attention to the neighborhood you're in. I have better luck in older neighborhoods. Some people head straight for the brand new houses in the "rich" area of town. You probably won't find much there for two reasons.
1. The people who live there are most likely young, with young children. Little kids = no games.
2. The people who live there are not "rich". They spent all of their money on their huge brand new house, and now can't afford to buy anything to put in their house. Most of the stuff at their sale will be crap.

Watch out for the stroller nazis. The young marathon garage sale-ing moms who view it as a competitive sport. They will shove their strollers in front of you to prevent you from getting to that table of toddler clothes before they do. Guess it's a good thing they didn't see that Swordquest Waterworld laying on the ground!