Game Collecting - Is it worthwhile?

[Trebmint]

I've been pondering recently how to go in my Retro addiction. I really like old games, though I'm a coder and not a player really. I've even tried to satisfy my lust of the game feeling by making old video game tributes (see [url=https://www.facebook.com/groups/754188154707635/]https://www.facebook.com/groups/754188154707635/[/url] for proof of this)


Something about the images and cover art that just draws me... but are CPC tapes and disks worth it? Will they just lose all value when the magnetic data is gone? Do games need to be working for them to be worthwhile collecting? Are carts better? And if so will we just see the UK retro side die as the magnetism fades?

[EgoTrip]

Its good to have the physical boxes for the artwork and stuff but unless you are going to play them then I personally don't think its worth it.

[khaz]

Different strokes for different folks. On the console scene I know people who only care about the cartridge as it's all they need to play the games and it's cheaper, some other want box and cart to have something to put on their shelves. I'm a CIB dude, I want the original media, box and manual, with the additional bonus if I can. The original media is probably the least important part in my view, but I want to able to read the box and manual to get into the game as intended, instead of reading about it on a screen over the internet. I have an HxC and a few Everdrives, but I need my boxes and manuals. Luckily I'm not interested in the NES and SNES, as getting CIB games on these systems is a mess that can make you go bankrupt.

Is it worth it? It depends how much you value the original experience. Now, with the floppy emulators, backup cartridges and even CD emulators (for PS1, Saturn and Dreamcast), along with Internet on your phone or tablet, all you really need to enjoy the unemulated game is the original hardware. And with the advent of FPGA hardware emulation, soon you won't even need it. Only the CRT display is currently irreplaceable.

Any sane person will tell you it's not worth it. There are much better ways to spend your hard-earned money.

[Trebmint]

Its good to have the physical boxes for the artwork and stuff but unless you are going to play them then I personally don't think its worth it.

Not sure I agree with it not being worth it if they're not to be played. Do people really sit and wait for tapes to load now for a game fix. Plus a lot of the games that asthetically I like as art - say for instance just the look of the Ultimate games arent that great as games experiences.

[reidrac]

I personally like to own physical copies of some games that, for one reason or another, mean something to me; but I'm not really a collector (and won't pay silly money for a game).

That said, I don't own that many games.

I guess collecting must mean something to you otherwise... it is not your thing.

[Trebmint]

I personally like to own physical copies of some games that, for one reason or another, mean something to me; but I'm not really a collector (and won't pay silly money for a game).

That said, I don't own that many games.

I guess collecting must mean something to you otherwise... it is not your thing.

Im not really asking if collecting is a good idea, as I see an art asthetic and beauty in the games so yes it is worth having. But the simple fact is will they become worthless when they no longer work. Would somebodys complete CPC,ZX & C64 collection that they paid thousands for building become worthless when the tape degrades which it will?

[AMSDOS]

I'm concerned, Discs that I brought from the UK back in the 90s when AA was about done and dusted have become corrupt, it seems to be worse with the Protected Games, though I'm unsure if it's Corrupt disc or Slightly Misaligned Disc Head being the Culprit, my Standard Formatted Discs still seem to work as well as some games I have which load with |CPM (Nightbreed for example).


I'm unsure if my Tapes have being rendered inoperable, I suspect they may have more resistance, which might make them more collectable.


But if someone had a PC with 3" Drive Drive connected, with the Job of Restoring Corrupt Discs, they could make a nice business out of it. 

[MacDeath]

Most of my old card boxes from those games serve me to put some wargame miniatures inside... just like they used to in the 80s/90s...
they even hold the same minies and dust as they did 20-25 years ago...
A few boxes may still contain the actual game's docs/booklets.




Fact is there was something with those big boxed games.
You know, when you didn't have to download both the things to get the game to work... and the pdf with the sometimes proper instructions to play the game was in paper and cards...
Also those sweet perks like posters or napkins with maps or stickers...

[Lone]

I'm concerned, Discs that I brought from the UK back in the 90s when AA was about done and dusted have become corrupt, it seems to be worse with the Protected Games, though I'm unsure if it's Corrupt disc or Slightly Misaligned Disc Head being the Culprit, my Standard Formatted Discs still seem to work as well as some games I have which load with |CPM (Nightbreed for example).


I'm unsure if my Tapes have being rendered inoperable, I suspect they may have more resistance, which might make them more collectable.


But if someone had a PC with 3" Drive Drive connected, with the Job of Restoring Corrupt Discs, they could make a nice business out of it. 

Hey, maybe you'll be happy to know that next release of sugarbox will provide a way to generate IPF file from any format, allowing it to be written on any disk with kryoflux.
It Will support lots of protection (with my support to add those that are not correct).
For now, i have successfully redump some weak Sector game, or some other that are not supported like EXIT, for exemple.

[||C|-|E||]

I guess that this depends a lot on the type of person you are. I like to collect original games, but I usually do not buy lots of old stuff unless it is very special or really cheap. Actually, what I do is to keep my old stuff in almost mint condition. This has been like that since I was 8, a special case of obsessive compulsive disorder, I guess, and that is why my Amstrad collection still looks so nice  . I also love to look for bargains. Not so long ago I managed to grab 300 new Amstrad tapes for free, just with the condition to take them all at the same time and empty some space. If I have to pay a lot of money for something it loses quite a lot of charm, because part of the fun is just to look for it. Digging in some old shops I found really great things in the past (I do not have a lot of time nowadays) like a couple of unopened Nintendo NES and a brand new SNES that I keep at home. I paid 30 euros for the three of them, in a time when people was not so extremely crazy about these things. The same guy had lots of brand new games I also took with me.

Regarding the actual games, I always enjoy to go for physical releases and the trend of keeping everything mint goes on. For example, here I have my "old" Xbox 360 with something like 150 original games, many of them collector editions, and the same is true for the PS4. They are probably not worth much nowadays, but maybe they will be in the future, when I am already very old  .

I guess that in the years to come some of these things will not work, well, maybe, but I had lots of fun looking for them and I am very happy when I look at my collection. That is all that matters, I guess, to pursue the things that make you a bit happier in this naturally crappy world. I do not plan to sell anything, the day I die somebody will dispose or sell it, but it will not be my business anymore 

[seanb]

If you enjoy it then yes it's worth it and don't be swayed by others opinions.

I have a good collection from yesteryear and sometimes add to it because I love the old artwork and the happy memories they bring.
Sadly funds mean I don't collect that much as most of what I use to collect goes on old gaming magazines plus getting bargains these days is almost nonexistent.

Whatever reason you have to collect is good enough.

[Gryzor]

Do people really sit and wait for tapes to load now for a game fix.

Erm... yes??


It may require mroe spare time, but I really enjoy it, sitting down, cup of coffee in hand, listening to the screeching sounds, watching the loading screen unfold and reading the inlay. Absolutely love it.

[Bryce]

Do people really sit and wait for tapes to load now for a game fix.

Even worse. I will sometimes leave a game loading in the background while I do electronics, just to enjoy the loading sounds. I usually end up not playing the game when it's loaded

Bryce.

[sigh]

It depends what you intend to do with them. Are you going to play them? Are you looking to sell them at some point for a profit? Are you looking to create some sort of archive?

I've given away all my CPC and PS1 collection and only kept a few; I don't keep things that I don't use. The few games that I have kept is for reference material but I'm not a person of sentiments when it comes to objects.




I also don't like clutter.

[Zoe Robinson]

I'm not about to suggest anyone doesn't collect old games, or anything else in fact - hell, I collect Disney Infinity figures despite having little interest in most of the franchises the figures come from (except Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, since those two guys are clearly brilliant). If it gives you pleasure, go for it.


The games will certainly look good, or at the very least they'll look impressive, when arranged on some shelves; and that's something that's always nice for a collection. As for gaining or losing value, I couldn't say. I'm not the kind of person who really cares all that much for financial value in a collection, so I can't really give much thought on that one - I collect because I like collecting, and because the collection will look nice.


I will say this though: when there's no data left on the tapes/disks/whatever, they will still have some value for a collector by virtue of being the original tape/disk/packaging, etc. The collector can look at the original while paying a downloaded copy on their HxC or whatever. Will the lack of data change the monetary value? Probably, but not the non-monetary value to the collector.


That's my view anyway, but like I said I couldn't care less for financial value of collections, so take it with a pinch of salt.