The Retro Gamer Oath

[stealthrush]

I was thinking about how the video games we grew up playing have become astronomical in prices these days, and for some systems near impossible to purchase and play on actual hardware. I see it as primarily due to the influx of collectors, promotion (though social media) scarcity and demand.

For retro game players who wish to play games without raising the price any higher, we should encourage anyone thinking about, new to, or about to collect for classic systems to seek alternative methods to preserve, perhaps lower, the overall value of games.

If we universally recommend first-time new collectors to pursue alternative routes, for example digital download instead. Or direct them to invest in buying compilations, or official re-releases of systems with games build-in (like 2600, or NES) instead.

What are your thoughts?

[marvelvscapcom2]

I don't think it's so much the new collectors in my opinion, it is more the resellers that are making the market so absurd. With the surge of new collectors, the resellers have found a hobby to exploit at their whim. They go hand in hand. For every honest collector there is 5 resellers waiting to pump them with saturated prices and 9 times out of 10 we have to pay up or we will never see the game again. You could cut the amount of collectors in half and the prices would remain the same because the resellers will keep reselling to whatever collectors are left. They exploit each and every one of us.  

I don't think it would be fair to tell new collectors to seek other methods of collecting/playing games. Most of the new collectors are like us, they love physical copies. Many people do seek emulation but ones who don't seek physical copies for a reason. It is to have the physical hardware and to experience the memories from when they were young. Digital emulation simply isn't the same.  That would be like someone coming on here and saying, all you guys need to start collecting digitally because you guys are why the market is hot right now. We'd laugh at them and I am sure a new collector would laugh too.  If the new collector only wants to play games then I am sure many people will turn him down the emulation path. Most people know not to spend so much if they can play them for free or next to free on emulators. But most have the same desire for collecting them on original hardware as any of us did when we first started.

Imo the only way to bring those prices down is to encourage new collectors to not pay retail for games and educate them on prices rather than stir them away entirely and show them how to spot a reseller when one is visible. But mostly its the snakes that buy games in bulk for low prices off unknowing people and flip them 10 percent more than retail that is hurting the market.  not so much the new collectors. I am not sure if there is a way to counter these crazy price spikes. The Resellers have conquered the gaming industry. Its a cutthroat hobby now.  Its really sad    

[turf]

There's no such thing as a reseller without a buyer.  It's not resellers that are causing prices to rise.  It's the sellers. 

If you're new to collecting, I'm sorry.  Prices are high.  If you want to collect physical copies, go for it.  Just know that the days of finding a prize every weekend at the flea market are over.  Be ready to pay retail for that collection.

[bikingjahuty]

The hobby has become so popular that it now falls into the domain of supply and demand. Supply is limited since these games haven't been manufactured in decades in some cases and demand is crazy for them, hence why they go up in price. If someone wants a game bad enough they will overpay either knowingly or unknowingly because of this. I see it all the time and local game stores and ebay and until the demand dies, which I genuinely believe it will some day, prices will remain high and continue to go up.


On a personal note I have never overpaid for a game, at least not outside a handful of times where I was mistaken on the price of something, but we're talking no more than 5-bucks over it's typical value. I love collecting games, but I do it on a budget and the better deals I can get the more games I can have. On top of that, no game is worth overpaying imo.

[kashell]

If there's a game I really want, price isn't that big of a factor. I may have overpaid here or there by five to ten dollars, but most of the time I paid an amount that I didn't find to be outrageous. Even with something pricier such as Rule of Rose I paid an amount that I didn't mind; I really wanted to play the game.

If there's a game someone wants then they will usually pay for it. Unfortunately, that ideology is causing this hobby to a lot more expensive than it used to be. I'm still in disbelief at the prices I paid for certain games only a couple of years ago and seeing how much they go for now. It's cray-cray.

[sloan11]

If we universally recommend first-time new collectors to pursue alternative routes, for example digital download instead. Or direct them to invest in buying compilations, or official re-releases of systems with games build-in (like 2600, or NES) instead.

this is terrible.

for that matter, its backwards.. if a new collector wants to fork over the big bucks, they have every right to do that. someone like you that is aggravated that your hobby has become more popular should resort to digital download if there is such concern over the price.. its even more practical too because you could never influence the masses to quit buying,, but you can control your own purchases

[dreama1]

High prices are good, it keeps the unwanted out. The higher the price the less you can buy the more it's personal value, or it would just turn into owning 5000 dvds you can't sell when your finally fed up.

[burningdoom]

I remember the days of going into a used record shop or a mom-n-pop thrift shop and walking out with a stack of old games for $5 a pop. I really miss that.

I honestly think it's a fad for many people. And I really hope that fad dies out soon, and the true gamers can get the games they actually want to play again, rather than people just hoarding them and having them collect dust on shelves so they can take pics of it and have a bigger internet penis.

[maximo310]

High prices are good, it keeps the unwanted out. The higher the price the less you can buy the more it's personal value, or it would just turn into owning 5000 dvds you can't sell when your finally fed up.

Actually, that's the perfect recipe to encourage emulation and piracy.  Who's going to spend $100+ to import a out of print cd with no other means of availability than downloading the file online for free?!

Some games are gonna be higher priced for rarity, but its stupid to act like every game should be high priced.

[dreama1]

High prices are good, it keeps the unwanted out. The higher the price the less you can buy the more it's personal value, or it would just turn into owning 5000 dvds you can't sell when your finally fed up.

Actually, that's the perfect recipe to encourage emulation and piracy.  Who's going to spend $100+ to import a out of print cd with no other means of availability than downloading the file online for free?!

Some games are gonna be higher priced for rarity, but its stupid to act like every game should be high priced.

The hardcore will. Just like the hardcore buy vinyl and cd albums. If you pirate you don't care enough for the hobby and good riddance really.

[maximo310]

High prices are good, it keeps the unwanted out. The higher the price the less you can buy the more it's personal value, or it would just turn into owning 5000 dvds you can't sell when your finally fed up.

Actually, that's the perfect recipe to encourage emulation and piracy.  Who's going to spend $100+ to import a out of print cd with no other means of availability than downloading the file online for free?!

Some games are gonna be higher priced for rarity, but its stupid to act like every game should be high priced.

The hardcore will. Just like the hardcore buy vinyl and cd albums. If you pirate you don't care enough for the hobby and good riddance really.

The hardcore crowd will dwindle too if prices continue to rise. All that happens in the end is that you create a bubble, and then everything drops hard in value ( like comic books) when that overinflated market collapses. 
Most people who pirate do buy more media than the average person; technically I guess I'm doing it too by downloading roms. Even though I don't have the means to pay $400+ for the boards I want, I still support my hobby by buying arcade compliations if they're available as a means of playing them legimately. I'm sure most other people have the same mindset.

[dreama1]

High prices are good, it keeps the unwanted out. The higher the price the less you can buy the more it's personal value, or it would just turn into owning 5000 dvds you can't sell when your finally fed up.

Actually, that's the perfect recipe to encourage emulation and piracy.  Who's going to spend $100+ to import a out of print cd with no other means of availability than downloading the file online for free?!

Some games are gonna be higher priced for rarity, but its stupid to act like every game should be high priced.

The hardcore will. Just like the hardcore buy vinyl and cd albums. If you pirate you don't care enough for the hobby and good riddance really.

The hardcore crowd will dwindle too if prices continue to rise. All that happens in the end is that you create a bubble, and then everything drops hard in value ( like comic books) when that overinflated market collapses. 
Most people who pirate do buy more media than the average person; technically I guess I'm doing it too by downloading roms. Even though I don't have the means to pay $400+ for the boards I want, I still support my hobby by buying arcade compliations if they're available as a means of playing them legimately. I'm sure most other people have the same mindset.

Then people can buy it if it drops, I doubt it will drop but pretending it will. The japanese charge 100's of dollars for their anime dvd volumes while the US market flooded it with cheap low price anime dvds the result was the US market dying almost. While the japanese market being far more profitable, items could be resold as collector pieces, not 1 dollar dvds you can't even resell.

[turf]

I think I would qualify as a "hardcore" collector.  They've priced me out.  I rarely buy anything anymore. 
I emulate a lot of stuff.  Hell, I even emulate games that I have just for convenience

[98dgreen]

Just stop paying high prices and it will go back down.

[maximo310]

High prices are good, it keeps the unwanted out. The higher the price the less you can buy the more it's personal value, or it would just turn into owning 5000 dvds you can't sell when your finally fed up.

Actually, that's the perfect recipe to encourage emulation and piracy.  Who's going to spend $100+ to import a out of print cd with no other means of availability than downloading the file online for free?!

Some games are gonna be higher priced for rarity, but its stupid to act like every game should be high priced.

The hardcore will. Just like the hardcore buy vinyl and cd albums. If you pirate you don't care enough for the hobby and good riddance really.

The hardcore crowd will dwindle too if prices continue to rise. All that happens in the end is that you create a bubble, and then everything drops hard in value ( like comic books) when that overinflated market collapses. 
Most people who pirate do buy more media than the average person; technically I guess I'm doing it too by downloading roms. Even though I don't have the means to pay $400+ for the boards I want, I still support my hobby by buying arcade compliations if they're available as a means of playing them legimately. I'm sure most other people have the same mindset.

Then people can buy it if it drops, I doubt it will drop but pretending it will. The japanese charge 100's of dollars for their anime dvd volumes while the US market flooded it with cheap low price anime dvds the result was the US market dying almost. While the japanese market being far more profitable, items could be resold as collector pieces, not 1 dollar dvds you can't even resell.

Yeah, that japanese pricing model is a huge problem for the industry, since it operates pretty similarily with mobile market practices in relying off of a ridiculously small percentage (3%) of dedicated fans.  This has resulted in somewhat of a stagnation and shows do lacking of variety or are forced to cut corners.  I wouldn't really say that the US market is flooded with cheap dvds now; it was more common a few years ago during the Great Recession.
Most people know that they gouge the physical japanese series ( like $357 for a NGE box set) just for that small percentage of fans, while everyone else either uses Youtube, Kissanime/Crunchyroll, or just pirates the series onto their computers. It's not a very good business model, both for creators and consumers.