Tips for New/Newer Collector's

[90snostalga]

Play and enjoy the games you buy.
its nice to have them on the shelves and look at the art work but playing the game is the main thing for me. everything from the level design to what your character does if you leave the controller alone

Right? I love just wandering around in some games and watching dust/dirt kick up when they run. Or checking out water effects, I could watch water falls and rivers in Skyrim all day long.

Are you two high or something?  lol   

[scott]

Think about it. In 8 bit games it was amazing what the games were doing. Now its no different, only it is. Instead of being amazed that the screen scrolls sideways, we are amazed that all these little details are being added in.

[90snostalga]

Think about it. In 8 bit games it was amazing what the games were doing. Now its no different, only it is. Instead of being amazed that the screen scrolls sideways, we are amazed that all these little details are being added in.

I guess that's true lol   I just did not think of it.  When I played my very first ps3 game in December (Red Dead Redemption); I guess I did find myself time to time admiring the grass blowing with the wind as well as the horse' tails lol.  I would turn the camera to focus on the horse from the side directly to see how realistic it looks.  Is this what you mean?

[scott]

Ya. Like Flea's NES car too. Or Uncharted and the way Nate's clothes react to water. Wind blowing is a good example too.

[90snostalga]

Ya. Like Flea's NES car too. Or Uncharted and the way Nate's clothes react to water. Wind blowing is a good example too.

The only main thing that has irked me with the new games I have played on the 360 and ps3 is how they still cannot get facial reality and actions correct.  Like, sometimes you can see their eyes either dont move at all like they are glued to their face, or either move in unrealistic ways.  And the mouth movement.  I don't know why, but I can't stand when they talk and their mouth is off a little or unrealistic lol.   Other than that, they are getting good on graphics. 

[soera]

I think facial expressions can be a big graphic sink if they put too much effort into it. Im really happy with today's graphics. Sometimes it makes me wonder why I still collect a lot of retro games when, for me anyhow, today's games have so much more to offer. Sure some of them are filled with FMV but for the most part, I really enjoy them.

[stethebubble]

Play and enjoy the games you buy.
its nice to have them on the shelves and look at the art work but playing the game is the main thing for me. everything from the level design to what your character does if you leave the controller alone

Right? I love just wandering around in some games and watching dust/dirt kick up when they run. Or checking out water effects, I could watch water falls and rivers in Skyrim all day long.

Are you two high or something?  lol 

i wish.
sadly my work in USA drug tests. not worth the risk.

[stethebubble]

Play and enjoy the games you buy.
its nice to have them on the shelves and look at the art work but playing the game is the main thing for me. everything from the level design to what your character does if you leave the controller alone

Right? I love just wandering around in some games and watching dust/dirt kick up when they run. Or checking out water effects, I could watch water falls and rivers in Skyrim all day long.

the water in farcry blew me away.

but i also like the little things. like the cameraman on a cloud in mario64

[bikingjahuty]

I dont know what I could add here. Almost everything I would say has already been covered here. But my personal rules are these

1) Cardboard and paper are just that. Paying $100s of dollars for the paper and cardboard that came with a game is silly as hell. Nintendo/Sega/etc never meant for these things to be collectible so none of it was done with any sort of special stuff. It was the cheapest material they could use and rightfully so.

2) Set a limit and stick to it as strictly as possible. My limit has always been the Benjamin and Ive only broken it twice (My PS3 was brand new and I bought a lot of special editions with it ... and my arcade machine was $200 but that included a 50 mile drive delivery plus it was my childhood arcade game that I had been searching for years to acquire). Ive had the option to buy stuff like Dragoon Saga and Magic knight Rayearth and Little Samson but once you break your limit for something thats not really all that important, you find the following times it gets easier and easier and you end up broke with stuff you can live without.

3) Do what you like. If you want to collect every single copy of Shaq-fu you can find, go for it! Dont let all the "cool" collectors out there tell you what you should and should not collect. I personally am a big fan of stuff like copies, repros, etc and I couldnt care less who else likes it or not. I have replacement labels on some of my NES games. It makes my game look better and thats all I care about is what I personally like.

Thats about all I can add right now.

These are all excellent pieces of advice, especially #2. I have pulled back a lot in recent months, but at one point I was probably going $200 to $500 over my spending limit per month on games. While it was fun at the time, getting my credit card statement at the end of the month or seeing how dangerously low my bank account was kind of negated the enjoyment of what I found. So yeah, don't be afraid to pass on something, especially if it is an average price, or only a few bucks off. My rule of thumb, unless I really, really want something, if I will pay no more than 1/3 of a game's current average Ebay price. If it's over that I pass on it 95% of the time.

[theflea]

I agree with most every tip people said here.
I started collecting video games way before it became popular, Most people looked at me like I was nuts back then.
But I didn't care, I enjoyed it, and that's what I would tell a new collector. Do it because you enjoy it, Hunting for those good or rare games at cheap prices. Don't start just because you hear other people are doing it or you watched some guy on you tube.
And if you want to start, then do some foot work and look for the games & consoles you loved, start small and don't go crazy on ebay and click "buy it now". The stuff I get off ebay is when I see a good fair price, I make offers and get lucky sometimes.
Don't get caught up in a bidding war. I've seen items go for WAY over the price of the same item that someone has a Buy It Now for.

I have over 8000 video games & hardware because I have had a passion for it for over 25 years, I always knew my limit and passed down many items because I didn't want to pay the price the seller was asking at the time. (I few I could kick myself for now) but that's the fun in the hunt.

Don't think just because you have a collection of 50 games that the rest of the collectors will think less of you, if fact we don't care if you have 10 or 10,000 items, so take your time and it helps finding other people in you area who share your passion and help each other out. When I go out hunting I look for my friends who collect too, and most of them tell me about stuff they think I might be interested in. Hell we even get together on hunts (these are a ton of fun)

If you want to be a collector then collect what makes you happy, whether it be Action Figures, Barbie Dolls, Beenie Babies, Movies, Salt & Pepper Shakers, Pez Dispensers and of course Video Games. I even love to talk to collectors who collect other items and love to see their collections.

If your getting into collecting because "i'm going to make money off of it" then your in the wrong mind set. If I found an expensive game for cheap, If I don't have it I keep it, If I already own it, I use it to trade for something I need.
And it's always fun to brag about a great deal you got.  I'm not in it for the money, I'm in it because I enjoy it.
And I enjoy other people who share my passion. If you enjoy gaming/collecting and the hunt of finding games you want to play or finding a good deal on that rare piece and add it to your collection then your welcome to the club.
Just don't do it just because it's the "in" thing to collect.

If video game collecting crashed tomorrow and everyone was bailing to sell their collection I would still be looking for games I want in my collection and buy those pieces out of other peoples collections for cheap. I collected before it was popular and I would continue after it crashes. 

Nuff said. 
 

[disgaeniac]

I agree with most every tip people said here.
I started collecting video games way before it became popular, Most people looked at me like I was nuts back then.
But I didn't care, I enjoyed it, and that's what I would tell a new collector. Do it because you enjoy it, Hunting for those good or rare games at cheap prices. Don't start just because you hear other people are doing it or you watched some guy on you tube.
And if you want to start, then do some foot work and look for the games & consoles you loved, start small and don't go crazy on ebay and click "buy it now". The stuff I get off ebay is when I see a good fair price, I make offers and get lucky sometimes.
Don't get caught up in a bidding war. I've seen items go for WAY over the price of the same item that someone has a Buy It Now for.

I have over 8000 video games & hardware because I have had a passion for it for over 25 years, I always knew my limit and passed down many items because I didn't want to pay the price the seller was asking at the time. (I few I could kick myself for now) but that's the fun in the hunt.

Don't think just because you have a collection of 50 games that the rest of the collectors will think less of you, if fact we don't care if you have 10 or 10,000 items, so take your time and it helps finding other people in you area who share your passion and help each other out. When I go out hunting I look for my friends who collect too, and most of them tell me about stuff they think I might be interested in. Hell we even get together on hunts (these are a ton of fun)

If you want to be a collector then collect what makes you happy, whether it be Action Figures, Barbie Dolls, Beenie Babies, Movies, Salt & Pepper Shakers, Pez Dispensers and of course Video Games. I even love to talk to collectors who collect other items and love to see their collections.

If your getting into collecting because "i'm going to make money off of it" then your in the wrong mind set. If I found an expensive game for cheap, If I don't have it I keep it, If I already own it, I use it to trade for something I need.
And it's always fun to brag about a great deal you got.  I'm not in it for the money, I'm in it because I enjoy it.
And I enjoy other people who share my passion. If you enjoy gaming/collecting and the hunt of finding games you want to play or finding a good deal on that rare piece and add it to your collection then your welcome to the club.
Just don't do it just because it's the "in" thing to collect.

If video game collecting crashed tomorrow and everyone was bailing to sell their collection I would still be looking for games I want in my collection and buy those pieces out of other peoples collections for cheap. I collected before it was popular and I would continue after it crashes. 

Nuff said. 

Preach on, brother FLEA -Amen!

[argyle]

I'm relatively new to the site but hardly new to collecting, so I thought I'd throw in my .02. 

I completely agree with everyone who says pick a system you love.  It seems like there are "cool" systems to collect for (in the circles where people consider video game collecting to be cool...) and a lot of people seem to feel like if they don't collect for those they aren't real collectors.  That's silly.  I'm 38, grew up on Atari 2600 and NES, and I don't really care for collecting for any cartridge-based console.  The PS2 is my system of choice.  I have a few old games, mainly ones that I have a nostalgic connection to or that I just stumbled across at a yard sale or flea market for so cheap that I couldn't pass them up, but I don't go out of my way looking for them because I don't enjoy playing that type of game anymore.  I had my fill as a kid. 

Also don't feel like collecting means getting EVERY game for a system.  It can mean that, and if you enjoy it and that's what you choose to do then more power to you.  But it's also perfectly acceptable to feel that games like Superman 64 lower the overall quality of your collection.  I straddle the fence a bit in this area.  I enjoy collecting JRPGs and I'll admit I'm pretty indiscriminate in regards to game quality if it's a JRPG for a system I collect for.  At the same time, I'm trading in Modern Warfare 2 for a whopping $2 tomorrow, because that isn't my kind of game and it bugs me to see it on my shelf.  It's YOUR collection, so the only "rules" that apply are yours!

Finally, something I haven't seen mentioned, if you enjoy collecting for current systems and have a habit of trading or selling games after you've finished them with the intention of buying them again later once they're cheaper (I'm guilty of this) - or if you're the type to wait for them to get cheap to begin with - then try to be aware of what types of games typically become hard to find.  It's easy to plan on picking up a game but because you seemingly see it everywhere you put it off & forget about it.  Then by the time you do remember it, it's suddenly very difficult to find and the value has skyrocketed.  You have no idea how many times I've regretted not picking up Suikoden II back in the day, but at the time I wasn't a collector and was fine with having borrowed a friend's copy and beaten that.  On a related note, if you go to trade in a game at a major retail chain and they seem to be giving an unusually high value for it then you might wanna check around & see if the game hasn't become rare without you knowing it.   

[karyann]

Finally, something I haven't seen mentioned, if you enjoy collecting for current systems and have a habit of trading or selling games after you've finished them with the intention of buying them again later once they're cheaper (I'm guilty of this) - or if you're the type to wait for them to get cheap to begin with - then try to be aware of what types of games typically become hard to find.  It's easy to plan on picking up a game but because you seemingly see it everywhere you put it off & forget about it.  Then by the time you do remember it, it's suddenly very difficult to find and the value has skyrocketed.  You have no idea how many times I've regretted not picking up Suikoden II back in the day, but at the time I wasn't a collector and was fine with having borrowed a friend's copy and beaten that.  On a related note, if you go to trade in a game at a major retail chain and they seem to be giving an unusually high value for it then you might wanna check around & see if the game hasn't become rare without you knowing it. 

That's a great point, too. I still have a hard time with that, but I'm trying to learn some patterns!

Also, welcome to the community! 

[htimreimer]

lets talk about pong console because you will see them a lot on places like ebay or amazon, there are two kinds of pong console out there,
the ones that have a gun game and the ones just play pong but in both cases, there is no value in the gameplay because 9 out of 10 chances they will have the have same chipset and will play exactly the same as any other pong console even if the console comes from the EU also rarity doesn't matter , the collectibility of pong console comes from the design because they are conversation pieces and nothing more,for an example, a zanussi ping o tronic is more collectible then a telstar model 6040 do to the zanussi having a better design
   

[Warmsignal]

If I could impart any wisdom, it would be the following

- Do not count your chickens before they hatch... err.. something like that. In other words, don't get caught up worrying about a million different games you want at the same time, focus on certain titles. Know the games you want, not just the name, but why you want them. Research the kind of games you're into and for what platforms. Which leads me to my second point...

- Don't go all willy buying everything you come across, try to stick to making informed choices. While quantity can be impressive, quality is more so. Try to refrain from impulses, unless you've got a really good feeling about the content or the value of what you have found. Game hunting is a great idea of just starting out, but waiting 6 months and some change to find a game you'd like to have for $3.50, instead of shelling the $25 to go ahead and get is a very small victory in the grand scheme.

- I wouldn't recommend going for any complete collections unless you've got lots of money, lots of time, and live in a densely populated area. While it's just my opinion, completionists end up spending a lot of time and money buying lots of junky stuff out of necessity. There's more junk out there, than there is good stuff.

- If you find games that appear to be boxed or cased, always check that it's actually inside, and if it's a disc check the condition. The one time you take this for granted, it will bite you.

- The time to buy something rare is when you see it (in the wild). Otherwise, you'll regret it.

- If you're going to flea markets, get up no later than 5:30 AM and go, take a flash light if you need one. Be there as people selling arrive and set up, and no later.

- If you're into collecting modern on the cheap, don't discount GS as some evil empire because they offered you $4.83 for that game you brought in that one time. They're everywhere and their used games are heavily discounted. 2,500 games under $20, as they say.

... and that's all she wrote.