As was mentioned previously (see Return of Retro: Part I here), nostalgia plays a major role in what drives individuals to purchase, collect, and play the older games. But, there are a few other factors that compound together to create the demand in retro popularity.
My own personal experiences and again, numerous conversations with various gaming enthusiasts consistently produced two other factors: disposable income and the internet. In other words, the amount of extra money individuals have to purchase retro games and the impact the internet has on introducing a new generation of gamers (many of whom weren’t even born when the earlier consoles made their debut) to the older games.
To begin, I’d like to shatter a few misconceptions about retro gaming. A lot of retro collectors tend to get blinded by nostalgia and are often heard lamenting the loss of the good old days when games were much better than they are now.
The truth is, there were great games for each retro console and you know what? There were a lot of crap games too. Just like today. Need I remind everyone of Atari 2600’s ET or Shaq Fu, or Nintendo 64’s Superman? It wasn’t all glamorous and awesome back in the day; I should know, I was there and trust me, you could come home with a dog of a video game just as quickly as you can now.
Since the first systems hit the general population, video game collecting has been just as prevalent. Kids introduced to their first console and games were taking their initial steps into collecting. They wanted the next big game and so it went; their libraries grew and they either kept collecting or moved on.
Kids playing the early generation consoles like the Odyssey or Atari 2600 grew up, got jobs, got nostalgic and now have disposable incomes – hence the Atari collectors. Just like kids who played the Nintendo, Sega or PlayStation consoles; they all grew up, got nostalgic, and now collect.
When I opened up Phoenix Games, I literally had Nintendo 64 games falling out of my cabinets. People would trade them in and didn’t think much of it. Now, I can’t keep even the basic titles in. Why? Well, a lot of it has to do with the Nintendo 64 generation. They grew up and are now searching for the games of their childhood. Just like the Atari crowd and all the others before them.
Believe it or not PlayStation 4 and Xbox One games will become collectible over time. That’s just the natural course of the industry. Look at it as kind of the great video game circle of life; games get released, they get played, people lose interest, they get abandoned, forgotten, etc. and then one day people want to play them again. It’s happened numerous times before and it will happen again. Today’s ‘hot’ consoles will eventually become tomorrow’s nostalgic collectibles.
So kids grow up and become nostalgic adults with some disposable income to collect their childhood games with. That explains some of the ongoing interest in retro collecting but not all of it. Because now, there is another factor; the internet.
Thanks to the internet, parents and young children, I’m talking about kids younger than 12 are now appearing on the collecting scene. Why? For some, they want to purchase retro games because they had older siblings that exposed them to the games. But a significant portion of these young collectors are stepping into the retro scene because of internet reviews and let’s play videos.
They see reviews and people with large collections and they themselves feel compelled to have a collection as well. They want to play and have fun just like the rest of us and even though they may not have jobs that offer disposable income they are resourceful. I know I was. Birthdays, Christmas, Easter are all days when a savvy young collector can rake in the dough to get those old games and many of them do.
The impact the internet has on introducing a younger generation to retro collecting cannot be over emphasized. Years ago I had Vectrex systems just sitting on my counter, they had been there for quite some time. Then, a collector purchased one, went home and did a review, praised Phoenix Games and the very next day people walked in and purchased the rest of those Vectrex systems. Why? Because they saw his review and wanted that system for their collection too. They weren’t even born in 1981. That’s the power of the internet and introducing a whole new generation of gamers to the past.
I see this on a weekly basis; bewildered parents purchasing a Nintendo Game Boy system so their child can play first generation Pokemon games asking why their kids would even want some archaic out dated hand held when they just purchased the latest ‘hottest’ system.
Then I mention the internet and it all comes back. “Oh yeah, they watch some guy’s videos.” It’s the same story when I ask kids interested in purchasing retro product at the store; they saw a video of some type and thought it would be cool to own the old games.
The internet has an incredible amount of influence and impact on today’s gaming community. It is evident to me on the sales floor as I assist various customers. They mention videos, trailers, reviews, and the latest news from various developers with such enthusiasm that it’s hard not to get pulled into the conversation.
The overall effect the internet has on collectors in particular EBay has definitely forever altered a collector’s mentality. How? Well, collectors young and old are informed, they’re able to track trends, pricing and the true market value of games. If they encounter something they’re unsure of, they merely reference the internet. In short, the gaming community today is definitely more solidified and informed than when I was growing up. A large portion of that stems from the internet and social media.
Compound all of this with EBay and various resellers and what you’ve got is a very active community that ultimately drives the demand and prices upward. Been to your local swap meet lately? The prices are definitely higher than ‘back in the day.’ In short, while retro game collecting has always been around it was never as competitive as it is today. The collector today has more to contend with than just another fellow nostalgic collector; they’ve got younger collectors, and resellers too.
Yet, despite it all, it’s enjoyable to collect and play the older, retro games. No one can deny that nostalgia and the thrill of hunting games from your childhood (that you wished to God you never sold in the first place) is fun. And certainly most would agree that playing those games and watching your collection grow offers a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.
Last but not least the sheer enjoyment of interacting with other collectors and displaying your personal collection and most coveted pieces. It all adds up to a hobby and collection that have deep sentimental value and roots; even if you weren’t alive when many of these games were released, it’s fun to own a piece of video game history. And in the end that’s what video games is all about, fun.
