Ever since the
beginning of time, our ancestors have either hunted, or they gathered
to survive. Modern humans have taken it to the next level by not only
doing both but by also hunting and gathering items that are not
necessary for our survival. We are now a society of collectors.
People collect all sorts things from little things like rocks or
stamps to the expensive luxuries like cars or boats. In between those
extremes there are the retro video game collectors. Depending on
which video game console you are collecting for it could be a fairly
cheap hobby or it could be an expensive hobby. I know this because I
am a retro game collector myself.
You may have heard
the saying that it takes a village to raise a child, well it takes a
community to amass a collection. Nothing is more exciting than seeing
someone complete a collection with the help of other local gamers. I
still remember the excitement in our local group when a member was
going for a complete Nintendo Entertainment System set, and only
needed about 20 games to finish his collection. The community banded
together to help this collector by keeping an eye out for his missing
titles, and he managed to complete his set shortly after. Some people
would say “you could always log onto eBay and click “Buy It Now”
on the games you need,” but where is the fun in that? I would
rather hunt around and have an amazing story about the adventure of
where I found it or finding it for such an amazing deal. In the end,
the games might be fun to play and own but the memories are really
what this hobby is about. Some families have even turned video game
collecting into a hobby with their kids, where they will go out on
weekends and go to shops and yard sales pursuing games for their
collections. Game collecting is now like the nerdy version of a
father and child building a car.
I joined the Pittsburgh Retro Gaming
community back in 2014. When I joined, I did not know anyone in this
local scene. Since that time, I have had made trades and attended
conventions and other local meetups. Along the way, I have met people
whom I would consider some of my closest friends and whom I never
would have met if not for this local community. So, the next time you think about simply logging onto your computer
and clicking “Buy”, just think about what adventures you might be
missing or the people you may never meet while hunting for that game
instead. That adventure may change your life.
