Video game collecting is the
hobby
A hobby is considered to be a regular activity that is done for enjoyment, typically during one's leisure time. Hobbies include collecting themed items and objects, engaging in creative and artistic pursuits, playing sports, or pursuing other ...
of collecting and preserving
video game
A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
s,
video game console
A video game console is an electronic device that Input/output, outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can typically be played with a game controller. These may be home video game console, home consoles, which are generally ...
s, and related memorabilia. Most video game consoles, and their games, are considered to be collectors' items years after their discontinuation due to their functional longevity and cultural significance. Collectors usually narrow their search to games holding characteristics they enjoy, such as being
published
Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...
for a specific video game console, being of certain
genre
Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other fo ...
, or featuring a specific character.
Since around 2019, there has been more interest in collection of video games from outside video game players related to sealed copies of games often from early publications, leading to development of rating systems for game condition and auctioning systems. Sealed games in near perfect condition have sold from to over since then, though the legitimacy of this new market has been questioned by hobbyists, game journalists and developers of said games alike.
History
Early years (up to 2017)
Efforts by video game historians have worked to assure that older video games are
preserved in playable forms, often through
emulation on modern hardware, to allow researchers, developers, and players to explore the history of the genre. Separately, there had generally been some interest in collecting older game media such as
video game cartridge
A ROM cartridge, usually referred to in context simply as a cartridge, cart, cassette, or card, is a replaceable part designed to be connected to a consumer electronics device such as a home computer, video game console or, to a lesser extent, ...
s among video game enthusiasts, with selling and trading using Internet auction sites like
eBay
eBay Inc. ( , often stylized as ebay) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that allows users to buy or view items via retail sales through online marketplaces and websites in 190 markets worldwide. ...
growing in the early 2000s. As players got older, games from the consoles of their childhood often gained
"retro" status, typically around 15 to 20 years after release, making not only playable versions of those games valuable, but also raising the perceived value of games still within their original packaging.
Collectors started recognizing that numerous games from the past were rare and considered collectors' items and many were vying with others to complete a full set of titles for a specific platform, commonly the
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on 15 July 1983 as the and was later released as the redesigned NES in several test markets in the ...
(NES).
At this time, prices for games were generally low as collectors did not care greatly about packaging or conditions of a game as long as it worked, and primarily the rarity of a title was the largest factor into the perceived value for a game.
Various third-party assessors entered the market around this time to support the collectors in rating the condition of the game and packaging so that buyers and sellers could negotiate fair deals. For example, the Video Game Authority was a division spun off from the Collectible Grading Authority in 2008 specifically to aid in the assessment of video games.
Larger interest in this hobby grew during the 2010s, driven by collectors from other forms of media like comics and coin collecting that saw video games as a potential new venue for long-term investments, rather than as nostalgia.
This created both benefits and drawbacks for long-time collectors. The larger interest led to the discovery of troves of older games in near
mint condition
Mint Condition is an American R&B band from St. Paul, Minnesota.
The band is focused on diverse genres such as jazz, hip hop, funk and dance. Mint Condition has also been nominated for one Grammy and three Soul Train Awards. The group is cr ...
, often still in the sealed packaging, which became desirable collectors items, but at the same time, the demand for these games elevated the prices that games went for at auction sales, raising the cost of collecting. Further, these collectors from outside of the video game area did not recognize the value of certain titles as key moments in video game history and instead considered all titles equally valuable, further affecting the costs of the hobby.
Wata Games, Heritage Auctions, and booming sales (2018–present)
With the newfound interest with particular attention to the quality of the game's packaging, the company Wata Games developed a set of guidelines in 2018 for grading a game's packaging, game media, and manuals that aligned with the 10 point scale used by
Comics Guaranty
Certified Guaranty Company, also known as CGC, is a Sarasota, Florida collectibles grading company specializing in comic books and trading cards. CGC is an independent member of the Certified Collectibles Group of companies.
The company was la ...
for comic books and other similar industry standards. A 10.0 grade on Wata's scale is considered a perfect mint condition game. Wata also provides clear plexiglass packaging for displaying and shipping the game as well as labeling related to its rating, to help preserve the condition of the game and packaging.
With Wata's ratings and "slabbed" packaging,
Heritage Auctions
Heritage Auctions is an American multi-national auction house based in Dallas, Texas. Founded in 1976, Heritage is an auctioneer of numismatic collections, comics, fine art, books, luxury accessories, real estate, and memorabilia from film, mus ...
began accepting video games as part of their auctioned items in January 2019.
With the volume of games Wata Games were receiving to review from interested sellers who did not have deep knowledge of the industry, the
Video Game History Foundation
The Video Game History Foundation is a non-profit foundation founded by Frank Cifaldi. The primary aim of the foundation is the archival, preservation, and dissemination of historical media related to video games.
History
In a talk given at the ...
contracted Wata Games to provide them with information on any game prototypes and rare games that they may evaluate to help expand the Foundation's databases.
The introduction of Wata's professional service in 2018 to qualify the state of a video game and its packaging led to more interest from other collectors who saw video games as a non-traditional asset and/or pop culture art such as comics and trading cards.
Over the next several years, several prior records related to auction prices for video games were rapidly broken. In February 2019, Heritage Auctions sold a near-mint copy of ''
Super Mario Bros.
is a 1985 Platformer, platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It is the successor to the 1983 arcade game ''Mario Bros.'' and the first game in the ''Super Mario'' series. It was origi ...
'' with a 9.4 Wata rating that went for just over , at the time the highest sale of a video game at its time.
The copy of the game had been sealed with a sticker, representing one of the earlier runs of the title before Nintendo had switched over to
shrink wrap
Shrink wrap, also shrink film, is a material made up of polymer plastic film. When heat is applied, it shrinks tightly over whatever it is covering.
Heat can be applied with a handheld heat gun (electric or gas), or the product and film can p ...
packaging, thus contributing to its collector's value.
This sale was reported on by the news and drew further interest into the video game collecting field. Heritage's sales in the video game area grew greatly in 2019, holding hundreds of video game auctions with 13 games going for at least .
A sale of 40 different NES games in various sealed quality went for a total of over in October 2019, the largest single-sale of any video game-related auction to date.
In July 2020, a sealed copy of ''Super Mario Bros.'' sold for , becoming the highest sale of a single video game at the time. The game also had a 9.4 near-mint condition on the Wata scale, but had come from a limited production run when Nintendo was transitioning from the sticker seal to shrink-wrap, as evidenced by the presence of a cardboard hang tab on the back.
A 9.8 rated copy of ''Super Mario Bros.'', also with the hang tag packaging, was purchased by Rally Rd. for in a private sale in August 2020, which they plan to offer "shares" of increments to investors towards a potential future sale while keeping the sealed game itself secured in an environment-controlled vault. A 9.2 rated copy of ''
Super Mario Bros. 3
''Super Mario Bros. 3'' is a 1988 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It was released for home consoles in Japan on October 23, 1988, in North America on February 12, 1990, and in Europe ...
'', featuring an early print of the game's cover, sold for over in November 2020. A shrink-wrapped, 9.6-rated version of ''Super Mario Bros.'', dating from the game's release during the 1986 launch of the NES in the United States, was auctioned for in April 2021.
Two auctions of sealed games by Heritage in July 2021 broke prior records by significant amounts. A sealed copy of
''The Legend of Zelda'', believed to be one of the first printings of the game according to Heritage Auctions and thus making it one of the rarest copies of the game, was auctioned for . A few days later, a sealed copy of one of the first printings of ''
Super Mario 64
''Super Mario 64'' is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was released in Japan and North America in 1996 and PAL regions in 1997. It is the first ''Super Mario'' game to feature 3D gameplay, combini ...
'', rated 9.8 on Wata's scale, one of only five game copies rated this high, sold at auction for . These sales led to some concern that the market for near-mint vintage games may be grossly inflated, since sealed copies of the first printing ''Super Mario 64'' were not considered as rare as previous record-breaking titles.
By comparison, a ''Super Mario 64'' package rated at 9.4 on Wata's scale had sold at auction for only during the same auction period. While there is an expected exponential increase in perceived value with a higher rated game, the jump between these two examples was considered unusual. Video game historian
Frank Cifaldi
Frank Cifaldi (born May 22, 1982) is a video game preservationist, historian, and developer.
Cifaldi founded ''Lost Levels'', a website that collected information about unreleased video games, in 2003. This began his career in the video game ...
said "I 100% agree it being a 9.8 puts it at a completely different level but a sudden jump from $30k to $1.5M feels wrong." It is believed that those purchasing these sealed games at high prices are
speculative collectors of other types of memorabilia, working on the principles of perceived value established there, rather than from gamers that would place more emphasis on a game title's rarity or other similar factors.
The involvement of third parties, such as Wata Games and Heritage Auctions, may have contributed to the inflated value of these games, compared to when this was done between hobbyist collectors. A class action lawsuit was filed against Wata claiming the company has manipulated the collecting market.
The Rally Rd. copy of ''Super Mario Bros.'' later was auctioned again in August 2021 for .
Wata Games was acquired by
Collectors Universe
Collectors Universe Inc. is an American company formed in 1986, now based in Santa Ana, California, which provides third-party authentication and grading services to collectors, retail buyers and sellers of collectibles. Its authentication servi ...
, a company that specializes in grading coins, collectible cards, and other memorabilia, in July 2021.
Game forgeries and bootlegs
While most video game collection is focused on console games, there is still a smaller market around older personal computer games predating 2000 which were boxed and sold with additional materials. These games, such as the earlier games in the ''Ultima'' series, originally sold around , could sell for hundreds of dollars depending on rarity. According to Joe McCoy, the founder of the Big Box PC Game Collectors group, the speculative market interests around console gaming collection had begun to spread into PC game boxes since some titles were known to be rare. This led to the discovery of at least one vector introduced forgeries into PC game collecting market of comparatively rare games. The forger, identified as Enrico Ricciardi, would use
cracked
Cracked may refer to: Television
* ''Cracked'' (British TV series), a 2008 British comedy-drama television series that aired on STV
* ''Cracked'' (Canadian TV series), a 2013 Canadian crime drama series that aired on CBC
* "Cracked", a Season 8 ( ...
versions of the games without copy protection or other similar features, then otherwise assemble the game package with duplicates of the manuals and other contents to make it appear legitimate. These forged copies had entered the market around 2015 and the forgeries discovered around 2022, which caused a major dent in the value of the collection of some of the consumers involved in this area, with an estimated drop in value overall due to the forgeries.
A separate issue for console games is the existence of
bootleg games, where the packaging has been replicated as closely as possible to the legitimate game, but contain an illegitimate or
clone copy of the software. Such a practice had been seen emerging from the Game Boy ''
Pokémon
is a Japanese media franchise consisting of List of Pokémon video games, video games, Pokémon (TV series), animated series and List of Pokémon films, films, Pokémon Trading Card Game, a trading card game, and other related media. The fran ...
'' games, with bootleggers capturing on the popularity of the series at that time. Bootleg copies, from a collecting standpoint, have no significant value, but the effort to make the game appear as legitimate in online auctions have fooled several collectors. A Reddit subforum, r/gameverifying, has voluntarily issued guides for collections as to what to watch for when purchasing games and looking for possible bootleg versions.
Rare games
While all video games can be seen as collectible, some are noteworthy for being particularly rare or desirable, which in turn contributes to high values. Prices may vary depending on condition of the packaging, paperwork, whether the item is sealed, how many inserts are retained, and whether the spine card is still present.
Sealed games can be worth twice as much as opened ones, for example, even if the open one is in good shape and includes all the manuals and other contents.
In general, the most expensive auctions have been around series with the greatest recognized value, such as the ''
Mario
Mario (; ) is a Character (arts), character created by the Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the star of the ''Mario (franchise), Mario'' franchise, a recurring character in the ''Donkey Kong'' franchise, and the mascot of the Ja ...
'' or ''
The Legend of Zelda
is a media franchise, video game series created by the Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo; some portable installments and re-releases have been outsourced to Flags ...
''. Generally, this is due to collectors who are not themselves video game players but recognize the popularity and longevity of these series and intrinsic value of the rare, unsealed games published the early stated of these series, despite that millions of copies of these games ultimately were published.
For video game collectors that are also players, there is recognition of games that are far less notable due either their obscurity or having limited production runs, making the rarity of the game itself valuable, rather than the condition of the game.
Notable rare games include:
*''
Air Raid'' (1982), Atari 2600, NTSC-U. The game cartridge has a distinctive t-shaped handle. Only 12 copies are known to exist.
[CNN.com]
8 very rare (and very expensive) video games
/ref> The only copy with package known to exist sold for $31,600 in 2010.
*'' Pepsi Invaders'' (1983), Atari 2600, NTSC-U. 125 copies produced.[
* ''Red Sea Crossing'' (1983), Atari 2600, NTSC-U. 2 known copies. Produced by Steve Sack, Inc of Inspirational Video Concepts. The yard sale copy found in 2007 was sold on GameGavel for $10,400.00 in a 2012 auction. Another copy was found in Philadelphia and was eventually auctioned off on eBay for $13,800 in 2013
*'']Stadium Events
''Stadium Events'' is a Sports game, sports exergaming, fitness game developed by Human Entertainment and published by Bandai for the Nintendo Entertainment System. This and ''Athletic World'' are the two games in the ''Family Fun Fitness'' seri ...
'' (1987), NES
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on 15 July 1983 as the and was later released as the redesigned NES in several test markets in the ...
, NTSC-U. Considered the rarest licensed NES game available for purchase in North America. The game's packaging alone has been known to sell for $10,000. One of two known sealed copies was sold for $22,800 on eBay.[
*'']Tetris
''Tetris'' () is a puzzle video game created in 1985 by Alexey Pajitnov, a Soviet software engineer. In ''Tetris'', falling tetromino shapes must be neatly sorted into a pile; once a horizontal line of the game board is filled in, it disa ...
'' (1989), Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Sys ...
, NTSC-J. Three to eight copies produced, supposedly due to copyright issues.[
*'']Nintendo World Championships
The Nintendo World Championships (NWC) is a nationwide Electronic sports, video game competition series, organized by Nintendo of America at no particular interval.
The first Nintendo World Championships was in 1990, touring 29 American cities ...
'' (1990), NES, NTSC-U. 26 copies of the gold cartridge and 90 copies for the standard gray cartridge.[ The gray carts were the actual carts used in the Nintendo World Championships tournament while the gold carts were prizes for winning a '']Nintendo Power
''Nintendo Power'' was a video game news and strategy magazine from Nintendo of America, first published in July/August 1988 as Nintendo's official print magazine for North America. The magazine's publication was initially done monthly by Ninte ...
'' sweepstakes. Gold cartridges have sold for over $10,000. The game has been called the rarest and most valuable NES cartridge released aside from promotional cartridges.
*'' Nintendo Campus Challenge'' (1991, 1992), NES, NTSC-U. Most copies were destroyed after competitions, except one copy which was sold to Rob Walters in 2006. The copy is believed to be the only one in existence,[Gamezone.com]
"A Nintendo World Championships Cartridge? Pah, Anyone Can Get One of Those"
/ref>[Gamesniped.com]
World’s Most Expensive Video Games
/ref> eventually selling for $20,100 on eBay.[
*'' Nintendo PowerFest '94'' (1994), ]SNES
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, commonly shortened to Super Nintendo, Super NES or SNES, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Europe and Oceania an ...
, NTSC-U. 33 cartridges made, only two known to still exist.
*''Virtual Bowling
is a 1995 Sports game, sports video game developed and published by Athena (game developer), Athena in Japan for the Virtual Boy. In the game, the player participates in a series of bowling tournaments consisting of four 10-frame matches at va ...
/SD Gundam Dimension War
is a 1995 tactical role-playing video game published for the Virtual Boy in Japan by Bandai. Being the system's only licensed game in Japan, it is part of the ''SD Gundam'' series, a spin-off of the larger ''Gundam'' franchise by Sotsu and Sunri ...
'' (1995), Virtual Boy
The Virtual Boy is a 32-bit tabletop portable video game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo and released in 1995. Promoted as the first system capable of rendering stereoscopic 3D graphics, it featured a red monochrome display viewe ...
, NTSC-J. The two rare games make completing the Japanese Virtual Boy collection difficult.[
*'']Kizuna Encounter
''Kizuna Encounter: Super Tag Battle'' is a 1996 weapon-based fighting game produced by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home platform. It is the sequel to '' Savage Reign''. The European Neo-Geo home cartridge PAL release was rare, with only fi ...
'' (1996), Neo Geo
The , stylized as NEO•GEO, is a video game platform released in 1990 by Japanese game company SNK Corporation. It was initially released in two ROM cartridge-based formats: an arcade system board (Multi Video System; MVS) and a home video gam ...
, PAL. Fewer than 12 copies exist. However, the Japanese and US AES version is not as rare and is identical except for the packaging and inserts.[Racketboy.co]
Holy Grails of Console Game Collecting
/ref>
*'' The Ultimate 11'' (1996), Neo Geo. 10 known copies.[ Also known as ''Tokuten Oh: Honoo no Libero''. One buyer reportedly paid $55,000 for both ''Kizuna Encounter'' and ''Ultimate 11''.][
*'']Bangai-O
''Bangai-O'' is a multidirectional shooter developed by Treasure and released in 1999 on the Nintendo 64 in Japan. It was ported to the Dreamcast worldwide shortly after with some gameplay changes and updated graphics and audio. The game place ...
: Prize Edition'' (1999), Sega Dreamcast
The is the final home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was released in Japan on November 27, 1998, in North America on September 9, 1999 and in Europe on October 14, 1999. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, prec ...
, NTSC-J. Five copies produced.[
*'' JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle Exquisite Edition'' (2013), PlayStation 3. One available, includes the game, special packaging and a ]Swarovski
Swarovski (, ) is an Austrian producer of glass based in Wattens, Tyrol. It was founded in 1895 by Daniel Swarovski.
The company is split into three major industry areas: the Swarovski Crystal Business, which primarily produces crystal glas ...
figurine made out of 6000 Swarovski crystals. The game was auctioned at eBay
eBay Inc. ( , often stylized as ebay) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that allows users to buy or view items via retail sales through online marketplaces and websites in 190 markets worldwide. ...
for £687.
*''Panzer Dragoon Saga
''Panzer Dragoon Saga'', known in Japan as ''Azel: Panzer Dragoon RPG'', is a 1998 role-playing video game (RPG) developed by Team Andromeda and published by Sega for the Sega Saturn. The third entry in the ''Panzer Dragoon'' series, it replac ...
'' (Sega Saturn
The is a home video game console developed by Sega and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it is the successor to the succes ...
, 1998) was released in limited quantities in the west; , used copies sold for hundreds of US dollars and factory-sealed copies for over $1,000. Japanese copies are far cheaper, but have no English translation and cannot be played on western Saturn consoles.
*'' Lucienne's Quest'' (3DO
3DO is a video gaming hardware format developed by The 3DO Company and conceived by Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins. The specifications were originally designed by Dave Needle and RJ Mical of New Technology Group, and were licensed by third ...
, 1995) is the sole Japanese role-playing game released for the 3DO, and has gained recognition as one of the best games for the system. Its limited western release has led to high demand and prices.
*''Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire
, commonly abbreviated to ''Sapphire'' in English, is a shoot 'em up developed by CAProduction for the PC Engine CD-ROM² System. It was published in 1995 by Hudson Soft exclusively in Japan. The story follows an all-women police force in 2092 ...
'' (PC Engine
The TurboGrafx-16, known in Japan as the , is a home video game console developed by Hudson Soft and manufactured by NEC. It was released in Japan in 1987 and in North America in 1989. The first console of the fourth generation, it launched ...
, 1995) is considered one of the best shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs) are a Video game genre, subgenre of action games. There is no consensus as to which design elements compose a shoot 'em up; some restrict the definition to games featuring spacecraft and certain typ ...
s for the PC Engine, and was released in limited quantities exclusively in Japan.
*''Shinrei Jusatsushi Tarōmaru
is a side-scrolling action game developed and published by the Japanese division of Time Warner Interactive for the Sega Saturn. Players take on the role of psychic ninjas battling an assortment of demons in Feudal Japan to rescue a kidnapped g ...
'' (Sega Saturn, 1997) was the last game released by Time Warner Interactive
Time Warner Interactive (TWI) was a video game developing and publishing division within WarnerMedia, Time Warner. It was formed in 1993 after Time Warner acquired a controlling interest in Atari Games, which was already partly held by Time Warne ...
. Only 7,500 copies were produced.
* Physical copies of ''Fortnite
''Fortnite'' is an online video game and game platform developed by Epic Games and released in 2017. It is available in seven distinct game mode versions that otherwise share the same general gameplay and game engine: '' Fortnite Battle Roy ...
'' (2017) for PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
and Xbox One
The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was first released in North America, parts of Europe, Austra ...
have become desirable after its developer Epic Games
Epic Games, Inc. is an American Video game developer, video game and software development, software developer and video game publisher, publisher based in Cary, North Carolina. The company was founded by Tim Sweeney (game developer), Tim Sween ...
introduced and focused more attention on the free '' Fortnite: Battle Royale'' mode. The original game mode of ''Fortnite'', now named '' Fortnite: Save the World'', was made into a secondary mode for ''Fortnite'' available digitally, making the console copies rare.
See also
*Limited Run Games
Limited Run Games, Inc. is an American video game distributor based in Apex, North Carolina. The company produces and sells limited quantities of physical video game copies via its website and select retail stores. Josh Fairhurst and Douglas B ...
References
{{reflist
Collecting
Video game culture