Video game collecting

Video game collecting is the hobby of collecting and preserving video games, video game consoles, 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 for a specific video game console, being of certain genre, or featuring a specific character.

The value of a game depends on the quantity manufactured, the quality of the gameplay, its cultural impact, and the condition of the specific game being questioned. Games that are complete with their original packaging and paperwork are considered more valuable, especially factory sealed games such as a rare sticker sealed copy of Super Mario Brothers that sold for $100,000.[1] In many cases, these components are valued more highly than the games themselves. Many times, video games crossover with other mediums, so collections often overlap with those of anime, manga, comic books, and other media.

Some video games have collector's editions available for limited amount of time. It can include additional content such as a comic book or a CD of soundtracks used in the game. The most expensive collector's edition was featured for Saints Row IV, priced at $1,000,000. However, it was never sold.

A new trend is for games to be "graded" and placed in tamperproof plastic shells similar to how comics are graded. However, there is no consistency in grade numbers between companies and the same game can be regraded with different scores so grading is often seen as a scam.

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.[2]

Notable rare games include:

  • Air Raid (1982), Atari 2600, NTSC-U. 12 known copies.[3] The only copy with package known to exist sold for $31,600 in 2010.[4]
  • Pepsi Invaders (1983), Atari 2600, NTSC-U. 125 copies produced.[5]
  • 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 (1987), NES, NTSC-U. 2000 cartridges produced.[5] Considered the rarest licensed NES game available for purchase in North America.[6][7] 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.[3]
  • Tetris (1989), Sega Mega Drive, NTSC-J. Three to eight copies produced, supposedly due to copyright issues.[5]
  • Nintendo World Championships (1990), NES, NTSC-U. 26 copies of the gold cartridge and 90 copies for the standard gray cartridge.[5][8] 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 sweepstakes. Gold cartridges have sold for over $10,000.[9] The game has been called the rarest and most valuable NES cartridge released aside from promotional cartridges.[10]
  • 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,[3][11][12] eventually selling for $20,100 on eBay.[3]
  • Nintendo PowerFest '94 (1994), SNES, NTSC-U. 33 cartridges made, only two known to still exist.[13]
  • Virtual Bowling/SD Gundam Dimension War (1995), Virtual Boy, NTSC-J. The two rare games make completing the Japanese Virtual Boy collection difficult.[5]
  • Kizuna Encounter (1996), Neo Geo, 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.[2][3][5]
  • The Ultimate 11 (1996), Neo Geo. 10 known copies.[3] Also known as Tokuten Oh: Honoo no Libero. One buyer reportedly paid $55,000 for both Kizuna Encounter and Ultimate 11.[3]
  • Bangai-O: Prize Edition (1999), Sega Dreamcast, NTSC-J. Five copies produced.[5]
  • JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle Exquisite Edition (2013), PlayStation 3. One available, includes the game, special packaging and a Swarovski figurine made out of 6000 Swarovski crystals. The game was auctioned at eBay for £687.[14][15]
  • Panzer Dragoon Saga (Sega Saturn, 1998) was released in limited qualities in the west; used copies sell for hundreds of US dollars, and factory-sealed copies for over $1,000.[16] Japanese copies are far cheaper, but have no English translation and cannot be played on western Saturn consoles.[17]
  • Lucienne's Quest (3DO, 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.[18][19]
  • Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire (PC Engine, 1995) is considered one of the best shoot 'em ups for the PC Engine, and was released in limited quantities exclusively in Japan.[20][21][22]
  • Shinrei Jusatsushi Tarōmaru (Sega Saturn, 1997) was the last game released by Time Warner Interactive. Only 7,500 copies were produced.[22][23][24]

See also

References
  1. https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/02/how-this-ultra-rare-copy-of-super-mario-bros-sold-for-100000
  2. "The Wish List". Edge Presents Retro. Here Retro features a non-definitive list of the most collectible games in the world at the moment [2002]
  3. CNN.com. 8 very rare (and very expensive) video games
  4. , Retrieved April 13, 2010.
  5. Racketboy.com Holy Grails of Console Game Collecting
  6. "Origional Nintendo Stadium Events Cartridge". Rare Video Games Auctions, Sales & Pricing. May 30, 2008.
  7. "GamesRadar+". gamesradar.
  8. "Nintendo World Championships 1990". AtariHQ.com. Retrieved 2009-07-07.
  9. "How I Sold Nintendo World Championships Gold". 2010-01-27. Retrieved 2010-01-27.
  10. Digital Press Mini Rarity Guide. Messiah Entertainment. 2005.
  11. Gamezone.com. "A Nintendo World Championships Cartridge? Pah, Anyone Can Get One of Those"
  12. Gamesniped.com. World’s Most Expensive Video Games
  13. "How I Got Nintendo Powerfest 94". 2012-07-17. Retrieved 2012-07-23.
  14. Yin-Poole, Wesley (26 March 2014). "This €2000 version of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure includes a Swarovski figurine". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  15. "Jojo's Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle PS3 Exquisite Edition". eBay. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  16. Grubb, Jeff (21 September 2017). "Sega should revive Panzer Dragoon Saga on PC next | VentureBeat". venturebeat.com. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  17. Kalata, Kurt (16 April 2008). "The History of Panzer Dragoon". Gamasutra. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  18. Nick (20 October 2011). "The Rarest and Most Valuable 3DO Games". RacketBoy. Retrieved 12 November 2017. Lucienne’s Quest is the second rarest US release. (...) it is a well regarded RPG, and one of the best games for the 3DO according to those who have been fortunate enough to acquire a copy.
  19. Massey, Tom (25 January 2015). "A guide to gaming's most valuable treasures". Eurogamer. Retrieved 12 November 2017.
  20. Kalata, Kurt (10 December 2016). "Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on 17 February 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  21. Kozo, E (Winter 2008). "PC Engine Best Collection". Hardcore Gamer. Vol. 4 no. 4. pp. 50–51.
  22. Massey, Tom (25 January 2015). "A guide to gaming's most valuable treasures". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on 12 November 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
  23. Watkins, James (January 12, 2012). "A Look at the Insane, and Insanely Expensive, Psychic Killer Taromaru". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on February 4, 2012. Retrieved March 30, 2013.
  24. Kalata, Kurt (July 8, 2007). "Shinrei Jusatsushi Tarōmaru (心霊呪殺師 太郎丸) - Saturn (1997)". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on November 18, 2017. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
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