Will our hobby ever "take off"?

[Dan]

Hey, fellow handheld game enthusiasts!

What are your thoughts on our hobby; specifically, will it ever become a fad?

Do we even want it to? It would drive up the value of our collections, but it would also drive up the cost of games yet to buy!

Do we like it where it is, or do we want it to become more popular?

I always assumed it would really take off someday, around the time the kids who were ten or so in 1980 or so got to be 40 or so. So 2010 or so! Not far off!

If someone took some nice boxed Bandai VFD's on the Antiques Roadshow, and they actually got an appraiser who has a clue, it might take off the way Atari Carts did!

[number6]

It's pretty expensive now if you ask me. I guess it can only get more expensive as time goes by. That's why I am trying to focus in certain areas right now. Once I get a complete line of Entex and Coleco games I may shoot for Bandai FL games. There are a few Game N Watch games I want to get as well. After that I think I will take a break
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[blue6demon]

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Keep on playing... no matter what !

[blue6demon]

Well i'd say i'm a pretty good example off that passion becoming more popular, i only started less than 3 months ago, i'm 36 and there is real nostalgia in that passion. So as you say 2010 will probably see a lot more of us ! That still leaves me 4 years before it gets really expensive

And yes it is already expensive if you don't try to get real bargains
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Keep on playing... no matter what !

[Peter Pie]

I would say that games are a little cheaper now than they were 4 or 5 years ago. With more people now online, Games are easier to pick up. It is just the rarer or mint boxed one's that cost more because the die hard collectors will bid higher for them.


Peter Pie.

[phitter]

If this hobby is ever going to take off, I think that the three following events must occur in this order:

1. Defined Hobby Terminology and Condition Standards
These games aren?t videogames but sometimes get put in that category. These games are sometimes called ?handhelds? but some don?t fit in your hand. A game may be called ?tabletop? but it may be awkward to play if placed on a table.

It seems that the only common denominator is that the games are electronic at some level. For that reason, I refer to my collection as an ?electronic games? collection. Others of you may feel differently.

A glossary of common terms and hobby standards would be useful to a beginning collector. What is VFD? Where is the line drawn when referring to a game as ?old?, ?retro?, ?vintage?, ?old school? or something else?

A hobby bent on public acceptance should agree on standard terms in order to provide more uniformity in categorizing and defining collectible games.

2. Easily Accessible Price Guide/Rarity Guide/Game List
I have no desire to collect art glass but I am sure you can find several books and web sites that give you all you would ever want to know about art glass, including rarity and prices.

Once the standard terms of the electronic games hobby are agreed upon, I think that a price guide or at least a rarity guide (both subject to perpetual revision) would allow casual collectors to enter the hobby. Each of us probably has a good idea as to what is rare and what is common but someone looking to start an electronic games collection might not know what?s a good deal and what is a rip-off.

Also, collectors love checklists. A list of games, showing the manufacturer, name, model number, type of game and category of game play would probably go a long way to spark interest in the hobby.

3. Popular Media Notoriety
If this hobby is ever going to take off it will need to be hyped on a TV show like the Antiques Roadshow or a popular magazine like Entertainment Weekly. I had no idea there was such a huge market for ?salesman?s samples? until I watched the Antiques Roadshow. I assume that a lot of people did not think much of their Atari stuff either until it was featured on the show.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/roadshow/appraiseit/game52/

Non-collectors who have had their interest piqued in electronic games collecting will need to immediately stumble upon useful hobby information in order to sustain that interest. An easily accessible price guide/rarity guide coupled with a glossary of common terms and a printable checklist would support the media notoriety and likely create a discernable influx of collectors into the hobby.

Conclusion
Quite frankly, however, I kind of like things the way they are. I am not buying electronic games on speculation of increased value. I just like the games. (But I would not be opposed to a discussion of the first two points above.)

phitter

[Peter Pie]

Miller's have been putting Electronic games in their collectable's price guide book for the last six years. A letter to them regarding a book just for Electronic/Handheld games could spark off a price guide. I think Rik should beat them to it.

[phitter]

A few questions...

Based on what you have seen, are the prices listed in the Miller?s guide relatively accurate? Does the list seem to be exhaustive?

How do they structure the pricing? Does it list each game as loose and complete in the box?

In your experience, do the Miller's prices seem to be applicable worldwide or just regionally in the UK?

-phitter

[Peter Pie]

The Millers book is just a guide. The games are listed from where they have seen them in nostalgia shops. It is just to give you a brief idea. All the listed ones are unboxed. It is mainly to show that a today's second hand bargain could perhaps become tomorrow's collectable.

[phitter]

Interesting. Thanks for the info.

-phitter

[Dan]

Phitter, thanks for the well-thought-out reply! Sorry it took me so long to follow up.

Regarding handheld vs. electronic, I feel your pain. I know I find our games in wildly varying categories on eBay. And of course we have to wade through all the miscategorized video game carts/disks in the mix.

The terminology could indeed use nailing down. I often see collectors whom I thought would know better mislabel VFDs, LEDs and LCDs.

Price guides, hmm, I own several books that purport to give prices, but they are quite often inconsistent with reality.

Here's a price guide on the web that a fellow collector put together in 2002. I would kill to get some of these games NIB or even loose for what he claims they went for. http://www.geocities.com/fn0384/rarity.htm

If I get a chance I'll dig out the books I have and list them and whether each is skewed high or low in prices.

A checklist is already available in the HH Games FAQ, maintained by our renowned host. Maybe it needs to be separated into its own entity and a lot of ????'s need to be filled in, but it's most of the way there!

Another project I'd like would be to build an online database for collectors to use to help them keep track of what games they have, their conditions, whether they are boxed and have instructions and box inserts, and allow them to share the info if they desire. I have the know-how, if I only had the time! That would take care of the checklist requirement big-time!

[FinEngineer]

Thanks for the plug Dan, the price/rarity/desirability list was based on my years of dealing/selling/buying/watching the auctions. My idea was to provide a reference on the relative rarity/desirability more so than purely as a 'price list'. I welcome any suggestions to make adjustments to the list.