How many game collectors out there?
Obviously its tough to measure but how many game collectors (for all systems combined) do you guys think are out there?
I don't mean game players. There are literally millions. I'm talking about somebody who will buy a game, whether its for $2 or $2k, purely for collecting purposes. A game they have no intention of playing.
Say Barbie for the NES, or something equally terrible for any other platform.
Comments
On the other side, I think there are a lot of people that collect as in, they have a large ammount and no intention of selling, but they wouldn't go after every title just things that seem appealing.
I'm pretty sure we'll never really have an accurate number as people go about collecting through such a variety of means, there are people I've met at flea markets with near complete collections that have never once used the internet to acquire games...the best way I can assume it is this:
There are games that are "rare" like say Power Blade 2 or Panic Restaurant, that shouldn't really be all that desirable from a playing standpoint, and are definitely more expensive than the vast majority of NES games, yet they weren't made in any lesser production numbers than games of similar rarity that sell for much less money. The interesting though is you never see those games sell for less than X number of dollars. There is ALWAYS someone willing to pay whatever, say $40 for PB2...you would think if there was a small number of collectors once they all had a copy it wouldn't keep going for as much as it does. So that tells me there are at least enough of us to keep certain games value constant.
seriously im trying to collect a c.i.b pal collection of every cartridge based nintendo system, damn phantom air misson c.i.b cost me a packet.
I would imagine maybe around a thousand? I guess it really depends how hardcore they are about it...like for example I am trying to get every NTSC NES game (almost there). When I buy certain games, Barbie is a good example, I know that I really don't have much intention of playing through it all the way, or if I do I'll probably never do it again.
On the other side, I think there are a lot of people that collect as in, they have a large ammount and no intention of selling, but they wouldn't go after every title just things that seem appealing.
I'm pretty sure we'll never really have an accurate number as people go about collecting through such a variety of means, there are people I've met at flea markets with near complete collections that have never once used the internet to acquire games...the best way I can assume it is this:
There are games that are "rare" like say Power Blade 2 or Panic Restaurant, that shouldn't really be all that desirable from a playing standpoint, and are definitely more expensive than the vast majority of NES games, yet they weren't made in any lesser production numbers than games of similar rarity that sell for much less money. The interesting though is you never see those games sell for less than X number of dollars. There is ALWAYS someone willing to pay whatever, say $40 for PB2...you would think if there was a small number of collectors once they all had a copy it wouldn't keep going for as much as it does. So that tells me there are at least enough of us to keep certain games value constant.
Are you kidding? Panic Restaurant is in my top 25 games on the NES!
Ken
Are you kidding? Panic Restaurant is in my top 25 games on the NES!
Ken
I'm not saying it's not a good game, just an obscure title that a normal player wouldn't be willing to fork out a hundred bucks for when they could get 30 cheap games for the same price. I just used it as an example of something that would diferentiate the more casual NES collectors to the much smaller crop of us that are serious about obtaining everything.
very serious collectors less than a hundred. im talking about those that wouldnt part with there stuff unless they were in dire straights
I'm not talking about dire straights, I'm talking about willing to pay for barbie. 100 (by my definition of collector anyways) is way too low. I'm sure I've sold sealed stuff to 200 different people on ebay alone, and probably 95%+ of those weren't buying the games to play them but to collect.
Ken
You have to take into consideration all the collectors who no one would ever even know they are collectors...Like what mr. gimmick said.
"Yeah, theres only one other collector in my state that I know of."
how in any way could you even even come slose to possibly knowing that haha. one of my good friends i dont see to much anymore, but have known for couple years now, well we hung out the other day and i went over there, and i found out he collected genisis and snes, and had a couple hundred titles. I would have never knows, and he is a good friend of mine. I'm just saying there has to be 1,000's of people you would never reven know were collectors of snes/nes etc..People that only go to garage sales, flea markets etc.. just because someone doesnt have a user name somewhere on the web (like all of us, and ebayers, etc. and) doesnt mean they dont collect. i am in san diego and I put stuff up on my local craigslist adds all the time, and always meet new people that are looking for vintage games and whatnot. To my opinion there has to be TONS more then what everyone is guessing.Just because you dont have 400 somethign boxed nes games doesnt mean you arnt a collector. hell I started somewhere with like 4 snes games when I was like 8 and I still considered myself a collector of snes games haha.
very serious collectors less than a hundred. im talking about those that wouldnt part with there stuff unless they were in dire straights
I'm not talking about dire straights, I'm talking about willing to pay for barbie. 100 (by my definition of collector anyways) is way too low. I'm sure I've sold sealed stuff to 200 different people on ebay alone, and probably 95%+ of those weren't buying the games to play them but to collect.
guess im not understanding your question, are you wondering how many people are currently activitily collecting video games. if thats correct i would say a high number. i know of dozens in my small town.
but there probally not ones that will keep their stuff long term its kind of the fad at the moment. i know several that buy everything they run across, as in the have 60 copies of madden lol
On a side note please stop dissing NGD's favorite game Barbie. He's probably going to ban you when he sees how you were putting down his all time favorite NES game.
1% would be 3.5 million.... 0.01% would be 35,000... and even if only half of those collected... that's still 17,500...
So, my guess is that 1,000 is far too low!
That's tough to say Dan. I would guess 1,000 between USA and Canada alone has to be low. Plus another good 500+ from Europe. Maybe Steven could way in on that from PalRocks site which seems to be pretty active when I go and peek in there.
On a side note please stop dissing NGD's favorite game Barbie. He's probably going to ban you when he sees how you were putting down his all time favorite NES game.
Doh! Maybe he'll forgive if I send him a copy of his other favorite game, Dance Aerobics?
very serious collectors less than a hundred. im talking about those that wouldnt part with there stuff unless they were in dire straights
I'm not talking about dire straights, I'm talking about willing to pay for barbie. 100 (by my definition of collector anyways) is way too low. I'm sure I've sold sealed stuff to 200 different people on ebay alone, and probably 95%+ of those weren't buying the games to play them but to collect.
guess im not understanding your question, are you wondering how many people are currently activitily collecting video games. if thats correct i would say a high number. i know of dozens in my small town.
but there probally not ones that will keep their stuff long term its kind of the fad at the moment. i know several that buy everything they run across, as in the have 60 copies of madden lol
yeah i guess I just mean someone trying to complete some kind of set, or just collecting because they love it, or whatever. Collecting to the point where they'd buy something they are not going to play, like that 59th copy of madden.
Now if they are buying up a bunch of games purely to speculate I don't count that as a collector but I think the numbers of pure speculators is extremely small
well Digital Press has a little over 12,000 members. now not all are collectors, but then again not all collectors are on the internet. One of my best friends is a collector...doesn't touch the computer. I'd say 1k is way low. there's lots of people out there none of us don't know about.
yeah I think so too. There's lots of low key and not so low key guys who don't really venture onto forums. Its just so hard to know for sure or even guess reasonably though
collectors who are willing to spend up to $100 for something that they have no intention of playing... 25,000+
there are a lot of people out there. the numbers have to be huge
They may not be buying Barbie for the NES, but they may be buying the equally bad RPG Falling Stars on PS2.
Ken
>.>'