How long does it generally take for a game to regain its release value?
Let's say for games that were well received but not necessarily uncommon, and complete games in good condition. Just wondering if anyone has ever looked into this.
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Let's say for games that were well received but not necessarily uncommon, and complete games in good condition. Just wondering if anyone has ever looked into this.
Most games never reach their release value.
I'm not talking all games, I mean like the top 10-20% of each system's library according to ratings, and in good condition.
Wow, didn't think it was that much. No but if you have an answer with that in mind, go ahead.
I'm not talking all games, I mean like the top 10-20% of each system's library according to ratings, and in good condition.
It's pretty easy to find out. Look up avertisements from back in the day to see the average cost of a game, then plug that number into an inflation calculator, then look on GameValueNow to see which games have exceeded the value.
There's no one answer to this question, as it depends on the game.
I doubt even the good ones from recent years will return to release value. Newer tapes aren't really very collectable if your looking to buy low and sell high. If you lol at snes that stuff was cheap from the mid 90s until the big price hikes in 2011 so that was like 15 years. I don't think many people are going to care about switch or ps4 or Wii/u or 3ds etc in 15yrs.
Especially when the systems won't even work to be able to play them.
I doubt even the good ones from recent years will return to release value. Newer tapes aren't really very collectable if your looking to buy low and sell high. If you lol at snes that stuff was cheap from the mid 90s until the big price hikes in 2011 so that was like 15 years. I don't think many people are going to care about switch or ps4 or Wii/u or 3ds etc in 15yrs.
Especially when the systems won't even work to be able to play them.
You're saying those systems won't last as long? Why is that? Seems good clones will be made though based on recent developments with SNES etc., but then again most will have gone digital (if they haven't already among young adults) and collecting will be more of a niche thing.
Tulpa: Sure. Well I mean one could produce the average time for the top 30 or so SNES games, let's say. It might also be pointless trying to apply it to more recent systems but I'm still curious and wanted to see if anyone had done that already.
I doubt even the good ones from recent years will return to release value. Newer tapes aren't really very collectable if your looking to buy low and sell high. If you lol at snes that stuff was cheap from the mid 90s until the big price hikes in 2011 so that was like 15 years. I don't think many people are going to care about switch or ps4 or Wii/u or 3ds etc in 15yrs.
Especially when the systems won't even work to be able to play them.
You're saying those systems won't last as long? Why is that? Seems good clones will be made though based on recent developments with SNES etc., but then again most will have gone digital (if they haven't already among young adults) and collecting will be more of a niche thing.
Tulpa: Sure. Well I mean one could produce the average time for the top 30 or so SNES games, let's say. It might also be pointless trying to apply it to more recent systems but I'm still curious and wanted to see if anyone had done that already.
No I mean modern consoles, there is no chance in hell those things will last there is moving parts.
I'm too lazy to plot it out, but there is a trend of increasing value over time. To answer the original question, in terms of Nintendo console games, it looks like it takes about 25 to 30 years to break even.
Obviously there are a lot of variables. Regaining the value is a lot quicker if we are talking about sealed games. There is variability when it comes to paper versus plastic cases, and disc versus cartridge media. Some other console releases have much higher return like Turbo and NeoGeo. But generally you aren't making your money back if you are buying games new, opening them, and storing them in your house for 20 years. On average.
. It might also be pointless trying to apply it to more recent systems but I'm still curious and wanted to see if anyone had done that already.
It's interesting from a curiosity standpoint, but I don't think anyone has gone out of their way to compile and chart this.
Most collectors don't care how much games cost back in the day. It's in the past. They care about what games cost now.
Best time to buy a lot if that's your main concern is probably when a system is being phased out or shortly afterwards, no?
I doubt even the good ones from recent years will return to release value. Newer tapes aren't really very collectable if your looking to buy low and sell high. If you lol at snes that stuff was cheap from the mid 90s until the big price hikes in 2011 so that was like 15 years. I don't think many people are going to care about switch or ps4 or Wii/u or 3ds etc in 15yrs.
Switch and 3ds are the only consoles I see people being interested in 15 years. The carts and unique content might bring people to them. The good stuff for PS4/Xbox will be so cheap on steam or remastered yet again for consoles I doubt most will care about PS4/Xbox One.
I don't see those games going for as much as XBOX, PS2, GC, and GBA because lets face it, those are better systems but there will still be interest.
Good luck waiting until year 2226 and unfortunately if you only took inflation rates into account the 2226 £40 FIFA 15 game would still effectively be worth £1 as the value of money would have gone down 40 fold.
~15 years seems about right for the top tier SNES games. I wanna say FF6 was almost as expensive back in 2007-8 or so in some retro game stores here in Sweden though. I remember thinking most SNES games were already too expensive at that point and went mostly with MD. I looked into it yesterday on GVN and you can still find a bunch more 7/10+ games for under $20 for MD compared to SNES.
NES and SNES will always be a different story than everything else. It's not just nostalgia and people turning 30+ having some cash, though that certainly is a factor. It's not a coincidence guys who werent born or were in diapers when those games were out are now collecting them. Those are the systems that originated video game history and the quality is tremendous compared to what the technology allowed at the time. That's where Mario, zelda, etc etc all made their first appearances and your grandkids will still know and love those characters. Gaming only is getting bigger and bigger and those systems paved the way and still hold up. If you compare it to car collecting (not a perfect comparison i know, but an example), the first few years the Ford mustang was around probably go for big money if they are original and in good shape. A mustang from 1980 is really cool, but even in pristine condition and really low miles doesnt go for that much cash. That's the disc based games and wii etc. Certainly an improvement, but not a piece of history. No games will be as collectable as NES and snes because they made gaming what it is. Yes Atari was first, but nintendo is what made gaming last and a significant part of the culture, so that's where collectors will always go first.
Well said
Shouldn't we only be considering sealed games? Nobody would have paid full retail price for a "CIB" right when a game was released. It would have to be sealed.
Depends on the store. I bought loads of games new from game stores that opened the boxes to leave on the shelf, while taking the game out for safe keeping behind the counter. I'd imagine I'm not alone in that experience.
But, this exercise would be even more futile and meaningless if we were trying to compare sealed then with sealed now, as a sealed game 20 years after release is a lot more special than a sealed game on launch day. Even though it's counterintuitive, comparing sealed then to sealed now is not really a fair comparison