36 replies to this topic

[ls650]

I really enjoy seeing some of the great homebrews people create for these 'obsolete' platforms.

[AtariLeaf]

It WAS the hunt for me but since my collection is about complete I have no desire to go "hunting" at the moment. That may change as the warm weather returns and yard sale season starts around here but I'm not after anything in particular so that urge kind of loses its edge for me.

I guess I enjoy having and playing the collection I have. Boring answer, I know but it is what it is

[Eltigro]

I guess I'm kind of a weirdo. I'm not really a hunter. I don't go out and try to complete collections or whatever. My big thing, after playing, is just having them sitting next to my TV. I enjoy looking at them. Sometimes I'll just pick a game with a nice attract mode and put it in while I do chores or something. Hearing and seeing it play in the background. Thinking about how the old technology in them still works and the fact that several of them are set up and ready to go at a moment's notice is kind of comforting.

I'm not into the huge collections. I bought my Jaguar as a lot with several games and have never bought another one for it. I have one game for my N64 and haven't bothered buying any more. I seem to like collecting the hardware more than the software.

[GKC]

I like the history of it all. "Console 't' was introduced as an answer and to compete with console 'x'" I'm fascinated by the different companies that have thrown their hat into the video game ring, how they went about tackling the market and how they responded to other companies.

[cncfreak]

save2600, on Sat Jan 14, 2012 1:09 PM, said:

While I no longer play games as much as I used to, I still love the artwork and marketing associated with the stuff from the 70's and 80's. The fronts and backs of old boxes, promo materials, whatever. Takes me back to the good old days when I was a kid, saving up hard earned cash and then enjoying whatever it was I bought with my family and friends. Seeing the old stuff around the game rooms really is a big nostalgia trip for me and someday, I'd like to devote even more space to properly displaying things like my 2600 and Amiga boxes. Would like an almost retail type setting with shelves on the wall, glass cases, et al.

Other than that, sitting down today and actually setting some time aside to game is always fun. Try to do it as much as I can, but it's never enough.

THIS. The main reason i collect many of the old SSI games. I love the manuals and boxes.

[Baloo]

My favorite part of the hobby other than playing games is definitely talking about them with other people here on the internet or in real life!

[BydoEmpire]

I really like older (80s) gaming and computer magazines. For me, classic gaming is a fun little piece of history. There's the nostalgia of my youth, plus it was an exciting time with a new technology really emerging and being explored. That's as much fun as the games in some ways. I like playing the games of course, but appreciating what went into making them then, the whole 'wild west' atmosphere of the industry in the 80s, the creativity, and comparing earlier technology to today.

[bomberpunk]

HOARDING. EVERYTHING ARE MINE!

[Rex Dart]

I like pretty much everything apart from the business aspects.
I love the artistic design of the hardware, the art of the game graphics, the sound/music, the programming necessary to get the art & music working, the programming necessary to make the game itself work, the electronics/technology involved...

[rmaerz]

Yeah, I like the hunt: dumpster diving at the thrift stores and checking out CraigsList.

There's also the social aspect of it. Aside from playing in arcade tournaments, there's the "after hours" where gamers get together and play console games back at the hotel over a few beers. And if you go to Funspot, it also makes a great vacation.

I seem to spend more time writing about the hobby than actually playing games.

[A_Locomotive]

The thrill of the hunt is part of it for me. I enjoy tracking things down and getting the best deal possible when possible and not resorting to over priced BIN ebay listings. Its very satisfying to find something you have wanted for a long time but for what ever reason haven't bought yet because condition was either terrible or the price was. My Duo-R for example took me months to find at a price and condition I was happy with, after looking in many places and posting listings on forums I eventually came across a fairly low key site through a google search run by a member of PCengineFX who rarely posts on the forums, he not only sold consoles but also offered them at different price levels(boxed, non boxed, modded, unmodded and combos of the above). After about a month of back and for emails I became the proud owner of a boxed(though not CIB, need to track down the paper work) of a PC Engine Duo-R with a region mod. My next hunt I'm thinking will be for a Neo Geo(likely CD, as infinitely cooler as the AES is the cart prices are terrifying) but I'm gonna give myself some time to enjoy what I have before I start looking in earnest.

But its not just the hunt I love, its the social aspect as well, I enjoy posting on forums and discussing the hobby with the great folks on AtariAge and other forums. Its fun to talk to like minded people on here, as outside my little brother and the people that run my local independant retro stores I just don't know anyone else who has a passion for the older stuff. I've talked with my coworkers about it before when they have asked but they were baffled why I'd want to play older games when I own a 360. Another fun aspect of the social part is finding out through word of mouth about games and sometimes consoles I've never even heard of and discovering a gem.

[lushgirl_80]

When I'm not playing any of my games, I just love looking at them lol. Just the way all the carts and boxes are stacked up in my room is like decoration,and looking through all the box art and manuals. Sometimes I just love turning on my 2600,put on Space Invaders and just have it as a cool backdrop in my room. The way the colours change on the title screen when you don't play the games is so rad,it's like a lava lamp.