Are Vintage Video Games a Waste of Money? Let's Discuss an Excellent Article on the Topic! 

This was one of your better videos. Few things -Its great that another channel called you out. It means you are making an impact. No such thing as bad publicity -25 to 30 min videos is your sweet spot -That 3-5 min mark when you talk about nostalgia is very thought provoking -Have you ever been asked to be a guess speaker in a live setting?

Maybe he suddenly realized 80% of his collection was shovelware and sports garbage coz thats what most of those complete system collections numbering in the thousands are gonna be >:p

'Collectors are born, not made' = very true. I was linked to your channel via the recent 3DS video, and thought it was an excellent perspective. While I don't collect games as an investment, I thought this channel was an excellent counterbalance to keep the FOMO part of my brain in check and give a straightforward view on collecting. Happily subscribed, thank you for all you do!

Funny you mention people listening to your stuff during work breaks because I am right now! Or when the school year is on I love listening to your videos on the way to class and across campus. As a video game collector myself I actually really appreciate your take here! I've seen a lot of people get into the hobby just because it's popular right now and eventually they just end up liquidating all of it in the end. Keep the quality content coming!

You should be at the SDCC with a panel. Your ideas are solid and real for so many collectors. I love your videos and the key concept your share. Classic vs modern collectives are right on for people willing to be good. Sdcc is full of panels that does not give real info and strategy. 45 minutes panel/workshop and Q&A 10 minutes word be a great reason to attend. I have a 4 day and preview day pass and I’m at home waiting until Sunday for deals.

Some great points in this video. Trauma and blessings of the past are living in all these objects. But hey... I am just a middle age man who gets a tickel every time I load up Turtles in Time. Maybe my daughter will have nostalgia from playing it with me... maybe not

Your videos are so eye opening. There are so many scam RU-vidrs who just want to fleece the newbies. Glad you have some ethics.

If he has over 1300 games, then the lions share of it is going to be shovelware and sports games. If you're "investing" in video games you're generally going to target the top 2-3% on any given system.

Ironically, I am an avid Magic player, but when it comes to finance, I put all my money in a portfolio of ETF's. I value your insights Shawn, you definitely know your stuff. Keep educating the Timmies and Kimmies, I'll keep watching your content 😉

Definitely a subject I’m super passionate about. Most of my gaming friends emulate games. It’s easy, and it saves a ton of time and money trying to get a physical copy of said game. With emulation old games can be easily played on PC or handheld. I’m the exact opposite I’ve rather play the game on the intended controller and own games physically. I will say it’s tough right now. For example if I want to buy Mario Party 6, it’s going to be $90+. I go to a used video game store regularly, I see collectors buying $90 plus games regularly. It’s really interesting right now. Either emulate, buy physical or just skip games because of the crazy prices. Vintage games are in high demand, but it just depends game to game. It’s a really interesting topic, I’d be curious to hear your thoughts if emulation affects prices, why the prices are so high and also people paying such high prices without hesitation.

I love my video game collection! I don't think of it as an investment, but thanks to your channel the games I got for cheap, don't care about and are selling for crazy prices are going directly to ebay!

Timmy, Timmy, Timmy.... TIMMY!

Doesn't sound like the author is a collector at all; just sounds like someone who wants to make money.

This is a comment related to a previous video. Thanks for recommending Mint Condition and The Psychology of Money. Entertaining and informative reads.

I plan on keeping my video game collection for as long as I want them around, so my general rule of thumb is when I do buy some games, try to only get them for a good deal so that when me or someone else eventually sells them they'll either make a profit or break even.

Video games are meant to be played. If you have a bunch of games you are not playing and don't care about, then you should probably sell them off. They are a unique collectible because they can be used and played. Its nice to have a collection that you can use and play. Entertainment is expensive these days, and if you don't mind sitting home and playing games, this can be a very frugal hobby. You don't always have to have the original game to get the experience, the remakes exist for a reason. Libraries rent out games, so if you have a console, you can play for free if your library carries video games, as long as you don't mind returning them on time. All those pricey Wii U games, guess what my library's got all of em! My library also has 3DS games. If you want to get that hint of nostalgia from a Wii U game or a 3DS game you don't have, just head to the library and rent it. If you live in a town where there's nothing to do, or have a long winter where most things shut down in your town (this is my area) its nice to be able to go and always have something you can do by playing video games. I can understand because of circumstances that you might not play them all the time. Also you should be mindful of your time, you only have time to play so many games if you are a working adult, most of us don't have time to play every game out there. You need to pick and choose. If you are buying games at full price and not playing them, then you are wasting money. I also offer one huge tip. If you really love Pokemon video games, just buy the games day 1, you won't regret it, as long as you play them.

How I know it’s going to be a good Saturday evening: “Hey guys, welcome back to Reserved Investments…”

I personally collect videogames and gaming collectibles (like figurines, posters, etc) for myself and not for resale. And usually when I collect, I buy games that I think will be rare since they are or usually limited print (I prefer physical media) or I’m a fan of the franchise or developer. I have definitely sold some games or art books that I bought cheap and I noticed that they are worth well over 5x what I paid.

Resellers who focus on just video games when going out to thrift stores, garage sales, or any sort of salvage / flea markets are stepping over 100 dollar bills to pick up 5s. Now, I don't believe that most of the RU-vidrs are doing that, outside of when they need content for a new video. As the market is at the mainstream point where even my local Salvation Army is now doing Ebay pricing on the crappy games they do get in, and people are still buying them thinking they are a good, long term investment. This channel has the best, no BS information per the wide range of markets it covers. It should have millions of happy subscribers that have both made and saved money using the knowledge they've been armed with even from a single video!

I am really happy to see you still making videos and sharing your advice and knowledge. Been here since sub 1000 subscribers

ive subbed to your channel, i really enjoy watching your videos, i just wish id come across them sooner, keep up the good work.

Shawn, not sure how else to pose a question for your next Q&A series, so here goes: Where do leather bound books from Easton Press (and Franklin Mint) fall into the collectibles/rare book markets? I've been collecting signed versions over the past 25 years from many great authors both still living and dead. (Vonnegut, Bradbury, Asimov, Eli Wiesel, Angelou, Updike, Roth etc.) Some purchases were when released, others on the secondary market. They are obviously not true 1st Editions of important works (ex. Fahrenheit 451), but are of excellent quality and limited in release, particularly when signed by the author. I have done this more as a hobby than as an investment, but my collection has grown in value and is now cumulatively in excess of $30k. Are these part of the rare book market, or more just part of the autograph market, or some other market and should remain merely a hobby, rather than a possible future investment focus as part of part of a diversified investment portfolio, but of no more than 5% overall. Thanks.

Thanks for making a video on this article! 🙏 I was One of the people who sent it to you

I noticed that, in my neck of the woods, a few second-hand video game retailers have opened, and then promptly closed their doors. Play N Trade and Gamers Gambit, are two immediate examples that saw little profitability when catering to the supposed demand for vintage video games and card games. The inflated prices really appear to be a short-term market manipulation. Frankly, certain items, I'd prefer to never own, as opposed to paying the current prices.

I'm thankful that I have paid for my entire collection through reselling on these online markets. Now, when I look at my wall of games, I don't see a waste of money...maybe time. Either way, I would like to hear some commentary on limited edition vinyl (video game vinyl to be exact) as the market has skyrocketed over the last few years. Plus, I wasn't sure if you angered that subsect of collector yet 🤣

You are Morpheus to these clueless ‘retro collectors’ 😂

Good video as always, great to hear all ideas and views. Thank you!

It would be cool to see you announce the time of day you are making this video like your amazing 1:00 am video rants :) Love your work. 👍 In every new video lol.

I'm 41 and this is very true. So much stuff I bought based on nostalgia I wish I didn't. There's a lot I am happy I bought but a lot I wished I didn't.

POGS baby, it's all going to be about POGS. Especially the ones with skulls and skateboards because those are the cool ones.

Shawn, I appreciate your integrity and impartiality. In my opinion most finance content creators on RU-vid are mere influencers with an agenda and cannot be trusted. I noticed your Pokemon critic is a child and his criticism is derived from emotion and passion for his Pokemon hobby. I knew it all too when I was his age. He is leading his Gen Z Pokemon fanatics off a cliff. You shouldn't dignify him with a response. He will soon trade in his arrogance for humility as most of us did after we grew up.

Shawn, I understand the 100% profit is sell but there some collectibles (in my opinion) that can go double x2 = 400% for example in MTG i think a 100% profit is way to low to sell due to the market cap. and I am talking about newer products here that are out of print of course

People do not understand pokemon and wotc are in the business of printing a box that cost $20 and sell them for $100-$300. Pokemon sells their brand and WOTC sells the investor lifestyle. The only thing that matters is selling as many of those new boxes every month and they still lack printer capacity because so many people buy them.

There's nothing wrong with collecting retro video games as long as someone collected the bulk of the games in there collection for pennies on the dollar before prices went crazy. As for the collectors of WATA graded video games I believe they will be burned the hardest as the population reports continuously get updated.

I'm a collector of coins, militaria, and other antiques. I think it's important to step back every once in a while and ask yourself, does this collection make sense? Does it bring you joy? Was the last time you looked at a particular coin maybe 2 years ago? If so, maybe sell it, as you won't miss it.

Great video man, I love old school games but it can take up my time.

People like to think companies like Nintendo are your friends.

Have all my toys, consoles, games, Lego, books, magazines from childhood all the way up. Got back into Lego 18 months ago...... literally Gold, never loses its value 👌 ✨.......I live in the present obviously, but always looking to the future..... as I travel long haul a lot. But, it's great to access something from my childhood pretty much instantly. When the JP Morgan fiddled Gold market frees up, when fiat currencies crash....I'll be thankful i have some gold and silver. The best thing is having no debt. Lately playing: Turbo Outrun, Jurassic Park SNES, Toejam & Earl, Zelda Twilight Princess

Author might agree that his video game collection was just as much a video game “accumulation”. He doesn’t go into any further mention of value than the sheer volume of the games that he’s accumulated. Rudy would call him a Timmy in the sense that he’s indiscriminately consumed and accumulated only to bitterly learn their collection is just bulk; eroded with playwear and reprints. In the authors case it’s no surprise that his wall of played games isn’t valuable all that much as he criticizes the “value” of an unopened game from earlier in his collection.

20:00 I would argue that you do get access to cash flow in some crypto, a farming/utility token from a solid project can increase its value because the project pays the liquidity providers with a fraction of the transaction fees

Great content as always Shawn, thank you very much for providing it to us viewers

I'll have to disagree that this is a good article. To me it seems the author has changed and placed a value on his video games collection which is that they are now a waste of money. Maybe the way he approached collecting them is truly a waste of what money he had (purchasing lots of newly released games that decline in price predictably, paying peak prices for retro games, buying graded games, etc) and now that he has much less of it he feels the monetary loss. But maybe it's just that video games are no longer a source of happiness for him which is why they're a "waste" in his eyes. What is true for him is not applicable to everyone. Money is inheretently worthless but is a tool to hopefully make your life better. Just accumulating more money mindlessly isn't going to do that. Eventually you have to figure out how to use money to make your life better.

I’m 39 and I get tickle every morning that I look at my cib Turtles in Time and cib Little Samson. Lol

I have been slowly selling game collection. Any game thats not in my core/sentimental collection i list on ebay at 5x cost the wait. Inital capital is out. Most games will be remade on switch and digital will win. Others can hold the bags.

I have 100 hundreds of retro games but I play my games and I don't look at my collection as a investment

I appreciate this commentary, Shawn. I think dwelling too deeply in the past, to the extent someone would spend hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars on retro video games, is a bit too far for myself honestly. Just not stable enough to justify. But I still think it's nice to own games you love even if you paid a little bit for them, mainly if you plan to keep them for intrinsic reasons. I don't think it can ever be all bad or all good. Especially if you're financially established.

I think long term videogames that people don't want to buy as a collectible but want to buy just to play because the older systems are cheaper and simpler will be a whole market. The Timmy just buying a PlayStation 2 and has the choice of hundreds of $5-10 games that are quite good and playable. No downloads, no licenses, no multiplayer, just simple fun games..

You're making me rethink why I collected some of these things

Even though there are better versions of Resident Evil, the PlayStation 1 version is probably sought after because it is the original and not a remake like on Gamecube or ps4, ps5, or pc. You can emulate the original on pc or steamdeck but for some reason( charm, nostalgia) , the ps1 cib version costs more.

Hey Shawn, I was wondering if you could make a video about pensions and whether they're a good idea in general compared to investing that money myself into a index fund, ETFs and mutual funds? As I feel like pensions are a bit of a scam (not as good as they used to be) in todays age compared to investing the money myself. Love to hear your thoughts on this.

Great video again! Thanks for keeping it real.

I've had fans of some of those hype channels come into this one to make snide remarks for me agreeing with you. It's hilarious they need the validation of random people on the internet to agree with them...shows their insecurity when you can't even disagree with them over here.

As a huge video game fan, I agree. Strictly speaking from the aspect of making money, it's a very poor investment, generally speaking. I think that many people claim to do this for the investment, but deep down they know that they are just rationalizing to justify spending hundreds or even thousands on a particular game to keep for themselves. They just want to see it on their shelf, and then it never gets sold or traded. I am a bit of a collector myself with some grails, but almost everything I have I plan on playing at some point. I do it for the love of playing video games. I only have a few games (I can count on one hand) that I bought that I have no interest in playing. I found them for a good price and I can use them for trading for something else that I actually want when that time comes. There is nothing wrong with playing/collecting or doing something that you enjoy. One can argue that that is the price for entertainment or a hobby. But I make sure that I am saving more money than I am spending.

"It is said that what is called "the spirit of an age" is something to which one cannot return. That this spirit gradually dissipates is due to the world's coming to an end. For this reason, although one would like to change today's world back to the spirit of one hundred years or more ago, it cannot be done. Thus it is important to make the best out of every generation." - Hagakure

14.20 You forgot to mention the '' graded vhs '' crowd!

This article reads like a random post in a Facebook Video Game Group.

Lol I love the way you explain the pokemon situation and fans lol. I hope you get more subscribers.

I wish you posted videos more frequently, but I also realize each of your videos take a lot of time, effort, and energy in order to think and produce valuable content; that doesn't happen over night. Nevertheless, I appreciate your videos and encourage you to expand and try discussing anything on your mind and its relationship back to the collectibles market. I can speak for a lot of your viewers when I say you clearly have an intellectual mind, a holistic perspective on all facets of the market, and your ability to synthesize information into understandable terminology is a gift worth sharing with people. Yes, I work for an investment management company.

Solid analysis. Best wishes!

But what is Limited Run Games going to do if the 10th gen consoles and beyond literally don’t have disk drives or cartridge players in them? Where does that leave their business model?

Top stuff, Shawn. Another common-sense video upload. Keep up the great work.

I only "collect" games what i will replay throught the years. If i feel i never going to play X game again, i just sell it. I feel this mostly with modern games.

Listen to your father, Timmy!!!

wow there is really amazing content here... thank you very much.... subscribed

Thanks for the videos I’ve been enjoying them

That is a good article that makes a lot of valid points but yeah the guy that wrote it is not a true collector. He sounds like someone who got into the hobby for clout rather than out of passion. Or maybe a better delineation would be hardcore collectors vs casual collectors.

Good stuff 😊😊

Damn, this video was kind of a wake up call. I started collecting games in college because I was poor and they were the only ones I could afford. Now they’re worth tons and I never really cared, but around 2021 a lot of factors led me to start buying again. I was mostly still only spending on good deals, but I amassed new shelves of games and I’m not really sure why anymore. I have multiple devices that can play the roms I’ve archived from them at any time, but I still hang onto those pieces of plastic. I’ve never thought of them as an investment, but I guess they are kind of wasteful. Would be interested in exploring this thread a bit further. Do you have any videos on where and how you draw the line on something you personally value vs something you should let go?

Yes, it's very important to keep up the humorous slang, mob mentality, and echo. Do not think for yourself.

Which video is it where you talked about nostalgia being a lie? Maybe my vision sucks, but I couldn't find it.

The takeaway for me from this video is don't put all your money in one thing. Yes you could make it rich (look at Bitcoin a decade ago), but that's not most people. Save up money on the stock market or real estate or something that you can eventually retire on and the rest of your fun money do what makes you happy!

I collect everdrives, each one has the entire library for the system. Also the resale value is predictable, about the same as new or a bit less. Lol

Soon enough we will have the Seemless HD version of Resident Evil for the PC and that argument will be void as well

Unless you have a huge amount of funds that are not needed elsewhere, of course, buying without reselling or reinvesting into other forms is a losing situation. Should be common sense. Good critiques, but because you (Shawn) know what you’re talking about, it does sound like you’re talking down to anyone that thinks differently than you do. At least that’s what I get from your cadence. Nostalgia goes in multiple directions. And no one person can tell anyone how to deal with that mentally. You’re just as much as an influencer as Phoenix Resale, Chase or any other person with a sizable platform on social media. I hope you recognize that. There is no one way to collect or invest without knowing the specifics of every individual persons financial a/o mental situation. Nevertheless, some good points.

great video as usual :)

Operation Darkness for the Xbox 360 is a good investment.

People tend to forget a ton of top tier NES games like Mario Bros 1, 2 and 3 were cheap as 5 bucks used in the early 2000s. What goes up...

Please make more videos

Are you going make a video psa grading funko pop

If i LIKE to spend my money on Japanese robots and obscure games, why is that a waste of money?! It’s collectors thing not an investment only.. why is it not a waste of money to collect antique items? Nostalgia my ass, i love retro art because it looked better plus games were much better back 20/15 years ago. Games now are full of political propoganda bs.. don’t get fooled and collect whatever you want. There is something called time that makes things change

Bill Gates said he only considers businesses that create products and farms that produce consumables real investments

I laugh at full collections mostly junk...buy and sell the best and forget the rest

When you state that people need to be financially established, it seems you are indirectly implying that it is better to invest into yourself and return to the antique and collectible market when you are over 40/50 years old? You also seem to give me the impression there is no point in collecting anything (no offense). When it comes to videogames, the hardware that runs them, becomes outdated and not supported. I got a very small collection of video games that because of these reasons, I can't even play anymore. Who honestly wants to spend real money for a non-functional disk.

Here's a wild idea, now hear me out...how about you play those games? Wild concept, I know. But maybe they can bring joy and some validation to owning a media collection if it's used for its intended purposes.

40th!

Some of us dislike the Resident Evil remakes. In the RE1 they took out all the color in the mansion. As a result the level design feels very bland unlike the original.

only like 1 percent of the games or so will continue to raise in price 90 percent will drop probably

As a hardcore collector and sometimes speculator, I have to admit it’s ultra cringe when RU-vidrs try to compare the Pokémon card market to the stock market.

Good topic - and waste of time (vintage video games, not the video :) )....

All these other channels that are not open to reserved investment ideas or can't engage in a bipartisan debate, then they are nothing but fascist