Retro gaming. Im a big fan. Huuuuuge. I collect videogames for older consoles like Sega Dreamcast and more importantly I play them and have done since I got my first home computer in 1983. And a big part of collecting retro games is tracking down those must have elusive titles. Yes you can go the eBay route but for me, wandering around a car boot (flea market) or charity shop and finding the title ive spent months (even years) chasing gives me a buzz. You can't beat discovering a title like Tombi or Shenmue 'in the wild' (that is not on auction sites.) But it would seem my hobby is getting popular, and as with everything that gets into the mainstream, sooner or later it gets the soul ripped out from it. Dodgy market traders with no love for gaming, out to make a quick few pounds by trying to snap up every title they can find in order to charge way over the odds. the trouble is (and its sadly spreading quickly) is that some people now believe every title is worth hundreds and they try charging stupid prices at car boots/flea markets for even average titles. I tried explaining this to a woman on sunday that just because Luigi's Mansion is worth around £15, doesnt mean the original Halo is worth the same. She lost what would have been a good sale from me through being greedy. A lot of the time spent cruising car boot sales these days is wasted by foolish sellers flogging average games for way over a fair price. "Every games a rare, classic gem!" They say. Only they are not. Seeing something like Tekken 2 be offered for £10 is quite frankly a joke. Yes its a brilliant game, yes fighting fans should own it but £10? Too much my man, too much. Of course convincing the seller they are flogging a game for too much is like nailing jelly to a ceiling and so it must go that they miss out on a sale.
Look im a fair guy, if I see a hard-to-find title reaching into double figures then im more than happy to stump up the cash, and will merrily skip away with a big, fat contented smile pasted onto my mug. But A Bug's Life for £20? No dice, no, no, no. I sincerely hope some traders read this and adjust their prices accordingly because at least then, they would actually make some money, gamers would get a decent deal and everone would be happy. As it is now though thats all that is happening is sellers make nothing because of their foolish greed and gamers go home without a clutch of goodies.
