How Do You Pay For The Hobby?

[ki_atsushi]

The real answer is you already bought this shit years ago when the second hand market was affordable. Fuck paying the current asking prices for most retro game stuff. Even if you're a baller and spending a G a month on games you're a fucking idiot. I've bought about 6 games this year and spent maybe $200 and still felt ass raped.

Fuck yeah... I used to have all kinds of shit when it was "reasonable", AES with ~15 games, CMVS with 30+ games... then I kinda got burnt out on it and sold it years ago... what a mistake.

You know how I'm gonna be able to afford it from now on? Neo CD...

 

[2D_mastur]

In all honesty I don't justify my gaming expenses by calling gaming a "hobby". I call it a waste of time and money, and that makes it easier to make better decisions.

In all honestly there are only really a few games in the AES library that I see as being worth their asking price. As long has you're not one of those guys who has to have every single Neo game that he likes even a little bit, then it's easy to make a shortlist. I only have maybe three other AES games I want to own, the others... I can't be arsed with.

Having a halfway decent job and budgeting your gaming expenses helps too.

 

[SNKorSWM]

Having the 100-in-1 multicart permanently lodged in the 4th slot also helps. XD

 

[NeoGeoNinja]

As long has you're not one of those guys who has to have every single Neo game that he likes even a little bit, then it's easy to make a shortlist.

Guilty as charged. I have to every single NEO game that I like even a little bit.

Okay. Maybe not quite, but if money were less of an issue, I'd certainly have a more expansive collection of Home Carts. As it is, money is always an issue, so my personal target is... I want (pretty much) all the fighters available on Home Cart. Because, for me, those are the absolute creme de la creme of video gaming nirvana for me - above all else.

Shame I still have some of the eyebrow raisers to go.

All the Slugs, shmups and other genres (MagLord, SpinMaster, NTM, WindJammers etc) I'd be perfectly happy with on MVS.

But, personally, I really, really covet the fighters for the system. Esp. the SNK ones...

 

[ChuChu Flamingo]

I make my money by selling Crack and crack accessories.

 

[xsq]

This one is really just about common sense, right? So here's what I do:

don't buy random games constantly, that helps a lot. I only buy what I want, which isn't much.

having a single hobby is pretty limiting.

Having a very small list of reasonable wants.

I only buy what I can afford and I remind myself that I have a backlog of games, so I really should not be buying more.

budgeting.

being patient and shopping around. If I don't get satisfactory offers, I haggle. If I don't get a result from haggling, I move on.

Generally, if a game is too expensive these days, I do without (e.g. SSV Special MVS)

working a 9-5 and also selling games when done

make a shortlist

the flat I life in also isn't large.

Selling old boardgame and Games Workshop stuff

lol, did this when I was ~17 to afford my drumset ^^

 

[F4U57]

I just purchase when the time is right, when I've got the funds and when I find a good deal.

Luckily, I got into the MVS scene early and picked up a lot of the 'hard to get' and 'rarer' titles early on. Importing into Australia always stings though and if it wasn't for shipping, I'd probably have a lot more than I currently do.

 

[aaronmjr]

I've managed to go quite a while now without spending a single cent of my regular paycheck (family money) on gaming. I pretty much buy/sell repair whatever electronics I can get ahold of, buy low/sell high on anything I can find be it vintage stickers, BMX parts, broken laptops, cell phones etc.

 

[mjmjr25]

Some of these posts read like Dana Carvey's Grumpy Old Man. NEW Dodge Caravans were 12K, Gas used to be a $1, coffee a quarter and penny candy was a penny. Do you know longer buy gas because it's gone up 350%? People fill up starbucks shops every morning and pay $5 for hot water. No one needs to justify what or why they spend and people not being able to justify buying things because they used to be cheaper just doesn't jive with the world you are living in. Nigh everything used to be cheaper. Sheesh, baseball card packs used to be $0.50 for 20 cards when I was a kid. Now their $4 a pack for 6 cards.

Regarding the Neo (or snes / nes / retro games as a whole) it isn't just normal inflation. There are plenty of factors; nostalgia of us who grew up with it and couldn't afford it at $50 or $100 new, but now we can at $250. New people, 16-20 yo's who didn't really know about them, but stumble onto these boards or ebay. Each day we see a handful of people post, "...new to the neo, can't wait to get my first XXX."

The price isn't coming down. As long as you aren't paying for stuff with credit; you should be good.

 

[KRiSX]

Importing into Australia always stings though and if it wasn't for shipping, I'd probably have a lot more than I currently do.

damn straight! :\

 

[Normdog]

Work Over Time.

+1

 

[miisalo]

 

[snes_collector]

I really look at it as I don't pay more for games a month than other people do on other hobbies (classic cars, action figures, clothes, comic books, alcohol, etc etc.) Sure they have gone up in the past few years, but so has everything else. Might as well bite the bullet and get it if you want it.

An above example, I don't drink coffee. Yet I have friends who buy a $5 Starbucks latte 20 times a month. That's 100$ right there I can spend on games. There is no use in feeling guilty above dropping some coin on games, its the same money everyone uses to buy the things that make them happy, for us it just happens to be games.

 

[K1ngArth3r]

The money I should probably be saving into a bank account I'm spending on home carts while I can afford too!

In other words making the most of the monies while I have it rolling in! The way things are going no doubt the prices will continue to increase even more!

I've collected home carts 3 times over (2000-2004 - 2006-2009 and 2011-Current) so know how crazy the prices have gotten first hand But still want to own the carts so worth it to me while I can afford it!

 

[BladeDancer314]

The real answer is you already bought this shit years ago when the second hand market was affordable. Fuck paying the current asking prices for most retro game stuff.

Bingo, I traded a N64 for my TurboDuo around 16 yrs ago, it came with the box and everything, I just didn't play the N64 back then and the other guy didn't play the Duo either.

still have it and works awesome.

 

[TheSegaDude]

I have an OK job in IT so paying for
rent and savings is manageable (should be saving more). A lot of the extra money goes into the video games. I've been collecting for the AES for about 6 months. My first goal was to get a bunch of affordable AES games to have a nice looking collection of good games (and even some 'OK' games).

I now have 19 games in hand (missing two manuals), an AES console, two joysticks and a memory card and I have spent: $1,664.00 CND (~$1,525 USD) all in. There are 7 games still in the mail which I think will push that to about $2,100.

My games so far:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...tOoy3erhlMNxGUvV1AFae-8Uqs/edit#gid=521181295

I feel like I've gone a bit hog wild... but I think I'm all out of cheaper AES titles so I know the spending will slow down. I really like the AES so maybe I'll get a $100-$200 game every now and again. I don't think I'll ever spend more on a single game so there is a lot of good stuff I'll never have. I knew this going in.

I started collecting for the Sega Master System and Sega Genesis (And Japanese Mega Drive) in 1998 or 1999. And I'm really glad I did. I have a lot of great games that I wouldn't buy at today's typical prices. I remember buying boxed SMS games by the 'banker box' full for about $30. And complete Genesis games for $10 each. I also did a lot of trading because I often ended up with doubles.

Great topic! I enjoyed reading everyone's comments.

 

[NGT]

lol, I also remember when prices were reasonable. Had so many good games pass through these hands saying "it's better to buy a house. You can buy these games back later." Well, I'm never going to buy them back, lol. Bought games for $80, sold them for $80, now they're $400. Fuck that. Then again, I bought games for $200 and sold them for $350, where now they still go for that, but fuck that too, lol.

I'm now saving for a bigger boat, although I recently sunk about $800 into a Ruger 10 22 with 2500 rounds and some upgrades etc...Other hobbies get my money. My game room gets play when I take my son in there, but upgrading games and shit is too much money for something that I'm not 100% devoted to anymore.

As for how to afford throwing down money on stuff, where others pinch month by month.The best advice I can give you don't live beyond your means. People buy bigger houses than they can afford or cars that drain their bank so they're within a bill or so either way by the end of the month. I have a $300,000 home (not that much for this area), but could afford a $400,000+ home if I wanted. I'd rather live comfortably. Buy a smaller house with a nice yard in a better neighborhood. Safe place to live, good schools, and money to play with. Although when you have kids, you have more fun buying things for them half the time. lol. Be smart. People always make more and upgrade. Nicer car, bigger house, but then they're broke all of the time. Fuck that. I want to have fun before I retire

 

[NeoGeoNinja]

I now have 19 games in hand (missing two manuals), an AES console, two joysticks and a memory card and I have spent: $1,664.00 CND (~$1,525 USD) all in. There are 7 games still in the mail which I think will push that to about $2,100.

My games so far:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...tOoy3erhlMNxGUvV1AFae-8Uqs/edit#gid=521181295

I feel like I've gone a bit hog wild... but I think I'm all out of cheaper AES titles so I know the spending will slow down. I really like the AES so maybe I'll get a $100-$200 game every now and again. I don't think I'll ever spend more on a single game so there is a lot of good stuff I'll never have. I knew this going in.

There's still plenty of cheap/affordable titles to go yet. For example:

King of Fighters 94, 95, 96 &... to an extent, 97
Samurai Shodown 3
Fatal Fury 1, 3 and Real Bout Fatal Fury
Galaxy Fight
Art of Fighting 1 & 2
World Heroes 1 & 2
A Super Sidekicks title (not too familiar with them)
Thrash Rally
Top Players Golf

 

[TheSegaDude]

There's still plenty of cheap/affordable titles to go yet. For example:

King of Fighters 94, 95, 96 &... to an extent, 97
Samurai Shodown 3
Fatal Fury 1, 3 and Real Bout Fatal Fury
Galaxy Fight
Art of Fighting 1 & 2
World Heroes 1 & 2
A Super Sidekicks title (not too familiar with them)
Thrash Rally
Top Players Golf

Thanks for the recommendations. Thrash Rally looks like fun! And I'd go for Galaxy Fight if I could get a good price.
I'm not too into sports games but for a low price I would still buy Super Sidekicks and Top Players Golf.

I already have some from your list in the mail:

Art of Fighting
Art of Fighting 2
Fatal Fury Special
King of the Fighters 94
World Heroes
Word Heroes 2 Jet
Eightman

I really should put a wish-list together and set a pace to keep the budget in check.

 

[NeuroticMoose]

I pay for the hobby by stealing from churches and the homeless, I've also got a side business where I exploit at risk youths into extorting money from local shop keepers, god we have fun

 

[NeoGeoNinja]

Thanks for the recommendations. Thrash Rally looks like fun! And I'd go for Galaxy Fight if I could get a good price.
I'm not too into sports games but for a low price I would still buy Super Sidekicks and Top Players Golf.

I already have some from your list in the mail:

Art of Fighting
Art of Fighting 2
Fatal Fury Special
King of the Fighters 94
World Heroes
Word Heroes 2 Jet
Eightman

I really should put a wish-list together and set a pace to keep the budget in check.

You really should just buy and play the games individually for a while, as you go along. Then, when you've enjoyed it to the fullest - go ahead and buy the next game.

You're headed to a guaranteed, one way ticket to AES collection sell-off in 1-2 years going about it this way I'm afraid, as you have no time to appreciate each game individually, on its own merits. These games are NOT going up in price, so there's really no need to go buck wild over them.

Typical collector behaviour, no offense...

 

[TheSegaDude]

You really should just buy and play the games individually for a while, as you go along. Then, when you've enjoyed it to the fullest - go ahead and buy the next game.

You're headed to a guaranteed, one way ticket to AES collection sell-off in 1-2 years going about it this way I'm afraid, as you have no time to appreciate each game individually, on its own merits. These games are NOT going up in price, so there's really no need to go buck wild over them.

Typical collector behaviour, no offense...

I hear ya. My original plan was to a bunch of games, as I've done, and then pretty much stop for the AES. And I'm about there now. I've been collecting retro video games for a long time now and I think I'll be holding on to them. I did recently decide to stick with SMS, Genesis, Japanese Mega Drive, TurboGrafx-16, Neo Geo Aes, NGPC, SNES and NES. I've started getting rid of my xbox original games because I want to stick to cartridge based games and system.

I've played a lot of Magician Lord and CyberLip. They're OK. I've started playing Crossed Swords and I'm liking it a lot more.

 

[Phaenos]

This is a relatively new "Hobby" for me. That said, I'm not 100% certain that I can reliably pay for it yet

 

[TheSegaDude]

This is a relatively new "Hobby" for me. That said, I'm not 100% certain that I can reliably pay for it yet

I've already gotten some good advice on this forum regarding collecting for Neo Geo. Get a game that interests you; play it and enjoy it before buying the next game. That might help keep the pace of purchasing games manageable.
I've already blown that advice out of the water but I still think it's a good comment.

 

[GohanX]

I make a little extra by slangin 'caine.