Game collectors distraught over cheap digital re-releases

By Ironman273
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Grand Master

Ironman273

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Game collectors distraught over cheap digital re-releases

By Ben Kuchera | Published: December 30, 2008 - 02:30PM CT

The average gamer picks up a few titles a year and may resell them game after or go shopping for low-priced used titles. But other gamers spend a good amount of time and money tracking down the rare games, the titles you can't simply find in a corner at the local GameStop. The banned games, classic Dreamcast games, complete NEO GEO titles... these are the things that makes the collector's soul sing.

Rez, Ikaruga coming to the 360 Live Arcade

There's also a slightly selfish aspect to serious collecting: the feeling that you're playing something that others will likely never experience.

But now, games that used to be rare are finding their way onto the Xbox Live Arcade, the Wii's Virtual Console, and Sony's PlayStation Network. What does a collector do when a treasured, rare game becomes a $10 download?

The end of scarcity

"As for collectors' views on the situation, it's quite mixed."

I'm talking to Nick, the owner and writer of the website Racketboy. Nick has been writing about rare and expensive games for years, and he often publishes popular lists of the rarest games on each console.

"When you think about it, it's actually quite predictable. Those that have the valuable games don't like the trend for the most part. They feel like their collection is losing value, so they can be quite defensive."

Nick wrote a very prescient take on this issue back in 2006, where he warned collectors not to purchase games as an investment and to instead simply buy games that had special meaning for them. Video games are a digital medium, and re-monetizing rare games via digital distribution services has been a long time coming.

How much do rare games drop in value when they're re-released via a service like Xbox Live? A good example is Rez HD, the Xbox 360 version of a rare Dreamcast and PS2 shooter. In my own collecting days, I had a sealed copy of the game on the PS2 and, after a friend told me he had never played it, we opened the game and beat it that night. It felt like we were drinking an expensive bottle of wine. Nick tracked the value of the game now that it's a $10 download, and collectors who care about value have a reason to be unhappy.

"Rez used to sell for about $50 for the Dreamcast version and $45 for the PS2 version through the end of 2007 and beginning of 2008," Nick explained to Ars. "Ikaruga sold for about $75 for the Dreamcast version and $45 for the Gamecube port. Once it was announced that both games would be coming to XBLA in the middle of the year, the games dropped $5 to $15 in value, moreso for the Dreamcast version of Ikaruga... It seems that the Dreamcast games hold their value a bit more as it is more of a cult classic system, and they are also Japanese imports."

Nick also told us that the domestic copies of the relatively common PS2 and GameCube ports of the game have halved in value.

One of my favorite gaming memories took place over a good friend's house. We were enjoying a cocktail, discussing games, and we talked about our favorite rare titles. I mentioned Panzer Dragoon Saga, a game that's part of a classic series and was released in criminally small numbers on the low-selling Sega Saturn, as a game I had always regretted not buying; he told me to wait a moment, went to his collection, and pulled out a mint copy of the game as my jaw dropped. We took out the first disc, put it in his Saturn, and played for the rest of the night. It felt like we were doing something special, and that we were seeing something that only a few people had ever seen.

Playing a rare game, especially in complete condition with the box and instructions, is a rare treat for serious collectors and fans of the art form; I know people who spend as much time reading the manuals and looking at the art as they do playing the game. Finding a rare game, be it at a swap meet, on eBay, or even just trading with another collector, is part of the thrill. Holding that physical artifact in your hand, putting it with your collection, and knowing you have something that's not easily bought is what keeps collectors going.

That feeling doesn't have to go away in this new world of $6 legal downloads of Suikoden, but we gamers just shouldn't worry about the value of our games going up.

"I've collected many different things over my lifetime, such as baseball cards and Hot Wheels cars," Nick told Ars. "It always seems that when people start focusing on collecting objects for value as opposed to fun, the market starts to bubble up and eventually crashes. We're seeing companies already that are hoarding, grading, and selling sealed games. I think this the beginning of an ugly turn for game collecting. People really need to focus on playing the games instead of worrying about how much they are worth.

"I own copies of Ikaruga and a number of other popular classics, but I like seeing them come out on newer hardware. It means that the games will live on longer, and are made available to others that haven't experienced them."

While the hobby of collecting games may not be as profitable as it once was, finding a rare game in full packaging is still a thrill for the real fan. Some may be upset that anyone can play games that used to exist only for the dedicated collector, but what of it? More people can play more games than ever before, and that's a good thing.

Now, someone just needs to give us a downloadable version of Panzer Dragoon Saga so I can finally find out how it ends...

Source: Ars Technica

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CelticWhisper

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I never quite understood the mentality of game collectors. True, I have a massive collection of PS2 games and most of them I've not yet played, but that's the key word: yet. I intend to play all of them and the reason I bought them was to enjoy playing them.

The same thing puzzled me when people were bitching about Symphony of the Night being re-released as a "Playstation Greatest Hits" game or with games released as "Nintendo Player's Choice" games. Who gives a flying frell if there's a colored banner on the game cover as long as the game itself plays the same?

Honestly, if more people were able to experience games like Phantasy Star 4, Persona 2, Rez, Ikaruga, Skies of Arcadia, Panzer Dragoon Saga, and other such classics, I'd be thrilled. It's sharing the wealth, it's spreading the word, it's inviting more guests to the party. Enjoy it.

Grand Master

+Audioboxer Subscriber²

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But they still have the physical thing, so digital distribution hasn't changed all of it. They don't have much ground to complain about other than selfishness...

And "digital distribution" of most of these old titles has existed for years.

If you want to play Suikoden, what are you going to do?

A) Pay ?100 on ebay

or

B) Download a 5mb rom and emulator

Uhh, ridiculously hard decision:pp

Grand Master

Lee G. Veteran

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But they still have the physical thing, so digital distribution hasn't changed all of it. They don't have much ground to complain about other than selfishness...

(Y)

I thought the collecting was more about having the physical cartridge or disc etc. and so it wouldn't matter if the games were released digitally for a different console.

Grand Master

Ironman273

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Well, as you can see from the price drop it apparently affects market value. I agree with Nick, collect a game because it means something to you, not because you expect a financial profit after some time.

Grand Master

DrunknMunky Veteran

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I can kinda relate with the article and collectors as I am somewhat one myself. I love to collect games (as well as playing them obviously) and its a big part of the reason I never sell/trade them in. I keep them in brand new quality and store them carefully to make sure they stay that way. Its also why I sometimes pay over the odds for a game when it comes to special editions / collectors editions. Sure I can get the same game for probably half the price, but its not the same as owning a piece of gaming history like the Master Chief helmet or whatever.

I'm not gonna say that XBLA/PSN/Wii Store are destroying these classics though. I'm all for more people playing the games, these collectors just need to realise there is more value in owning the real deal than there is a digital download, even if its only sentimental :yes:

Grand Master

gigapixels Veteran

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I agree with Nick, collect a game because it means something to you, not because you expect a financial profit after some time.

Exactly. It's like the people who collected Pokemon cards because they wanted to sell them at some point when they're worth a ton... Well now they're worth nothing and those people are screwed. Greed should never be a reason to collect something.

Experienced

scratch42069

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Why is this an issue now when about 20 or so years ago games would end up in cheap packaging and sold for like 5 or 10 bucks. Same sort of thing but the "collectors" didn't feel jilted at all then.

Grand Master

SMELTN

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Well the way I look at it is.. I am a lifelong gamer, its what I love, it's my hobby (or as my wife says.."If you could put a wedding ring on that mouse, you would"). The easier it is to obtain games, the more people have the opportunity to play them, and that's a good thing for us, because it means we have more friends getting into gaming, we have more competition online, and it means more and more game creators show up with better titles, better prices, etc..

I mean just in this case alone, look at the benefits of it.. Some of these "rare" games only get played by a certain amount of people, and like in the article were Nick's friend never even heard of the game until Nick purchased it.. Now with XBL and Sony's Home, etc, more people have access to these titles, and SEE them, due to advertisement, placement on the sites, or even how many downloads they are getting..

I think its great, and you know what, I am sorry for the Collector's prices dropping, but for our gaming community, we are better off.

I mean look at how well games are doing in the current economy CNN

Grand Master

AbandonedTrolley

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back on topic......

I like the idea of classics being available on the various networks. I still need to buy a card for the Japanese store so I can get Einhander again. A game I had imported back in the day and sold on to a collector :)

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