The State of the (Retro) Game(s) - A Discussion

[El Canuck]

Let's talk about the retro gaming market scene.

More specifically, how do you feel about the current pricing for retro games. Do you feel like the market is in a better place than it was five or ten years ago? Do you feel like it's a gouging fest out there? Are prices leveling out at all?

Personally, I was hoping that the influx of mini "Classic" consoles would play a part in dropping demand, and eventually, prices of retro games and while I witnessed the first part happening, in the form of the local game stores and flea market sellers have a larger inventory, the prices have more or less stayed the same, at least in Canada.

Then there's the growing presence of repros flooding the market. I have yet to see any definite repros pop up in stores, but I have heard of them becoming an issue among collectors.

So let's hear from you: what way do you think the retro gaming market is headed?

[Tech13]

I think eventually the people just following the fad will find something new and the prices will drop because their collections will flood the market. Thank God I am not collecting to profit.

The classic consoles spark interest in the classic games and maybe rekindle the retro gaming flame for some enough to get them collecting again but that is a small increase of actual collectors compared to the fad collectors.

repro will start to die off when the fad is over. If the demand lowers and the supply quickly overtakes the demand, repro sellers will find something else that can make more money.

So to recap the current prices are falsely inflated, there will be a huge flood when the fad is no longer a fad, and the market will look like a "crash" and it will cause others to panic and dump their collections "before the price gets any lower". The market will react to the coming flood and maybe a year or two after the flood happens the market should level back out and thing will be at the honest market value.

[segamer]

There are more collectors then there's retro games to satisfy demand. It would take a major market crash (to get a mass of gamers to start selling their collections), to bring down prices. Otherwise, you'll continue to see games grow in price. I stop collecting Retro Games about 2 years ago. I'm happy with my collection. For the most part, I just buy new games now. I mean, I buy retro games if I see them at a good price but I'm pretty much done.

[El Canuck]

I never really considered there to be so many retro game collectors around that demand simply would not keep up. It's hard to get specific numbers of how many copies of cartridge-era games are around in most cases, with exceptions like Uniracers/Unirally notwithstanding, of course. So I feel that it's something of a grey area, to be honest.

[redsox2012]

I don't see retro game collecting as a fad - it's been going on for way too long to call it a fad.  Plus, the collector base still seems to be growing, even if some people are simply collecting for profit.  I've noticed prices of loose games falling recently, while complete in box games have been holding steady or rising.  That's where I think the future of retro game collecting is - premium condition CIB.  

I'm the opposite of Segamer.  I'm pretty much done with newer games, and I only buy retro games.  I simply enjoy them much more.  I don't own a PS4 or XB1 (though I play Switch with my son).  I still play a lot of Xbox 360 - that's where gaming peaked for me.

[El Canuck]

That's definitely a way to look at it, although I don't know if I agree that prices are dropping for loose carts, at least not in the online markets. Lukiegames.com, for instance, while having a fair selection of bargain games, (like sports titles and poor/mediocre games that haven't been made notorious by YouTube gaming channels) certainly aren't afraid to charge for anything with any semblance of value.