Retro game prices

This included giving the games higher scores as well as grouping them into meaningless named collections. And these are only some of the accusations levied by the almost hour-long video. Moreover, the overlap between prominent sellers and company leadership is also a matter of public record.

At best, this demonstrates an apparent conflict of interest. At worst, it suggests a fraudulent conspiracy on the part of company leadership. Super Mario Bros. Share Share Tweet Email. Mario The Legend of Zelda Zelda. There's also a constant wave of nostalgia going on, which dramatically reflects the price of games.

The current wave of nostalgia mainly focuses on the PS2, GameCube, and Original Xbox era, with prices for some of those systems' games rising as we get re-releases of classic games from the period, such as Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania. The big question in many collectors' minds is whether the bubble will burst anytime soon. That's a troublesome question to answer. Indeed, with the recent scandals, true game collectors are becoming disenfranchised with collecting.

As more people join the hobby because they think it's an excellent investment, the bubble continues to grow. Finally, when the ratio between collectors and investors hits a tipping point, the bubble is going to burst. Conditions are already suitable for a burst now, but we could wait several years before the bubble bursts for real.

On the plus side, the retro game price bubble bursting will harm fewer industries than most economic bubbles do. The only people who profit from retro collecting are grading companies and auction houses, which have other areas they can fall back on.

Most collectors will be happy to see prices come down, as it will mean the ability to buy more pieces for their collections. The only actual damage done will be to those buying into collecting video games as an investment rather than a fun hobby. To these people, the bubble bursting means potentially losing a lot of money and having a primarily worthless pile of plastic and cardboard they feel no emotional attachment to.

What to Expect. And in recent months, these prices have risen even higher, more than doubling the cost of certain loose game copies at the beginning of the year. It's a phenomenon obviously tied to COVID, but also to gaming companies' poor job making old games accessible. One might think this huge increase was just due to the game's resurgence in popularity, with the recent outcry for a Thousand-Year Door remake. Of course, individual game and system prices vary, but Price Charting reports nearly every pre-seventh-generation console i.

PS2 and earlier has seen a sharp uptick in pricing for its average game and system sales since March This is the same time most of the world began taking serious action to combat the COVID pandemic , forcing many to give up their usual hobbies outside the home. In a time of uncertainty, loneliness, and boredom, it's no wonder the retro game market has seen such a boom: These old, virtual worlds can provide people with a nostalgic and immersive comfort other media types can't.