Tiny Diggers – An iPad Construction Truck Game for Kids Age 2-5

The Changing Face of Gaming – Part 2

This is the second article in Aeropause’s The Changing Face of Gaming series. In the previous article Death of A Salesman, I talked about how current retailers will need to compromise with publishers to ensure that they don’t get left out of online distribution. This article is based on fairly similar ideas, but I look at how online services like Wii Virtual Console and Xbox Live Arcade could affect game collectors.

Seeing as the future is one big grey area, I kinda feel like I should end the titles of these articles with question marks. You know, so that it doesn’t sound so… absolute. Then again, as explained by The Daily Show, the Media Question Mark is just a cop out so that you feel better about saying anything you want. Well I don’t have to explain myself to anyone! Keep reading for my unabashed view of why I think there are two types of games collectors and why I think one of them is going to fade away…

Two Types of Collectors

I think in the next few years we’re going to be looking at the separation of the games collector community between the casual game collector and the hardcore game collector. Yes, we tend to accept that distinction for gamers in general, so why not for game collectors?

The casual game collector is someone who likes to buy games new, keeps their games in good condition, would go to the effort of importing games, and rarely sells games that they like. They buy and play games for current systems, but probably still have their older systems and games kicking around somewhere in their basement. I guess they’re similar to all the people with budding DVD collections (who clearly aren’t still building their VHS collections). Every now and then they might stretch for a “special edition”, provided it’s not ridiculously overpriced. They’re not “investors” and they won’t tend to pay more than recommended retail price for a game.

Hardcore game collectors on the other hand probably have much more in common with hardcore collectors of other items (like comic books or trading cards). They’re the sort of people who would buy two copies of a game, one to play and one to keep in its original packaging for admiration and a possible future sale or trade. They might actually try to buy every game that comes out for a system. They might buy games from previous generations, seeking out the rare games online into the dead hours of the night.

Emulation and Online Distribution

With the move to emulation (to play games for older consoles on current consoles) and online distribution, casual game collectors could begin to change. What’s the point of keeping their Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time gold cartridge when the game is readily available (in higher resolution) and more easily accessible on their new Wii? They’ve mostly been concerned with making sure that they can enjoy their favourite games now and into the future. If there is an easier way to do this… why not take it?

Hardcore gamers on the other hand might regress and try to collect the original versions of games that gain renewed popularity online. I remember when (underground) SNES emulation was all the rage and there was a sudden spike in demand for games like Chrono-Trigger.

It’s Like One Dies and The Other Feeds On Its Carcass.

So what happens. Well, let me explain this from a personal perspective. I’m a casual game collector. I keep things in good condition and, although I buy a lot of games, I don’t make impulse purchases. I carefully think about what games I want to play and how much I would be willing to pay for them. However, I’m getting a little sick of having to bring out the old Commodore 64 just to play a bit of Paradroid. I also don’t like playing these games on a PC emulator (it’s not on the big screen and just not the same). So things like Virtual Console do appeal to me. Especially if I know that the games have been well-tested. (At least them I can rest assured that the 30 hours I’ve put into the SNES generation RPG won’t be lost when I realise the game can’t be completed with this emulator!).

What am I going to do with all my old games. I don’t really like stuff taking up space if I never use it. Plus, I’m pretty confident that these games will be available indefinitely in future at fairly minimal cost. I don’t have to keep my SNES around just to make sure that I will always be able to play those games. You know what, maybe I’ll sell them off. Ebay is looking good. Bam! There you have it: the turning point!

Will casual game collectors start shedding their collections? Will hardcore game collectors gleefully pick up the pieces? I’ve got a friend who’s been eyeing my collection of Dreamcast fighters… maybe I can score enough to offset the cost of that Playstation 3…

Update: More Thoughts

Something else of concern to collectors that I forgot to mention before: patches and downloadable content. In previous console generations, a collector could buy a game cart or disc and know that with that media and their console, they could always play that game. This is one of the great things about collecting games for consoles rather than PCs. It worked, out of the box, indefinately (unless the consoles breaks I guess). What about in future generations? Will that always be the case?

It seems that a lot of games are becoming more dependent on patches after release. This is pretty normal in the PC world. You might buy a game that’s a few months old and have to download and install a series of patches before you can play it without any problems. Not usual, but it does happen. (Vampire the Masquerade I’m looking at you!) Then there are games like the upcoming Gran Turismo HD, where you need to download tracks and cars. Sony and Microsoft are both planning on pursuing this model of downloading content tailored to how to play the game. Well, what happens when the download service isn’t available? Will the console and game disc still be useful in 10-15 years time? Or will nostalgic gaming have to occur on the latest console at the time, in the latest version of the new online service? (Note: I used to play a lot of Phantasy Star Online for the Dreamcast and I was pretty cut up when they shut down the servers )

Keep an eye out for the final chapter in this three part article series: Death of the Independent Gamer exclusively here on Aeropause!

Title image a homage to the Greatest Video Game Collection EVAR and Strong Bad Email #94 “Videogames”