The biggest game room collection!

[neorichieb1971]

I saw this video a few months ago. Astounding.

Has the nerve to say he isn't rich LMFAO!

Sorry if its been posted before.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sjjGblGtiU

edit - Lots of nostalgic value in this video.

[MintyTheCat]

It's not the size and girth that counts

- ask your wife
He will have a tremendous amount of pap and tat in that collection. If you have plenty of space, time and "just like collecting" then by all means. For me personally, I prefer to have quality over quantity and there's a lot of poor titles. Owning a collection that you really appreciate though is a matter of pride and effort. I never understand completionists who having collected all titles sell it off - I understand the money side of it but there are better ways to make money than selling a complete collection. To each their own though.

[Cee]

ask your wife

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBWuDhIv9B0

[Ji-L87]

Oh wow. I haven't seen a Last Gamer vid since....what feels like forever. I think he was moving houses last time I stumbled upon his content...
Now, credit where credit is due: that is laid out and presented much better than most game rooms I've seen.
It's also way too much

The gaming areas are really nice however. I'd like to have something like that except much smaller in size. I never get why some must collect all games for system, seems like such a waste of money and shelf space.

Edit: It's actually really nice, having watched more of the video. The Mega Drive section is lovely as is the SFC and computer section. Despite my initial criticism, I'd love to poke around for a bit. Nice with the white furniture as well. I just moved my classic games into a white Billy shelf with glass doors the other day and it turned out great.

[neorichieb1971]

I don't have a clue how anyone who likes games can accumulate all that, buy a Nissan Skyline, have what looks like a basement that is bigger than Tennis court (God knows whats above) and get all that on a working mans salary. He also has a family, probably goes on nice holidays and heavens knows what else, and then say he is only asset rich.

I wonder if you wanted to buy all that off him how much you would need? How much does the die hardest collector need to spend to accumulate a really huge collection like that?

I don't think its really as much as most of us would think. Would £1.5 million do it with change?

[Ji-L87]

Yeah, I remember him having some fancy cars, among other things

I guess I'm just slightly annoyed (and jealous) at his success (?) and given the space would've love to try and recreate something like the Ridge Racer Full Scale and similar arcade experiences instead...perhaps something like the big versions of Galaxian 3 or something. ...or maybe that's a bit too grand, although I recently read about a guy who managed to install the smaller version in his private arcade space.

...but I would probably get tired of it in the end and feel that I wasted my money

[Xyga]

First I really get how it's totally manageable to get that big a collection without being 'rich', he's right; dedicate your free time and money for 2~3 decades up until the early 2000's, it's only in the past decade that prices have globally become ridiculous after all.
Still requires a decent steady income though.

Second I'm not impressed by completionist stuff, I don't get the point to aim for full sets and therefore acquire tons of kusoge in the process. Also freaking doubles, triples, quadruples etc because of all the multi-platform ports; just get the best one period.
Also I see it's full of JP titles unplayable for non-japanese speakers - maybe I've missed it but - does he at least understand Japanese so he can play those ?
I like more 'treasure trove' collections with only rare and cherry-picked/educated stuff all with a story. Sure that guy's certainly got plenty of that too but it's clearly not the focus.

Third I was more impressed with some private arcades I've been to, including one bigger than that game room that looks like a store.

[DoomsDave]

He has a lot of great connections that many people don't know about it. He has been in contact with people in Japan about importing games for almost 30 years and has friends at publishers like Capcom.

[Xyga]

And? lots of us know people in Japan as well, we got tons of stuff and info this way over the years, doesn't mean every big collector around can read and speak Japanese.
But that's not the issue, personally the games that really require a good understanding of the language to be played; I never thought about buying them for my collection just for the sake of owning/completing, that's silly IMHO.
Right, not everyone has the same goals/desires when it comes to collecting stuff...

[FinalBaton]

I also don't care for full sets. I much prefer a curated library of games. Not only does it mean you don't have a shitload of crap games on your shelf like it's the case with completionists, but it also shows your personnality; by seeing what games you like, one can also get a glimpse of your tastes in games(and in art in general).

Also whenever I have a copy of a game I don't play much, I can't stand to have it around. I much rather sell it if it's not gonna get any playtime, and put that money elsewhere.

[DoomsDave]

And? lots of us know people in Japan as well, we got tons of stuff and info this way over the years, doesn't mean every big collector around can read and speak Japanese.
But that's not the issue, personally the games that really require a good understanding of the language to be played; I never thought about buying them for my collection just for the sake of owning/completing, that's silly IMHO.
Right, not everyone has the same goals/desires when it comes to collecting stuff...

Did you miss the 30 years part? My point was that in the 80s when there was no internet, having contacts send you crates of games is a large reason he has so many older titles that are pricey these days. That type of thing is common now but in the 80s and 90s not so much. I don't care about full sets either and think this guy is a bit of a knob, I was just explaining how he got it. I obviously know that knowing people in Japan isn't a rare thing for a forum dedicated to shmups.

Also fwiw this guy has an ebay store but mostly stupid high prices.

I have a lot of games but I don't know if I would consider myself a collector, I just buy shit I want to play.

[Xyga]

yeah didn't really get what you meant. so yes indeed it wasn't common at the time, it was mainly people who were doing business like retail store or arcades owners with supplier contacts in JP/HK and shit.
if you wanted specific new import stuff or early priced rarities in the late 90's/early 2000's retrogaming boom, you had to go through them (I hated that)

[cvaniafan]

Another great collection, a friend of mine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyKUknFatQM

[sven666]

I like watching the last gamer vlogs.. i dont care so much about the games (just masses and masses of games do not impress me) but its a sneak peak into Joels psyche aswell, this dude is constantly rearanging his house and his collection and always seems to think he's found the ultimate solution its almost comical!
Hes also a genuine collector with passion and interest beyond the value of games and amassing loats of games (altho he sometimes talks about that aswell).

cvaniafan> man what a crazy collection, very uniqe, must a blast to walk around in that little maze!

[MintyTheCat]

Another great collection, a friend of mine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyKUknFatQM

He must be wired for compulsion. The dusting alone would give me concerns Looks more like a toy shop really

I think we all, each of us, have to come to terms with the material aspects of collecting. Do we have the space for it all? Can we safely keep it all and maintain the condition? Is it all necessary? What does this tell us about our own heads - why do we collect this much?

For me, I love the artwork for Shmups but I play mine. I am not really a collector; I have a collection sure, but it is not the 'goal' so to speak. I tend to find that many of the collectors I have met are not really very good at playing the games. I suppose it is kind of akin to lovers and mistresses: do you need many, many of them or are you quite content with one or two?

[cvaniafan]

Another great collection, a friend of mine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyKUknFatQM

He must be wired for compulsion. The dusting alone would give me concerns Looks more like a toy shop really

I think we all, each of us, have to come to terms with the material aspects of collecting. Do we have the space for it all? Can we safely keep it all and maintain the condition? Is it all necessary? What does this tell us about our own heads - why do we collect this much?

I can't see the point of all the questioning and concerns... It's passion, and that's it Good for him if he can afford it and this hobby brings him some joy ! It's pleasing for many other peeps to visit and see a nice collection !

[MintyTheCat]

Another great collection, a friend of mine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyKUknFatQM

He must be wired for compulsion. The dusting alone would give me concerns Looks more like a toy shop really

I think we all, each of us, have to come to terms with the material aspects of collecting. Do we have the space for it all? Can we safely keep it all and maintain the condition? Is it all necessary? What does this tell us about our own heads - why do we collect this much?

I can't see the point of all the questioning and concerns... It's passion, and that's it Good for him if he can afford it and this hobby brings him some joy ! It's pleasing for many other peeps to visit and see a nice collection !

It raises some practical questions and kind of makes someone work out their own motivations for amassing a collection on that scale Personally, I would not see it as an investment but more as a hobby. But his place doesn't half look cluttered to me. I actually keep most of my games stored away and never have anything on display - we are all different though.

I actually get more from looking at the covers and spines of books, albums for music and films than I get from videogames as it happens.

[FinalBaton]

For my part, I'm just not impressed by it(don't find it especially cool) and can't see myself ever doing that(it has me puzzled and wondering why people would do that), but if it makes the guy happy then by all means he should do it

[Vurpa]

Trying not to sound too negative but I don't get owning complete sets which this guy seems so SET on (pun intended). Hypocrite that I am almost got one of the Saturn in PAL but that just sort of happened back when it was cheap.

So many games that just...aren't good. Coupled with japanese RPG's he doesn't understand. Full japanese DC and Saturn set with a bunch of dating sims...just why? I can understand owning full shmup/2D-fighter collections, more condensed even if some are duds, but full sets with multiple, outdated versions of FIFA...

Seems so OCD but then having new boxes made for MVS seems like the opposite.

It all looks cool though for sure. Seems rich enough to me the room alone is huge.

[BIL]

Only watched a bit, up to his MD shelf - like others above, I don't find fullsets very interesting (though I certainly respect the sheer endeavour apparent here). I was pleasantly surprised by his commentary and picks, however - Tatsujin, Forgotten Worlds and Crude Buster plus Super Shinobi is a fine snapshot of the MD's demi-arcade side. I like that they're mostly staple titles too (maybe not CB, these days). I'd have been tempted to swap in Slap Fight MD, Chelnov and Alien Soldier for a little extra willy-waving collector cred. But then, he'd already blasted everyone else off the stage with that MD Tetris.

Seems like a cool guy. It's the fullsetters who sound utterly miserable that I find alternately pitiful and hilarious. Absorbing tons of crummy sports games and licensed garbage is one thing, but complaining about it too? Muhfucka why you doin it to yourself?!

[MintyTheCat]

stage with that MD Tetris

The first question I asked an eager collector in England a few years ago when the "collect it all" craze was rearing up: "what about Tetris?". I got the impression he had not thought that far ahead. Time to get those gold bars out

You reminded me of seeing shelves of Fifa Soccer in the mid to late 90s, Bil - no one wanted them We used to target Italia '90 as a sacrificial cart for making Gley Lancer and Eliminate Down - and they were everywhere to be found - one seller cottoned on that suddenly Italia '90 was 'in demand' due to us and he tried to charge us top rate for it - we laughed and walked away - nice try A friend of mine built his own battery-backed cart and he would attach it to the PC's Paralell port (ah the Parallel Port... ) and after a few minutes you'd have the ROM image written to the memory. This was the very late 90s - seems like a different world. I was using Flash back then as I hated UV boxes and EPROMs but my friend used what he had at the time and it was pretty cool.