Retro gaming is a chance to relive a moment from the past if you had a console ranging from the Sony Playstaion 2, Sega Dreamcast, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, or even the Atari 2600. If you grew up with any video game console as a kid, chances are you missed out on a few titles you really want to play but just couldn't for reasons ranging from not being old enough to play them, not being able to afford them, or having to pick another game over that one. Retro gaming gives you a chance to play those games, usually cheaper compared to when they first sold at retail.
When it comes to getting into retro gaming, the best place to start is with the console or consoles you grew up with. If you are new to gaming altogether, then it is reccomended to start with the consoles of the previous console generation. Currently, the next video game console generation is about to coomence, and consoles like the Sony PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Xbox One will become very cheap to obtain, which mean that the games will become really cheap with decent titles almost guaranteed to sell for less than $30 to $20 compared to $60 to $70 plus when buy games brand new.
As for knowing where to start if you just got into retro game collecting, then I would reccomend watching a buying guide or retrospectives on the console you wish to collect for.
It depends on what consoles and games you wish to collect, but there are certain titles that become very valuable on the used game market. These types of games can reach values and prices high than most new games. The values can reach up to Hundreds or even Tens of Thousands of Dollars American.
The value of a retro game is attributed to various factors including scarecity, its reception with the public and critics upon its original release, popularity, condition of the physical game in question, resurgence in popularity of a game or game franchise, and if it a landmark in video game history or was innovative for its genre.
An example of consoles that are getting incresingly expensive to collect for would have to be the Sega Saturn, with most of its library of quality games going for hundreds of dollars, and in the case of games like Panzer Dragoon Saga for over $1,000 in some cases because it is that scarce and treasured by gamers and collectors alike.
When it comes to looking for retro games, I would first look at the current prices for the games you are looking for particularly how much they have sold in the most recent transactions on sites like Ebay, Gamestop, and Amazon. There is a website called pricecharting.com.
Visit PriceCharting.com to find out how much a retro game you are looking for is worth!This site catelogs the values of all retro games up to the current generation of video games, this is an invaluable resource when trying to figure out if the game you are looking at is worth the sticker price at the second hand marketplace. The site also posts prices for just the game manuals, and the box by itself.
This site sets the prices of retrogames in 4 categories, the cheapest
being just the video game disc which is perfect if you aren't serious
about collecting but want to play the games and not pay large sums of
money to do so. Then there is complete in the box, as in it is the game
disc in the correct case with the box art and all the manuals and paper
that originally came with it, if one or all of these items are missing
then the value of the item will be reduced, this is for those who want to
both collect and play these games.
The high categories are complete and sealed in the packaging which means
that the game has never been opened or played ever because it is still
wrapped in its shrink wrap, those games or more of a collectors item
because of their prestine condition and always sell very high on the
second hand market, and will usually end up in ones personal collection or
museum. The last category is what is known as graded, as in the game has
been apraised and graded by a professional and in encased in a plexiglass
shell with its grade from 1 to 10 along with the experts assesment similar
to antique coins and baseball cards. Which means they are seen as top
collectors items.