Retro Gaming and the Art of Extorting Nostalgia

The secondhand market for any type of media used to be one of the best ways to catch up on things you missed out on; it’s not uncommon to step into a thrift store and find shelves of DVDs and VHS tapes for $1 each. As the world has grown more savvy to technology, it’s more difficult than ever to find a good deal on a hard-to-come-by item. This has gotten especially dire in the space of video games. Shopping for “retro” video games used to be one of my favorite activities. Supporting the local stores over the big boxes felt like a “two-way reward” — you helped a small business and you were able to go home with something cool in return. Sadly, the market has entered a very strange, post-pandemic lull. During the mass lockdowns, people at-large had very little to keep them occupied at home. Many turned to video games as first-time players while others chose to rekindle a love for a hobby that had long passed them by. Because of this, older titles that are rare and far out-of-print became highly sought after. In particular, the Silent Hill games that were once $20 at Gamestop a decade earlier now routinely sell for $200 each. As the years go by, these titles are finite and fewer of them exist in their complete, working forms. To put that in even greater perspective, it would cost over $2,000 to buy the entire series. Most of the time, it goes for way, way more. For the low price of a home down payment, you could own the entire series — unopened and graded. I cannot imagine spending this much on something you will never play or enjoy.  <a href="https://medium.com/@quintondmoss/retro-gaming-and-the-art-of-extorting-nostalgia-66af5a84c2c8">Click Here</a>