Classic Gaming Price Guide

[StanJr]

The first issue of Manci games has me thinking, is there enough movement in the prices of classic video games to warrant a price guide more often than annually? Rarity and demand seem to change SLOWLY in this hobby unlike say baseball cards or comic books 15 years ago when a particular comic/card could jump or drop as much as $10 in a month.

 

Or is the DP price guide in Manci not going to be a regular feature, and my point is moot?

 

[Ze_ro]

Honestly, although I really like the Digital Press, and I look forward to my copy of Manci coming in the mail any day now, I'd rather there weren't any price guides for classic video games.

 

Sports cards were ruined by this. Things were no longer worth what people decided they were worth. They were worth what "The Guide" told them they were worth. Video games should be worth what you are willing to pay for them, not what some editor tells you.

 

I can't possibly see this as a benefit to the hobby. The day I go to the flea market and see all the video game tables with a copy of the DP Guide under the table will probably be the day I give up on all this. It's bad enough when these people try the old "I can get more for it on eBay" line when you try to haggle.

 

--Zero

[intvgene]

I can't count the number of pawn shops with the Ebay computer behind the counter. With increasing celphone use, wi-fi technology, etc, is the future of this hobby threatened by ANY printed guide? But, I totally agree that it is going to suck the life out of the hobby.. at least collecting in the wild. I just think that Ebay is the driving force, not the price guides.

 

As for Stan's point, I really don't think that rarity for the most part changes that quickly, at least not more than a handful of titles. Maybe those are the only ones that will be in the Manci mag in each month?

[christianscott27]

there just arent enough dedicated game dealers out there for this to take off the way baseball cards and comics did. most indy game shops already charge the max they can get away with and i dont see them lowering the price on that NES final fantasy cart cause a guide says its worth X. manci and dp reach the hardcores, most of time i'm buying games from people who talk about ebay prices but in reality are too clueless to run an auction or seek out a price guide. i'm not too worried, i like guides to help me figure out whats a fair trade, beyond that i take them with a grain of salt.

[sku_u]

I think the price guide is a waste and I'd like to see it dropped in future issues of Manci Games. It'd be much nicer to see a prototype corner or some technical information about the systems. I liked the first issue of Manci Games. I thought it was a good first effort. However, I didn't see the point of having a rarity guide or in mentioning the game pitfall in three different articles. I got that the author liked this game a lot the first time around. Other than that, I'm looking forward to future issues of this magazine.

[MegaManFan]

Regardless of Manci (haven't seen it) or DP (the only one I have is 2-3 years old and is used), I think we have to accept that price guides are a "necessary evil" because they're often the only good way to determine a fair trade. I worked out a deal with an AA member to get some NES games in exchange for 2600 carts, and since it was a large quantity of items on either side and neither of us knew the fair value using a guide ensured we would both be happy getting a good deal out of our end of the swap. You can always do this without a guide of course, just by general "feel" of what you see a game go for on eBay or in the marketplace of AA or RGVC, or you can always say f#%k it and trade carts 1 for 1 regardless of their worth, but there are times in life where a price guide really does help simplify transactions.

[chrisbid]

are rarity guides in general based on any hard facts such as number of copies printed and/or sold? i would imagine that kindof information is tough to come by since many of the publishers of the day are out of business, and the ones that are, hardly have any records from the day. Then you have the demand issue, should a high rarity ranking automatically increase demand for the game? The hobby is bound to grow, and the prices will go up. The nice thing about the hobby is that unlike baseball cards, with a moderately low amount of cash, a person can still get a four switch atari and several of the best games made for the system for the cost of one current video game. Once a person crosses the threshold of collecting for the sake of collecting, then you lose the right to complain about the price of things.

[StanJr]

Rarity guides are not a problem, its the PRICE guide that gives me pause.

 

I think RARITY guides are EXCELLENT for determining the fairness of a trade, when you start getting into $$$ the trade can get more touchy. You can trade two rarity 6 games even swap, or you can bicker over the fact that Spy Hunter gets $40 while Spacemaster X-7 only gets about $25.

 

And again, the idea of a PRICE GUIDE is to track an ever changing market, and I just don't see the classic gaming market as that fluctuating to warrant a monthy or even quarterly guide.