I am often asked, usually after a guest sees the collection of game systems nesting under my TV, "Why do I hang on to so much gaming stuff?"

At first it seemed kind of ridiculous, in college I kept a Sega Genesis/CD/32X hooked up to the same TV with my PS2 and had a drawer in my desk full of Carts and a CDs. Now that I am married and in my mid-20s my TV has a NEX, Sega Genesis/CD/32X, Wii and a PS3 nesting under it. While that isn't too strange I keep a DVD rack full of PS2 & 3 games plus some Wii titles and have stuffed an ottoman and CD binder full of Carts for everything from the NES to the Playstation 1. I was asked a few years back for a TV interview how much my collection cost and I gave a rough estimate of around $2,000, just games. The reporter gasped.

It really wasn't that hard for me to crest the one hundred, two hundred and three hundred game hurtles, I don't trade stuff in. I've had people complain and complain about me not trading things in, especially around moving time. It just isn't something I do because I view each game as something I might want to play later. I don't know what type of game I might want to play on March 30th 2022. So I just kind of horde games.

I also really love old games. Most people claim that it is just nostalgia and that old games just are not as good as new ones. I disagree sure console FPSs have come a long way but some genres just never get old. When was the last time you played a platformer as good as Sonic 2 or Super Metroid? Or does the story of Final Fantasy 6 have any less impact now that we are on Final Fantasy 13? Some games just age gracefully, others not so much. The good thing about retro gaming is that hindsight is 20/20. You know that Ducktales was a really good game and it wasn't great just because of the TV show. Also as an adult you're sometimes better than you were as a kid, 6 year old me could never have beaten Mega Man 2, I couldn't make it all the way through the Baldur's Gate series with one character until I was out of college. I am not saying new games are not great, I'm just saying that the bad old games have already been sifted out so the best rise to the top.

This love of retro games and refusal to give games to Gamestop, (Let's face it you are basically giving it to them) have lead to me having one seriously swelled game collection. Have I beaten them all, no, do I plan on it, no, will I give it my best shot, yes!