What do you collect and what is your goal?

I mainly collect the consoles and games that appeal to me. My goal is to one day have all the games I want, and to be able to wrap up my collection and sit down for the long haul of playing everything!

When did you start collecting?

Around late 2020. Before that I had a Sega Genesis & Game Gear with the boxes & games, but they were unfortunately sold & I needed to rebuild my collection again.

How did you get the idea to collect video games/consoles?

Was really bored and kind of depressed late 2020 after COVID, I didn't know what to do with all my spare time, but I knew I loved videogames. Eventually I decided to find my old 3DS XL, and after powering it on and realizing it still had battery after two years of sitting in a drawer, I decided to check out some things. I quickly began remembering all the fun times I had with it, specifically Mario Kart 7 when I was younger, I loved that game. I then began looking into re-downloading some of my old 3DS games I had deleted from it, but then realized I was signed out of Nintendo Network. After creating a new account, I began to re-download them, which sparked my interest in other games on the 3DS. That snowballed into my Switch and Wii I still had lying around, and that holiday season I picked up an NES and began my videogame collecting journey.

What's your favorite item in your collection and why?

My original 3DS XL. I got it when I was still pretty young for Christmas of 2013, it was the Luigi 30th Anniversary Edition model. Even though it took a beating from younger me and my siblings, that thing is a fighter and is still alive. In mid-2021, one of it's hinges broke and my dumbass thought I could hot glue it back together. While that actually somehow worked, I also glued the right shoulder button to the system, making it stuck unusable permanently. Still, the console continued to power on, I don't think I've charged it in four years.

What is your most memorable collecting story/experience?

Went on vacation to my cottage last year, while down there I found a boxed copy of Startropics for $25 CAD. Of course I took it up, however on the ride home I mixed it in with a leftovers bag and salad dressing got on the bottom of the box. I spent an embarrassing amount of time not only getting the stain out, but getting the smell out. Thankfully, both are barely noticeable now.