In 1983, when the console games market
got flooded with old technology and poor-quality titles, it
collapsed like an overflowing New Mexico landfill (which is where
Atari cartridges reportedly go to die). At that point, serious
gamers, faced with no other choice, turned to the PC for their
interactive entertainment, which helped boost the market. Alas, the
Golden Age ended in 1991, when Intel-based machines all but squashed
the competition, and the industry grew to a point where it was
considered a big business. By this time, games were produced in
large enough quantities so that they became less valuable as
collectibles.
For the purposes of historical value, however, I'm focusing on
the following PC product lines: Apple II, Atari 8-bit (400, 800, and
so on), Texas Instruments TI 99/4A, Commodore VIC-20, Commodore 64,
Atari ST, and Commodore Amiga. These platforms were state of the art
and popular for gaming at one point during the Golden Age. (Hey, I
was subsidizing my addiction back then by working in software
retail, so I have some expertise here.)
Before computer game collecting can be taken as seriously as
Beanie Baby collecting, an individual or organization needs to
formalize the hobby. We need to devise and adopt lists that track
computer games, their rarity, and their condition. The process could
be similar to the model used for collecting baseball cards, which
relies on Beckett
Magazine (and others) to be the authority on these issues.
Without a formalized structure, however, computer games are worth
whatever collectors are willing to pay for them, and the only real
experts are the people who hang around the proper newsgroups and
auctions. A few rarity lists do exist on the Internet, but they are
mostly restricted to cartridges.
One of the advantages of not having a blue book system is that
most people aren't taking game collecting seriously--for now. If a
guy found an original Babe Ruth baseball card in his attic, he'd
likely guess that it would be worth some money to a collector.
However, if he came across an original Akalabeth in his attic, he
probably would sell it at a garage sale, or worse, trash it. Classic
games can still be found for $5 or even less; some of my best pieces
were found at flea markets sitting next to piles of broken dolls and
old Hot Wheels.
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