Video Game Collectors Started with #PacMan

Artwork by: Diego Moya

Gamers around the world have been collecting video games since the 1970s. Although it's possible the first video game (an early version of "Pong") was launched back in 1958, video games didn't truly become popular until the 1970s and 1980s.

As of 2021, video games are just as popular as ever.

By 1980, video games became the next big thing with the release of "Pac-Man" by Namco. Kids in Japan and North America loved this game. In fact, my grandmother used to play this game on the Atari 2600 with my uncle. Not bad for a woman from rural Newfoundland, right?

©Nintendo/Namco

Despite its simplistic nature, this game was quite difficult. In the early days of video games, the physical cartridges could only support so much content.

In order for the gaming experience to last a significant amount of time, games were much harder back then. Actually, I remember games being harder when I was a kid- and I was born in 1996.

©Sega. Here's one of my favourite games from the 1990s.

Not surprisingly, collectors have been gathering video games since their height of popularity.

Moreover, there are people sharing their collections on YouTube, and they just have thousands (and thousands) of physical video games.

As you can see, I have quite a few Xbox games.

As a life-long gamer myself, there's nothing like it. Watching people express their happiness through sharing their video game collections, that brings a smile to my face as well.

Thank you,

Brandon

The Modernist Son, 2020-2021.

Further Reading:

https://moneyweek.com/392564/22-may-1980-pac-man-hits-the-arcades

https://kotaku.com/deep-pocketed-collectors-are-fueling-a-retro-game-gold-1837073847

Kent, Steven (2001). "And Then There Was Pong". Ultimate History of Video Games. Three Rivers Press. pp. 40–43. ISBN0-7615-3643-4.

Ellis, David (2004). "A Brief History of Video Games". Official Price Guide to Classic Video Games. Random House. pp. 3–4. ISBN0-375-72038-3.