The Collector Vs Modder Vs Restorer vs Gamer.

All Different, All Important...

Most of the content on my posts is based on my thoughts and opinions about the subjects I approach. It doesn't mean it's an absolute truth and is directly related to my own experiences.

 In the several years since the inception of the concept of retro gaming,  there were several types of individuals that surfaced, adding in my perspective, a lot of richness and variety to the retro community. These archetypes came about due to different approaches related to how we perceive the ideas around nostalgia, ownership, trends, acquisition, and preservation. One way or another a particular individual that shares the interest in the gaming generations before the current one, can assume himself to be one of the archetypes, all of them, or share two or three of the traits. I don't want to create stereotypes around the subject in question, but I want to refer to the way the overall community evolved in the way it contributed to the revival and preservation of video gaming history.

A while back, someone asked me if I was a retro games collector. I answered that I didn't consider myself one, because having a proper collection of something is a synonym for pursuing every variation/ edition/ run of a certain item. For example, a proper Gameboy collector not only works in acquiring the standard consumer versions but also goes after different variations in color and country releases, as well as limited editions. This not only applies itself to consoles but also to games.

I see myself as a casual gamer. I like to play and experience the nostalgia of replaying a game or the interest of playing the games I never could when younger. Although due to financial constraints, sometimes I have to resort to the gray area of emulation or legacy compilation in new-gen consoles. But a feeling a lot of people have is one I share: playing games on original hardware. I can't quite explain it, but I think it's a bit of a ritualistic process of turning the console on, inserting the cartridge (sometimes blowing on it), picking up the controller, and just playing. Similar to feeling you have read a hardcover paper book as opposed to a digital edition. 

The main fun I have is playing. Although I find myself in the 20% modder. A modder usually likes to personalize, improve, upgrade or repurpose, giving an old device a new lease on life. Purists, avid supporters of keeping everything original, advocating only fixing and restorations, only approve the revival of old hardware with the intention of the original experience and preservation. I respect that because we need to keep gaming history alive, as it was, so future generations can experience it too…but I don't condemn modding as a bad practice. I already built a GBA Macro out of broken DS and gave the device a new life. I like to see people adding IPS screens to OG Gameboys and think that improves the user experience immensely. I think both have a place within the community. 

Conclusion: I enjoy gaming, and although respect collectors, I don't see a point of having several devices of the same nature, since I don't have time to play with all of them and keep them in top shape, instead I have a few different consoles that I enjoy playing, most of them fixed from old broken devices, others a bit modded.

By the end, what connects us all in the community is the love for retro-tech and gaming, evoking fun memories and new ways to experience the past.