The Quest: In Seach of Vintage Games

A lot of people who have fond memories of their Atari or NES would like to play them again but they just don’t know where they can find something that hasn’t been made for 30 years. Here are a few hints and tips to help you track down those oh-so-hard-to-find items.

My first tip is stay away from chain stores. Wal Mart, Target, K Mart and the like are not really even good places to buy new games. They are just big box stores. Their associates don’t have the knowledge you will find at an actual video games store. Add this to the fact that they don’t carry old games at all.

Big chain video game stores, like Game Stop are a good start, but they are geared more toward the newer game systems. You are not likely to find anything older than mid to late 1990’s games there and they are not going to have the more obscure titles that you may be searching for.

Locally owned stores are quite a bit better, but are hit and miss depending on what you are looking for. I live in Buffalo, NY and we have a great locally owned small chain called Oogie Games. They carry everything from Atari to Xbox. Their older systems and older games are hit or miss simply because they are dependant on people trading them in. A good advantage to locally owned stores is they are more likely to offer at least a short term warranty with the old games and systems they sell. I believe Oogie offers 30 days.

Thrift stores and flea markets deserve a category all their own. Thrift stores are not as reliable as flea markets as they rely on donations and most people don’t donate their video games. Flea markets are a lot better. If you find a large flea market, they may have several stands that sell vintage video games exclusively, and other stands that have the occasional system or box of old games. Another advantage is the ability to haggle and bundle items. You can often talk a flea market stand owner into a 3 for the price of 2 deal or get them to knock a couple dollars off the price of a game you have been searching for.

A category I am almost hesitant to mention is Garage Sales. That is because they are so hit or miss that they are almost not worth checking out. But if you enjoy going garage selling or enjoy checking out estate sells, then by all means try it. If you do find a system or some old games you may be able to get them for next to nothing if the person doesn’t know what they have or they simply want them out of their closet.

Before I close out this post, I feel like I have to discuss online sellers. The advantage to buying systems, and especially games, online is you can almost always find exactly what you are looking for. The biggest downside to buying online is shipping. If you find that special Atari title you have been searching for you may be able to buy it for $2 but you will end up spending another $5 in shipping. A great way to buy online is to find someone who is selling several games as one lot. You will end up paying less per game and may discover a few you never knew existed.

My final piece of advice is ask around. Ask your friends, and let them know you are interested in vintage games. I have come across situations where a friend gave me a game system he was going to just throw out during spring cleaning. They might know of other people who have old games or systems they don’t want, or know of a cool little shop they passed by a few months back. So get creative, communicate, ask questions, have fun and happy gaming!