Exposing fraud and deception in the retro video game market

[Tanooki]

4 hours ago, jeremiahjt said:

I mean that makes sense. If there are going to be VHS tapes that are worth money, which is more likely? The VHS tapes that are worth money are the rare, hard to find, holy grail collector's pieces like every other collectible before WATA started grading video games? Or the VHS tapes from the most popular movies that sold the most copies, have the most copies still sealed and unopened all these years later, and are easiest to find and therefore have money spent to grade them like video games after WATA showed up? I mean obviously the latter situation is much more likely the result of an organic and natural progression of the market. Definitely not something manipulated by some speculators.

I'm very aware of it, there are some real cult gems of the 80s never put to a DVD or later, they're just lost basically unless someone makes a transfer or stuffs it quietly on youtube hoping not to get caught.  My pointing it out was the expensive ones they grade as so called rare gems are the mass market hugely printed over and over VHS stuff like Back to the Future that went into the 10s thousands.  That's crap.  It's the same garbage they've pulled with games, as if there aren't a good many Mario 64 carts out there still sealed up, but worth a couple million dollars?!  Hah, nope, except that one sucker they reeled in.

[dudeguy]

On 7/2/2022 at 9:11 AM, youxia said:

This is not really a good argument, because I wouldn't pay even 1$ for a baseball card or a Pokemon figurine, and yet there are people going gaga for these things, and I can understand that. Similarly, VHS was the first time video media became available to general public on a mass scale, and so these releases can also be important cultural artifacts, or collector's items for various reasons - the recording quality has nothing to do with it.

 

The real problem is not with collecting itself (of anything), but with speculectors moving in and trying to artificially distort the market and profit from such shady moves.

first time available for rental stores to own and then rent to the general public. VHS tapes in the 80s had cost a small fortune.

 

film prints of the original releases are actually worth something to me since they are not gimped down or fucked up compared to the original in any way (unless there is physical deterioration or damage)

 

for me, the only nostalgia i have with VHS is just renting them from the local video store  I rarely saw anything in its original case. it usually wouldve been where they cut the front of the VHS box and put it in a clear clamshell case.

 

and from what Ive heard, VHS tape degrades a little bit every time you watch it. I guess if some people like it, more power to them.a lot of people dont understand why I still buy 30 year old video games. to each his own

 

well I guess the pin connectors get a little worn each time on cartridge games but I think its exaggerated.ive never heard of a game that was reinserted so many times that it no longer works

Edited July 4, 2022 by dudeguy