How much has your VG hobby cost you?

[Alienblue]

This is life, you may think it funny
You can aquire infinite money
And that is ok, that is just fine
But remember: ALL of us have a limited time!

So same here, Not only would I rather not know, it really is impossible to calculate. I mean, you want me to add up every System, console and stand alone game I bought since 1982, AND add all the quarters/Dollars spent on Coin-op games AND lets not forget online and Peripheral items like VG magazines, the cost of the internet, etc..,etc....up to Pokemon Plushies?!!!!

I am a VERY poor person but starting with that $69.00 Coleco tabletop pac man, then galaxian, then $179.00 2600 which I aquired at least $800 in games for before I got that $189.00 COLECOVISION ..... and every one of those were SOLD, only to be repurchased later for LESS money so do I subtract what I got for them and add....this is way too confusing! I mean, ballpark figure I'm guessing over $5,000 changed hands in my lifetime counting computers and such, maybe even $15,000 or more! But even though I have a HUGE VG collection now it is not worth even $3,000 in money.

How much is my hobbey worth in TIME SPENT ENJOYING MYSELF +
LEARNING NEW THINGS + MAKING VG FREINDS? easy. PRICELESS.

[wur1]

[QUOTE=m0zart][QUOTE=Leo Ames]

I'd rather not know.

[/QUOTE]

Same here.

[/QUOTE]

Evasion!

[Nihilum]

  Some of you need to have a chat with your local shrink... Totals amounting to over $5,000.00? Do you buy arcade machines? Or, perhaps, not have a life (excluding a virtual one)? However, do I honestly have any room to say anything? Cough... World of Warcraft... Cough.

I did round off a PC total: $9,900.00

My PC is customized.

I just guessed on the console total: $800 - $1000.

NOT INCLUDING GIFTS.  

[Guy]

Over the last 24 years I have spent around $40,000.

[Hovering Sheep]

[QUOTE=Nihilum]  Some of you need to have a chat with your local shrink... Totals amounting to over $5,000.00?
[/QUOTE]

Look at this way. If you've been gaming for 10 years, $5,000 is only $500 per year. If it was spread out over 20 years, that's only $250 per year. Some systems cost more than $250 alone... I hardly think this warrants anything remotely as dramatic as visiting a shrink.

[Tourian]

[QUOTE=Hovering Sheep][QUOTE=Nihilum]  Some of you need to have a chat with your local shrink... Totals amounting to over $5,000.00?
[/QUOTE]

Look at this way. If you've been gaming for 10 years, $5,000 is only $500 per year. If it was spread out over 20 years, that's only $250 per year. Some systems cost more than $250 alone... I hardly think this warrants anything remotely as dramatic as visiting a shrink.
[/QUOTE]

That's some good math Hovering Sheep.  And that $250-500 is only 5-10 new games a year.  I think most of us spend more than we think, on everything.

[Tourian]

IGN puts my collection worth $12,492 + 15 systems.  I can't verify the estimate as I haven't been saving all my receipts.

[pfccypret]

No idea, since I personally scrapped up christmas and birthday money to buy my own games until now, I'd say probably $5000. Currently, I probably spend $100 a month.

[scotland]

In reading a book from the mid 80s, it reminded me of how expensive the hobby was. Game cartridges cost me about what games still cost me, but that was in 1980 dollars, 35 years ago. The hardware was more expensive still, especially with 8 bit computers and peripherals. In 1985, a laser printer coming in under $2000 was a big story.

How much have I spent on my hobby? That is a question I am not sure I want to figure out -- its like figuring out how much TV you've watched during a year, and realizing how much of your life you are spending on tv. I am not a collector in that I don't care about boxes or CIB or NIB or rare games really. I like having shelves of cartridges, but if the boxes are missing or they don't have the plastic sleeve or manual or a label is not perfect, I'm fine with that. I've bought bunches of loose carts at garage sales. My trouble is I keep what I buy. Is my collection now worth more than I paid for it?

How much do you think you have spent on your collection? How much do you think its worth? (I know some of you trade things in, so you have different calcuations to make).

[Rev]

It's kind of a scary thought to try and do the math. I have over 1700 games currently. Even if I grossly undervalued my collection and said each game was worth 5 dollars I'd still come to 8500 dollars. Since I have many rare titles worth more than a current Xbox one or ps4 it probably shoots up to around 20k or so.