My Gaming Collection

I started my gaming journey in 1982 with the Atari 2600 and a handful of games. The graphics were simple and controls were basic but I had discovered something revolutionary. I would hurry home after school get my homework done and play games almost every night.Pitfall,Yars Revenge and Berzerk were games I couldn't stop playing. 2 years passed and the more powerful Atari 7800 was out and I had to have it. The games were a lot more advanced and fun. Robotron 2084, Karateka and Ballblazer were amazing games. But the rumor mill started about another game company about to release a new more advanced machine called the Nintendo Entertainment System and I was most intrigued,pictures came out showing larger cartridges and funny stick less controllers that looked like a rectangular pad with buttons and a directional pad. What was this Nintendo? Could it really be better than my two Ataris? Christmas of 1987 I got my first taste of the mighty NES and super Mario bros. I was changed forever, there were levels after levels and a storyline and warp zones and it was marvelous ! I had some xmas money and the first game I ever bought for my NES was The Legend of Zelda. The gold cartridge, the huge instruction book and full color map let me know right away I was in for a huge adventure. I played that game for months doing every quest, finding every item and beating every castle. Then once I finished the game I found out there was a second more difficult quest and again I was off . Another NES title that captivated me was Mike Tysons Punch Out, a game I was so fond of it pics are in my Twitter bio page right now. I had so much fun as the little challenger going up against the huge champion boxers and just hoping I could fight Mike Tyson, after months of figuring out each move set I somehow made it to the dream match against Tyson only to be whipped in less than 30 seconds! Time after time I tried and failed, I even have the code to go straight to Tyson memorized even today, 007-373-5963, I was on a mission to beat one of the hardest bosses in a game ever, after trying more times than I can count I finally defeated Mike Tyson! One of my greatest achievements still today. I learned his move set so well I could beat him over and over with no problems, years have gone by now and I don't play the game near as much and have lost my magic in beating him now, but can always say I did. Gaming generation after generation I'd buy the next big system and games and it became a hobby I invested hours of time into. I didn't find myself as a serious collector until a few years ago when I decided I wanted to go back and get the systems I once had along with the games. And then it hit me, what about getting the systems and games I never owned or played? I was on a mission and found myself hitting garage sales, thrift stores and pawn shops for whatever I could find. I now own 19 different working systems and over 900 games ranging from every generation to the most current systems available. In my collection I have a few that are special to me, I have the original punch out NES cartridge I talked so much about earlier, I have a complete in box Japanese version of Chrono Trigger for theSsuper Famicom. And my personal favourite, a game that wasn't sold in stores but was only a rental exclusive, the 1993 madden NFL championship edition for the Sega genesis. I still have several systems to track down along with a huge list of games I want to play and own. But there's no rush , that's the fun in this hobby. I never know what I'm going to find or run across at the different places I shop. I really love the physical media of games and hate the fact that we are slowly getting closer to all digital downloads, it's just not the same as owning the game case, instruction manual and cartridge or disc. But as long as there's a market for the older games I will always be able to relive the nostalgia of my favourite hobby. I'm not into this hobby to make money or sell the rarer games for outrageous prices, these games are for me and someday to pass along to my kids, I love the artistry the developers have created with each game and do consider this medium as art. Some games are better than others like the last of us or shadow of the colossus then there's the simplicity of games like dig dug or ms pac man, but the common thread of all these games is having fun. Enjoy gaming while we still have it ! The Champ @jsquyres33

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