Why Do I Collect And Play Retro/Modern Video Games???

Please note: This is me literally putting my ideas down. Aplogies if something seems vague or nonsensical.

There is one memory that I always love to share. This memory is of great signfigance to me as a collector and how I view what a video game should offer. When I was four years old, I decided to mozy on into my oldest borthers room to see what he was up to. To my delight, he had the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time running on one of those glorious, big-boxed CRTVs and the N64 system tucked in on the shelf just underneath it. Now, my brother was always good and thoughtful to us youngins'. You see, there was three of us total in the household. Sharing gaming consoles was more or less a challenge in an of itself. But there was those rare times that my brother would let me in to his room and mess around on his N64. That is where the jounrey will begin; on the bed of my oldest brothers room holding that controller in my hand to embark on my first ever adventure.

This is a question I get asked a lot: Why do you collect all of this gaming stuff? As broad as that question can be, it's still had the same answer from my perspective no matter who's asked me. Collecting is more than just props for a cool Instagram post or to try and get sponserships. That's not what this hobby's about. To me, walking into a room that's full of bright and vibrant colors almost every single day is one of the greatest natural highs you can get. Seeing the old classics that I missed out on stacked up neatly on the shelves just begging to be played, Those childhood games that you grew up with and cherished right there and ready to go, that 4k Flat screen running a slideshow of your favorite modern Xbox games. Walking into a space that's dedicated to simply enjoying a hobby is just unreal sometimes.

Coming off of that last sentence, another main reason why I collect is that it creates a space where I can relax and put my worries aside to enjoy a nice, peaceful, sometimes rage-enducing time. Look, being grown up can be tough. You gatta get up early, go to work with your nine to five schedule, and whatever else pops up in your life that annoys you to no end. It's at those moments in life that make me happy to know that I have any system I'd want to play on, is hooked up and ready to go when I come trudging home after a long days work. We as humans need to have that outlet to use as an escape. For me; video games will always be that escape.

One thing that all gamers can agree with is the sense of unity you can get when you have video games as a passion/hobby. Online communities are such a diverse and rich variety of players all over the globe. Even across vast distances, we still connect and share in the joy of gaming and what it can be. Me personally, I love local multiplayer. For those younger gamers who may not know what that is, that's when you invite your friends over to play in the same room at the same time. To me, nothing quite beats the joy of playing Mariokart 64 Battle Mode blasting away at the other players while we munch of Nacho Cheese Durritos and chug Mountian Dew. However you multiplay, this hobby has always been a good way to bring us all together and share the good times that come with it.

There is an abundance of reasons you can say to back up this hobby. I could've gone on and on just discussing this topic. These three main reasons are always at the top of my list. Whatever your reasons may be, collecting and playing these awesome video games will always have special meaning to us all. From the OG players that started with that joystick on the Atari 2600 to the modern day PS4 Pro, video games is a fantastic hobby and has always kept me smiling.

Thank You