Keeping the Old, Making Room for the New

With innovative gaming genres that contained characters now etched in time, games like Super Mario Brothers and The Legend of Zelda were so influential and such landmarks to what we have now that they still define an era of original role-playing games. The gratitude for these iconic games are well-to-do web sites and various retail stores who buy games from gamers, and then sell them back to other gamers. And with comic books and sports memorabilia getting auctioned off for top dollar, you would think collectors would do the same for original games. So selling them must be worth it, right?

The gaming world continues to attempt conquering the entertainment industry, despite current economic woes. But these days it seems everyone has a stake in the gaming world and has an opinion about what the future holds. As any gamer older than 19 probably knows, the gaming experience of the early to mid-1990s was a time to experiment, enjoy and grow to love gaming. That is why getting rid of old games feels like re-selling school books; you spend a fortune over the years on these must-have products, just to sell them back to the store for next to nothing.

As a result, collectors only have to reach into their piggy banks to grab some of Nintendo, Sega and Playstation’s most famous and respected games. Unless you’re selling Madden 2009 or Soul Calibur IV brand new, you will be sure to get, at the most, half of what you originally paid. And that amount only decreases when games are physically “damaged,” (i.e., played). So in the long run, you’d probably want to keep that old Crash Bandicoot Racing instead of taking it to a specialty store where you’ll only get around four dollars for each game—granted it’s not “damaged.”

Gaming has partly developed into a cult passion for the PC gaming world, an all-day TV marathon for the G4 network faithful and rocked-out 80s bands looking to cash in on their next album in Guitar Hero; and let’s not forget about the Madden Nation watching on ESPN 2 for four hours. The gaming industry has come a long way since the hailed days of Super Punch Out and Sonic. But this trend has not shown through in money-back sales from consumers. According to GameStop, the money back policy depends on the game’s popularity, its year and its ability to be sold.

So if you’re looking for some quick cash, try giving some blood at a blood bank or selling your hair, because you can get those things in full for free. But if you’re a gamer who constantly anticipates a new game’s release, it will not be easy to part with that Final Fantasy collection or that Star Wars game. Is the little money you’ll get back (and you’ll probably spend right away) worth giving up memories? No. Keep those games. Keep them for the ever-famous “just in case” situation, because you never know when you’ll get the urge to kill some time with Dreamcast’s Crazy Taxi.