Featured Image Credit: Creative Commons/Jacques Mignon / reddit/NWAnowadays
A post on Reddit has reignited discussion of the ever-exploding market for old games, as collectors snap up anything worth keeping.
The post shows some PlayStation 1 boxes in a local store, complete with price tags - and it's set tongues wagging.
Some of the games on show are somewhat well-known, the likes of the Castlevania Chronicles and X-Men vs Street Fighter.
Others, though, are way more obscure - like Koudelka, an RPG that we simply can't believe many people have heard of, even if those who played it might have fond memories.
What's consistent between them, though, is some pretty hefty pricing. All of the games will set you back more than a new PS5 title, for one thing.
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Koudelka, in particular, exemplifies a crazy trend in the used market, since it's priced at a huge $69.99 and doesn't even include anything other than the disc. This likely means the box is a replacement and the manual has been lost.
So, you'd really only buy this if you're either a serious collector or you really want to play this little-known game on the original hardware.
Unsurprisingly, people are pretty disparaging in the comments under the post, including one person who wrote: "Nostalgia is one hell of a drug lol." Yep, that pretty much sums it up.
Another person observed: "Holy crap! Where did you find Koudelka for $170?!!!" This just goes to underline how you need to do your research if you're getting into collecting - knowing the difference between a fair price and a crazy one is just a matter of experience.
Equally, there are others in the comments reminding users that there are emulators and re-releases of many titles that let you access them on modern hardware, without having to pay these sorts of prices.
As the generations that played these games when they were younger hit the point where they've got disposable income, some of them might dive into collecting, but others will just want to play these old games in more convenient ways.
For example, if you have a Nintendo Switch you could pick up a Nintendo Switch Online membership - this lets you play modern games online, but also gets you access to a whole host of retro titles at no extra cost.
So, you could play old NES games or SNES titles that you remember enjoying. Equally, if you're a bit younger, it's a great way to get a grounding in where the gaming series you love today came from, including older titles in the Super Mario Bros. series, or The Legend of Zelda.
