Ah, yes, the thrill of the hunt. It is a feeling I know all too well.

Let’s take it back, 20 years ago.

I was 12, and I just made a big mistake…

(20 years ago? Jesus, that’s really making me feel old.)

The eBay logo in 2001

That’s right. I had a rare game and didn’t even know it

After a recent introduction to the world of emulation, I made the foolish decision to put up my childhood video game collection on eBay. A collection consisting of some real gems like a Top Loader NES, Lost Vikings II, Mickey’s Adventure in Numberland, Jimmy Connor’s Tennis, and one of the holy grails of NES collecting: Bonk’s Adventure. At the time, I looked at all this junk in my room gathering dust and thought, “What use do I have for this stuff? I can play all of this and more with the click of a mouse button.”

It took less than two years for me to realize the mistake I made. But why is it that having consoles and game cartridges/discs is so much better than having limitless ROMs on your PC?

It’s that thrill of the hunt; the thrill you get when you score that item you’ve been looking for.

See, having stuff is nice. It’s fun to have things you can put on display – physical objects you collect to show off to friends, relatives, and anyone else who enters your domain (including burglars!). But it’s more than simply possessing a game. If that were all it was about, those ROMs would be enough. There’s so much more behind physical, collectible media.

Owning something to put on your shelf is a trophy. It’s a piece of history. But most importantly, it’s a story. Nobody wants to hear the story behind you downloading a file. But that one time you were out at a flea market, yard sale, thrift shop – or even a buddy’s house, and found a game, system, or item on your list… now that’s a story worth telling.

Once I was at a friend of a friend’s house and saw two SNES games randomly sitting in his entertainment center. I thought to myself, “I hope one of those is Earthworm Jim,” but knew that in all likelihood one would be Super Mario World, and another would be something like Mortal Kombat or a random baseball game.

Lo and behold, the first game was Mortal Kombat II. And the second was-

No.

It can’t be.

It is!

It was Earthworm Jim! And the owner sold it to me for a cool $5.

Now, whenever I look at my copy of Earthworm Jim for Super Nintendo, I see that story in the cartridge. I also see a great display piece with fantastic artwork, adding a certain pride to my collection of games.

Finding the exact thing you’re looking for and then getting it for a steal? That is what it’s all about, my friends.

There is no feeling like it.

When I first began collecting in 2003-2004, flea markets were breeding grounds for deals. Smartphones were still about 3-4 years away from ruining everything and people wanted to sell stuff quickly to those who were eager enough to buy. Games from the 8-bit and 16-bit era regularly sold 2 for $5, or $2 apiece depending on the vendor. It was a great time to bulk up as sellers wanted to unload as much as possible, and buyers could get great deals.

As the years went on and the phones became smarter, the focus shifted from making quick money to getting full value. Prices went up as interest grew, and the thrill of the hunt became more significant. The stakes skyrocketed as competition exploded beyond reason. Indeed, as video games were more sought after, finding a hidden gem at a great price (a price you could actually afford while keeping all your organs) elevated to one of the great highs in life.

The score.

So next time you look at that clutter in your game room, remember what you went through to accumulate those material possessions. Remember the stories – the driving, the searching, and the negotiating. Remember that thrilling moment when your heart leaped as you uncovered a piece of history and were granted exclusive access by negotiating a great deal. Never forget the thrill of the hunt, because that is what separates physical gaming from digital gaming.