Interesting article about what the next generation will collect

[snitzer]

Whoop! caught you mid edit. I'm actually going to steer away from the superhero fare for coloring books I think. Don't want to push the kid that way if he isn't into it, Dad will already have too many geeky things around the house for the kid's own good. A lot of those Harvey books had very clean lines that would be fun for coloring though. Thanks for the idea.

 

Now if they only had Harvey related PJs for kids

[Bronty]

Whoop! caught you mid edit. I'm actually going to steer away from the superhero fare for coloring books I think. Don't want to push the kid that way if he isn't into it, Dad will already have too many geeky things around the house for the kid's own good. A lot of those Harvey books had very clean lines that would be fun for coloring though. Thanks for the idea.

 

Now if they only had Harvey related PJs for kids

 

You said it!

[Bronty]

I have and still do maintain that collecting videogame cartridges is likely to always be a niche hobby. I'm not suggesting for a moment it will go away or that prices won't escalate for certain items, but I doubt it will ever spawn the kind of collecting industry that, say, comics have. Videogames will thrive, but the collecting of them in the way *we* think of collecting (not just keeping old cartridges in the closet as you replace them with new games and consoles) - it will never get there, IMO.

 

It's already is there.

 

 

We forget sometimes that comic collecting is kind of a niche hobby itself.

 

There are only 15000 users on this site (50% shills and coinees in that figure, probably).

 

That's not nearly as many as I would have thought... and to say that games will stay niche *as compared to comics*, I really don't think so. I think the number of collectors will be there no problem because there aren't that many comic collectors, really. Whether they will spend the same kind of $$$$ on their hobby or be satisfied with cheap purchases... well that's the magic question. The scope and infrastructure of the hobby (which is what gene is talking about I think- things like gpa and heritage and dealer websites and all the rest) is pretty much all about $$$$ in the final analysis. If the money comes the infrastructure will come.

[underthebigw]

(I also find it ironic that some Boomers also tried to reject materialism at exactly the same stage in their lives [their late teens/twenties], as their Millenial children. It could be that, as back in the late 60s/early 70s, the rejection of materialism is something of a fad.)

 

 

What's interesting about this is that, while Boomers tried to reject materialism, they often did so in a materialistic way. It's just that their collecting (and their art, and film, and tv) often focused on things that had previously been rejected, articles of pop culture. There was a sudden interest in comic books, old movie star (Laurel and Hardy, Chaplin, etc), pulps, BLB's, older music (ragtime up through the 1920's), and baseball cards. I don't know how many people on the boards are old enough to remember tons of cr@p related to these subjects cluttered gift shops and bookstores. Baby boomers were plenty materialistic, but they often concealed it with an alleged "new" appreciation of what was truly important and "hip".

 

In a nutshell, just think of how many greedy ex-hippy comic shop owners you knew in the 1970s.

[delekkerste]

I have and still do maintain that collecting videogame cartridges is likely to always be a niche hobby. I'm not suggesting for a moment it will go away or that prices won't escalate for certain items, but I doubt it will ever spawn the kind of collecting industry that, say, comics have. Videogames will thrive, but the collecting of them in the way *we* think of collecting (not just keeping old cartridges in the closet as you replace them with new games and consoles) - it will never get there, IMO.

 

It's already is there.

 

 

I meant I don't think it will ever get there on the scale of coin, stamp, comic or card collecting. Of course it already exists as a niche collecting hobby, but that is what I think it will remain.

 

Don't get me wrong, *playing* videogames is already larger than all of the aforementioned collecting hobbies combined, but *collecting* them as an antique or collectible in the way we think of coins, stamps, comics or cards...I don't think it will ever become as ubiquitous as those other hobbies are/were. That's not to say, as Bronty noted, that it can't become a thriving niche hobby with opportunities for fun and profit, but I doubt it will become more than that because of all the societal, technological, demographic and financial changes that have and will continue to occur vs. the environment those other hobbies existed in during their hey-day.

[TupennyConan]

I have and still do maintain that collecting videogame cartridges is likely to always be a niche hobby. I'm not suggesting for a moment it will go away or that prices won't escalate for certain items, but I doubt it will ever spawn the kind of collecting industry that, say, comics have. Videogames will thrive, but the collecting of them in the way *we* think of collecting (not just keeping old cartridges in the closet as you replace them with new games and consoles) - it will never get there, IMO.

 

It's already is there.

 

 

I meant I don't think it will ever get there on the scale of coin, stamp, comic or card collecting. Of course it already exists as a niche collecting hobby, but that is what I think it will remain.

 

Don't get me wrong, *playing* videogames is already larger than all of the aforementioned collecting hobbies combined, but *collecting* them as an antique or collectible in the way we think of coins, stamps, comics or cards...I don't think it will ever become as ubiquitous as those other hobbies are/were. That's not to say, as Bronty noted, that it can't become a thriving niche hobby with opportunities for fun and profit, but I doubt it will become more than that because of all the societal, technological, demographic and financial changes that have and will continue to occur vs. the environment those other hobbies existed in during their hey-day.

 

Since you allow for the profit potential in this niche hobby, do you approve of the profit potential as well?

[dekeuk]

Mark my words...2020 is the year that POGs make their comeback. They were big in the 90s and they will be even hotter in the 20s...

 

Yep.

 

 

Remember Alf?

 

He's back ......... in POG form.

 

 

[delekkerste]

brilliant post!

 

It was a thoughtful post, but clearly the poster wishes this outcome to come true (no offense, just stating the obvious). Me, I don't necessarily *want* my view of the future of collecting to come true, but, in a high stakes wager, I'd have to go with it as I believe it, objectively speaking, to be the most probable outcome.

 

There may be a genetic predisposition to hoard, but the kind of collecting affliction that causes someone to pay 10x more for a 9.8 than a 9.6 definitely has a lot of social causality to it. Collecting in North America, as we know and understand it, was no doubt influenced by many non-genetic factors: an abundance of wealth, an abundance of personal and storage space, evolution of pop culture and technology which helped stoke nostalgia, etc. People who live at a subsistence level may have a genetic pre-disposition to hoard, but they can't do much about it. People who have very little living space (e.g., citizens of Tokyo) can't accumulate the grotesque-sized comic collections that a lot of us have simply because the environment won't allow it.

 

No doubt societal and technological changes have caused more changes in collecting patterns by making hobbies more accessible, cost-efficient, etc. Not to mention the ego culture that the Internet has enabled. However, technology, globalization, etc. have also caused other changes that have undermined the collecting hobbies. I think it is far too simplistic to equate the rejection of materialism of the '60s counter-culture movement to the Millennials (great post Mr.Zipper) lack of interest in collecting things. For starters, obviously materialism and collecting are not the same thing. Millennials are very materialistic but express that in different ways (aspirational clothing and luxury brands, latest and greatest electronic gadgets, etc.) than collecting things like baseball cards or comic books.

 

Hope that wasn't too rambling.

[dekeuk]

 

I think one of the most collected things out there that EVERY generation of women collects is ................

 

SHOES

 

 

They don't consider themselves collectors, but any woman that owns more than 3 pairs of shoes that serve the same basic function (i.e. high heeled dress shoes) is a collector.

 

Some women own hundreds of pairs of shoes, many of which have never even been worn.

 

Shoes are the most collected item among women of all ages.

 

 

[COI]

We forget sometimes that comic collecting is kind of a niche hobby itself.

 

 

(thumbs u

 

and to say that games will stay niche *as compared to comics*, I really don't think so. I think the number of collectors will be there no problem because there aren't that many comic collectors, really. Whether they will spend the same kind of $$$$ on their hobby or be satisfied with cheap purchases... well that's the magic question. The scope and infrastructure of the hobby (which is what gene is talking about I think- things like gpa and heritage and dealer websites and all the rest) is pretty much all about $$$$ in the final analysis. If the money comes the infrastructure will come.

 

Go on youtube and look up videos of people showing off various types of collections. You'll find that game collections VASTLY outnumber all other collection types, even toys.

 

What's surprising is the amount of young kids (early teens) getting into retro gaming using old hardware, even though emulators for these games are readily available. I see tons of 12 year-olds with actually vintage NES and Super NES consoles and cartridges.

 

You mentioned message boards; there are game websites whose forum membership is in the hundreds of thousands, and there are many forums/threads dedicated to the showcasing of COLLECTIONS.

 

So yeah, I really can't agree with the notion that game collecting is any more "niche" than comic collecting, especially since I would guess that there are more game COLLECTORS out there now than comic collectors.

 

[Bronty]

well said Deke!

[MR.COMICBOOK]

I think one of the most collected things out there that EVERY generation of women collects is ................

 

SHOES

 

 

They don't consider themselves collectors, but any woman that owns more than 3 pairs of shoes that serve the same basic function (i.e. high heeled dress shoes) is a collector.

 

Some women own hundreds of pairs of shoes, many of which have never even been worn.

 

Shoes are the most collected item among women of all ages.

 

[Bronty]

We forget sometimes that comic collecting is kind of a niche hobby itself.

 

 

(thumbs u

 

and to say that games will stay niche *as compared to comics*, I really don't think so. I think the number of collectors will be there no problem because there aren't that many comic collectors, really. Whether they will spend the same kind of $$$$ on their hobby or be satisfied with cheap purchases... well that's the magic question. The scope and infrastructure of the hobby (which is what gene is talking about I think- things like gpa and heritage and dealer websites and all the rest) is pretty much all about $$$$ in the final analysis. If the money comes the infrastructure will come.

 

Go on youtube and look up videos of people showing off various types of collections. You'll find that game collections VASTLY outnumber all other collection types, even toys.

 

What's surprising is the amount of young kids (early teens) getting into retro gaming using old hardware, even though emulators for these games are readily available. I see tons of 12 year-olds with actually vintage NES and Super NES consoles and cartridges.

 

You mentioned message boards; there are game websites whose forum membership is in the hundreds of thousands, and there are many forums/threads dedicated to the showcasing of COLLECTIONS.

 

So yeah, I really can't agree with the notion that game collecting is any more "niche" than comic collecting, especially since I would guess that there are more game COLLECTORS out there now than comic collectors.

 

Interesting about the youtube collections! I did not know that.

 

I've seen the young teens collecting vintage games, too. The demographic really is startlingly young, 15-35, as compared to comics 30-65. One of the owners of a complete stadium events ($10k-ish) is around 21 years old and also owns a gold nwc ($17k-ish). He also got a criminal conviction for (badly) resealing games (mail fraud), but that's another matter

[COI]

I have and still do maintain that collecting videogame cartridges is likely to always be a niche hobby. I'm not suggesting for a moment it will go away or that prices won't escalate for certain items, but I doubt it will ever spawn the kind of collecting industry that, say, comics have. Videogames will thrive, but the collecting of them in the way *we* think of collecting (not just keeping old cartridges in the closet as you replace them with new games and consoles) - it will never get there, IMO.

 

It's already is there.

 

 

I meant I don't think it will ever get there on the scale of coin, stamp, comic or card collecting. Of course it already exists as a niche collecting hobby, but that is what I think it will remain.

 

Don't get me wrong, *playing* videogames is already larger than all of the aforementioned collecting hobbies combined, but *collecting* them as an antique or collectible in the way we think of coins, stamps, comics or cards...I don't think it will ever become as ubiquitous as those other hobbies are/were. That's not to say, as Bronty noted, that it can't become a thriving niche hobby with opportunities for fun and profit, but I doubt it will become more than that because of all the societal, technological, demographic and financial changes that have and will continue to occur vs. the environment those other hobbies existed in during their hey-day.

 

Gene, I don't disagree that there will be fewer collectors as a whole, going forward, for the various reasons you mention. I just think you're underestimating the size of the game collecting hobby as it stands TODAY. Sure it's a niche, but so is comic collecting. The infrastructure isn't there because the hobby is in its infancy, and the vast majority of its participants are nowhere near their peak earning potential.

 

 

 

 

[Bronty]

Since we're on the subject of future collectibles. What are you guys' thoughts on digital art. A lot of artists across every spectrum (illustrators/comic guys, even some fine artists) now work digitally. I had an art dealer mention to me that if the artists go digital they will just find some other way to make the work rare... say a 1/1 signed print of a digital file or something. I vaguely remember that in the first season of "the apprentice" they had to sell artwork as one of the challenges and one of the artists was selling 1/10 digital installations or something.

 

What are you guys' thoughts on that. I for one could never buy a work of art that's essentially a print, even if 1/1. It just wouldn't sit right with me and I could never really be truly certain that someone, somehow, wasn't going to print another 100 of them (even given whatever security measures they would be sure to set up - digital is digital and if someone can create a security measure, another can destroy it).

[Davenport]

Go on youtube and look up videos of people showing off various types of collections. You'll find that game collections VASTLY outnumber all other collection types, even toys.

Damn. "Vastly" seems like a weak word for it.

 

youtube search...

“comic book collection” results 1 - 20 of about 2,020

“comics collection” results 1 - 20 of about 2,790

 

“game collection” results 1 - 20 of about 109,000

“video game collection” results 1 - 20 of about 106,000

 

[Mr. Zipper]

Go on youtube and look up videos of people showing off various types of collections. You'll find that game collections VASTLY outnumber all other collection types, even toys.

Damn. "Vastly" seems like a weak word for it.

 

youtube search...

“comic book collection” results 1 - 20 of about 2,020

“comics collection” results 1 - 20 of about 2,790

 

“game collection” results 1 - 20 of about 109,000

“video game collection” results 1 - 20 of about 106,000

 

That is a stunning gap. Although, it may have something to do with the habits and tendencies of the type of folks who collect videogames. Perhaps they are more prone to show off their collection on YouTube than old farts who collect comics, stamps or coins.

 

For instance, we know that stamps and coins probably have more collectors than any other hobby, and "stamp collection" results in a paltry 885 hits and "coin collection" results in 2,870.

 

 

[Bronty]

Go on youtube and look up videos of people showing off various types of collections. You'll find that game collections VASTLY outnumber all other collection types, even toys.

Damn. "Vastly" seems like a weak word for it.

 

youtube search...

“comic book collection” results 1 - 20 of about 2,020

“comics collection” results 1 - 20 of about 2,790

 

“game collection” results 1 - 20 of about 109,000

“video game collection” results 1 - 20 of about 106,000

 

That is a stunning gap. Although, it may have something to do with the habits and tendencies of the type of folks who collect videogames.

 

 

No doubt at all, although I'd say it has more to do with their age. younger people are more comfortable with youtube. I would never youtube my own collection or youtube anything, really.

 

Still that's an impressive number of videos suggesting more collectors than I would have thought.

 

 

[delekkerste]

Don't be fooled - I think it's just a lot of semantics and nomenclature. How many of those 109,000 hits are people with "videogame collections" like I have a "DVD collection"? I have a DVD collection and a CD collection but I would not call myself a "DVD collector" or a "CD collector". I do not buy DVDs or CDs for their inherent collectibility. I do not care about completing DVD or CD runs. I do not buy DVD or CD price guides. I do not hope that my DVDs or CDs will appreciate in value. I do not flip through back release bins of DVDs or CDs. I do not subscribe to GPAnalysis for DVDs or CDs. I do not trade or resell DVDs or CDs. I do not press DVDs or CDs. I do not restore DVDs or CDs. I do not go to DVD or CD conventions. I do not slab my DVDs or CDs. I do not keep my DVDs or CDs in mylar or plastic or special boxes. I do not catalog my DVDs or CDs. I do not value a DVD or CD more if it is "Mint In Box" because then I couldn't use it.

 

My point is, there are videogame "collectors" like the 109,000 people who posted on YouTube and then there are videogame collectors like Bronty and Captain of Industry - those who identify themselves first and foremost as collectors just as almost everybody this Board would identify themselves as comic collectors. Due to the ubiquity of videogames in society, it's easy for the lines to get blurred. The wrong conclusion to draw is that everyone with a "videogame collection" is a videogame "collector" like we think of comic collectors (going through my partly tongue-in-cheek DVD/CD collector analogy above).

 

I know COI and JC and Bronty, all guys whose opinions I respect very much, believe that this is the next big big thing, but I respectfully disagree. If we were extrapolating the 20th century forward, it would be a no-brainer. But I believe that fundamental changes have occurred and it's not going to be that simple. Only time will tell; in the meantime, I'm content to leave it at that as I know nobody's mind will be changed from further discussion.

[Chespirito]

I have a DVD collection and a CD collection but I would not call myself a "DVD collector" or a "CD collector". I do not buy DVDs or CDs for their inherent collectibility. I do not care about completing DVD or CD runs. I do not buy DVD or CD price guides. I do not hope that my DVDs or CDs will appreciate in value. I do not flip through back release bins of DVDs or CDs. I do not subscribe to GPAnalysis for DVDs or CDs. I do not trade or resell DVDs or CDs. I do not press DVDs or CDs. I do not restore DVDs or CDs. I do not go to DVD or CD conventions. I do not slab my DVDs or CDs. I do not keep my DVDs or CDs in mylar or plastic or special boxes. I do not catalog my DVDs or CDs. I do not value a DVD or CD more if it is "Mint In Box" because then I couldn't use it.

 

y:

That is the funniest thing I've read all week, that was hilarious!!! "I do not go to DVD or CD conventions"...OMG that was freakin' classic!