Will comic collecting end with our generation?

[jools&jim]

 

Just like any other adult-controlled hobby, the attrition rate of older collectors leaving will far outstrip any new blood coming in, and this base demographic fact will lead to fewer and fewer serious collectors.

 

A shortage of new collectors is really just symptomatic of a much larger demographic shortfall: the bottom line is that people in some parts of the world simply aren't having nearly as many kids as they used to.

 

We're not just losing collectors; we're losing...us.

[fc]

one can place a lot of blame on the direct market model i suppose.

it may have made comics profitable again for a couple of companies but they basically

removed the main way kids got introduced to them.

 

i cannot be the only one who enjoyed visiting 7/11 to get a comic, a slurpee, a

big bite hot dog, and perhaps play a video game in the back on a hot summer day???

 

so much for that now days. kids will find something else to do besides go into a

specialty store on the far side of town or perhaps in a city next door.

 

the times have changed and people will always collect comics but how it was for

many of us when we were young is dead.

 

-----

 

oh yea.. i also put blame on the people who decided to keep raising prices of comic books. To the collectors who wanted that fancy Baxter paper or the execs

who wanted a raise. For goodness sakes... 2.99 a whack is silly. Go back to news

print and four colors. But that is just me i suppose. I am cheap. The story always

trumps the art in my world.

[Vpcomix72]

Well Im glad to say that my teenage daughter is just about as passionate about comics as I am. She is into the ipod and video game stuff, but enjoys going to my lcs and browsing through the boxes with me. Come every July she is more excited about San Diego Comic Con than I am. Dont get me wrong, I love the three days of comic buying, I just dont care for the traffic and massive crowds of people. Luckily when I die, hopefully she will take as much care of my books as I do. Now I just have to get my wife into it to...

[byosti]

one problem is with lot of the young people who read comics, they either read em online or trades. hopefully that can translate into actually delving into back issues into the silver age and golden age. but wouldn't say all hope is lost. i'm of a different generation(24 years old) and already have a nice collection going.

[PovertyRow]

And you've just proven why video games are primed to be the next big thing in collectibles.

 

 

Here I definitely agree with JC. It is one reason why I have been compiling data and spreadsheets etc. on video games. Lots of flea markets in my area too! Woo woo! (as far as vidgames - yes, I would be in it to make some $$$. The only vid game cartridges I ever owned fit a Commodore VIC-20 (mainly the various Scott Adams (no relation to Dilbert) games.

[nwpassage]

one can place a lot of blame on the direct market model i suppose.

it may have made comics profitable again for a couple of companies but they basically

removed the main way kids got introduced to them.

 

i cannot be the only one who enjoyed visiting 7/11 to get a comic, a slurpee, a

big bite hot dog, and perhaps play a video game in the back on a hot summer day???

 

so much for that now days. kids will find something else to do besides go into a

specialty store on the far side of town or perhaps in a city next door.

 

the times have changed and people will always collect comics but how it was for

many of us when we were young is dead.

 

-----

 

oh yea.. i also put blame on the people who decided to keep raising prices of comic books. To the collectors who wanted that fancy Baxter paper or the execs

who wanted a raise. For goodness sakes... 2.99 a whack is silly. Go back to news

print and four colors. But that is just me i suppose. I am cheap. The story always

trumps the art in my world.

 

I saw a slick looking marvel in a rack at a local supermarket, and picked it up hoping for a slice of nostalgia and the first thing I noticed was the 8.99 price. I almost fell over. What kid is walking around with ten bucks for a comic book ? None in my neck of the woods.

 

 

Why, when I was a kid..........................

[fc]

And you've just proven why video games are primed to be the next big thing in collectibles.

 

 

Here I definitely agree with JC. It is one reason why I have been compiling data and spreadsheets etc. on video games. Lots of flea markets in my area too! Woo woo! (as far as vidgames - yes, I would be in it to make some $$$. The only vid game cartridges I ever owned fit a Commodore VIC-20 (mainly the various Scott Adams (no relation to Dilbert) games.

 

i do not know about the rest of you but when i want to play video games from my

youth i just fire up bit torrent and go wild. many of us can get our fill from playing

those games instant gratification style and owning the actual system or cartridge is

not really something we want to do. especially the folks who liked computer games

but it holds true for the atari or any other system that have emulators available.

 

just saying.. if it was not so easy to get this old stuff online i could see them being

even more in demand.

[jools&jim]

 

Acc. to the poll in the Poll forum, the Median comic collecting age is 20-40 with a large bump in the 30 year range.

Unfortunately, there aren't many more "large bumps" coming up on the (not so far) horizon to replace that current large bump. Take a look at these numbers from the current CIA Factbook page for age structure in the USA (ca. 2009):

 

0-14 years: 20.2% (male 31,639,127/female 30,305,704)

15-64 years: 67% (male 102,665,043/female 103,129,321)

65 years and over: 12.8% (male 16,901,232/female 22,571,696) (2009 est.)

Anyone else see the problem here?

 

 

[PovertyRow]

And you've just proven why video games are primed to be the next big thing in collectibles.

 

 

Here I definitely agree with JC. It is one reason why I have been compiling data and spreadsheets etc. on video games. Lots of flea markets in my area too! Woo woo! (as far as vidgames - yes, I would be in it to make some $$$. The only vid game cartridges I ever owned fit a Commodore VIC-20 (mainly the various Scott Adams (no relation to Dilbert) games.

 

i do not know about the rest of you but when i want to play video games from my

youth i just fire up bit torrent and go wild. many of us can get our fill from playing

those games instant gratification style and owning the actual system or cartridge is

not really something we want to do. especially the folks who liked computer games

but it holds true for the atari or any other system that have emulators available.

 

just saying.. if it was not so easy to get this old stuff online i could see them being

even more in demand.

 

I think ego comes into play here, though. Look at comics. You can get almost any comic online readable on a computer. But the actual book itself has that ineffable quality that appeals to enough people to make it a collectible.

 

I think the same holds true for video games. A small group of vid game pals gather around and start to play some downloaded games when suddenly someone pulls out the original cartridge. There is going to be a reaction. (last sentence left open-ended for the Forum Wags if they are so inclined...but since I posted that, they may be less inclined. But then they may be more inclined to post ABOUT my Forum Wag posting. But now I posted about THAT. Will it ever end? I think, bottom line, we will see little response to this post.)

[COI]

And you've just proven why video games are primed to be the next big thing in collectibles.

 

 

Here I definitely agree with JC. It is one reason why I have been compiling data and spreadsheets etc. on video games. Lots of flea markets in my area too! Woo woo! (as far as vidgames - yes, I would be in it to make some $$$. The only vid game cartridges I ever owned fit a Commodore VIC-20 (mainly the various Scott Adams (no relation to Dilbert) games.

 

i do not know about the rest of you but when i want to play video games from my

youth i just fire up bit torrent and go wild. many of us can get our fill from playing

those games instant gratification style and owning the actual system or cartridge is

not really something we want to do. especially the folks who liked computer games

but it holds true for the atari or any other system that have emulators available.

 

just saying.. if it was not so easy to get this old stuff online i could see them being

even more in demand.

 

Whenever this topic comes up, people talk as if video games are not currently being collected in any significant way.

 

Again, do a search on youtube for "video game collection"; 113,000 hits, with new ones added daily. Comic collecting is actually a lot more "niche" than video game collecting currently is.

 

[fc]

And you've just proven why video games are primed to be the next big thing in collectibles.

 

 

Here I definitely agree with JC. It is one reason why I have been compiling data and spreadsheets etc. on video games. Lots of flea markets in my area too! Woo woo! (as far as vidgames - yes, I would be in it to make some $$$. The only vid game cartridges I ever owned fit a Commodore VIC-20 (mainly the various Scott Adams (no relation to Dilbert) games.

 

i do not know about the rest of you but when i want to play video games from my

youth i just fire up bit torrent and go wild. many of us can get our fill from playing

those games instant gratification style and owning the actual system or cartridge is

not really something we want to do. especially the folks who liked computer games

but it holds true for the atari or any other system that have emulators available.

 

just saying.. if it was not so easy to get this old stuff online i could see them being

even more in demand.

 

Whenever this topic comes up, people talk as if video games are not currently being collected in any significant way.

 

Again, do a search on youtube for "video game collection"; 113,000 hits, with new ones added daily. Comic collecting is actually a lot more "niche" than video game collecting currently is.

 

 

i am not quite sure how youtube created its search engine but that metric seems rather

flimsy in judging how many people collect video games. i have no idea if 50,000 of those

hits are just for video game. also keep in mind that a person who plays video games a lot

will have a collection of video games... in the generic sense. just like i have a couple

boxes that are computer games.

 

i am not saying they are not collectible but i think using the amount of hits from a website search

engine is hardly going to convince anyone when you have not analyzed the results and

considered other possibilities for why it appears so much.

[COI]

Here's some food for thought:

 

This generation of gaming has brought the industry into the mainstream. Everyone knows that, for example, several million copies of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 sold within the first few days of its release.

 

Games are still not thought of as collectibles; the majority don't care about the condition of their games. This was true in the days of the NES, and it's still true today. Just take a look at the used game sections at Gamestop to see how bang up most of their games are.

 

Along the same lines, much like comics in the 1960s, games are actually being used, and for the most part are not being stored in factory sealed condition in any significant quantites. Even for those who are 'speculating' right now, the higher pricepoint of games makes the "buy in" much harder.

 

Thousands of youngsters are "collecting" current console generation games, and are taking pride in the ownership of their collections, as demonstrated by the videos they post youtube.

 

The gaming industry may eventually convert to 100% digital distribution; what we're going to be seeing in the near future is the start of that transition. Most likely, the majority of games will be offered both in digital form, and as physical media. When this happens, the segment of the market interested only in playing will get their stuff digitally; this means that fewer copies of games that come out during this transition towards digital distribution will be manufactured overall.

 

The bottom line? For those of you who have time, and are interested in getting in on the "ground floor" of a new hobby, pay attention to video games for the next several years.

 

 

[COI]

And you've just proven why video games are primed to be the next big thing in collectibles.

 

 

Here I definitely agree with JC. It is one reason why I have been compiling data and spreadsheets etc. on video games. Lots of flea markets in my area too! Woo woo! (as far as vidgames - yes, I would be in it to make some $$$. The only vid game cartridges I ever owned fit a Commodore VIC-20 (mainly the various Scott Adams (no relation to Dilbert) games.

 

i do not know about the rest of you but when i want to play video games from my

youth i just fire up bit torrent and go wild. many of us can get our fill from playing

those games instant gratification style and owning the actual system or cartridge is

not really something we want to do. especially the folks who liked computer games

but it holds true for the atari or any other system that have emulators available.

 

just saying.. if it was not so easy to get this old stuff online i could see them being

even more in demand.

 

Whenever this topic comes up, people talk as if video games are not currently being collected in any significant way.

 

Again, do a search on youtube for "video game collection"; 113,000 hits, with new ones added daily. Comic collecting is actually a lot more "niche" than video game collecting currently is.

 

 

i am not quite sure how youtube created its search engine but that metric seems rather

flimsy in judging how many people collect video games. i have no idea if 50,000 of those

hits are just for video game. also keep in mind that a person who plays video games a lot

will have a collection of video games... in the generic sense. just like i have a couple

boxes that are computer games.

 

i am not saying they are not collectible but i think using the amount of hits from a website search

engine is hardly going to convince anyone when you have not analyzed the results and

considered other possibilities for why it appears so much.

 

It's late, and I don't have time to compile mountains of statistics for you. The video game collecting community is many, many times larger than the comic book collecting community. I know this because I'm involved in both. I also don't have a stake in either, as I don't buy games or comics for monetary gain.

 

Believe what you like.

[thehumantorch]

And you've just proven why video games are primed to be the next big thing in collectibles.

 

 

Here I definitely agree with JC. It is one reason why I have been compiling data and spreadsheets etc. on video games. Lots of flea markets in my area too! Woo woo! (as far as vidgames - yes, I would be in it to make some $$$. The only vid game cartridges I ever owned fit a Commodore VIC-20 (mainly the various Scott Adams (no relation to Dilbert) games.

 

i do not know about the rest of you but when i want to play video games from my

youth i just fire up bit torrent and go wild. many of us can get our fill from playing

those games instant gratification style and owning the actual system or cartridge is

not really something we want to do. especially the folks who liked computer games

but it holds true for the atari or any other system that have emulators available.

 

just saying.. if it was not so easy to get this old stuff online i could see them being

even more in demand.

 

Whenever this topic comes up, people talk as if video games are not currently being collected in any significant way.

 

Again, do a search on youtube for "video game collection"; 113,000 hits, with new ones added daily. Comic collecting is actually a lot more "niche" than video game collecting currently is.

 

 

i am not quite sure how youtube created its search engine but that metric seems rather

flimsy in judging how many people collect video games. i have no idea if 50,000 of those

hits are just for video game. also keep in mind that a person who plays video games a lot

will have a collection of video games... in the generic sense. just like i have a couple

boxes that are computer games.

 

i am not saying they are not collectible but i think using the amount of hits from a website search

engine is hardly going to convince anyone when you have not analyzed the results and

considered other possibilities for why it appears so much.

 

It's late, and I don't have time to compile mountains of statistics for you. The video game collecting community is many, many times larger than the comic book collecting community. I know this because I'm involved in both. I also don't have a stake in either, as I don't buy games or comics for monetary gain.

 

Believe what you like.

 

The current state of the video game industry is very similar to the GA of comics. In the 40s virtually every kid read comics. Today very few kids read comics but they play hours and hours of video games. There is no doubt in my mind that as these kids reach their peak earning years they will start to look for the games of their youth and collect them.

[bronze_rules]

And you've just proven why video games are primed to be the next big thing in collectibles.

 

 

Here I definitely agree with JC. It is one reason why I have been compiling data and spreadsheets etc. on video games. Lots of flea markets in my area too! Woo woo! (as far as vidgames - yes, I would be in it to make some $$$. The only vid game cartridges I ever owned fit a Commodore VIC-20 (mainly the various Scott Adams (no relation to Dilbert) games.

 

i do not know about the rest of you but when i want to play video games from my

youth i just fire up bit torrent and go wild. many of us can get our fill from playing

those games instant gratification style and owning the actual system or cartridge is

not really something we want to do. especially the folks who liked computer games

but it holds true for the atari or any other system that have emulators available.

 

just saying.. if it was not so easy to get this old stuff online i could see them being

even more in demand.

 

Whenever this topic comes up, people talk as if video games are not currently being collected in any significant way.

 

Again, do a search on youtube for "video game collection"; 113,000 hits, with new ones added daily. Comic collecting is actually a lot more "niche" than video game collecting currently is.

 

 

i am not quite sure how youtube created its search engine but that metric seems rather

flimsy in judging how many people collect video games. i have no idea if 50,000 of those

hits are just for video game. also keep in mind that a person who plays video games a lot

will have a collection of video games... in the generic sense. just like i have a couple

boxes that are computer games.

 

i am not saying they are not collectible but i think using the amount of hits from a website search

engine is hardly going to convince anyone when you have not analyzed the results and

considered other possibilities for why it appears so much.

 

It's late, and I don't have time to compile mountains of statistics for you. The video game collecting community is many, many times larger than the comic book collecting community. I know this because I'm involved in both. I also don't have a stake in either, as I don't buy games or comics for monetary gain.

 

Believe what you like.

 

Somehow my reply didn't go through. I was trying to say I almost had a good laugh, until I looked at some of the numbers. I think you are very correct.

http://www.grabstats.com/statcategorymain.asp?StatCatID=13

Why anyone would want a case for a game is beyond me, but then again, we all lust after sealed tombs (slabs)... classical conditioning at its best. I suppose we secretly harbor desires for the inevitable... gasp.

[Aman619]

Here's some food for thought:

 

This generation of gaming has brought the industry into the mainstream. Everyone knows that, for example, several million copies of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 sold within the first few days of its release.

 

Games are still not thought of as collectibles; the majority don't care about the condition of their games. This was true in the days of the NES, and it's still true today. Just take a look at the used game sections at Gamestop to see how bang up most of their games are.

 

Along the same lines, much like comics in the 1960s, games are actually being used, and for the most part are not being stored in factory sealed condition in any significant quantites. Even for those who are 'speculating' right now, the higher pricepoint of games makes the "buy in" much harder.

 

Thousands of youngsters are "collecting" current console generation games, and are taking pride in the ownership of their collections, as demonstrated by the videos they post youtube.

 

The gaming industry may eventually convert to 100% digital distribution; what we're going to be seeing in the near future is the start of that transition. Most likely, the majority of games will be offered both in digital form, and as physical media. When this happens, the segment of the market interested only in playing will get their stuff digitally; this means that fewer copies of games that come out during this transition towards digital distribution will be manufactured overall.

 

The bottom line? For those of you who have time, and are interested in getting in on the "ground floor" of a new hobby, pay attention to video games for the next several years.

 

 

maybe because Im not involved in them, while I agree with this, I dont see how mint condirion will apply, and therefore how collecting them will evolve into price guides etc as comics have.

 

the comicbook was the object of the collector, to have them all, of a character or title. But having all the games feels to me more like being able to play them all. I know that sounds like Read them all, so maybe I just dont get it.

[bronze_rules]

Here's some food for thought:

 

This generation of gaming has brought the industry into the mainstream. Everyone knows that, for example, several million copies of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 sold within the first few days of its release.

 

Games are still not thought of as collectibles; the majority don't care about the condition of their games. This was true in the days of the NES, and it's still true today. Just take a look at the used game sections at Gamestop to see how bang up most of their games are.

 

Along the same lines, much like comics in the 1960s, games are actually being used, and for the most part are not being stored in factory sealed condition in any significant quantites. Even for those who are 'speculating' right now, the higher pricepoint of games makes the "buy in" much harder.

 

Thousands of youngsters are "collecting" current console generation games, and are taking pride in the ownership of their collections, as demonstrated by the videos they post youtube.

 

The gaming industry may eventually convert to 100% digital distribution; what we're going to be seeing in the near future is the start of that transition. Most likely, the majority of games will be offered both in digital form, and as physical media. When this happens, the segment of the market interested only in playing will get their stuff digitally; this means that fewer copies of games that come out during this transition towards digital distribution will be manufactured overall.

 

The bottom line? For those of you who have time, and are interested in getting in on the "ground floor" of a new hobby, pay attention to video games for the next several years.

 

 

maybe because Im not involved in them, while I agree with this, I dont see how mint condirion will apply, and therefore how collecting them will evolve into price guides etc as comics have.

 

the comicbook was the object of the collector, to have them all, of a character or title. But having all the games feels to me more like being able to play them all. I know that sounds like Read them all, so maybe I just dont get it.

 

As I said, I believe it all goes back to an obsession with wanting to recapture those objects which we could never afford, or had (either way) and associated with pleasure and escape from the darker miseries of life. Possessing the tangible ideally perfect and untouched object is a mental thing. Classical conditioning.. pleasure/pain at its best.

[Subliminal]

No matter what the hobby, comics or gaming, once it embraces electronic distribution its a different animal. There is no longer anything to really "collect" and it dies a slow death because the new virtual versions can be copied and manipulated infinitely and never wear so there is nothing to distinguish one from the other and as such no variation in value which drives collectivity.

The few copies of the product that remain from prior to it evolving to this state just fade away over time like Victorian age comics do, becoming less relevant.

 

If we are lucky a few printed comics will survive hundreds of years and become the Mona Lisas and the Statue of Davids of the few in the future that appreciate the art regardless of the relevance of medium it is presented upon.

[nvista]

I have twin baby nephews which I've been buying comics for. Everything they get their hands on they put in their mouths. But when they hold the comics, they just stare at them. Hopefully this is a sign of a comic fan in the making.

 

BTW, Jim Lee's X-Men 1 was thier first comic ever--one for each.

[GermanFan]

Quote: We're not just losing collectors; we're losing...us.

 

You are so right!

 

And "the others" wont ever collect collect comic books.