{"id":632313,"date":"2024-08-27T09:10:01","date_gmt":"2024-08-27T06:10:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/japan-is-next-level-for-retro-game-collectors\/"},"modified":"2024-08-27T09:10:01","modified_gmt":"2024-08-27T06:10:01","slug":"japan-is-next-level-for-retro-game-collectors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/japan-is-next-level-for-retro-game-collectors\/","title":{"rendered":"#Japan is next level for retro game collectors"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3278cf94271\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3278cf94271\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/japan-is-next-level-for-retro-game-collectors\/#Soul_gaming\" >Soul gaming<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/japan-is-next-level-for-retro-game-collectors\/#%E2%80%98Super_collector\" >&#8216;Super collector&#8217;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/japan-is-next-level-for-retro-game-collectors\/#Stuffed_into_bins\" >Stuffed into bins<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2024\/super-potato-in-tokyo.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2024\/super-potato-in-tokyo.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Super Potato in Tokyo has three floors packed with Game Boy cartridges, Sega Dreamcast consoles wrapped in plastic and antiquated arcade machines.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2024\/super-potato-in-tokyo.jpg\" alt=\"Super Potato in Tokyo has three floors packed with Game Boy cartridges, Sega Dreamcast consoles wrapped in plastic and antiquated arcade machines\" title=\"Super Potato in Tokyo has three floors packed with Game Boy cartridges, Sega Dreamcast consoles wrapped in plastic and antiquated arcade machines.\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                Super Potato in Tokyo has three floors packed with <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Game<\/a> Boy cartridges, Sega Dreamcast consoles wr<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ed in plastic and antiquated arcade machines.<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>US tourist David Madrigal is over the moon after paying $200 for a &#8220;vintage&#8221; console at a busy Tokyo store that is tapping into booming global demand for retro gaming kit.<\/p>\n<p>                                                                                                                                    &#8220;When I came into this store, I was like a kid walking into a candy shop,&#8221; Madrigal, 23, told AFP at Super Potato in the Akihabara district famous for its Japanese pop culture shops.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This stuff is my passion. I love older consoles,&#8221; he said. The PS Vita, a console released in 2011, that he bought &#8220;would usually cost me about $600 in the US.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Super Potato has three floors packed with Game Boy cartridges, Sega Dreamcast consoles wrapped in plastic and antiquated arcade machines where nostalgic customers can play &#8220;Street Fighter II&#8221; again.<\/p>\n<p>Prices can be eye-watering. A handheld Nintendo Game &amp; Watch electronic game from the 1980s\u2014featuring &#8220;Zelda&#8221;\u2014was priced at 250,800 yen ($1,750).<\/p>\n<p>Around 70-80 percent of customers are foreign tourists, who have flocked to Japan in record numbers this year, store manager Komura, who only gave his surname, told AFP.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Soul_gaming\"><\/span>Soul gaming<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Part of the appeal, Madrigal said, is that many modern games are a bit &#8220;more of the same&#8221; compared to ones when he was growing up.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There was a different kind of innovation,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Companies weren&#8217;t afraid to think outside the box. They were willing to take risks.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2024\/around-70-80-percent-o.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2024\/around-70-80-percent-o.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Around 70-80 percent of his customers are foreign tourists, who have flocked to Japan in record numbers this year, says the manager of a vintage video game shop.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2024\/around-70-80-percent-o.jpg\" alt=\"Around 70-80 percent of his customers are foreign tourists, who have flocked to Japan in record numbers this year, says the manager of a vintage video game shop\" title=\"Around 70-80 percent of his customers are foreign tourists, who have flocked to Japan in record numbers this year, says the manager of a vintage video game shop.\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-truncate text-low-up mt-3\">\n                Around 70-80 percent of his customers are foreign tourists, who have flocked to Japan in record numbers this year, says the manager of a vintage video game shop.<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Video game historian Hiroyuki Maeda said that additional demand from collectors comes from the fact that some consoles were marketed differently outside Japan.<\/p>\n<p>Nintendo&#8217;s Famicom and Super Famicom consoles for example were released abroad under alternative names, and with different and more colourful designs, he said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;If you come to Japan and see a machine you&#8217;ve never seen before, you want to buy it. It stimulates the collector&#8217;s soul,&#8221; said Maeda, who has written dozens of books on gaming history.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The definition of retro gaming varies, depending on the era that the people who engage in it are nostalgic for,&#8221; Maeda told AFP.<\/p>\n<p>                                                                                                        <!-- TechX - News - In-article --><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%98Super_collector\"><\/span>&#8216;Super collector&#8217;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Amid rice fields and lotus fields two hours north of Tokyo, Proudro (his online persona) has amassed a vast treasure trove of video game relics.<\/p>\n<p>The &#8220;super collector&#8221; has stuffed an old building opposite his family home with several thousand vintage games and consoles, as well as arcade machines in full working order.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2024\/super-collector-proudr.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2024\/super-collector-proudr.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"'Super collector' Proudro (his online persona) has amassed a vast treasure trove of video game relics.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2024\/super-collector-proudr.jpg\" alt=\"'Super collector' Proudro (his online persona) has amassed a vast treasure trove of video game relics\" title=\"'Super collector' Proudro (his online persona) has amassed a vast treasure trove of video game relics.\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-truncate text-low-up mt-3\">\n                &#8216;Super collector&#8217; Proudro (his online persona) has amassed a vast treasure trove of video game relics.<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&#8220;The appeal of collecting retro games is really the nostalgia of childhood memories in games shops or spending time playing at friends&#8217; houses,&#8221; the 50-year-old collector said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;To be honest, I don&#8217;t really play games,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Being surrounded by games, their sounds, their atmosphere, looking at them and dreaming, that&#8217;s enough to keep me happy.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Stuffed_into_bins\"><\/span>Stuffed into bins<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Proudro has spent lavishly to build his collection.<\/p>\n<p>Retro games can reach sky-high prices: a still-wrapped version of the game &#8220;Super Mario Bros.&#8221;, released in 1985, sold in 2021 for $2 million.<\/p>\n<p>Until the late 1990s, however, old games were virtually worthless, according to historian Maeda.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;They were crammed into bins in shops&#8221; and sold for as little as 10 yen (seven US cents today), he said.<\/p>\n<p>Proudro says he <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a>ed around Japan 20 years ago looking for collectables in toy shops and bookstores.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"article-gallery js-article-gallery\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2024\/video-game-historian-h.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2024\/video-game-historian-h.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Video game historian Hiroyuki Maeda says additional demand from collectors comes from the fact that some consoles were marketed differently outside Japan.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800\/2024\/video-game-historian-h.jpg\" alt=\"Video game historian Hiroyuki Maeda says additional demand from collectors comes from the fact that some consoles were marketed differently outside Japan\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-low-up text-truncate mt-3\">\n                    Video game historian Hiroyuki Maeda says additional demand from collectors comes from the fact that some consoles were marketed differently outside Japan.<br \/>\n                <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2024\/super-collector-proudr-1.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2024\/super-collector-proudr-1.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"'Super collector' Proudro (his online persona) has stuffed an old building opposite his family home with several thousand vintage games and consoles as well as arcade machines.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800\/2024\/super-collector-proudr-1.jpg\" alt=\"'Super collector' Proudro (his online persona) has stuffed an old building opposite his family home with several thousand vintage games and consoles as well as arcade machines\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-low-up text-truncate mt-3\">\n                    &#8216;Super collector&#8217; Proudro (his online persona) has stuffed an old building opposite his family home with several thousand vintage games and consoles as well as arcade machines.<br \/>\n                <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2024\/retro-video-games-toda.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2024\/retro-video-games-toda.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Retro video games today can reach sky-high prices, but until the late 1990s, old games were virtually worthless.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800\/2024\/retro-video-games-toda.jpg\" alt=\"Retro video games today can reach sky-high prices, but until the late 1990s, old games were virtually worthless\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-low-up text-truncate mt-3\">\n                    Retro video games today can reach sky-high prices, but until the late 1990s, old games were virtually worthless.<br \/>\n                <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2024\/proudro-says-he-travel.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2024\/proudro-says-he-travel.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Proudro says he travelled around Japan 20 years ago looking for collectables in toy shops and bookstores.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img text-center\">\n                <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800\/2024\/proudro-says-he-travel.jpg\" alt=\"Proudro says he travelled around Japan 20 years ago looking for collectables in toy shops and bookstores\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-left text-darken text-low-up text-truncate mt-3\">\n                    Proudro says he travelled around Japan 20 years ago looking for collectables in toy shops and bookstores.<br \/>\n                <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&#8220;There were often stocks of Super Famicom or Game &amp; Watch in a corner, covered in dust. The elderly people who ran these shops would tell me to take them away to clear them out,&#8221; Proudro said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;As I work in vegetable wholesale, I would give them a crate of onions or potatoes, and everyone was happy.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Today that would no longer be possible. These shops have disappeared, and with the internet, everyone has started to resell,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<p>Wanting to share his passion with others, Proudro founded an association of retro gaming enthusiasts and is delighted at the interest shown by people from around the world.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;But to be honest, I also think that Japanese products should stay in Japan. It&#8217;s a bit like Japanese woodblock prints in the past, which were taken abroad where they were more appreciated, before being bought back by Japan,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p>His country, he laments, &#8220;is slow to realize the value&#8221; of its works.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article-main__note mt-4\">\n                                                \u00a9 2024 AFP\n                                            <\/p>\n<p>                                        <!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>                                                <strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n                                                Japan is next level for retro game collectors (2024, August 27)<br \/>\n                                                retrieved 27 August 2024<br \/>\n                                                from https:\/\/techxplore.com\/<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>\/2024-08-japan-retro-game-collectors.html<\/p>\n<p>                                            This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no<br \/>\n                                            part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script id=\"facebook-jssdk\" async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/sciencee\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Science category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/techxplore.com\/news\/2024-08-japan-retro-game-collectors.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Super Potato in Tokyo has three floors packed with Game Boy cartridges, Sega Dreamcast consoles wrapped in plastic and antiquated arcade machines. US tourist David Madrigal is over the moon after paying $200 for a &#8220;vintage&#8221; console at a busy Tokyo store that is tapping into booming global demand for retro gaming kit. &#8220;When I&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":632314,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2024\/super-potato-in-tokyo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-632313","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632313","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=632313"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/632313\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/632314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=632313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=632313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=632313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}