'The thrill of the hunt': Regina retro gamers scour the aisles for nostalgic gems
Shop owners say scene is growing in Sask.
Chris Corbin's love of retro video games came from a cousin he lost as a child. His older cousin was a gamer with a few systems, and died at 15 when Corbin was 11.
"He left a big imprint on my life," Corbin said. "I really liked what he had and kind of always wanted it for my own. So when I had my own money, that's kind of where I put my money toward. I [started] collecting my own."
Now Corbin, who lives in Regina, is a full-on retro video game collector with about 3,000 physical games. He's part of what many say is a growing community in the province.
"I have a few hundred Nintendo games," Corbin said. "A few hundred Super Nintendo games. Currently I have a complete North American collection of N64 [games]. So I pick away at it. It's kind of like, depending on the mood I'm [in], I might go for a certain series."
Some of the games could fetch high prices. His most expensive piece is ClayFighter: Sculptor's Cut, which he said is worth $1,400 to $1,500.
Corbin has a family of his own now, with four children. He said his collecting provides a feeling of nostalgia.
"What really resonates with me right now is kind of the memories of certain games that I have," he said. "Sure the games are great, but what's really powerful is the memories I have playing with certain family members on a holiday. Or getting together with friends for a sleepover and playing the night away."
Corbin said collectors like him, who spend hours scouring stores and websites for the items their collections are misson, are "chasing this euphoria for years and years. A part of it, too, is the thrill of the hunt."
"It's an addiction. It's hard to explain it rationally."
'It's kind of a big thing'
Secondhand Wonderland, a used goods store in Regina, is a hub for local retro game collectors.
"Our biggest department probably for sure is gaming," co-owner Mike Wieclawski said. "Everyone's gaming nowadays and lots of guys are living that nostalgia — playing the old games, collecting the old games. It's what they grew up with, it's what they love."
Wieclawski said some games can get into the $200 to $400 range.
"There's probably a few dozen [collectors] that we see regularly and know pretty well," he said. "There's a lot of gamers in Regina."
Christian Crowthers, an employee at Secondhand Wonderland, said it's a growing phenomenon all over the province.
"Saskatoon's got a lot of stores too. It's kind of a big thing," Crowthers said. "I think it's bigger than ever now because everyone plays games nowadays."
Thomas Rath is co-owner of Cashopolis, another Regina store that sells used games. He said people who grew up with older games are trying to go back to when times were easier in their lives.
Rath said that the local retro gaming community is growing.
"I think as time goes on, there is a lot more of a conversation around video games in Regina, within Saskatchewan — Saskatoon as well," he siad.
"I think there has been a lot more people picking up video games than before."
'Just being entertained'
Paul Taylor is another local collector who has 22 video game consoles in a collection that extends back to the 1970s. He called himself "a regular haunter of their aisles" at Secondhand Wonderland and Cashopolis.
He said that gaming is "a way to calm my brain at the end of the day when I get off work."
"For me it's definitely a happy place. I've got lots of games where I have specific memories of people that I played those games with through my life."
Most importantly, it's fun.
"It's something that you can do whenever. You don't have to schedule it. You don't have to make sure that there's other people available, you can just sit down — spend five minutes, or five hours — just being entertained."
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