Subject: _Bear, member of the CCU since November, 2006

Some basics first.


Number of Systems: Unknown = too many 25 or so

Number of Games: 2000 round figure

exact counts are tough for someone like me.

When did you start collecting?

At the beginning, ok I would really say With Atari Pong home system, I had to have Oddesy, Coleco Telestar, There was Motor Cycle Handle bar one where you jumped Barrels LOL.

What was your first system? First system that took carts I think it was 2600.


What was your first game? Atari Pong

When did you feel a tipping point from gamer to both gamer and game collector?

Right away I was nuts for games as soon as I played Pong in the arcade. I started out with pinball of which I own two cIassics now still.

Which two are they and why those?

Black Knight The first talking multi Level Pinball. I love that game! The other is a game called Vector a multilevel multi ball game where it measured the vector force of the ball, as you tried to shoot it up ramps gave you higher scores very cool game. That was based on a future sport like Roller Ball.

Black Knight, Pinball. Check out the paint work, they just don't make them like that anymore.

That is, flat out, awesome. As a game collector do you have any goals, how have you developed them, and how do you feel about your progress toward them?

Just to have fun thats what its all about really.

How many games, systems, etc. are "enough"?

Hmm I guess its never enough, if it has games I want, or is a game I want I'm going for it. For me though, its not just about the games I'm a huge music lover, and lover of art. These games are art, and music and culture.

What's your proudest moment as a game collector?

I'm pretty proud of my neo geo collection, I have 35 games. I got it from Japan before it was even out here in 1990. I was working at NEC ( on TG -16) A friend of mine was an engineer and made frequent trips to Japan got it for me.

That's awesome. I think I only have 7 or so NeoGeo games, but it is a great system. What do you like most about it?


I love the bright graphics, and some of the great creative fighting games, I think Neo Geo fighters were the first games you could tag partners in and out of fighting games. Which started with King Of Fighters.


What's your least proud moment as a game collector?


Most recently Selling some of my rare stuff, to try and beat the bill collectors at my door . I' looking at you Shane JK getting my prized Lynx collection. Grrr.

Sorry about that, but at least you know they'll be played and loved in their new home.

True that was a big factor in selling to some of the guys around CCU, I will be selling some more so you all keep your eyes open starting very soon.

Amongst your non-gaming friends are you proud of your collection or is it something you don't bring attention to?


Well being I'm a bit older than most hardcore gamers, I'm not as proud or talkative about it, bringing a date home the first time can be tough. LOL So yeah I try not to talk about it anymore,. Hey Just do it ! LOL

And it don't stop. Just a small part of _Bear's collection.


What's your favorite part of your collection?


Oh man Playing the games dude! I do love just looking and remembering some games also, its funny sometimes when I play them after years, they are not what I remember, or they are different in different parts like seeing a movie years later and saying I don't remember that.


What would you like to improve in your collection?

I want more Wii games right now.
You still have the collecting bug pretty bad huh?


I guess I do, but my collecting is only based on games I want to play, I never collect just to collect like a lot of folks.


What would you like to get rid of in your game collection within the next year?


Sadly too much, I need the money at this point
When looking at a choice like which games and systems to give up, how do you do it? It is mostly by the basis of what you haven't touched in a while?


Yeah mostly. Though I think now I'm going to get rid of more because I don't want to move it, so there should be at least 400 or 500 games coming up for sale soon, plus systems like Coleco, Intellivison, Sega CD, TG16, Maybe Saturn and N64 I'm keeping my Snes though!

Renaissance man. Beyond collecting games _Bear also appreciates pop-culture influenced art.

What do you think was your best deal while game buying?


The funny thing is, I bought all my games retail. Of course I bought a lot of games wholesale when I worked at a video game distributor for 3 years, including the bulk of my Neo Geo Collection. But I never bought anything ever off of Ebay or at a flea market or garage sale. Thats how long I have been doing this its rather scary. I would say I'm rather unique in that aspect. This changed just after when I sent you this, I bought two used Wii games on Ebay. But not collectors items two games I wanted to play.

Yeah, that must be fairly unique. What did being a game distributor entail when you were involved?

OMG what didn't I do? I sold games all over the world, traveled to England, Germany, France, I ordered custom stuff like 10,000 gameboy cases for the system. To be sold in one day. I packed, moved, invoiced, dealt with shipping, filling out national and international bills of laiding. I sold upwards of 5,000 games a week, sometimes 5,000 a day. the sad fact is I was best video game salesman in the company. I cared more than the owners, I ended up getting sick from the stress and quitting. A few years later the company closed, they never knew how to do business the right way.


What do you feel is the most valuable and/or rare item in your collection?

Wow No clue here, to me its all very valuable.

What item in your collection do you feel you overpaid for?

Everything LOL. I'm a cheapass gamer check my blog.

What do you feel is the strangest or weirdest item in your collection?

I have some strange PC stuff, something called the 3D ORB it is basically a ball on a controller with a **** of buttons very weird.

What item(s) do you not have in your collection that people are surprised to hear you don't have?

DS or DS Lite, I never bought an original Gameboy, nor a Game Gear. Also I Worked at NEC Turbo Graphix 16, Yet I never got a Turbo Express that surprised my Co workers there as they saw me get the Neo Geo and heard about my other stuff. This was way back in 1989-1991.

Why do you think the Turbo Grfx failed to get wide support? I remember at the time that among those who had access to them they were considered to be straight from the 21st century.

I will tell exactly why, its the same reason Sony is struggling now, the Japanese are a very stubborn people, they would not listen to what was told to them as the right direction to take with the system. They would not bring out the games fans were begging for, games that were in Japan ! Plus getting prime games that Sega and Nintendo were getting that they could have had deals for also. By the time they listened it was too late. Soon after TG16 the whole consumer eletronics division of NEC closed.


It's funny I seem to pick losers to work for, after my work with the game distributor, I went to work for Viacom who had bought a small company you may have heard of Icom Simulations, they ran it into the ground with stupid MTV games and the ever stupid Beavis and Butthead. Soon after things started to go down hill they merged us with Virgin Games and soon after that both companies were shuttered very sad indeed.

Where/how do you store it all?

Lots and lots of shelving, anywhere I can when the shelf space runs out . soon to be cardboard boxes.

Is there anyway you'd ever stop collecting?

When I'm dead. Or out of money.

Do you have a funny story about your collection?

I have many, I have people just freak out, when they enter my gaming space. But here is a good story a good few years back my cousin and his son about 5 at the time were here for holiday dinner. The son was here for the first time, and I hooked him up with the Mario 64 , because he had been crying and wanted to go home after dinner. You know how the old folks like to talk and stuff lol. So five hours later he's still play and daddy had to drag him off the thing kicking and screaming. It was too funny as just a short time before he wanted to go home! I guess I was a bit off it was mario 64.

Have you ever had to move your collection to another house? What was it like?

No but its coming, which is part of the reason I have been selling off parts of my collection.

If you're significant other told you no more games, what would you do?

She would hit the road faster than a Racoon in Summer in the south.

What percentage of your games are still sealed?

None, every game I ever bought is played by me.

What percentage of your game have you actually played? Completed?

Maybe 15 to 20 % honestly.

_Bear, you have so many stories we might have you back. Thanks for being a member of the CCU and for this feature.

That's it ? Ok thanks for having me.