What's this worth?

When new games are released, they are all basically the same price, give or take $10. Strangely, the prices for new games has hovered at around $50-60 since the days of the SNES. Back then, it was because cartridges were so expensive to produce; now, it's mostly because of high production values. Still, games don't really seem to be subject to inflation. When the original Nintendo came out, it was $200. That's over $400 when you take inflation into account. When the Wii was released, it was $250. Today, that's approximately $250. What a deal.

As games get older, their value to collectors decreases. Even big-budget SNES games like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy 3, which retailed for upwards of $80 back in the 90's when they were first released, can be found on eBay today for around $50. (Or sometimes you find "deals" like this.) Most 16-bit games can be found at pawn shops for about $5. If a game includes the box and instructions, it's value increases exponentially. Spider-Man on the Atari 2600 is worth about $3 if you just have the cartridge. The box is worth hundreds. Why? Collectors know that the condition and completeness of any item, not just video games, affects it value. Even if you have a Honus Wagner card (the most valuable baseball card in teh world), it's not going to sell for $2.5 million at an auction if it's torn in half. I guess the moral of the story is this: don't ever open your games, baseball cards, or action figures, and then when you hit 40 you can sell them all and retire from your job at Domino's. How's that for a five-year plan.