Today’s video game industry is worth a staggering $100 billion, and most of that money comes from the pockets of millennial gamers. According to the Entertainment Software Association, 51% of gamers are between 18 and 49 years old, with almost half being 30 or younger. Video games are also more popular than ever, with streaming services such as Twitch and YouTube boasting billions of monthly views.
In response to millennials rediscovering their love for vintage video games, a new business sector has emerged: the “vintage gaming” market. It’s a small niche increasing in response to demand from millennials who grew up playing retro games in the 1990s and 2000s. To understand why vintage games are serious business, we must look at the numbers behind this trend.
What is the Vintage Gaming Market?
The vintage gaming market (also known as retro games) refers to the buying, selling, and collecting of vintage video games, consoles, and gaming accessories. The vintage gaming market is worth $50 billion annually, with vintage game sales accounting for around 1/3 of that total. Most vintage gamers buy games online, with eBay and Amazon being the most popular sites.
Many gamers also sell their old games online, making the vintage gaming market a global phenomenon, growing in popularity each year. The vintage gaming market is worth $50 billion annually, and vintage video games make up $18 billion.
Retro Games Are Worth Big Bucks
The popularity of vintage gaming is reflected in the increasing value of retro games. A retro game’s value depends on many factors, including its rarity, condition, and demand from collectors. If you’re lucky enough to own a rare vintage game from the 1990s or 2000s, you’re sitting on a goldmine.
The vintage game market is a tiny part of the overall video game industry, but it has grown exponentially in recent years. The initial purpose of a vintage game was to preserve gameplay for the long-term, but now, those same games are being collected and sold as investments, too.
Auctions have become popular ways to buy and sell retro games online. They’re also often used as an opportunity to help people find a particular game they want more than anything else in their collection. There are several reasons why collectible games can be such a lucrative investment.
These three criteria are reflected in the price a vintage game sells for at auction. A rare vintage game might cost you $10 when you were a child, but today it could be worth $400 or more. The rarest retro games can sell for thousands of dollars, and some “unobtainable” games have even sold for as much as $100,000. We know you are wondering what some valuable retro games are; this list of 8 of the rarest video games ever –
- Red Sea Crossing
- Stadium Events
- Tetris
- Gamma Attack
- Birthday Mania
- Blockbuster World of Championship II
- Lakers vs. Celtics and the NBA Playoffs
- Air Raid
Why Are Vintage Video Games So Important?
The vintage gaming market is worth $50 billion, so why are retro games so important? The main reason is nostalgia. The millennials who grew up playing vintage games in the 1990s and 2000s have now grown up. They have money to spend, children of their own, and a nostalgic love for vintage gaming.
As more millennials discover vintage games, they pass their love of nostalgia on to their children. This nostalgia effect is only going to get stronger as millennials get older. There are now millions of millennial gamers in their thirties who played retro games as children. These nostalgic gamers now have the money to spend on retro games, creating demand for vintage gaming products.
Vintage video games have been a significant part of our lives and culture for many years, but now they’re becoming less common, thanks to the advent of modern technology. They are still being made today, but big companies like Nintendo or Sega do not make them. Instead, they’re being made by independent game developers who want to create old-school games and make them available to the public.
The most popular vintage games today are those produced in the early 1980s when Atari and Nintendo were at their peak. These days, these two companies have been replaced by Sony and Microsoft. They both make consoles known as “consoles” that play video games from their original cartridges instead of using cartridges themselves.
Vintage video games are more authentic than modern ones based on historical events or situations. For example, if you want to play an action-packed game where you shoot enemies with guns or bombs while riding a motorcycle through cities with explosions everywhere around you, then playing an older game like Street Fighter 2 will be perfect for you.
How To Make Money Playing Vintage Games
If you want to make money playing vintage games, your best bet is to buy vintage consoles, games, and accessories and resell them online. You could make a full-time income from this if you’re good at sourcing retro games. The first step towards making money playing vintage games is deciding which platform you want to focus on. There are a couple of options:
- Vintage arcade machines – These can range from early electro-mechanical games like Pong to later coin-op classics like Pac-Man or Space Invaders. Though these days, most arcades have transitioned away from traditional video games and now offer more modern experiences.
- Vintage home consoles – These can be anything from the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) to your favorite system today – Xbox One or PS4.
There are several online communities where vintage gamers buy and sell retro games, consoles, and accessories. If you want to make money playing vintage games, you should start by building a collection of retro games. This is the most critical step because it will determine your future success.
Conclusion
You might think vintage gaming is a worthless fad, but it isn’t. Nostalgic gamers spend money on retro games, consoles, and accessories. With the vintage gaming market being so big, there are plenty of opportunities for vintage gaming entrepreneurs. You don’t need to buy a retro gaming store with $50 million of startup money to make money in this industry. You can start with a few games and build your collection over time.
