How long have you been collecting games?

How long have you been collecting games? From the time you got your first video game or pinball mac


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I think I started around 93-94. It was a pin. Had a big demon on the backglass. Gorgar I think. Had a thumping heart beat sound. Pretty cool pin at the time. Had to get rid of it though. Gave the old lady nightmares! LOL
 
I started a little over a year ago with an empty JAMMA cab that I stuck a pc in with MAME. It kept me happy for a while but then I realised it just wasn't the same as a "proper" arcade game. So, I got a JAMMA cab and a few boards, then I got sick of rotating the monitor and decided to get another JAMMA cab so I could have one horiz one vert. Along the way I managed to get another 10 cabs and tabletops (cocktails) and two pins (Space Invaders and Mr&Mrs Pacman).

I seem to buy lost causes and then get 'em running again (well that's the plan, don't always work out that way!).

It's been a long uphill battle learning electronics and only now do I feel fairly comfortable working around monitors. At least now I can safely discharge monitors and do cap kits, which is neat 'cos most of my collection needs capped! Sometimes it's one step forward and two steps back, but overall I love it. I just need more room dammit!
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6 months.

I got my first game early this year. It took about a year to actually find a get a Street Fighter II CE, but was well worth it considering I've wanted one for about 15 years. I knew this would be the only arcade game I'd ever buy...now I'm looking for SFIII:3S!
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I got my first games in 91 on a snowmobile trip they were broken in the log we were at The owner gave me the games for free a Q-Bert and a super pacman. Got them fixed for 120.00 and a 6 pack.
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I bought my first cabinet last October - it was a mostly empty Paperboy. My
intention was to MAME it at first, but then I decided to Frankenstein it
with parts off of eBay and bring it back to life. Before I had even finished
that project I was diving into a couple others. Now I've got a garage full
of games (4 of which still need some work before my party next Saturday :)
 
Bought my first game when I was in Jr High from an operator in Kansas City; basically just had this bright idea to cold call the different arcade operations and ask them what I could buy for $200 or less (this was right around 1992/1993). I can't remember the name of the guy, but my mother and my step brother met up with him in a basement like warehouse that was close to westport, he showed us what he had available in that price range and I ended up selecting a circa 1988 Tecmo Ninja Gaiden in a smooth Stargate Cab! The thing is, I never even noticed it was a Stargate until they delivered it the next day. It was pretty awesome to have my own arcade machine before I was a teenager and Ninja Gaiden was a pretty cool game....nothing like it's NES counterpart. For the record the most current machine that I purchased was last week.....a Golden Tee Classic.
 
Bought my first, Tutankham cocktail in 1988 for $75 at a yard sale. Still works today
 
I bought my Galaxian cocktail and my Astro Fighter cocktail about 3 years ago at a thrift store for $10 each. The didn't work and it took me 2 years to even get around to messing with them. They just needed to have the edge connectors cleaned a bit.
 
I have wanted to own my own arcade game since watching Silver Spoons as a kid in the 80's. First chance was in '93. I was at a Salvation Army thrift store and there just happened to be a working Karate Champ sitting there for $75.00. It was 10 minutes till they closed and I only had 45. in cash on me. They wouldn't take less or allow me to give them the $45 and come back tomorrow with the rest. I left and rushed back the next morning with $75.00 and got there aboult a half hour after they opened. I was told they sold it to someone about 10 minutes after they opened.

The second attempt was in about '98. I was browsing a completely different thrift store and buried in the back was, lo and behold, a Karate Champ. They wanted a hundred for it, it worked , and I talked them into $80 for it. Didn't have enough on me, went to the bank, came back but was too late and they closed for the day. Came back the next day but it was sold. One day I'll have to buy a Karate Champ for no other reason than to prove to myself that I can successfully purchase a damn Karate Champ machine.

Third times a charm. Owned a Street Fighter 2 I bought from an arcade in town that routinely sells their games after they make x amount of money for the owner. Made a deal to put it in a gaming shop someone I knew owned. He kept trying to buy it off me but I wouldn't sell. He routinely tried to sabotage it making anything so that I would want to unload it on him. Before I could get it out of his shop, he moved in the middle of the night to escape creditors, oweing the landlord back rent and basically running off with my game.

No, hopefully fourth is. Trying it again. Just bought two old black and white monitor Atai games. Sprint 1 and Steeplechase. Hoefully this will be a successful start in collecting the arcade portion of my childhood.
 
Punkahontas,

Which shop in town was that? I'd be interested to hear that story. I think I have an idea if it was in the past 5 years.

Anyway, I got a pinball machine in 2002. A Whirlwind I bought off of Ebay since it was local, turns out the guy lived less than a mile away. Then a few weeks later I bought a Rollergames off of Ebay. Not the world's best condition machine but to this day it still works just fine. Got into Jamma stuff I'd say in 2001 or so when a local video game shop here started getting shipments of Sega Astro City cabinets. If I had a place of my own I'd have much more, but wrestling with buying machines and stuff while trying to save for a house is a problem.
 
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