what will these be worth??

LUCKYMAN

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You know.. most of us on here are from the same generation.. I sometimes wonder what will these be worth to the new generation (my kids)?/

See kids today are NOT intrested in any of these games, especally the ones from the 80's... The kids today are playing PS3 and XBOX which the graphics are probably 100X more then what they were.... I think after our generation is dead and gone, i think these machines wont be worth squat to anybody!!!! Now i know some will like star wars and machines that have a theme that have a following...

also most the guys that repair this stuff are getting older, have to be between 50-70 and once they are gone, who's gonna fix'em??? Now i know most of us have some knowledge to mess with some of the parts and stuff, but im talking about repairing major stuff like boards and such... Just makes me wonder!!!!!!!!
 
most the guys that repair this stuff are getting older, have to be between 50-70 and once they are gone, who's gonna fix'em???
Anybody with a half decent background in electronics and a copy of the schematic should be able to do board repair work. They might not know the most common points of failure like the old pros, but they could get the job done.

I think the bigger problem we'll be facing in the future is lack of spare parts. Things like EPROMs and other specialized chips are already getting scarce. Not to mention that lots of spares we do get these days have been pulled from other machines and might not last very long themselves.
 
For the most part these games will only live on as long as we keep them alive. Interest in these games will only decrease over time.

But I disagree that kids aren't interested in these games, as evidenced by the few times so far we've had families over to play games. The kids totally got into them.
 
I think our games will be worth as much as T.V.'s from the 60's are now, to our generation.

And games have the disadvantage of large size, which means that even if someone likes the kitchy-ness of them, it's not something you get on impulse and it sits unobtrusively on a desk.

I can easily imagine the finest examples of popular titles being taken to the dump in 2040 because no one wants them. Very few Robotrons will ever see 2084.
 
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This thread is bringing me down.

It is something I think about but not for too long.

They will just be 'junk' to be disposed of at some point.

Enjoy 'em while you got 'em....

:)
 
I think their fate depends on how our generation raises our kids. I know plenty of older or middle-aged dudes that took over their dad's businesses, or restored cars, or old Radio collections or whatever, because they were raised with them and taught to appreciate them by their dads. This will be no different. Include your kids now, your games may live on. Exclude them from this hobby and your games won't have a chance.
 
Just look at what's happened to the value of other collectibles as the generation that originally embraced them started dying off:

Jukeboxes= the ones from the 40's that commanded big bucks are now a fraction of their original value

Model A Fords= most everyone has moved onto muscle cars and now Model A's sell for less than the cost of their restoration.

Most likely the same thing will happen to arcade games and just about every other collectible resource that comes down the pike.

Someday early iPods will catch on as a collectible, then when the generation that loved those dies off, the generation that had the implantable music chip will toss the iPods in the trash or sell them for next to nothing at a garage sale. It won't be a garage per se since all the cars will be spacecraft, but I'm trying to keep a 21st Century perspective to my point :)

For readers from the future scanning this message in 50 years, :) is a smiley face in the 2010 internet lexicon meant to impart humor.
 
You know.. most of us on here are from the same generation.. I sometimes wonder what will these be worth to the new generation (my kids)?/

See kids today are NOT intrested in any of these games, especally the ones from the 80's... The kids today are playing PS3 and XBOX which the graphics are probably 100X more then what they were.... I think after our generation is dead and gone, i think these machines wont be worth squat to anybody!!!! Now i know some will like star wars and machines that have a theme that have a following...

also most the guys that repair this stuff are getting older, have to be between 50-70 and once they are gone, who's gonna fix'em??? Now i know most of us have some knowledge to mess with some of the parts and stuff, but im talking about repairing major stuff like boards and such... Just makes me wonder!!!!!!!!
Not everyone..
 
Just look at what's happened to the value of other collectibles as the generation that originally embraced them started dying off:

Jukeboxes= the ones from the 40's that commanded big bucks are now a fraction of their original value

Model A Fords= most everyone has moved onto muscle cars and now Model A's sell for less than the cost of their restoration.

Most likely the same thing will happen to arcade games and just about every other collectible resource that comes down the pike.

Someday early iPods will catch on as a collectible, then when the generation that loved those dies off, the generation that had the implantable music chip will toss the iPods in the trash or sell them for next to nothing at a garage sale. It won't be a garage per se since all the cars will be spacecraft, but I'm trying to keep a 21st Century perspective to my point :)

For readers from the future scanning this message in 50 years, :) is a smiley face in the 2010 internet lexicon meant to impart humor.
Not big on muscle cars, nor ipods...
 
For the most part these games will only live on as long as we keep them alive. Interest in these games will only decrease over time.

But I disagree that kids aren't interested in these games, as evidenced by the few times so far we've had families over to play games. The kids totally got into them.

I like your choice of words.
 
Well Steve your Journey is decomposing by the minute, So you had better sell it soon !!! LOL. I think the more common games will always be sot after and people will find ways to duplicate there function. Like The MPU boards for the Bally games. Just my thoughts.
 
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I'd like to think that classic arcade machines fall more along the lines of classic cars than classic television sets.

40 years from now, not many people will be staring at an old Pac-Man machine and saying, "Pac-who?"
 
There will be a market for most of these games. There will be a smaller supply of games and parts as games get parted out and thrown out.

Younger people will still be playing video games, and some of them will discover these early games all over again.
 
I'd like to think that classic arcade machines fall more along the lines of classic cars than classic television sets.

40 years from now, not many people will be staring at an old Pac-Man machine and saying, "Pac-who?"

You're optimistic. Will people be able to read in 40 years? Maybe the old-timers, but.... ;)
 
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I'd like to think that classic arcade machines fall more along the lines of classic cars than classic television sets.

40 years from now, not many people will be staring at an old Pac-Man machine and saying, "Pac-who?"

I agree. Arcade games are much more iconic and memorable than an old Zenith TV or transistor radio. Not to mention, you can use Arcade games as a drinking game. Like having your friends take a shot each time you eat a blue ghost or smash a barrel with a hammer. I am pretty sure we will still be drinking in the future.Arcade games may not be as valuable in the future, but they will still be enjoyed and will be a neat conversation piece of many future man-caves across the nation.
 
This is a reason why i collect arcade machines. Esp. Uncommon ones.
 
I think the bigger problem we'll be facing in the future is lack of spare parts. Things like EPROMs and other specialized chips are already getting scarce. Not to mention that lots of spares we do get these days have been pulled from other machines and might not last very long themselves.

exactly my thoughts also....
 
For the most part these games will only live on as long as we keep them alive. Interest in these games will only decrease over time.

But I disagree that kids aren't interested in these games, as evidenced by the few times so far we've had families over to play games. The kids totally got into them.

i agree with that, they do play them, i have my daughters friends over and they play them, i mean of course they'd play them, what kid wouldnt?? Im not saying that, im saying would they spend the money later on in their 'adult" years and collect them?
 
I think the bigger problem we'll be facing in the future is lack of spare parts. Things like EPROMs and other specialized chips are already getting scarce.

Well said. Special EPROM/EEPROMS will become demanded like gasoline during the 70's gas crisis, and then the price will skyrocket due to greedy, but smart sellers controlling supply & demand making the hobby more frustrating and costly. I can tell you I'm already experiencing it with my ATARI STUN RUNNER, and the frustration is incredible.

Regarding the hobby as a whole, I think the current young generation won't care unless they become nostalgic when they are older and say "Hey my father used to have a machine like that". Today's arcades are more "virtually interactive" for lack of a better term. Example: Guitar Hero, Dance Dance Revolution, Sega Flight Simulator, trival games. At tourist arcades I hardly see the few oldies left get played.
 
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