For this, the latest in our series of retro gaming collections from around the world we head over the pond to my own favourite destination; British Columbia, Canada. Sometimes in life you happen across people that you take an instant like to, and this happened to me with Bob, not only is he knowledgeable in his field of collecting but he has a big personality brimming with wit and humour. With that said, judge for yourself as I let his words take over commentary. All photography by his talented wife (more of her great work can be found here).

The infamous ottoman of 'Ahhhhh' (cue up the chamber choir) this is a long shot of the game carts (numbering 254 and counting) — The infamous ottoman of ‘Ahhhhh’ (cue up the chamber choir) this is a long shot of the game carts (numbering 254 and counting)

My boxes and accessories. Pictured are my Action and Challenge set boxes, my game manuals, power glove, game genie, orange zapper gun (couldn't find my original gray one for the pic), Linus Space head insert, Original Zelda map and my small assortment of game boxes. I think of all I am most proud of the Dragon Warrior 3 box. I have the paperback books How to Win at Nintendo volumes 1 and 3 (but shhh.. don't tell anyone, lol). Also seen in this picture is the top loading NES console I use for daily play It is a gray Yobo machine and even though it is pictured with it's controllers I can't use them.. I have to plug in my original controllers for the true Nintendo experience. — My boxes and accessories. Pictured are my Action and Challenge set boxes, my game manuals, power glove, game genie, orange zapper gun (couldn’t find my original gray one for the pic), Linus Space head insert, Original Zelda map and my small assortment of game boxes. I think of all I am most proud of the Dragon Warrior 3 box. I have the paperback books How to Win at Nintendo volumes 1 and 3 (but shhh.. don’t tell anyone, lol). Also seen in this picture is the top loading NES console I use for daily play It is a gray Yobo machine and even though it is pictured with it’s controllers I can’t use them.. I have to plug in my original controllers for the true Nintendo experience.

Another cross-section picture (close-up) of the game cartridges in the chest. I actually pinched a cropped version of this one to use for my Facebook timeline page.

Camerica cartridges — This is a closeup of some of more colorful carts in my collection. Pictured are the gold and/or silver Camerica carts and my lonely blue cartridge : Linus spacehead’s cosmic crusade, Stunt kids, Quattro Sports, Fire Hawk, Bible Adventures and Big Nose the Caveman.

Uncommon titles — Pictured here are some of my more ‘uncommon’? games. I caution myself to use the word rare for fear that someone would come out of the woodwork who uses some of these as paper weights because they have four copies of them… but according to the two rarity guides I use they are a lot harder to come by. The pictured games are as follows: L’empereur, Uncharted Waters, Dragon fighter, World Champ, Formula 1: build to win, Dragon Warrior 3, Ultima: Warriors of Destiny, Stunt Kids, Maxivision 15 in 1, Tetris and Ms. Pacman.

Maxi 15 Cart — This is a more detailed picture of my most prized cartridge the Maxi 15 in 1. Picture shows the clamshell case the game came in with the boxart on the back, the cartridge of course and the manual.

A shot showing the accessories roundup again in the background and my chest opened up with some of the rarer games spilled out beside.

closeup of my Tengen (mostly unlicensed) games. With the exception of the gray Pacman cart, these ones I believe are the ones that Nintendo did NOT give their seal of approval to. Some of them (Ms. Pacman and Tetris for example) were later released again by a different company WITH Nintendo's approval. Did that make any sense or was I speaking in circles? Do let me know. :) I find these games neat because they are kind of 'outlaw' I suppose. They didn't conform to Nintendo's rules and so they made them look different too, all black and with a more angled spine. How very aerodynamic (not to mention slimming) of them. — Closeup of my Tengen (mostly unlicensed) games. With the exception of the gray Pacman cart, these ones I believe are the ones that Nintendo did NOT give their seal of approval to. Some of them (Ms. Pacman and Tetris for example) were later released again by a different company WITH Nintendo’s approval. Did that make any sense or was I speaking in circles? Do let me know… I find these games neat because they are kind of ‘outlaw’ I suppose. They didn’t conform to Nintendo’s rules and so they made them look different too, all black and with a more angled spine. How very aerodynamic (not to mention slimming) of them.

Bobby with the 'ottoman of Aaaah' — Yikes who’s that crazy lookin’ dude. My wife suggested I pull a Vanna White in front of the game chest, so there ya go. You can now put a face to the words. I suppose if nothing else it gives you some sort of scale as to the size of the ottoman of ‘ahhh’… hmm… don’t think I’ll ever get tired of that one.

Close-up of some of my 'trilogies' so to speak. We have Mega man 1-4 probably my favorite game series of all time or a close tie with Zelda. Dragon Warrior 1-3, and Castlevania 1-3. — Close-up of some of my ‘trilogies’ so to speak. We have Mega man 1-4 probably my favorite game series of all time or a close tie with Zelda. Dragon Warrior 1-3, and Castlevania 1-3.

Drowning in his obsession... — Drowning in my obsession? Another artsy pic courtesy of my lovely wife, Missy. She does all kinds of neat photography but mostly with dolls and candy.

Game Manuals — Artsy closeup of some of my game manuals. I only have about 2 dozen or so, but maybe after my NES collection has been rounded out a little more I may concentrate on these. In the meantime if I see them for a good price I’ll scoop ’em up.

Wild Cycle — I only included this because I found this image on Google and it is very similar to the first arcade machine I played on and I guess where this gaming passion of mine was born.

Q and A with 8BitBobby

When did you become interested in video games and what was the first video game you played?

8BitBobby: If I answer this truthfully I will most certainly date myself, but here goes. It was about 1980 and I was 6 years old. Looking back I didn’t realize how lucky I probably was at the time. For some unknown reason during this era (and this era only), my dad (a millwright by trade) loved to tinker with electronics and he brought home two arcade cabinets to fix up. The first, a PONG ripoff called Super Soccer and the other was called Wild Cycle. Super Soccer was technically the first ‘video’ game I played as Wild Cycle resembled more of a pinball type game. It didn’t have any graphics or sprites on the machine just a lot of sound and lights and a little toy motorcyclist that needed to navigate hazards on a track. The game had a set of handlebars that you used to control your character and turning them either way would cause your driver to lean into the turns. I believe this might have been one of the first games that simulated action by using movement of the machine and controller itself. If you crashed your toy would barrel roll on the track and the handlebars would shake. The game was created by Allied Industries 1970. I have since found pictures of a wild cycle cabinet that looks much like the one from my childhood, but all attempts to find a Super Soccer game have failed. I’m beginning to wonder if it wasn’t truly a pong board in it and just had a custom made marquee.

What was the first games console or computer you owned and how old were you?

8BitBobby: At about the age of 8 or 9 we welcomed two new additions to our family: the Atari 2600 and the Commodore Vic20. I think of the two I actually spent more time playing the Vic20 and passed countless hours trying to create short, text based adventure games. Frustration would invariably set in when I realized that once I got into the meat and potatoes of the game I would run out of memory. This is when their library of titles such as Cosmic Cruncher, Jupiter Lander and Raid on Fort Knox would come in handy. I’ll always remember: poke36879,c (haha).

What got you into collecting NES cartridges and why NES?

8BitBobby: I got into collecting NES cartridges to relive my childhood to a degree I suppose, and to introduce my kids to something that was exciting to me when I was their age. When I moved out I left behind all of the games I had amassed during childhood and when I asked my brother about my games years later I was sad to learn that they had been given away or sold off without my knowledge or consent. This news could very easily have created a great deal of anger in me, but instead it lit a fire to collect them again; to regain what was lost.
Why NES? There are so many reasons. For someone who grew up in the 70s and 80s something as simple as Nintendo’s departure (with their controller) from the one button/stick format to their D-pad [AB] button system was revolutionary to me. How about the fact that you could pause your game and return to it after evacuating your bladder, eating your breakfast of CapNCrunch cereal, doing your chores, or even going to school? To this day my wife’s biggest complaint with some games I play is the inability to pause the action and come back to it. The NES was a completely different animal and its contribution to the vernacular of gaming past, present, and future is not something that is easy to put into words. The games had character (no pun intended) and you could instantly recognize Mario with his mustache and big nose, Megaman by his blue helmet and squinting eyes, and Link by his little elf cap and ears. The limitations of previous consoles were exploited by this new 8bit system. Since I spent the 80s at the arcade a lot my favorite games were those made or licensed by Nintendo. The generation before me gravitated towards Atari because they brought home games such as Asteroids and Berzerk. For me Donkey Kong was king, and with the first introduction of Jumpman (aka Mario), I was hooked. The music, gameplay, replayability, cheatcodes, built in battery for saving your adventures for later play were all facets which kept me coming back. The library of games is extremely impressive (numbering over 800 licensed/unlicensed releases), and there are enough solid original games and arcade ports that one can easily forget about the various ‘stinker’s that nintendo’s seal of quality couldn’t save.

Where do you source most of your retro purchases from (ebay, flea markets etc) ?

8BitBobby: My retro purchases derive mainly from thrift/second hand stores, but I have been frequenting the Sunday flea market in town on a regular basis and have bought the odd game online.

What is your most prized NES cart and how much did it cost you?

8BitBobby: My most prized NES cart is the Maxi 15 in 1. produced by American Video Entertainment. Now to say it is my most prized is not to imply it is the most played or best game by any stretch, but it did contain some pretty rare unreleased games (IMO). This once in a lifetime find cost me a measly $2 at a thrift store. Though future trips to this vendor have never proven as fruitful it did infuse me with the thrill of the hunt for a short time.

What is your favourite hardware manufacturer next to Nintendo?

8BitBobby: Though it might sound a little strange I think I have to tip my hat to Sega. They filled in the titles that Nintendo didn’t always produce and had their own solid lineup with their Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. Also there was nothing to me as rewarding as being able to play Wonderboy in Monsterland at home rather than having to drive half an hour to our Mini golf and Arcade place to drain my entire allowance on it in a matter of a few hours. Some might say that you can’t be a fan of both (not unlike the age old Star Trek vs. Star Wars argument – Star Wars btw), but I disagree. I think the existence of Sega forced Nintendo’s hand and caused them to innovate to not only stay relevant but to maintain their foothold as the industry leader during the late 80s early 90s. We may have Sega to thank for the Super Nintendo, and the N64. I still own a Sega Master system and have Wonderboy and Wonderboy in Monsterland for it, but it does play second fiddle for sure to the pure awesome that is Nintendo, (IMHO).

What would you collect for if the NES had never been around?

8BitBobby: If we are talking about other consoles then I think I would like to collect the cartridges for the 2600 just for the nostalgia factor. As for other things (gaming aside), I would probably have filled in my record (LP) collection or perhaps delved a little deeper into my horror movie memorabilia interests.

What is your favourite console or computer next to the NES?

8BitBobby: Though I never owned one, I have really always dug the Intellivision. Friends of the family had one and I spent countless hours playing poker with that shift-eyed dealer and horse racing. Nothing like turning your 9 year old loose to start their lifelong ‘video gambling’ obsession. I still remember thinking that the little plastic overlays you placed on the keypad controllers were the coolest things going. Like Nintendo I think Intellivision did a lot of things right. They ported some fun games like Burgertime and Bump n Jump and had some cool ones of their own like Sea Battle that I enjoyed immensely.

Where do you want to go now with the collection?

8BitBobby: My goal, lofty as it may be, is to obtain a copy of all of the games that were available for the NES (licensed and unlicensed). I’ll start with the carts first and then maybe move on to boxes, manuals, etc. Would also like to get my hands on all of the peripherals they made for the system (especially R.O.B.).

Have you any tips for budding retro games collectors?

8BitBobby:
1) Be consistent. Try and hit up your local thrift stores at least a few times a week.
2) Get involved in the scene and talk to other collectors. It builds a great network for trading and may lend itself to tips and resources you may have overlooked that will help you.
3) Bring cash… everyone likes cash. Cash is a good motivator. Never be afraid to negotiate, for example, ask for a group price on a few games together when dealers have them priced individually. I have found that pawnshop purveyors are particularly persuadable with paper currency.
4) Reach for the lowest hanging fruit. Concentrate on obtaining the games you know you’ll enjoy the most first as this will help to fuel your passion for collecting. If you buy solely for the rarity factor you will find that many of the so-called rare games are only rare because they were so bad they were used for kindling, coasters, doorstops or unceremoniously buried in a landfill.
5) Feed yourself first, then your collection. Stick to a monthly or weekly budget for game purchases otherwise you’ll end up in the poor house.
6) Appreciate your collection. Play the games, review the games, stare lovingly at them from time to time. Crazy and sad as it sounds, my collection is housed in a 2x4ft. ottoman and every time I open it up to get a game out I always make the sounds like a Chamber Choir saying “Aaaaaahhhhh”… like some epiphany of awesome had just occurred. My wife thinks I’m a big ‘ol cheeseball but I think it’s fun and I feel a sense of pride every time I do it.