#Playable #Collectibles #Preserve #Video #Games #WorthPoint
Unlike many other collecting spheres, video games are one area where you can still use the memorabilia you cherish.
Try asking a toy collector whether they would play with their Star Wars figures or suggesting to a coin collector that they use their early 1910s quarters in a poker game. You’d probably get scolded—or worse. However, many gamers are different from collectors in that they enjoy both collecting and playing with their video games.
As discussed a few weeks back, video game collectors are often divided over grading and encapsulating their favorite titles because they lose the ability to play them. A capsuled cartridge, after all, cannot be opened. Thus, many collectors will avoid the grading process and do their best to maintain a clean game that, later, could go to market in the best condition possible.
In theory, storing games comes down to some simple steps. However, it is easy to overlook these in the heat of a single or ongoing virtual battle.
#1: Be Aware of Moisture
The most crucial safe storage tip for video games is to keep them out of humidity. Aside from the worst-case scenario of a cartridge accidentally doused in Pepsi, overall exposure to wet air can negatively impact the circuitry.
“The biggest threat is moisture, which will corrode the connections on game boards,” said Steemit writer @retro-room, in an article on proper video game storage. “While light corrosion can be cleaned, it can get to the point where no amount of cleaning can restore the pins on the cartridge, rendering it permanently damaged. Therefore, keeping games in dry areas is the biggest priority.”
Dirt and debris are also a concern for video games. We all have experienced some gunk in our games, which can build up quickly. You can blow into cartridges to remove some of the lighter buildup, such as lint, or use a cotton swab with rubbing alcohol to remove crustier debris. However, it is crucial to be careful, as you can damage the pins on your cartridge.
The surface of a CD, DVD, or any other similar disc can withstand some damage and still play, but dust and debris accumulation can cause the disc to stop playing correctly. Using the wrong cleaning agent can cause more harm than good.
The best solution for both these threats of damage is the mom rule: Put your game away as soon as you’re done playing with it. Yes, it’s easy to get lost in a heated night of gaming and stack game after game on top of each other or leave them strewn about on a floor. The best practice is to slip each game back into its holder—be it a jewel case, the sleeve your cartridge came in, or a third-party protector like a disc organizer.
#2: Be Aware of Light Exposure
Keeping your games protected from moisture and dirt is only part of the battle—another big area is light exposure. Specifically, ultraviolet light can cause fading on your favorite cartridge. This, as explained by Inform Products, is due to a molecular reaction:
Color fading is the result of a chemical process known as photodegradation produced by exposure to ultraviolet radiation. All colors and dyes contain light absorbing color bodies known as chromophores. The colors that we see are based on the chemical bonds of chromophores and the amount of light that is absorbed in a particular wavelength. Exposure to ultraviolet rays will slowly break down the chemical bonds and result in the fading of colour in the inks/dyes/print on the surface of an object.
Unfortunately, for portable consoles, such as Game Boy or PSP, their cartridges can be culprits of sunlight aging, but UV isn’t limited to natural light. As the Government of Canada outlined, UV light is even a component of modern light bulbs. However, there are several protective sleeves and envelopes on the market that will help you protect your games, the cases, and the peripheral materials like instruction guides.
#3: Be Aware of Discoloration
The tinting you see on labels can also affect the consoles themselves, and there is no more significant victim of this discoloration than the Super Nintendo. Depending on storage and exposure, the 16-bit system is infamous for changing from its gray body (especially the top portion) to beige, yellow, or a combination thereof.
The reason for this change, as HowToGeek writer Whitson Gordon describes, is the type of plastic Nintendo used in the 1990s. “This yellowing happens thanks to a flame retardant called bromine in those old ABS plastics. When exposed to UV light, those bromine molecules can destabilize and leech through to the surface, causing the plastic to turn yellow (or even brown if left long enough). Modern plastics have improved the chemistry, so this process doesn’t happen, but those old machines from the ’80s aren’t so lucky.”
Gordon adds that there is no rhyme or reason for the discoloration pattern. “Different retro machines will yellow at different rates than others, even from the same line of products,” he continues. “Your Super Nintendo may be much yellower than your friend’s, just because they were from different batches of plastic. Here’s what’s even weirder: sometimes, two pieces of plastic in the same machine can be different levels of yellow.”
Unfortunately, there is no foolproof way to keep a Super Nintendo safe from aging, but it seems collectors are forgiving. Some have filled forums sharing information on restoring SNES and other consoles to their original colors, which is a topic for another time.
The Bottom Line on Preserving Video Games
Ultimately, collecting video games is one of the most enjoyable hobbies to pursue, mainly because of the subject’s interactivity. Just as in other hobbies, condition is king when you’re seeking a high-dollar find, but the core of the industry is in fun.
The good news is that keeping your treasure in collectible and playable condition goes hand in hand. A few simple safety measures will save your video game in strong condition if you ever choose to sell, and it all starts with the primary materials manufacturers provided when they created your treasured video game. Additional measures will help in the preservation, but they are low in cost and offer high rewards if you go down those paths.
Jon Waldman is a Winnipeg-based writer. He has written for Beckett, Go GTS, Canadian Sports Collector, and several other hobby outlets over his two decades in the hobby. His experience also includes two books on sports cards and memorabilia. Connect with Jon on Twitter at @jonwaldman.
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