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Monday Tip-Off: Getting Into Basketball Game Collecting

Monday Tip-Off: Getting Into Basketball Game Collecting

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Join me as I begin the week here at the NLSC with my opinions and commentary on basketball gaming topics, as well as tales of the fun I’ve been having on the virtual hardwood. This week, I’m tipping things off with some tips on how to get into basketball game collecting.

So, you say you want to get into collecting basketball video games? I’ve seen some people express interest in the hobby, especially with how often that Dee and I have talked about our collections on the NLSC Podcast! We’re admittedly at the crazier end of the hobby, doubling up on different platforms, picking up spare copies if we see them for ridiculously low prices, and seeking out some more expensive titles. One doesn’t have to be a completionist to collect though, especially when it comes to video games. It’s fine to just amass a collection of favourites that you want to have on hand.

We’ve received a couple of strange YouTube comments in regards to our collections, which seem to imply that we’re somehow doing something nefarious, or that we’re in some exclusive hobby that requires great wealth. To put it bluntly, neither is true! I believe the former comment mistook our discussion of shared experiences using Parsec as somehow hoarding games, while the latter is assuming that collecting needs to be an expensive hobby. We did respond to those comments and provided some tips on basketball game collecting way back in Episode #436 of the Podcast, but I’d like to offer some further advice, including a summary of key tips at the end of this article.

One of the reasons that I’ve been able to build a sizeable collection of basketball video games is that I’ve been selective about which games I trade in. I know that there are a lot of people who trade in the previous year’s game to get a discount on a new release, and this is certainly a savvy transaction. Needless to say however, that’s not exactly conducive to building up a collection! It’s stating the obvious, but by holding onto your games, you’ll maintain a larger library of them. The fewer games that you trade in, sell, or give away now, the fewer you’ll need to reacquire later. That means less money you need to spend with fewer gaps to fill, since you already have a head start.

Durant vs Wade in NBA Live 08

You also need to decide what kind of collector you want to be. Budget and interest are the most important factors here. Giving life and financial advice is somewhat beyond the scope of my content, but I’m sure we’d all agree that bills and necessities should come before luxuries and hobbies. My approach to basketball game collecting is to be as frugal as possible, and to that point, I’ve hunted down the best prices, passed on listings that weren’t in my budget, and built up my collection over a number of years. There’s no need to spend big and collect every game right away. Many collectors, no matter their interest, would argue that patient bargain hunting is also part of the fun.

On top of that, as I alluded to before, there are different ways of collecting. Whenever possible, I’ve aimed to collect complete series on PC and consoles that I own. As I don’t own every console and am in a PAL region, there are some titles I can’t easily get my hands on, and couldn’t play even if I did. That’s vital to me, as I want to be able to play the games for my own enjoyment, and to create content based on them. I’ll certainly buy complete-in-box (CIB) if the price is right, but I’ve also opted for disc or cartridge only in some cases. When it comes to other games, I’ve just stuck to picking up some of my old favourites. I don’t need or want a complete SNES library!

With that in mind, you could certainly pick and choose the basketball games that you collect. If you just want to track down some old favourites that you’ve sold, traded in, or otherwise lost in the years since, by all means stick to those titles! You may only want to collect for a single platform or series, or just pick up some of the landmark hoops games. It’s entirely up to your interests and preferences as a collector. Opting for a more comprehensive collection is going to take longer and will also be a larger investment, but I’m definitely not going to dissuade you from that if you have the means and the interest! Once again though, I advise shopping around for bargains.

Rare Basketball Game Collecting: Super Dunk Shot

That brings us to finding these older games, and picking them up for the best prices. Honestly, apart from the games that I’ve bought new at release over the years, most of my pickups have been from eBay. For those who are unaware, I’m in Australia, and many of my purchases have been domestic. However, I’ve also bought games from international sellers. You do have to be careful here due to PAL and NTSC copies, and region-locked consoles. You also have to study the listings carefully if you’re buying a PAL copy from Europe, as it may not be in your preferred language. And of course, postage and exchange rates will vary depending on whereabouts you live.

Broadly speaking, PAL copies are required if you’re in Oceania, Europe, Africa, South America, and parts of Asia. North America’s format is NTSC, whereas Japan’s is NTSC-J. Outside of modded consoles, or devices such as the universal adapter for the Super Nintendo, it’s impossible to play NTSC games on PAL consoles (and vice versa). A handful of Xbox 360 games were region-free, while the PlayStation 3 had no region locks for games. Similarly, the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S are region-free for games, but not DVDs/Blu-Rays. I’m guessing most gamers will be aware of these details, but if need be, research your hardware.

Assuming that you understand what you need to look for and have an idea of which titles you want to seek out, it’s time to search for them on eBay. I’m not going to go into detail on how to use eBay – they have plenty of their own resources for that – but instead, I’ll discuss prices. There’s some ebb and flow to the prices of video game collecting, basketball or otherwise. Less scrupulous sellers will attempt to gouge you with higher prices, under the assumption that anything old is valuable. When it comes to most basketball video games – particularly NBA Live and NBA 2K titles – there are plenty of them in circulation. They aren’t rare, and thus shouldn’t be very expensive.

North Carolina vs Duke in NCAA Basketball 10

Again, the actual price will vary depending on your local currency and the current exchange rates, and you’ll usually pay more if buying from overseas. However, most of the commonly available games – even those over ten years old – tend to retail for around $5-20 AUD, depending on condition and whether they’re complete in box. In the US and UK, many of the common games can be found for around $5/£5 or less, not including postage. If you want to get your hands on NBA Live 06 or NBA 2K8, it shouldn’t set you back too much. Even older games such as NBA Live 95 SNES or NBA Live 2002 PS2 should be well below the cost of a brand new basketball game.

In addition to seeking out the best Buy It Now prices, not to mention paying attention to the seller’s feedback and reputation, you can also seek out games listed as auctions. There’s a higher risk of missing out on these listings of course, as well as the possibility that the bidding will get crazy. You can be lucky though, so enter a top bid you’re comfortable with, and see if you can come away with a great deal. Whether you’re bidding or buying outright, stick to a budget, seek out the best price, and check finished listings to see what other copies have sold for. Some sellers accept offers, or will extend them if you show interest by adding an item to your eBay Watchlist.

As I noted, most copies of NBA Live and NBA 2K shouldn’t be too expensive. The college basketball games tend to have higher price tags, as there are fewer of them in circulation, and they’ve become popular collectors’ items. Complete-in-box copies of NCAA Basketball 10 and College Hoops 2K8 are often listed at over $100 US, and it may take some patience and shopping around to find a better price. There are some games that sell for thousands of dollars, but those tend to be rare collectibles such as NBA Elite 11 and Disney Sports Basketball. Those are very unique cases; once again, most second hand basketball games shouldn’t cost any more than the latest NBA 2K.

Chris Paul in NBA 2K15

Amazon is another online alternative to eBay, and there are often different buying options including second hand copies that are in less pristine condition. Not all sellers on Amazon ship worldwide however, and those that do can often charge more than eBay in my experience. Nevertheless, they are another option, particularly if you are in North America. The other option is to seek out local second hand and retro gaming stores. If you’re lucky, you might find a local store which can be your hook-up for basketball game collecting. Many of them have online stores or eBay shops, so even if they aren’t local to you, they can still mail you your orders. It pays to shop around!

If you’re a savvy bargain hunter, you can pick up a number of classic hoops titles for a total of around $100 AUD, and certainly for $100 USD. As I noted, there’s no need to pick up every game you want straight away. Be patient, look out for good deals, and add games to your collection here and there. Starting out with a few titles that you’re particularly interested in would be wise, as that may well scratch the itch. Indeed, you may lose interest in collecting after buying a handful of retro games! Don’t go into it looking to spend a lot of money. Find a store or seller that has what you want, pick up what you can afford, and keep checking in with them to see what deals come along.

Basketball game collecting on PC can be trickier. Older games are only on physical media, so you’ll need to have the means of running them. If you don’t have an optical drive in your system, external USB optical drives are fairly inexpensive. The really old games will require additional steps to run on modern systems, but that’s a topic for another time; this is just about getting your hands on copies. Sometimes they’re more expensive than the console versions as there are fewer copies in circulation, but again, the most common titles should cost less than a new release. On the other hand, newer games that were digital-only releases can actually be much tougher to track down.

Kobe Bryant vs Chauncey Billups in NBA 2K10

This is because they’re removed from online storefronts such as Steam, Xbox Live, and the PlayStation Store. If you can track down keys and codes from resellers, you can generally still redeem them and add the game to your library. There’s always an element of risk with those resellers, so be wary and investigate their reputation before dealing with them. NBA 2K games have been disappearing from Steam following the shutdown of their servers, and unfortunately are seldom discounted after new games come out. If you want a complete collection on PC from NBA 2K15 onwards, you’ll have to check with resellers, and really be prepared to buy the latest game every year.

It pays to be aware of current trends in retro gaming and collecting. Some platforms are cheaper than others at times, as prices will increase when there’s greater interest in collecting for them. As I’ve previously mentioned, the PC version of NBA 2K10 with Kobe Bryant on the cover has been listed at higher prices on eBay in the wake of his tragic passing. Conversely, copies for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 are generally still quite cheap. Whenever there’s a retro game collecting boom, basketball titles will be affected to some extent, and it’s usually not the best time to get into the hobby. Prices will be at a premium as sellers try to cash in on the trend, and present games as rare.

I don’t have any experience with using local classifieds, Facebook groups, and other such marketplaces that facilitate swapping and selling of retro games, so I can’t attest to their selection or trustworthiness. I’d imagine it varies depending on the group and location, but they are another avenue that you might explore, albeit carefully. No matter where you source games from, the important thing to keep in mind is that not everything that’s old is rare and worth a lot of money. There’s a reason that stores that accept trade-ins tend to pay even less for annual sports titles. It’s somewhat of a niche genre within retro gaming and collecting, so seek out fair prices given that demand.

Basketball Game Collection

It’s not something that I’ve encountered too often with basketball game collecting, but it’s still worth mentioning that in addition to price and technical specifications, it also pays to look out for bootlegs and reproduction games/boxes. Such items can be fun collectables in their own right, but if you’re looking for an authentic copy, then watch out for fishy disc and cover art, reprinted cartridge labels, and other tell-tale signs. Again, I haven’t seen that too often; if anything, the struggle is usually finding an affordable complete-in-box copy than encountering a bootleg! Of course, if you’re not too picky about CIB, you can save a bit of money with cartridge and disc only copies.

Basketball game collecting isn’t an exclusive hobby requiring all sorts of connections and insane wealth. A number of classics are readily available at low prices through eBay, Amazon, and other stores that deal in retro games. Prices and accessibility will absolutely vary depending on where you are in the world, and I’ll readily admit that I’m approaching the topic from a Western viewpoint. However, it remains a hobby that many basketball gamers can get into, especially if you’re mostly interested in picking up a few classic games here and there. As long as you have access to online shopping, there’s a quick and affordable path to hours of retro basketball gaming fun.

In Summary: Key Tips for Basketball Game Collecting

  1. Set an acceptable budget and don’t aim to spend more than you can afford
  2. Decide which games you’d like to begin with, and others you’d like to seek out
  3. Research hardware requirements and regional restrictions (e.g. PAL/NTSC)
  4. eBay, Amazon, and local retro gaming stores are the best places to look
  5. Begin with titles you’re most interested in, including reacquiring old favourites
  6. Shop around for the best possible prices, both online and locally
  7. Be wary of sellers passing off common games as rare collectibles
  8. Digital copies do get removed from platforms; be careful with key resellers
  9. Disc/cartridge only can be cheaper if you’re not firmly set on complete-in-box
  10. Watch out for bootlegs (unless you want one); ask around if something is fishy
  11. Don’t be in a rush to pick up games to the point of immediately overspending
  12. Hold onto games rather than being too quick to trade them in for new releases
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