The Truth About Collecting Sealed Video Games

[@kyleandjomo]

Thanks Greg for the mention and compliments! I love your use of the phrase "layers of challenge". Sealed games are just, perhaps, the highest form of that challenge for any specific game. Like NUZLOCKE for Pokémon games lol. It makes perfect sense why brand new copies, in excellent condition, would call for a higher price because they're limited. This goes for almost anything. Nice commentary!

[@killadelph7245]

I like collecting sealed video games from my childhood. I get to display them and remember all the good times I had playing them with family, friends, etc.

[@lacrolxcortwheel9591]

I don't grade game often... However, there are some games that I do collect that I want them sealed. Because those games mean something important to me.

[@boxwi]

I encourage anyone who says "games are meant to be played"- if you come across a valuable sealed game, by all means, you go ahead and open it. Play it as much as you want afterward. No one is stopping you.

[@GetTheGreg]

Agreed fully.

[@SkulShurtugalTCG]

I've said this before, but for me, owning a sealed video game is like owning a little piece of history. It is a tangible example of when the game was brand-new on a store shelf. It's cool to look at those and be transported, in a small way, back in time. And if I'm gonna keep it sealed, I may as well grade it to protect it, right?

[@GetTheGreg]

This guy gets it

[@PropiaPersona]

You own a piece of resealing history as well

[@TheGamingCorner-e5q]

You can just get a hard cover plastic protective case. You do not need to get it graded in order to protect it.

[@rawsick]

You know what gives you the same feeling? Putting it on a shelf while still opening an playing it. You’re essentially just buying things to look at it an remind you for a second of childhood where as if you play it you relive it much more.

[@crazyrick2009]

Videogames = ART

[@inasuma8180]

uh huh

[@Quick1blue]

I collect graded sealed games of only final fantasy games. Seeing them all together on a shelf is just beautiful and the excitement of getting the next one. 😃

[@boosk2127]

Agree totally with all points. The other reason I have started to get even some of my CIB games sent out for grading, is to have them encased in a nice display case to keep them in great condition as well..

[@trevor245]

Completely agree. People just fail to understand how important that difficulty is for longevity in a personal collecting hobby. Some people go for rare CIB games, others go for rare carts, others for sealed etc etc. Having a rare variant of a game you actually care about makes more sense to me than chasing after random rare games just because they are rare. I saw the video on my page but skipped it as I am pretty used to the same regurgitated opinion of money laundering etc. Will for sure check it out

[@HeIIfire2073]

I also own a sealed launch day copy of Halo 3. I own two of them, actually. One standard edition and one limited edition. Halo 3's launch night was one of the biggest events in gaming history, and the fact I can basically have lightning in a bottle and capture that history behind an unopened DNSB copy is really something. Opening them wouldn't make sense, because then it just becomes another opened copy of Halo 3. If I want to play Halo 3 I could literally just use my copy I got for Christmas in 2007, and Master Chief Collection exists as well. You can have your cake and eat it too!

[@mob5613]

Collecting sealed games is a way for me to preserve something that is meaningful to me.

[@Jmiloooo]

I like this. I’m not really into sealed games (even though I have a couple). What I like is getting my video games signed by voice actors or people who worked on the game.

[@Odinoian]

6:54 I've also bought sealed since 15 years ago. My family thinks it's stupid and my friends joke about it, but I would def still collect sealed even if the value went to 0. Personally, nostalgia and passion for games I grew up with is what drives me, and I think grades and acrylic obscures the idea of the actual condition and instead get people hooked on needlessly chasing higher grades, which leads to spending more, and thus moves your focus over to money rather than the games, via expenses and profits of higher sums

[@GetTheGreg]

I do agree that inevitably, as prices raise, money moves itself to the forefront of discussion. The fact is, wanting to participate on this side of the market requires a lot more analysis and making a "mistake" can mean you overpay by hundreds or even by the wrong variant, etc. I think that would happen with or without grading, but grading certainly emphasizes it.

[@LeluMarc]

Graded videogames are the same for me as my collection of Pokémon cards in slabs, showcased on my wall. Pure nostalgia. Aren't cards also ment to be played? The feeling of owning a piece of something that was part of my life when I was a child in the best possible condition is awesome. Collectors exist because collectibles bring an emotional asset to them. If you dont share that, its hard to have a positive comment about it.

[@joemigraine3649]

Great video - I remember walking out of GameStop in 2010 for the Black Ops midnight release, holding the sealed copy and waiting to get home to open it. Owning that sealed copy again (even though in mint condition it’s currently only worth a few hundred dollars) is easily one of my favorite items on my collection.

[@GetTheGreg]

I feel for the newer gen that doesn't have the hype midnight releases these days. Showing up release night to a store filled with people just buzzing for the game was unreal haha

[@michaelsbutsandputts.3011]

So happy to have my eBay store Featured in a GetTheGregGames Video!! Made my day!

[@Thatguywithswords]

man yes explained so well. its like a time capsule! you cannot and will not ever get these games brand new from their og time again so its like art! and older games are crazy due to how much smaller the population gamers as a whole were back then.

[@C6ZR1]

Early last year I just wanted a nice copy of Earthbound and maybe a few others... then I discovered graded games. Hooked since

[@blitzkrieg1174]

I've got a sealed copy of Halo Infinite that's a legit manufacturers defect that I found at a local thrift store. The artwork has a noticeable crease on the bottom right hand corner on the front. I could have bought a cleaner copy but I chose the copy with the defect on purpose. I own quite a bit of sealed games but most of the games I own are newer from the 6th generation on up. I would like to collect some sealed games from the NES era but most of those games are too expensive to chase whereas I'm happy to collect CIB games from that era to the N64.

[@nintendogal9143]

I like having an elevated piece of the franchise I collect. And now after catching flak for "driving the price up" for simply wanting the item and buying it, I really suspect most of the naysayers about graded are those who can't afford them and are envious. I've noticed with hobbies where there are a large amount of hoarders, there's a similar sentiment.

[@GetTheGreg]

I know one thing for sure: people will never admit that they are just jealous when they spend their day online complaining about how other people collect video games haha 🤫

[@billy.bandit]

I hope you guys do a collaboration - maybe do a Part I on his channel and Pt II on yours cos this is a huge topic that goes beyond both of your 11m vids. This is an hours-long podcast or even a series cos we need new entrants or this hobby dies. We need to go over a lot of minutiae and stuff and that takes time. Please consider doing a lot more here cos both of you started a conversation that demands and deserves further exploration.

[@KyleReeseCel2029]

I have only kept a few of my graded games. However the purpose is simple. I wanted to collect the best condition possible. I like the condition being preserved, and independently graded by a third party. It looks cool, and keeps it pristine in a grading case. And when I sell it, it will sell for a higher price than it would unsealed & ungraded. Like you said if I just wanted to play the game I would just load up a rom. You don't need an old cart of disc to play these old games. For the most part emulation is better than using real hardware anyway.

[@JMLRetroRoom]

Players Choice, Platinums, Greatest Hits etc often have the latest revision for retro games that don’t have updates. Gauntlet Dark Legacy for GameCube doesn’t have a Players Choice version but the early release v1.0 has a couple of bugs. One of which doesn’t display Boss and Mini Boss health bars. This was fixed in v1.1 but you have to look at the inner disc ring to know which one you have or to buy. I collect Crazy Taxi in all variations basically. Many are sealed, not for resale and others are exclusive rentals from Hollywood Video where I make my own photocopies of the manual so it’s complete lol. Personally I don’t buy or grade my games, but I wouldn’t mind just the case with a label as the grade doesn’t matter to me for a sealed copy. Sure a game is meant to be played but show me where someone is jamming their NWC cart into their NES to play. If you have a sealed or valued game that doesn’t mean you can’t have another way of playing it whether that’s a loose copy or rom cart etc. It’s no different than the non collector who “backs up” their games so they don’t have to risk scratching their original discs all in the name of preservation.

[@Johnny_Ultimate]

When my son was about 10 or 11 years old, we played PS2 Dragon ball Z: Sagas TO DEATH! On car rides home, we'd talk about the game, we'd "argue" over who was going to play which character, we obsessed at how overpowered Broly was. lol. There was no money, back in those days. We had our bikes, a soccer ball, a second hand ps2 and a couple games. But I'll tell ya: I'm the luckiest man in the world for having that memory of those times. It was a true Golden age. I've only had a couple of them in my life. Golden ages. They're rare by definition. My son is 26 now and is married with 2 kids. He still reminds me of moments we had together playing Sagas. He remembers things I don't. Childhood perspective is like that. I often think that I should buy a graded copy of the game. I don't think I'd give it to him just yet. Right gift at the wrong time. I don't know how he'd perceive things if i bought it like that. Sealed and graded. It'd be like putting our memories on a pedestal. But if there is one single game in all of video game history that I WOULD buy, sealed and graded, it's that one and I know I eventually will. It's sort of an inevitability. But I want to make sure I do it the right way and at a time when I will honor mine and my son's memory. Memories like that are fragile and need to be handled with care. There's no sealed and graded version of a memory and it's easy to wreck things. The "games are meant to be played" crowd is 100% correct. They are. But past a certain point, those same games take on a new life. I MAY go back and play Sagas a little bit...10 mins. That kind of thing. But probably not. The next iteration of my relationship with that game will be when it's sitting on a shelf. 9.8 A+ Sagas. Appropriate name, if you ask me.

[@GetTheGreg]

I love hearing about this memory and that you guys got so much enjoyment out of Sagas! When my brother and I finally rented that game after it was being advertised with much hype and fanfare.... We hated it😅 That's the joy of game collecting, though! Each person participating in going to resonate strongly with individual games and hearing those stories of "why" someone would want a certain game is part of the fun!

[@DownWordGames]

I had a friend in college who had his entire 2nd bedroom dedicated to star wars action figures. It was impressive. One point another friend of ours who was older and had health problems needed a place to stay for a bit. My friend said he could stay at his place and let him sleep on the couch in the living room while there was an entire spare bedroom available. Then would talk trash on the guy for taking up too much space. I said what about the extra room? The kid didnt want his toys knocked over so he just complained of how horrible our friend in need was. Collecting is cool. But to a point. Dont let it take over common sense.

[@GetTheGreg]

Guy was given a perfectly good couch to sleep on. I see no problem here 😃

[@questjelinek]

Nice to see the coverage growing on our category lol

[@mantlecollector]

I thought about buying sealed games but my thing is what if the sealed game u think is factory sealed but was resealed by someone. They know u bought it cuz it was sealed so chances are ur not gonna open it. The game inside could be used or no game at all.

[@GetTheGreg]

@mantlecollector yea there's a definite learning curve to identifying sealed vs resealed. I definitely don't recommend just jumping in blindly (unless you're only buying already graded) I see your username is Mantle collector. I assume you know how to ID real vs fake Mantle cards. Sealed and resealed is the same kind of science.

[@n0stalgiag4mes]

1st Edition charizard isn't equal to Sealed halo. Sealed 1st Edition packs would be the equivalent

[@LxcasOnYT]

I have a sealed world at war and black ops 1 first print for ps3 in really great conditon. Is wata a good place to get them graded also how much will it be?

[@quezcatol]

The only people mad about collecting sealed video games are the people who cant afford it, or are jealous of the people owning them. Why wouldnt you want a perfect condition of a game? It would be the perfect trade or gift to someone in the future. 99% of all those great classics can be played digitally today, and most games you could have bought yourself if you had any intrest back in the day. I remember when MEGA MANS was sold in bins, at my local gaming store in södermalm during the ps1 and n64 era, nobody picked up brand new NES or SNES games dirt cheap then. Same with the wii,ps3 and xbox360 era- you could pick up gamecube games for 50 kr, thats like 5 dollar, as soon as they got valued people start to biatch and moan about scalpers and sealed game collectors ruin their hobby. When the games were 5 dollar each they didnt wnat these games and didnt care, but now they have a value, now collectors are ruining their "hobby". Just be honest, you want expensive games and they are just too expensive now. I could also have bought a sealed link to the past or mega man x for 200 kr each thats 20 usd back in 1997 at my local store, that is on me for being cheap. Used game guides for zelda,final fantasy and pokemon was like 5-10 usd as well. Once again, on me.

[@mattdubovik3082]

Finally someone said it lmao, it's all about jealousy

[@leirdua1733]

What it all comes down to, is the absolute rediculus price differance it can make because of a 100% SUBJECTIVE grade.. when a friggin desimal of a grade can be thousands or even tens of thousands in "value" because of how a single person felt like giving your game that day., is absolutely mind boggling! Espacially cosidering the fact that ragrading that game can suddenly be up or down in the tens of thousand of dollars, all because of ONE persons subjective opinion and how that said person felt like giving your game that day.. The power these people have over the percieved value of something is astonishing! One can come up with any excuse in the book on why it "matters", but when it all comes down to it, its all about the money, its all about the dumdum dududu dum, and thats a fact

[@renster818]

For me getting the games that I’ve played during my childhood sealed hits very different 💯 definitely agree with you

[@tacosandwich]

great video man really valid points love it

[@StephenHopkinsVaults]

I understand both sides. I myself would love to own all my games sealed graded they look glorious on display . My grail is a factory sealed blister packaging sonic cd it’s my favourite game have lots of nostalgia tied to it so personally means something . When I got into collecting always wanted a sealed sonic cd now I accomplished that goal . Done 👍

[@mikemorero83]

Greg i keep all my ps5 games sealed..and buy them digital in the store to play

[@raw7803]

I’m debating on buying a first print sealed Fortnite, I don’t know if it’s worth it since the value is pretty high already

[@gunmadonuts]

Redditors telling people to just open CIB sealed games.... like why? what does it do for you to do that? is the 2 minutes of unboxing really worth it? its like burning down a 200 year old tree for fire wood

[@GetTheGreg]

I love that tree analogy haha

[@FaultySporkMa]

I have a friend who bought out excess Best Buy stock way back when. He buys excess stock of a lot of stuff so he doesn’t even really care about video games. He has no less than 5000 sealed xbox360/PS3 that he’s sitting on & he says there’s probably 150-200 people just like him. These newer sealed games are not rare at all.

[@GetTheGreg]

You and everyone else been saying the same thing for 15 years now. Still waiting for that big flood of games. Tell him to hook me up with some halo 3 first prints. I'll pay well.

[@FaultySporkMa]

We all know Tim Atwood. People didn’t stop stockpiling video games after him. He was the first to do it. They’re out there. He has over 30,000 sealed DVDs too so when that trend hits he’ll be in prime position to take advantage of that emerging market. 😂

[@rickd6476]

@@FaultySporkMayou know Tim Atwood is dead right?

[@FaultySporkMa]

@@rickd6476 that has nothing to do with what I was saying.

[@garrettplummer]

Really great stuff!

[@timothyj592]

First Greg video without a discord sound.

[@GetTheGreg]

Don't tempt me with a good time

[@timharlan8287]

yeah i agree with you greg

[@allenantonio4389]

I hear yeah

[@bobthebadguy6876]

I mainly collect for nostalgia. Which starts at N64 era up until the xbox 360 for me. Not exactly the higher dollar end of the hobby. I don't really have any interest in collecting NES or any of those prior consoles.

[@fantasmaatriste]

grading is dumb. sealed is awesome.

[@GoodVibeCollecting]

I collect sealed games to open them :P

[@Larson364]

Halo 2 > Halo 3

[@GetTheGreg]

I personally played sooooo much more Halo 3, but 2 is obviously incredible too

[@Norg1]

Trust me guys most women don't like a wall full of sealed games on your wall or shelfs 😅 If your trying to impress or get women If u don't care then continue on

[@GetTheGreg]

You just have to trick them into liking you before they see the game dungeon

[@ZackMuffinMan]

It is fun

[@JordanDCGehl]

Can people just stop talking so passionately about hobbies they don't have?😂😂😂

[@GetTheGreg]

Never gonna happen lol

[@rickd6476]

No N64collector references, disliked, unsubbed

[@GetTheGreg]

You need some high quality KZbin videos I can steal b roll from

[@electrictrip2901]

Boom

[@kurisu3000]

Dude, just say you're only interested in reselling them for a profit. No need to find excuses for keeping games sealed lol.

[@GetTheGreg]

Oh ok lol

[@Kevin-036]

“THEY had a great video.” No bro, HE had a great video. Don’t fall into the pronoun trap bro 😢

[@GetTheGreg]

My guy, their channel name is literally two people. Kyle & Jomo. You're in way too deep.

[@Kevin-036]

@@GetTheGreg my bad, I’ll take the L

[@DeejayWeatherford]

Hey Greg. I sent two games into cvg. Mighty final fight nes and zelda oot collectors edition. Both games complete but not sealed. My estimates are mighty final fight 9.0 and zelda 9.4. They charged my card an extra $530 today when they recieved the games! No text, email, call or anything. Are they overcharging me or made a mistake or am i way off on valuing them at $2,000 total?

[@FullBeardSk8]

Id be curious to know what is their reason for an additional 500 dollar charge

[@DeejayWeatherford]

@@FullBeardSk8 after many calls and hours of talking to call support and emails this was the explanation. My order was supposed to cost $118. They charged me $530. They said bc i wrote WK on the box it went to walkthrough tier instead of standard. I pointed out walkthrough was $120 per game plus 2% value. Long story short They ended up sayin the $530 charge was an accident and should've been $240. They ended up charging me $118 bc of their mistake on their charge to my card. So overall it worked out. On a side note I was not happy with the grades I recieved but can't win them all.

[@FullBeardSk8]

@@DeejayWeatherford damn that's pretty irresponsible on their part. Sorry to hear that happened 2 U man but thanks for replying. Everytime I think I might send my first games off for grading it's stories like these that convince me not to.