Nintendo Life: Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Heidi stopXwhispering: My name is Heidi, I was born in 1984 and I'm from Sweden. I grew up in Sweden, but lived abroad during my college years - in the UK, Germany and Japan. Now I'm back in Sweden.
When did you get into gaming?
I always loved video games as a kid, but never got any. I used to play games every chance I got, at friend's places or at my cousin's. Most of my friends had the NES or Sega Mega Drive. The first thing I ever played on though was an orange Donkey Kong Game & Watch.
When did you decide to start building a retro gaming collection, and what was the first machine you started collecting for?
It all started with me fooling my dad into buying me a PlayStation 2 for Christmas when I was around 18 or 19. I told him it was a very specific DVD player that I needed! He bought it and after that I started buying games for it with every penny I had. I also treated myself to an Xbox, and not much later I found the online auction sites that had all the old games I always wanted as a kid. I then started buying everything I never got! I worked for 3 years before going off to college, and still living at home gave me the advantage of buying even more games at that time. So I started buying NES, SNES, Sega Master System, Mega Drive and N64, and that's when I also discovered the Virtual Boy on eBay. I had never seen or heard of one before, and the system intrigued me. I would say that's the first thing I really collected for; I bought everything I could find related to the Virtual Boy. Today I have every game released for it, except for two very obscure Japanese titles.
I never really decided to start building a retro game collection, I just never stopped buying things I was curious to play!
What's the single most expensive item in your collection?
Hard to say. My Sega Blast City arcade cabinet was expensive to buy, but when it comes to games the most money I've spent on a single title was Space Invaders for Virtual Boy, but the most valuable would probably be a mint condition, still sealed Zelda: A Link to the Past for the SNES. That one was a gift from a friend, and I wouldn't dream of getting rid of it. I wouldn't open it either - I usually don't buy sealed games, because I want to actually play them, but I have another copy of the game that is playable!
It's hard to choose, but what would you say are the most treasured items in your collection?
Apart from the ones mentioned above, I treasure a lot of things, and I love most of my games equally. The only thing I don't care too much about are sports games, strategy and simulation games, RPGs and anything that is text-heavy in Japanese. Even though I've studied the language for several years I'm not fluent and it slows me down reading it in games - I want action! I do however treasure all my platform, action, shoot'em up and puzzle games very very much. I treasure all my obscure consoles like the Virtual Boy collection, my Vectrex collection, all my old computers like C64, ZX Spectrum and Amiga stuff, and so on..
What makes retro games so appealing to you personally? Is it nostalgia, gameplay or something else?
A little bit nostalgia since I loved playing as a kid, but I didn't get to experience that many games. Friends usually just had the common games - Ice Climber, Super Mario Bros., and so on. For me, I just love retro games since there are so many great titles! People back then had limited space on cartridges and cassettes to store a game, so they had to make the game fun by adding real feeling to it. Whether it be the feeling of when you control your character, how he/she/it jumps or how they placed the enemies to make it difficult, or how they told the story. Most games can be cleared under an hour, but it takes practice and skill to be able to beat them, and I enjoy that. Compared to new games where they just add 150 hours of leveling up to be able to advance in the game, that's not "spelglädje" as we say in Sweden - it roughly translates to "game-joy" and basically defines how enjoyable it is to play a game. Retro games are filled with "spelglädje" for me!
Would you say you have a certain affinity for Nintendo games and products?
I'm sorry to disappoint you guys at Nintendo Life, but I love Nintendo and Sega equally! They both have their share of awesomeness! I won't get into Sega (or PC Engine or Neo Geo or all the other things I love) here though, but what I can say about Nintendo is that they will always have a special place in my heart. From their product design (like the beautiful gold and red Famicom) to their amazing game franchises, they've done so many things right. Ever since I got into collecting Japanese games, Nintendo has become even more dear to me. I absolutely love the Famicom and the games it has to offer. Compared to the mere 210 titles we got released here in Sweden for the NES - and the 700 something in North America - Japan got around 1054 games for the Famicom. It's been a blast exploring all these titles you've never heard of before. I have over 900 unique Famicom games so far.
What's the next retro collecting challenge for you personally? Are you ever worried that eventually, you'll run out of options?
The only thing that bugs me is that retro collecting has become so popular all over the world. I started collecting in Sweden about 13 years ago, and back then it was cheap, but Swedes were soon to join the retro gaming bandwagon and prices went up. Then I turned to NTSC games from the US which were a lot cheaper - you could find NES cartridges for $1, but soon that changed, too. That's when I started collecting Japanese games. Now all westerners are into that too so it's getting hard to get good deals on retro games. That's why I've lately been buying a lot of old computer stuff, that hasn't caught on as much yet - like ZX Spectrum, Atari and Commodore - but I bet that will change soon, too.
The only difficulty I have is that my game room is getting full, and I don't want to get rid of stuff. I have a lot of game nights and friends coming over, and even if there are some games that I don't enjoy myself, there could be others that do, and I want there to be games for everyone in my game room. It's basically like a museum, except you can touch everything! Games are made to be played!
Do you play modern-day consoles as well? What's the balance between retro and modern?
I have all the new gen systems as well, including Xbox One, PS4, PS Vita, Wii U and a 3DS. I prefer my 3DS to my PS Vita, but I prefer my Xbox One before the Wii U. I think a lot of the NIntendo games have grown a bit too child-friendly lately - too many tutorials and not enough challenging gameplay. I don't have a lot of spare time to sit and play through big games like Skyrim, Fallout and other big titles that take hundreds of hours to finish, so I tend to turn to multiplayer games where I can combine hanging out with my friends - IRL or online - or short games like the ones on Xbox Live Arcade that are usually inspired by retro games, like Super Meat Boy, Castle Crashers, Ori & The Blind Forest and so on. Also I love the achievement hunting on Xbox!
What's the retro gaming scene like where you're from? Do you have regular meets with other like-minded players?
There's a huge number of retro gamers in Sweden. The Nintendo culture is especially strong here; Sweden was the first country in Europe to receive the Nintendo Entertainment System. A company called Bergsala had personal contacts with Nintendo in Japan and got the rights to distribute all over Scandinavia. They started their own Club Nintendo here in Sweden, way before NIntendo even had a Club Nintendo, and a lot of kids grew up loving Mario and Zelda. That's why we have a higher percentage of nostalgic Nintendo-generation grown-ups here today I think! Just in Sweden there's at least five annual Retro Gaming conventions spread out over the country, and I attend all of them if I can. It's a good place to meet like-minded people and trade or buy games. I also host a lot of gatherings myself in my game room. Apart from that, there are of course loads of dedicated forums and such online.
Where can our readers keep abreast of your collection?
There's my blog, my Instagram, my Twitter and my YouTube channel. Those are all for my personal retro gaming collection - I run a site with my best friends where we post about newer games as well called Geeky Gals - that has an Instagram account too.
Do you have a final message for the readers of Nintendo Life?
You're never too old to play games! And for God's sake, if you have kids, let them play video games! Otherwise they might turn out as obsessed as me!
Thanks to Heidi for giving up her free time to speak with us and for sharing exclusive shots of her collection!
Comments 90
That is one impressive collection and game room.
"And for God's sake, if you have kids, let them play video games! Otherwise they might turn out as obsessed as me!"
I can't say that's true in general, but definitely in case of me - my parents restricted my video game time excessively, and I turned out to study the darn things as my profession and use all my disposable income to buy loads of video games.
Just WOW.
I want to go to there.
Ok, where does this girl live and how can I become besties with her???
Stylish!
Amazing collection
She's like a dream for retro gamers. But sorry ladies this guy >>(me)<< is taken lol
@Shiryu hey man sorry to bother you.. but did you do the Shiryu F-zero remixes ..? .. because I used one or two in my f zero video that I did. Good job. I liked the snes death wind the most https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Gh9f4bD2yLo
One thing, how the HELL does she afford all this??? I work a lot and still only just scrape through because of rent and bills, I would love to own all that stuff but come on its just not fair
This is my plan when I buy a house of my own. Of course my games room will be much smaller but with the amount of Nintendo GCN/WII/U/GB/A/DS/3DS, ps2/3/4/p/vita, Xbox/360/One, Dreamcast games I have, space is so limited.
I don't collect for the older systems, simply because of the price of some of the games I'd want, and ps1/n64 titles, I just can't warm to the graphical looks and controls of that time anymore so I don't really enjoy them that much, and time is a problem, I like to play the games, not just look at the boxes. But I am kinda tempted by the Sega Saturn a of late, the Japanese version, but the prices of some of those games are crazy.
Anyway, she's cool, awesome collection!
@Bunkerneath she's been collecting for 13 or more years. Before it was super popular to be a retro collector. So a lot if games that go for €50/100/500 now would have been in the bargain bin back in the day when she got it. Just look at Earthbound when that came out, no one bought it, was in bargain bins pretty quickly for like €5 new at the time. Now it goes for crazy amounts.
That's why a lot of people collect for the wii 360 and ps3 now, because a lot of the games gone for €1 now (used) but might be worth a bit or much more in 10 years. No one could ever afford that type if collection all in the space of a year or two, which some people seem to think.
It's how to collect and future proof your collection, of future retro games and systems.
Ah, she calls it a "room"...
I don't know if Nintendo is so big here in Sweden anymore, to be honest. Most of the people I know who play videogames tend to stick to FIFA and perhaps a bit of Call of Duty. Of course there are Nintendo gamers here too, maybe it's just that I don't know that many other than myself and a few others.
Must be absolutely loaded..., ah well, emulators are free.
that's like an in-house museum!
that's pretty cool
So is she single? B)
There's something pretty sad about being proud of a virtual boy in your vast collection to give it such a prominent spot.
Before anyone takes offense, I'm just really jelly right now.
Also, maybe I'm just blind, but I'm not seeing any amiibo, +1 respect.
@Bunkerneath also other tricks are using social media, asking your friend on Twitter and Facebook etc if they have any old systems and games they don't use anymore and you'll take them off their hands for free, you'd be surprised what they have in storage. You'll find some gems sometimes in a mix of a lot of common games you might already have, what you do with them is sell them on (at reasonable prices if course) then put that profit back into buying more games for your collection.
Also, second hand shops like CEX and charity shops etc can be goldmine's at times. Also trading with other collectors online around the would. You can actually make a very decent collection of any system without spending too much. It's a great hobby I must say, but make sure you also play the games you get lol. Never buy sealed retro games unless you find a gem for 2quid and can flip it for profit as there will always be some collectors out there with more money than sense and time.
Last tip, when you start collecting for a system, best way to start is to pick up the games that are like €. 50 or €1 first, your collection will build up very fast and you'll have a nice bunch of games, then over time you can tart to invest in the more expensive ones you want at a slower pace.
Hope all that helps
Wish my girlfriend had a collection like this!
@TantXL
Well, among retro gamers there are a lot of Nintendo enthusiasts. So I agree with her there. In general though, there aren't a lot of fans dedicated to Wii U or 3DS and modern day Nintendo.
Though most people buying these consoles regardless of prior scepticism tend to love them. So I don't really think it comes down to taste. It's simply not cool to play Nintendo and people worry too much about their image. That's my theory at least.
Also because American culture dominates more than ever.
Awesome collection and love the display set up. All my old stuff is in boxes cos I got no where to put it. This sounds like a good investment for the future also if/when it all becomes too much collecting.
Damn, she's beautiful......... What? We're all thinking it.......
It's just sad to see all these people comment on her and her looks etc. instead of her collection...
I know it's stupid to judge any person's character based on their game collection, but my first thought was actually "marry me".
That even rivals the Intergalactic Space Arcade!
She's kinda right about not stopping your kids play games. My mum was never very supportive or sympathetic about the hobby so although she bought me the games because I wanted them, whenever she saw me playing one, she'd adamantly try and start an argument. It eventually got to a point where I'd have to hide my gameboy advance the moment she stepped into the same room as me and act like I wasn't doing anything.
Now, quite a few years older, I find myself buying and playing all the games I can get my hands on and will play for several hours straight just because the satisfaction feeling takes ages to set in. I think if she hadn't been so intent to stop me all the time, I might have learned a lot more self control, or balance. But yeah, I have quite the extensive collection now too.
Nothing retro though, haha.
@amishpyrate was that necessary?
With a set up like that title? Yes
"It's basically like a museum, except you can touch everything! Games are made to be played!"
Yes! I understand people have different tastes and want different things when it comes to collecting stuff, but I really think actually playing and experiencing retro games is what's truly the most fun thing about it. Even if a game hasn't aged particularly well or wasn't even good in the first place, it's wonderful to go back in time and find out why something is the way it is. Moreover, a great deal of retro games are immensely fun even today, and given that local multiplayer is a dying breed, retro games are definitely worth returning to!
Top interview and love the images! Well done!
Is this why Alex sudenly started to talk Swedish on Twitter?
I wish I had a room like that ☺
@The_Top_Loader You can sure bet I am indeed the "Shiryu" who did those! Glad you found use for them!
*** FAKE MATCH.COM POSTING ***
Attractive 32 year old Sweedish girl with her own house seeks male with similar tastes. Oh, by the way, the house is full of every video game you could possibly want to play. Text if you are interested ...
**********************
I bet she would get 50 marriage proposals within 24 hours.
I've read in several different places on the internet that girls do not actually play video games so this seems pretty suspect, tbh.
THAT game room is AMAZING! So much respect for that. I've got to organize my collection..It is starting to take over the rest of my apartment.
EDIT: Also great to see a Taiko no tatsujin fan! I see Don-chan and co chilling out with Toad.
@readyletsgo Never thought about asking others if they had game systems they just wanted to offload. I swear I just need to find someone with a powerglove in decent condition.
I would be in there for hours! It is too awesome!
The room is so freakin awesome but I couldnt do it. My OCDness would drive me nuts since it would be impossible to play it all. Lol.
Its interesting that there was so much contraversy when my generation was young and games were just getting popular (i was norn in 85). My parents were kinda restrictive too for a while but as weve all become older its cool to see that 'everyone' plays video games now. Its just common now that adults and parents all play games because we are the generation that stared it all. Kinda cool!
@Bunkerneath
Like all collectors its not an all at once thing, you build it up over the years and there are alot of tutorials for simple, do it yourself shelves and nice cabinets for good deals and free yard sales.
As long as you have an extra room in your house, such as a den or guest bedroom or even a walk in closet you can make a collection room.
Amazing room Heidi ! Great setup, great collection.
@Stu13 If you are in doubt, her youtube channel looks pretty legit.
I sold my NES and all my NES games on Ebay to a dude in Sweden. I am in the States.
I have the same Tshirt that she is wearing. I got mine at Kohl's for $5.
I sold off most of all my old systems and games. I used the money to by a $5600 Trek Road Bike.
Ok I don't need tips on collecting, I have a fair amount of stuff from my old C64 with boxes of tapes and floppy disks (yes the ones which actually are floppy) all the way up to my Wii U. Even the two different versions of the Mega Drive (PAL version of Genesis). Not to mention the good ole Playstation Net Yaroze, which came to nought.
Just wish I had money to do up my house to display my stuff and get more
Best retro room ever.
Fantastiskt kul Heidi! You're the best <3
Very very cool Heidi. Wish i'd stuck at the collecting thing more in my youth. It's too pricey an affair to start nowadays. At least in a serious collecting sense. I bow down to your efforts.
In a room like that, even E.T. for Atari will become one of the best games of all times.
@Ryu_Niiyama yeah it really works, I got a few gameboys and games from a few friends over the years and a load of Gamecube ps2 wii original xbox games from another a while back. And for my birthday last year my mate from down the country here went home searched his parents house and brought up all his Megadrive system and games and Sega magazines. All for free. I had a couple of the games already, held onto the better copies and sold on the kinda bad copies. You can do it no problem, but the trick is to take your time, have a small budget each week or month and a list on you at all times of what you want to find the most as well and you never know. There is an app for iPhone in America that you can see average prices and see if you have it already in you collection and if you have it CIB (complete in box) but not to sure if there is one for Ireland or England etc yet. If anyone know if a good app for Android please share
I'm hooked on collecting for the WiiU now, lots of (non-nintendo) games going for cheap now, just a bit difficult to find at times. But I know it's gonna be like the dreamcast in years to come and I'll be able to say I was there for it and look at my awesome nifty minty collection
Also, if you see filthy looking systems or games, carts or plastic boxes, buy them as they will be much cheaper and you can clean them very easily yourself with warm soapy water. Check out Adam Koralik https://m.youtube.com/user/AdamKoralik I've learnt a lot from him over the years about how easy it is to clean systems etc.
God I love collecting!!! Lol
A Gamer chick that actually play games? That's rare to find nowadays.
Holy crap, that's amazing! Beautiful and gamer/collector? Will you marry me?
this makes me want to throw up some of my game room pics too, im just weird about that kind of stuff
Interesting interview! Love how she didn't really have games as a kid so doesn't have her tastes defined so much by what she played back then like most of us do. So many on here won't ever touch and Xbox because they'd already become Nintendo fanboys before having the money to try anything else.
Pretty impressive. Nice interview too.
I always wonder with collector's like this: what line of work gives you the disposable income to afford a collection that size and also the free time to play all of the games?
My story is similar to hers. Born the same time. Played a lot of games growing up but didn't own much until high school. Spent years buying everything once I was older.
Only difference is every few years I sell off my collection.
@StuOhQ I think people like this typically make their money from ad revenue through YouTube, Instagram, etc.
I love her explanation of "game joy." Not enough games today focus on that.
Gods! That's awesome......
That room looks amazing. I'd love to take a tour of that room if I met her in real life.
Stunning collection and display. My game collection is tiny by comparison.
my closet has more games kappa
@Tuulenpoika Same here
I want to marry this woman!! 😍
@invictus4000 I'm born the same year and my mom was against video games back then and she still is. It's like the whole world around her has changed, but she still thinks it's "evil" and a waste of time, although it's already proven to be wrong (gladly, I don't live with her since my late teens). It actually became an issue when I wanted to buy a 3DS for my little sister (who already has a smartphone, but her 3DS use gets restricted lol) recently.
My father on the other hand would always buy me any game I wanted back then, although he wasn't into games himself. But most of my N64 memories are from his flat since the TV at home was often occupied by my mother's boyfriend and it felt like gaming wasn't welcome there anyway.
When I got the Wii, I actually got my dad to play Wii Sports and he was really tough to beat at bowling! I'm pretty sure he played videogames for the very first time then.
@Rhydas: I can totally understand that. I actually sold my N64 (and SNES) collection way before the end of it's lifetime because I just didn't feel comfortable playing at home anymore, games just weren't welcome in that household (although I grew up with a Gameboy!).
And I didn't get the Gamecube until I had moved out into my own first appartement, in the autumn/winter of 2004/2005.
The same applied to PC's and internet, for six or more years I had an outdated PII 350MHz and although there were already internet flatrates (which would've been cheaper than the tariff we had), my mom just refused to upgrade to that.
Later when I started living on my own I also started to compensate for all of what I missed out (although I still have never played crucial game history milestones like Deus Ex, I was just stuck with reading about it in the magazines back then). As a parent, I would do things completely different. Otherwise you'll just force an even stronger counterbehaviour from your child.
@TwilightAngel Is this irony or are you serious (there was no other time with more girls/women playing video games)?
@shani Read my comment again. It's rare to find women who actually plays games nowadays.
@TwilightAngel I still don't get the "nowadays" part? Shouldn't it be the other way around?
Like, it's less rare to find women who actually play games nowadays than in the 90's (for example)? Or: It was rare to find women who actually play games in the 90's but now there are many?
I mean, there are infinitely more gaming women today than have ever existed before. That's why I'm so confused with your comment.
"And for God's sake, if you have kids, let them play video games! Otherwise they might turn out as obsessed as me!"
Haha, this is me to a tee. My mom was very anti-video game to the point where I didn't get a Game Boy until after she died. (She died in 1998, so if you want to express sympathies, it was a very long time ago.) Shortly after that I got an N64. Then it took off from there. I don't think I would be half as into it if my mom had just let me have video games while she was alive!
I have never traded in or sold a single game so for 17 1/2 years I have just been building my collection and it's just gained steam as I got older. Only problem is I don't have my game room set up because my dad was here first and his book collection takes up every room of the house. I had this conversation with him recently:
Dad: Your obsession with games is remarkably similar to my obsession with books.
Me: Well, where do you think I got it from?
Dad: I don't know.
So yeah some of it may most certainly be genetic. But I hope by the end of 2016 to have cleared ONE room of books and built myself a game room, instead of my current situation where all of my games are sorted by system into drawers. I've run out of drawers, for one thing.
@RatKing64 I thought this was spam at first lol
Such an awesome room!
What a great story. Keep on collecting guys and don't let anyone tell you gaming is bad way of spending time. What are people supposed to go out to bars and clubs and get drunk every night? It's a great hobby.
Pretty sweet room... I wish I had kept all my games from when I was a kid...I should ask my mom what she did with it all.
This right here is a perfect example of of why Digital only gaming will suck!
Amazing collection and a beautiful room. I assume electricity is very cheap in Sweden, though. ^^
Gaming room goals! If I'm ever in Sweden I definitely want to take a detour and get lost in this retro heaven!
A+!
I wish I had the space for a set up like that!!
Maybe one day after my kids move out...😃😃😃😃😃
@TwilightAngel Stats suggest there are more women and girls playing games now than ever before in the history of the medium. Like @shani I also assumed your original comment was ironic.
Video gaming is a totally inclusive medium of entertainment, the myth of it only being for males is totally outdated.
Admirable taste, charming woman, impressive collection. She even uses a Bang & Olufsen MX series CRT which just oozes style. Classy gal. 🍸
@Windy Coincidence that the market leaders ushering in the digital future are companies without any heritage to embrace?
That's a lot of clutter 😳
@Damo those stats also include mobile and Facebook "games" 🙄
I think I'm in love..
@Windy This is not why it "will suck", it already sucks I try to avoid digital as much as possible, but it's getting more difficult.
@WaveBoy Thanks ^_^
Yeah the CRTs have mostly come for free or for just a few bucks.. People around my town knows about my collection and basically just unloads TVs at my doorstep XD There's 20 in the room, and I have another 8 or more waiting around in the basement or in the attic, in case one breaks XD
@sketchturner @StuOhQ I have a regular day job, I run a company and I work with graphic design, marketing and hrm. I don't earn any money from my game collecting hobby, I basically just spend money on it XD I pay to keep my site up, I pay to keep my blog ad-free, I pay for all my purchases of games and everything else in my game room, I don't have time to make more than 1 or 2 youtube videos per half a year.. and the reason I keep up with my blog/instagram/twitter/youtube etc for my game collecting is because it's my passion. I love retro games, and I want to spread my love for it with everyone. I know there are people like me that are interested in it and when I contribute to the retro gaming communities online I get a lot in return, like friends with similar interest, advice on good games and more knowledge in general about the hobby that I spend most of my free time with.
I have a regular income, but I prioritize spending my money on games. I choose to live out in the middle of nowhere because the housing is cheap = more money over for games ;D
@daggdroppen Tack Mattias ^_^ <3
@AshFoxX well I'm glad someone said it. She is an absolutely beautiful woman. This makes me kind of wish I had been a collector because her room there is absolutely cool
@Asaki im guilty myself. I download quite a bit. If you think about it were almost forced into digital. I think there are like 10 digital releases to every retail release. However, the retail releases are much better quality but they are starting to slip better and better quality into the digital releases. I will never let any of my top 3DS retail games go. Unfortunately for me Its the only system I will have a collection for. I sold my PCEngine collection which had over 400 games. Wish i had never done that.
Love that Blast City with Twinkle Star Sprites running.
@stopXwhispering Thanks for answering. That is a massive collection, and it's really impressive that you've amassed such a library of classic titles as a passion project. I definitely want to build a game room to rival yours someday. With the rising prices of retro games, I'd better get building now. So many of my favorites were sold along the way to pay for newer systems, etc. You're an inspiration.
Show Comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...