It doesn't matter how old I am, it really doesn't. I also haven't bought a game off eBay in years so that's not it either. My point was that "retro gaming" as you call it (know in olden days as "playing video games") is a pretty crappy hobby to get into now and if you don't actually have a single game then this is the perfect time to get bit by some other bug, something more meaningful to a guy who owns zero games.
The very idea that people "decide to collect retro video games" is offensive to me. Why would you do that? Why not just buy games you like and enjoy them? Why don't you have anything? What happened to it? Why does it have to be such a major event that causes people to waste insane sums on games they don't even play? Why does it have to be a cult or a club?
It really does matter, actually. I am old enough to have been in the crash we recently had and to become an economic layoff TWICE. Just before the first one, I got divorced and she had run up the credit cards! I had to sell many things I loved so that I could move, which included most of my games. When I was in college my best friend and I had a setup that contained most systems from the Atari 2600 on up, and most of them were mine. Anyway... After the layoffs I got into the rut with PlayStations where the only way I could get the next system was to sell all the games I had for the current system to afford the next. My Wii U is the first Nintendo I owned since the secondhand GameCube I had. Sometimes adults have decisions that they have to make where some things need to go in order to continue on in a healthy way.
I know I'm late to the "game" this time around, but if you had paid attention to my other posts in this thread you might have already gotten the idea (albeit, not as specific) of what I just told you. I love gaming. But I had to do some grown-up things I hope you never have to deal with and had to get rid of what I had already collected to that point. I sold off thousands of dollars of merchandise. Who knows, if you like Sega, you might own some of my games...
Being poor is not fun... It got in the way a lot. Luckily I'm on firm footing right now and I'm almost through my student loans. My Masters degree took a bite out of my pocket too. 37 years old and almost out of debt after a ton of issues. I'm happy to be able to even think this way right now. I know it is stupid expensive. That's why I need to plan, and I need to try to go through less absurd sources than eBay. Prices of course get dumb there... Every once in a great while you find a gem. But being involved in communities like this, where people really love what they play and don't just use it to get a buck, is how you can network to find the things you are looking for at a realistic price.
As you all know, the PC Engine is a system that is severely underappreciated except in places like this. It is a part of some of my fondest memories from the 90s. It is stupid expensive to collect for. But, if the Retro Freak is all people say it is, the savings it will offer with the HuCard games is immense. Then I can drop the cash on CDs, if needed. I just want to play the games again... and have the system I always wanted in the process.
I hope we can put the animosity (that appeared to exist) behind us. I just want to enjoy this forum with everyone else that has a respect and love for the PCE.