how much does scott love video games?

When I think about how many hours I have spent playing video games, the amount of time I have spent reading and thinking about them, and how much money I have spent on video game-related items overall, it is clear that I have always loved this hobby, especially considering it provides many nostalgic memories.
 
Just to illustrate how crazy I am about video games, I was a Nintendo Power subscriber from 1989-2008 (only letting my subscription run out after Nintendo outsourced the magazine). Additionally, there was a period of about five or six years -- before the Internet -- when I subscribed to no less than five video game magazines at one time. I am such a fanatic that I even thought up a make-believe video game company and came up with the systems, games, companies, slogans, designs, and motherboards to go along with it. I have a whole folder with literally 50+ pages about those items. Let's see, I also have boxes of video game-related toys, stuffed animals, and memorabilia. I have DVDs (and even some VHS tapes) of classic video game cartoons, such as Captain N: The Game Master and the Super Mario Bros. Super Show. Oh, and let's not forget about that N64 website I created...
 
I probably got my first chance to play video games when I was about 5- or 6-years-old. My older brother grew up in the Atari generation, so the Atari 2600 was the first system I played. I vaguely recall enjoying games such as Adventure, Surround, Pac-Man, Ice Hockey, and Battlezone, while despising games like Raiders of the Lost Ark, Swordquest, and Football. There were some fun games back in those days, and many of them are still entertaining today, despite the humbling graphics and sound. I moved from the Atari 2600 to the Atari 7800 around Christmas 1987 -- yes, passing up on the 8-bit Nintendo for the time being. A couple of my favorites for the Atari 7800 were One-on-One Basketball, Choplifter, Ballblazer, and Pole Position II.
 
About a year and a half after the Atari 7800, I decided to purchase my very own video game system for the first time. I almost got the Atari XE (thankfully I did not), and I even thought about the Sega Master System. But I chose the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) because nearly all my friends had one. I believe I purchased the system in the spring of 1989. Ever since that time, I have been an avid video game player -- or, more specifically, a Nintendo fanatic.
 
Eventually, over the years, I have turned into a video game collector as well. I am not quite the die-hard collector who travels around the country looking for that certain game, but I have been quietly putting together an impressive personal collection of video games and games-related merchandise, including a few cool items from Japan.
 
What you will find in this section are listings of all the games I own (except for the Atari 2600 and 7800 since they really were not mine) and a little history behind each system. One thing to keep in mind is that these are all the games I currently own. Actually, I have had many other games throughout the years that I either took back (thanks to liberal return policies) or sold at a later date. I am not going to list those games because I cannot really remember every single one I owned.
 
Please also note that all of the games listed are actual cartridges or discs. The listing of games does not represent emulated or pirated games. Admittedly, my NES collection nearly all consists of second-hand, used games. But starting with the Super NES and from then on, I have the box, instructions, and even the receipt for 99% of the new games I purchased. Yes, I truly am a retrogamer.
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My Game Library
Video games always have been my favorite hobby. As a long-life Nintendo fan, I have purchased numerous Nintendo systems and countless games. It all started with the NES when I was a kid back in the 1980s. One thing I realize as I get older is that I am making the shift from playing games to collecting games. Although I occassionally play some newer video game releases, I believe I have shifted to collecting for the same reasons that other adults have a collection hobby -- fond memories of youth, strong interest in the retro gaming scene, sharing memories with others, and belief about future worth. Please join me as I share:
Choose A System

Each of these images represents the video game systems that Scott owns. Look inside to see the physical games in his collection (and the "almost" list).
Nintendo Switch and Switch Lite
Wii
Wii U
Rock Band Music Downloads
Nintendo 64
Nintendo GameCube
Super Nintendo
Nintendo (NES)
Carby
Framemeister
Virtual Boy
Nintendo DS
Game Boy
Atari Lynx
Sega Master System
Sony PlayStation
Scott's Favorites
 Although there is some crossover with typical "best" lists, my mostly Nintendo favorites list represents the video games that I have played, enjoyed, and loved the most at various points of my gaming life.
  1. Rock Band 3 (Wii/PS3)
  2. Super Mario Kart (SNES)
  3. Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES)
  4. GoldenEye 007 (N64)
  5. Super Mario 64 (N64)
  6. Tetris (varies) - New, Puyo, 99, Effect
  7. Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)
  8. Twisted Metal 2 (PSX)
  9. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii)
  10. Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)
  11. Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)
  12. Wii Sports (Wii)
  13. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch/Wii U)
  14. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 (GCN)
  15. Super Mario World (SNES)
  16. Doom 1993 (PC/Switch)
  17. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii/Switch)
  18. Perfect Dark (N64)
  19. Super Mario Bros. (NES)
  20. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (ARC)
  21. Ninja Gaiden (NES)
  22. Super Bomberman (SNES)
  23. Borderlands Collection (Switch)
  24. NHL 94 (SNES)
  25. It Takes Two (PS5)

Scott's "Sleepers"
 These hidden gems would be considered lesser known or even obscure, but I loved them back in the day. Rose-tinted glasses and foggy memories included.
  1. Snowboard Kids (N64)
  2. House of the Dead: Overkill (Wii)
  3. Tank! Tank! Tank! (Wii U)
  4. Uniracers (SNES)
  5. Golden Axe Warrior (SMS)
  6. Kirby's Avalanche (SNES)
  7. Blast Corps (N64)
  8. Top Gear (SNES)
  9. Hexen (N64)
  10. Ghost Squad (Wii)
  11. Boom Blox (Wii)
  12. Cruis'n Blast (Switch)
  13. On the Ball (SNES)
  14. Eternal Darkness (GCN)
  15. Chameleon Twist (N64)
  16. Super Off-Road (SNES)
  17. Obakeidoro! (Switch)
  18. Axelay (SNES)
  19. Life Force (NES)
  20. TimeSplitters 2 (GCN)
  21. Rock n' Roll Racing (SNES/Switch)
  22. Super Turrican (SNES)
  23. San Francisco Rush (N64)
  24. Def Jam Rapstar (Wii)
  25. Guitar Hero Live (Wii U) - GHTV

Virtual Console
 Nintendo's Virtual Console service allowed Scott to download 139 retro games, including titles from non-Nintendo systems, and play them on Nintendo's Wii and Wii U home video game consoles.

Finally, my older brother grew up in the Atari generation, so the Atari 2600 was the first system I played. I vaguely recall enjoying games such as Adventure, Surround, Pac-Man, Ice Hockey, and Battlezone, while despising games like Raiders of the Lost Ark, Swordquest, and Football. There were some fun games back in those days, and many of them are still entertaining today, despite the humbling graphics and sound. I moved from the Atari 2600 to the Atari 7800 around Christmas 1987 -- yes, passing up on the 8-bit Nintendo for the time being. A couple of my favorites for the Atari 7800 were One-on-One Basketball, Choplifter, Ballblazer, and Pole Position II.

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