THE GAMES MASTER

Peter Chrichard tells us why he’s a big fan of Nintendo

If you’re a fan of Nintendo games you’re probably already gazing at Peter Chrichard’s collection with small pangs of jealousy. Amazingly, despite the depth and size of his collection, Peter started quite late in his Nintendo quest, starting in 2006 and seriously collecting in 2015.

It’s a pretty impressive haul for a recent collector, so we were keen to know what it is about Nintendo games that attracts Peter to them. “Nintendo carries the most nostalgia for me,” he admits to us. “I love their first-party titles and they have an interesting and important history in games.”

Peter’s focus on Nintendo games has meant that they need their own dedicated space and he’s been lucky enough to recently convert his garage into a room to house it all. “The collection is an accumulation of things I’ve bought over the last 15 years, but it’s only in the last year I’ve had an opportunity to showcase everything,” he explains. “It took nearly three weeks to build walls, decorate, and fill it all. Next up, I’d really like to extend my boxed NES collection.” Although he’s proud of how his collection currently looks, it’s something that he’s created largely for himself, although he does occasionally get visitors… “I have a really supportive wife who understands the hobby and pays an interest,” he tells us. “I also have five children, but beyond wanting to show their friends the room they really aren’t that interested beyond an occasional go on the arcade machine!”

While Peter enjoys numerous Nintendo systems he has a particular fondness for Nintendo 64 games and has amassed quite the selection. “The Nintendo 64 has some of the very best games ever created, including Super Mario 64, Ocarina Of Time, Banjokazooie, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, Mario Party, Donkey Kong and the WCW wrestling range, all of which stand the test of time and play well today,” he explains. “Again, for me personally, there’s a lot of nostalgia and fondness attached to the console, and I’ve enjoyed collecting the numerous console variants and games.”

In addition to amassing his N64 collection, Peter has also been quite clever in how he sources his games and tends to look online and overseas. “I primarily use ebay nowadays, as the collection is fairly full and I’m quite selective about what’s added to it,” he admits. “I also use international proxy services such as Buyee and Sendico for Yahoo auctions and Mercari.”

Unsurprisingly, Peter feels import gaming is a crucial aspect of collecting. “To get the full experience of a particular console, you really have to look outside what was available in your own region – both in terms of games and accessories,” he explains. “Japan for one released LOADS of weird and wonderful accessories that the rest of the world never knew they needed, such as the Pocket Sonar for fishing. There’s something cool about seeing something you’re familiar with, such as a Game

Boy, in an unfamiliar way, or even discovering a hidden gem of a game you didn’t have the opportunity to play the first time around.”

Interestingly, while many complain about the rising prices of retro games Peter feels that it’s still possible to amass a decent collection without spending a fortune. “Prices have steadily increased, but there are always bargains to be had and options to play even the most expensive games,” he explains. “Sealed and graded games on the other hand are a bubble that must burst eventually.”

So what advice would Peter offer to anyone starting their own collection?

“It’s a minefield, so don’t start spending big money before understanding what you’re buying,” he concludes. “Understand that almost always, there will be other opportunities to get what you want for your collection, and don’t let go of sealed or rare one-off pieces without careful thought; that’s been my only regret over the years.”