thiccboi.64 is a wonderful gentlemen I met via Instagram, he is an amazing collector of anything Nintendo retro I loved his page because of the pride he took in every one of his posts.
What is your earliest memory of video games and at what point did you know it was something you would love for life?
My earliest memory of video games would have to be playing Super Mario World with my mom. I was lucky in the sense that my mom is also into games and because of that I was exposed to them at a very young age. I remember watching my mom zoom through the levels and wanting to be as good as her one day.
I realised in the first few grades of school, that games were special to me, and would be a part of my life forever. I saw the connection I could make with friends and family. I enjoyed having the ability to share moments in our gaming adventures with close friends and family. In some cases, we still laugh about fun times we had in the basement late at night all hyper off sugar.
What first sparked your interest in collecting?
My interest first started when I got my N64 way back in 97 and my mom told me to take good care of my games so that I could pass them along as she did. I cherished each game I owned but did not necessarily play all of them. As I obtained my own money, I would ask my dad to drive me to flea markets so that I could get as many games as possible. It was a lot easier back then because people didn't want the older stuff and I could scoop it for fairly cheap.
What got me to the point I am now was a single Kijiji transaction. Kijiji had been out for a little bit and I decided to look on there instead of going to the flea market. There was a post for a Coleco Gemini which is an Atari 2600 clone console. I messaged the man and went to pick it up. He handed me the box and I took a peek inside and noticed there was a lot more than a Gemini. I was told it was all junk and he just wanted it gone, so he tossed the rest in for free. When I got home and saw the contents of my lot, I was hooked.
What is the dream?
My dream is to collect every single retail cartridge-based video game that was released on the various Nintendo platforms. I was to archive and preserve these libraries so that I can not only play them in the future but also pass on my knowledge and work to the next generation. With the direction of games moving towards digital, I think it's important to protect the roots of this medium. We study movies on an academic level, and they are only a little over a hundred years old. I see a future in video game studies and want to contribute.
How big is your Collection total?
My total as of today is just a little over 4000 games. This includes my variants and imports from all over the world.
What are your top 3 Mario games?
This is a tough question; I'd have to say my top Mario game would have to be Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. This game is just jam packed with memories for me and looks fantastic both graphically and in design.
My second would have to be Super Mario World just for its brilliance and execution of a very over saturated genera. It was not the first 2d platformer with a hub world, but it definitely is the best parts of the genera compiled together.
Lastly, my third would be Super Mario 64. This game blew my mind as a kid and helped shape my favourite genera, the 3d platformer. SM64 fleshed out the world I grew up in on the 2d games, allowing me to run freely in the Mushroom Kingdom. We are now seeing a return to this genre, and it excites me.
What is your most prized collectible and why?
My most prized piece would have to be my Millennium 2000 N64 controller. These were given away in a lottery style by Nintendo to celebrate the year 2000. The reason why it is so special is that there were only 1000 made. Over time some had been lost, broken, or just thrown away, so the likely hood of the total still in circulation be less than 1000 is high. I have other pieces that are rarer in technicality, but this piece is just so much fun to photograph and display.
What are your top 3 videos games and why?
My top 3 video games to play would have to be Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. This game is my favourite game of all time for the same reasons stated above. It also is one of those games that isn't really talked about all that much, which makes it a bit more special and personal to me.
My second would be Ocarina of Time. This game blew my mind when I first played it. Up until this point games had exploration but never in full 3d worlds with depth and textures. I remember my first time walking out of Kokiri forest and entering Hyrule field. It was so big, and I was free to go as I pleased. I felt lost and excited to see where my path would take me. This game has a day/night cycle which was also a new concept to me. I was kind of scared and felt excitement that I had never felt before while playing a game.
Thirdly would be Banjo Kazooie, the number of hours I have pumped into this game even today is crazy. The characters and worlds are just so well built and fleshed out. If feels like every character could have their own game of some sort because rareware just put so much love into every aspect. I am excited for the team behind Banjo to be working again with the reemergence of Playtronic Games.
What upcoming titles are you excited for?
I am a huge farm/city sim fan, so I am very excited for the new Story of Seasons that is coming out shortly. I'm also very excited for the new Animal Crossing game and Playtonics 2d platformer looks like it will be amazing.
Favourite video game character and why?
Favourite game character would probably be Yoshi. Growing up I loved all the other Yoshi games and was always excited to get one in Mario games. Yoshi is just a fun character that adds a bit of comic relief to games through its funny sounds and attacks.
What video game characters personality best suits you?
This one is tricky, and I haven't really thought about it before. I'd have to say someone like Blathers from Animal Crossing. He is kind of to himself in his museum full of artifacts and treasures. However, he is always excited to talk about new pieces and buy them off of you when you bring them to him.
I feel like a lot of my conversations are based around games and collecting as a hobby, that's when I am the most excited. Instead of having a museum on display I share my works through social media.
Have your say (say anything you want)
Lastly, I want to share a piece of advice to others out there who are thinking of entering the hobby. Do it for yourself, don't do it to impress people, or because it's the cool thing to do. Don't buy games hoping to score big off them in the years to come, because you will hate the hobby. Buy what makes you happy and set goals that work for you. There is always someone with a bigger collection out there but that does not mean yours isn't special and unique. I feel like we need more people sharing their work of archiving and collecting and less bashing of size, counts, and prices.