Many moons ago, Geoff told you about one of gaming’s biggest myths. Atari had tons of unsold copies of their really, REALLY bad game, ET What did they do with all of them? Buried supposedly, deep in a hole in New Mexico, hoping that humankind would never find out. The myth turned out to be true, and Zoe pointed out that ET was not the only title hiding down there. Fancy buying one of those pieces of history? You can, as some of those cartridges are now available on eBay… FOR LOTS OF MONEY.
No really, check out the listings right here (via Joystiq). If you’re a cheapskate, you can maybe outdo the person who bid R569 on Missile Command. Feeling somewhat richer? Splash out on this legendary ET which is currently sitting on R6800. You might as well round up to R7000, nobody will top that!
What honestly scares me is that nearly every single listing has a fair number of bids on them. If my calculations are correct, there are just short of 100 games for sale. For arguments sake, let’s say the average for each is R2000. That means there is a potential R200 000 just waiting to be made.
I can understand from a collectors point of view that each title is a slice of gaming history. Problem is, the packaging for each game is beyond poor, and the quality of some of those games are even poorer. Why on Earth would you even bother spending that cash? Unless I am missing something here, I think it’s just plain silly.
Anyways, this whole excavation came about as a result of a documentary about Atari being made. It will be out soon.
Atari: Game Over premiering Nov 20 on XBOX #ataridoc — Zak Penn (@zakpenn) October 31, 2014
If you had the money and were a collector, would you consider buying any of the listed titles? I really don’t think I would. ET can stay home for all I care.
Last Updated: November 6, 2014
Alien Emperor Trevor
November 6, 2014 at 12:05
Hipsters.
hairyknees
November 6, 2014 at 12:11
Hey, not even I would purchase these titles 😛
RinceThis
November 6, 2014 at 12:13
LIES! And why do you have power now? I explicitly told ESKOM to get you fired by not having any powa!
Kensei Seraph Never Forget
November 6, 2014 at 12:15
This is Eskom we’re talking about.
They will probably cut his power 6 years from now and even then they’ll probably get the wrong house.
Kensei Seraph Never Forget
November 6, 2014 at 12:13
As the age-old adage states, “It takes one to know one.”
http://www.tickld.com/cdn_image_content/452056.jpg
Captain JJ the pout
November 6, 2014 at 12:20
I tend to go overboard. So I’m rather safe. ;P
Kensei Seraph Never Forget
November 6, 2014 at 12:10
Before my time so no.
That said, I have purchased several of the games I played as a child through GOG or Steam so I can somewhat understand why some people might be interested (not why they’d pay so much though).
RinceThis
November 6, 2014 at 12:13
Really? LOL. Some people.
OVG
November 6, 2014 at 12:19
R569? Sounds about right. Just needs a day one patch and DLC. The frame rate is already Cinematic. WIN.
Kensei Seraph Never Forget
November 6, 2014 at 12:19
Haha.
Captain JJ the pout
November 6, 2014 at 12:21
Wow, so for that price you can decide between the ET game and an iPad cover. Or a console.
Rock789
November 6, 2014 at 12:22
Well, if they wanna cough up that kinda dough for games that’ve been in the dirt for more than 20 years, more power to them! I’d rather just buy a new console or 3D TV for that kinda cash!