I was doing some "reflecting" (more or less just my mind wandering because i didn't want to do my work) and i realized why i collect NES. I am a bit after the NES' time (i was born in 1991) and  i realized i collect due to the fact that it has a good collector value, its relatively cheap hobby to get into, and has a rising demand.  i really didn't grow up with the NES, nor does it really possess any nostalgic value yet i still love doing it.

I guess my question is a two parter; i) What console did you grow up with (ie. was the talk of the schoolyard) and ii) why did you choose to collect NES/ what keeps you going

Personally I grew up with the n64 and gameboy colour during elementary school days (grade 1-4 mainly) and then ps2 from then on in (grades 5-9). I think especially the ps2 will have the highest nostalgic value for me in 10 or 15 years.

i know there's a big group that grew up with NES, but i also know there are a few of you like me who were never apart of the NES craze.

well i was born in 1990 and growing up i always had a sega genisis a nes and a snes I enjoyed sega and snes alot and then when the 64 came out that was my main focus. I colect because i enjoy playing a lot of the older games way more than what they are coming out with now and they ar generaly cheaper to buy.

haha yea i forgot to mention 360 games are like 80 bucks a pop now its just stupid which is a big reason why i initially started getting into retro consoles.

Sega Genesis

I've often wondered why some younger folks take interest in an old 8 bit console that flashes grey and has less tech in it that a calculator wrist watch. I'm interested in knowing what people say. Being born in '83, I grew up on an NES then SNES then N64. So, I don't really fit the subject.

My favy console growing up was the old school Gameboy, the big fat grey beast. I would play play action football on it non stop. It's by far my biggest "original" collection at 20 games (as in I'm the original owner).

As for the NES, i was born in 84, so it was always around too, but I'm a bit of an all over collector (nes, snes, n64, gb, gbc, gba, genesis, 2600, ps1-3, ds)

Being born in 1990 I kind of hit the end of the SNES/Genesis era and the beginning of the Playstation/N64. One of my best friends had an SNES, but the first console of my own was a Playstaion. Shortly after I also got a Nintendo 64 and I would say that was really the console I grew up with. The Nintendo 64's library of games was more attractive to me as a kid and I think that's what hooked me on Nintendo.

As for collecting, I've got a little bit of everything. However, I am most interested in Nintendo, especially NES. NES games have some sort of charm that is unmatched by modern game consoles. I get a lot of enjoyment for the history aspect as well.

even though I was born in 1990 I was playing NES up until 1997 because I didn't really like the newer stuff. Story of my life...

I was born in 1994 and didn't get a console til around 2002. Ahhh my Gamecube. Memories

Grew up on NES, then Genesis. After that I didn't really like much except a few titles that popped up on the PS1. I didn't own a PS1 for a while though. My next system was the snes, which I picked up probably a year after everyone got 64s and PS1s. NES by far means the most to me. TO be honest gaming really started fading for me in the 16 bit era, though I didn't realize it at the time, I wasn't having as much fun with games. I think the technology wars ruined it all. Games kept bosting how advanced they were, rather then how imaginative they were. They stopped pushing adventure, and started pushing cool.

My first game systems were the original gameboy and Snes. I got the snes for my birthday and the gameboy for christmas in 94. Then I got a ps1, and n64 after that. From then on I have picked up every system as they came out I think. I have never owned an xbox though.

gameboy pocket + donkey kong was the first ever video game related thing i owned. My second game was pokemon red which i hated at first but grew to love it.

something i forgot to mention in my first post that actually was a big part in leading me to get into nes was that the first time i ever saw a video game was my dad and his brothers playing smb. my uncle later taught me how to play and showed me all the tricks and shortcuts. since then ive been hooked. he actually also taught me to play doom on the pc but i always forgot what it was called until about a year ago.

its funny because my parents think video games are a waste of time, yet we own at least one console per gen.

NES was the first console I ever had I was 12 when we got it so it holds a nostalgic value, the collecting part is just obsession.

I was born in '82. The first system I had was an Atari 2600, I had over 100 games for that thing but when I finally got an NES, the Atari went bye bye! Even though I enjoyed playing the Atari I have no desire to collect it, yet the Nintendo systems have me hook, line, and sinker!

Fun Fact: I don't know if any of you remember this but back in the day they had a "Who's the real Capt'n" contest for the Capt'n Crunch Cereal. There were 3 imposter Captains and a game piece would come in boxes of cereal. I figured it out and sent in my entry. That's how I became the proud owner of my first Gameboy!

I was born in '83 and had an Intellivision until I was 6 and then got an NES, so I grew up with both consoles. My Intellivision quit working a long time ago, but I still have it and all the games because it is very nostalgic to me, but I don't collect the games since I can't play them, but may consider it. All my friends growing up had an NES and I have lots of great memories playing games like Mario 3, TMNT 2, Double Dragon 1 & 2, and Bubble Bobble with them. Between the NES and Intellivision, the NES is probably my favorite console because of the awesome games and great memories from my childhood.

my first system was the atari 2600, I still have fond memories of spending hours playing the games, as well as the nes when that system came out. All the other system since than never gave me the same nostalgia feelings.

well, i was born in '84 and there are some people older than me in this thread, so i guess i'm young enough to participate. 

my grandpa was always all about new technology and gadgets and i remember him giving me and my older brother his intellivision once he got bored with it. we didn't have it long because my mom didn't like the fact that it came with a poker and blackjack game.

maybe a couple years later he gave us a brand new nes action set for christmas. my mom quickly confiscated the light gun so we only enjoyed duck hunt at friends houses. in case you haven't picked up on it, my mom didn't really want us having anything to do with video games so we were stuck with the nes for a looooong time. i remember my friends having having the latest playstation games and i  still had that old nintendo and the original 20 or so games we accumulated over the years.

eventually, when i was about 15, my mom got us a super nintendo second hand. not long after, her hate for video games lifted for whatever reason and everyone was allowed to get what they wanted.

i remember being perplexed last christmas when my mom bought my then 17 year old brother gears of war 2 and fallout 3 for his 360.

my how times changed...

i still have my nes from back then... it's beat to hell and i don't really use it anymore (i keep it boxed, i really only tracked it down for nostalgia reasons) but it still works. i bought a refurbished nes about 5 years ago when i got back into collecting for the nes.

I grew up on the nintendo, I got my first one for x-mas in 87. Got the pack in Super Mario and Rad Racer so it was my all time fav. Sadly I sold all of my systems and game collections in 91 to help fund my neo-geo aes. But as of Dec. last year I started collecting them again and got back most of my fav. nes games. Its funny I've had all the new systems but, I keep coming back to the old nes nothing IMO compares to it.

Born in '84, NES in '89, Genny in '92 or '93 and N64 at Xmas '96 right around the time of its release. For some reason I seem to connect with the N64 system the most, so I guess my 12-16 years were the "prime time" of my gaming.

Born in 91. got an NES when i was 4, Playstation was out but i didn't know that then. SNES and genesis the next year, Got a playstation the year after and an n64 at xmas 98. My family started me out retro with the nes(my mom's old nes, still works) and went pretty much in order after that. i'm actually really glad that they did because some of my best childhood memories were with the nes, genesis, or snes. if i ever have a kid i'm going to do the same thing, might be harder now since technology tends to jump out in your face.

my favorite console growing up was my NES. we got somewhat into the genesis and only very little into the SNES and N64. Playstation was our next biggest console and we played that a bunch. I remember spending weeks to beat gran turismo 100% and getting every possible code for twisted metal 3. Good times.

Don't tar and feather me, but I am going to have to say Atari 2600. I have the most fondest memories of playing it with my bro's, cousins and even my late grandfather...hell he taught me how to play Blackjack on that thing...which I still can't find a copy of...

I was born in '90 and grew up with the PlayStation. I played NES before that but the PlayStation was the one I really got into.

Born in '86, first console was a snes, so I suppose it can take bragging rights as my favorite system growing up. From there I've owned just about every major console at some point along the way (jaguar, and I'm sure some more obscure ones aside.) I recently began collecting the NES stuff to go back and see what I had just missed out on and create some of my own memories with the system.

Definately Intellivision II.