Unfortunately, it seems that stories like this are happening more and more. I know video games and collectables have been stolen for many years, but as of recent, due to the increasing value of trading cards, video games and more, it's piquing the interest of thieves who think it's right to take what isn't theirs. It was only a few weeks ago when a Pokemon TCG store near me that I visit often had lots of their stock stolen; it's happening everywhere.
The increase is obviously due to value, but also because many collectors and stores are having to promote their stock on social media, which makes them an easy target for thieves to add up the value and the risk.
This story hit me hard. Roger Holler, an avid NES collector from Washington, USA, has been trying to complete his NES collection for almost 40 years, obtaining over 860 NES games during his life, no small feat, and a collection that simply wasn't just bought; it was a part of his life, the games were played, memories were forged and it was an accomplishment that he chipped at for most of his life. Depressingly, Roger was only 3 games away from completing the entire NES video game library.
Roger was incredibly proud of what he collected, and it's not often any video game collector gets near to this. According to Roger, this collection was estimated to be valued at $50,000 - $100,000 as of recent, and as we know, video games are only increasing in price, so nobody knows how much this could have been when Roger wanted to pass them on to his grandchildren in the future.
Roger and his family were out of town when the burglary happened; the thief broke into his house where the collection was taken, every single game, even games he had since he was a kid. The NES was a console his mother gifted him as a child, so this story hits even harder knowing it was cemented into his childhood.
Unfortunately, the thief has still not been caught, but collectors and video gamers across the USA are already donating NES games to Robert, with some creators sharing the videos on Instagram to gain some extra exposure alongside a new GoFundMe page to help Roger recoup the costs, and perhaps restart the collection again.
