After seeing a certain Segary Megadrivey Tetrisy game being sold on Ebay by a member who sometimes posts here and he makes a big thing about it being signed by the designer of the original game, it got me thinking, do signatures increase the value of a game? If you search on the sales forums there is at least once GT5ery game that was signed and was quickly put on the sales forum and has stayed there ever since... A number of famous people now refuse to sign things as they hate when they go on ebay for someone to cash in on their signature. I personally do have a number of games (as well as a copy of MS-DOS 3.3 signed by Bill Gates...) signed by various people and would not even think about selling them, the only one I have considered selling was a prize that was given to me as it did not have any personal value to me. To me a true collector is someone who proudly has something that is signed and keeps it in their collection and a parasite is someone who attempts to make a fast buck on the goodwill of someone. So what games do people have signed and what are your views on the parasites who sell them?
anything I have signed means alot to me. Wouldn't sell unless in extreme financial trouble. even then things like my signed CM Punk figure I would never sell.
Agreed, although I don't share the contempt you expressed. I would never pay extra money for a signed item, therefore I'm not really pissed if someone puts it up for sale. But I'd be very pissed if I was the one who signed it, having people tell me what great fans they are and the next day I see them selling my work for 299$. About the Tetrisy issue, even if I had the money I wouldn't choose it over a regular copy. The experience of getting an item signed is what is important to me. That said, I would have done the same as Mundocombo, but it would have been for me because I love the idea that Mr Pajitnov talks to me about this rare Tetris version, I see how he signs it and will always know what it was like when the signature was created. A signature is the icing on the cake and I like to get my things signed by the creator if there's a chance in sight. But buying signed items that I don't know the history behind whatsoever? No, thank you, that's just lame. The only exception would be really old things that have been signed by people who are long gone. Stuff that pops up in my head would be an early book signed by Henry Miller, the 1st PlayBoy issue signed by Marilyn Monroe or a Citizen Kane poster/flyer/prop signed by William R. Hearst (if such a thing even exists is uncertain though). That's what I would pay big bucks for if I had the money. But not for signed games or recent music or so. Stuff that I got signed... non VG-related are three books signed by Don Rosa when he was on his 2010 Germany tour. I waited 6 hours straight (8:30-14:30) and was the sixth or so in the line (first 30 get a drawing). I got a nice unique Scrooge head from a panel that I had chosen beforehand, I bet nobody has ever asked him to draw that scroogehead. He also signed three books for me. As Don Rosa is a crazy collector himself, he knows about the reselling problem. He always asks everyone for their name so he can write "For xxx" in a speech bubble next to the drawing to prevent the resale of a 'pure' original drawing. I've got Last Hope (dc), LH Pink Bullets (dc) and the limited edition of Fast Striker (dc) (#003, lowest serial around) signed by the creators. While they are not really celebrities in the gaming scene, these signatures mean a lot to me because they remind me of a great time visiting the devs and beta-testing their game. The other signed items in my collection are mostly magazines. Some issues are signed by members of the staff I once knew. The final issue of 'Video Games' (3/2001) has been signed by all staff members and the entire issue is limited to 350 copies. This was done at their office though, so there was no chance to witness the process. The lamest thing must be a PAL demo disc of Pro Evolution Soccer 5 which was signed by creator 'Seabass' at Games Convention 2005 or so. I hate soccer games (except for the Neo Geo ones, man, if I could get those MVS kits signed Lol).
If it exists or could exist people will attempt to make a profit off of it, just the way some people operate. I can understand the contempt for the way someone has cheapened what another holds dear but I'm sure that we all cheapen something someone else considers dear as well. How many people waited in line to get console X to sell it at a profit? How many people around the world profit off of the sale of human organs? Etc... As much as I really dislike humanity I can't be too disgusted with profiting off of the signature of artists when you bring it into the scheme of things. Personally though I own nothing signed by anyone. I'd love to have a few things signed but often times the person is deceased (Gumpei Yokoi) or unavailable to me due to distance (Hideo Kojima). Not sure I could convince Kevin Smith to sign a Laserdisc of Chasing Amy either.
I'd really like to have either NES/Famicom Super Mario Bros., SNES aLttP or the gold cart version of N64 OoT signed by Miyamoto. It'd be framed on the wall, and there'd be no way I'd ever sell such a fantastically unique thing.
A mate of mine bought a copy of Mario Sunshine for the 'Cube that had been signed by Miyamoto in the Oxford Street branch of HMV in London when the game was first launched off eBay about 2 years ago. Game came with the original till receipt and a photo of the man himself as he was signing it. The cost? Just over £20 with shipping. Personally for me that highlights exactly how much (or little) run-of-the-mill signed videogame items are really worth, the thread on here that wants 300 Euro's for the signed GT5 is a joke.
In my eyes if you draw on the cover of a game your defacing it, regardless of who it was that did the scribbles. I don't own any signed games as i prefer my games to be how they originally came, i can understand the people that do as it's part of the experience of meeting that person. But for me im not too fussed with such things, i'd rather have a regular game in mint condition than a average condition one that happens to have been signed by someone famous.
