The Switch Effect

Tuesday, November 14, 2017

11.14.17

Gabbin’ with Gamers is proud to introduce Robin, a.k.a. Retro Game Collector Sweden, from Instagram. So without further ado, let’s learn more about this collector!

Rob, thank you for giving us this interview. I came upon your Instagram page and I see that you're a big collector. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Hey guys, my name is Robin and I’m a 31 year old retro game collector from Sweden! I live in a house on the countryside with my wife and 4 year old daughter, Ofelia. Apart from my normal job, I do a lot of buying and selling old video games, as well as travel to different retro exhibitions as a seller J.

Can you tell us about how you got into gaming and collecting?

Gaming was a big part of my childhood and every birthday &Christmas, me and my brother always wished for the newest games! We got the NES back in ‘86 and from there it went on to Game Boy, SNES, Sega Mega drive, Game boy Advance, Sega Saturn and Nintendo 64.

What was the first console and game that you owned?

The first console we got was an NES, with about 20 games about 3 months after the release! The first game I remember playing was Balloon Fight, still to this day one of my favorite games for the system!

Balloon Fight...a classic!

Do you have any fond childhood memories based around gaming?

I have a lot of fond memories, playing with friends and talking about secrets, tricks at school, beating hard bosses, etc. However, my best memories were playing with my 3 year older brother. I remember thinking he was invincible; he knew every trick, he never got lost in The Legend of Zelda, and he could pick up a new game and immediately figure out what to do!

Were any of your family members enthusiastic about gaming?

My parents were pretty into gaming back then and could stay up all night playing Bubble Bobble or Super Mario Bros. on the NES! I guess my interest in video games could not be avoided J.

Let's jump forward a bit. Here's one to get you thinking. If you weren't collecting games, what would be your hobby?

I would probably collect Whiskey or old toys from my childhood (He-Man!!).

As you're aware, technology continues to advance the gaming industry. Have you been a fan of these changes?

If it´s about the graphics, I’m not a big fan. I prefer pixel perfection over 3D any day of the week.

Where do you think technology will bring us in the future?

I think we will see a lot more VR in terms of "VR with friends" (a la multiplayer), and augmented reality like Pokémon GO. I also think and HOPE that we will see a lot more Indie studios, and preferably a lot more games with the retro look and feel to it!

We at The Switch Effect are obviously big fans of Nintendo's new console. What are your impressions of the Switch?

It’s a solid, well made console with great controls and great feel to it. The only thing it really lacks is enough really good games.

Which new games are you looking forward to the most?

For the Switch, it would be Rocket League and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild expansions!

We came across your Instagram account and loved seeing your collections. What interested you in starting a social media account?

Thanks a bunch! My main reason for starting the Instagram account was for insurance purposes. It was a good way of keeping track of my collection, as well as share it with my fellow co-collectors! What surprised me was the amount of nostalgic people who just want to drop by to say hello or tell me that they love that game or tell a cool memory from their childhood. Video games really connect people all over the world - pretty amazing stuff J.

That's a nice set of cushions you got there!

What is the best way for our readers/followers to keep up with you?

Join me on instagram @RetroGameCollectorSweden and say hello J.

Last question now that I've run you through the gauntlet. Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Thank you for the interview guys! The best game of all times is probably Earthbound on the SNES, tightly followed by Final Fantasy III (VI) and Chrono Trigger J. Haters gonna hate. Peace out Game On!

Thank you again for taking the time to speak with The Switch Effect and for our readers to learn more about your gaming passion.

To follow Retro Game Collector Sweden, make sure to click below:

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Welcome to the first installment of Gabbin' with Gamers where we speak directly with the fans that we've met online or elsewhere. Today, we speak with Digz, an Instagrammer touting over 1,000 followers as well as an up and coming YouTube page.

So without further ado, let's learn about Digz!

Jon: Thank you for letting us interview you! I came upon your Instagram page and I see that you're a big collector, like to post short reviews and play-through videos. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Digz: I'm from Sydney Australia, 32, and I play music for a living in two bands: (1) Furnace & The Fundamentals (Sax and Guitar) and (2) Big Red Fire Truck (lead vocals and guitar). I am also an avid sports fan.

Jon: Can you tell us a little bit about how you got in to gaming and collecting?

Digz: I got my first console for Christmas when I was five and I've been playing ever since. Since then, I've been playing the NES, N64, PS2, PS3, and PS4. I recently added the SNES mini to the collection and I have quite a big collection of NES and N64 games.

Jon: That's pretty exciting! What was the first console and game that you owned?

Digz: NES - parents got it from Hong Kong and it came with SMB and Zippy Race (MotoRace USA).

Jon: What's a fond childhood memory based around gaming?

Digz: Hours and hours, haha. I grew up in a neighborhood of guys the same age. We played many hours of multiplayer games that really seem to hog the game time, such as: Mario Kart 64, Mega Man, WWF No Mercy, Smash Bros, Guitar Hero, Super Soccer, NBA Jam TE, Halo 2 and, of course, GoldenEye.

Jon: Were any of your family members enthusiastic about gaming?

Digz: My brother was when we were younger and only recently started back in to it.

Jon: Let's jump forward a bit. Here's one to get you thinking. If you weren't collecting games, what would be your hobby?

Digz: I play guitar for a living so I spend a lot of time playing and writing songs mostly in the Hard Rock/Heavy Metal genre. Also, I love playing rugby union and basketball.

Jon: As you're aware, technology continues to advance in the gaming industry. Have you been a fan of these changes?

Digz: I'm always a fan of changes in the industry as long as they're well thought through and actually advance the gaming experience. I think a lot of time gets spent on trying to release technology that isn't ready yet. Two examples that come to mind are the Power Glove and Virtual Boy from back in the day.

Jon: Where do you think technology will bring us in the future?

Digz: I really don't know and kinda gave up trying to predict because my imagination always left me disappointed with the end product. I really love the online community these days, but there's nothing like an old school room of people gaming together, whether it be at an arcade or a room with a few TVs playing eight player Halo.

Jon: We at The Switch Effect are obviously big fans of Nintendo's new console. What are your impressions of the Switch?

Digz: I think it was an amazing innovation. I haven't had a chance to get my hands on it yet, but so far the release games look great and I love the idea of taking my console with me as a portable device without losing any of the game quality.

Jon: Which new games are you looking forward to the most?

Digz: Red Dead Redemption 2 hands down. I don't get all that excited about releases lately because there seems to be a real formula for releases every year which is starting to get tiresome. However, RDR is gonna be amazing if GTA V was anything to go by. They have an amazing team over there right now and continue to do great things. Head back to the late 90s and early 2000s and there was such a variety of ideas, including some shockers, but plenty more hits because of it.

Jon: We came across your Instagram account and loved seeing your collections. What interested you in starting social media accounts?

Digz: I moved in to an apartment with a spare room and turned it into my gaming room for my old consoles because I wasn't using them enough. I really wanted to share my collection with anyone who was interested. There are some timeless games from yesteryear that I feel are better than a lot of the stuff out right now. I love the challenge of the old stuff. Just look at how successful Cuphead was, that was no coincidence. They took all the great elements of the retro genre, but had the capabilities to make it look so amazing.

Jon: What is the best way for our readers to keep up with you and is there anything else you'd like to share?

Digz: I'm always open to suggestions for my pages as I'm only in the early stages and I'd like people to see something they can't get somewhere else in retro gaming. You can check us out at: