Well then this blog clearly isn't for you, you big dumb jerk! However, I
will answer your hypothetical question, you hypothetical naysayer.
The short answer is that I absolutely love RPGs and this is something I've wanted to do since I was a teenager. But I'm not a short answer kinda guy, so I hope you're prepared for a long haul...
I had first been introduced to the RPG genre via Ultima on the NES and although I had several experiences with the genre since then with Final Fantasy, Shining Force and the like, it wasn't until the PS1 that they really seemed to grab a hold of me. Some would say that this era of gaming produced the best games of the genre, which is debatable to say the least. Others would say that with the overwhelming success of Final Fantasy VII on the system and the resurgence of imitators that followed, it was a statistical likely hood that I would be drawn in at the time, being it was a large part of what was available.
Personally however, I feel like there was a convergence of multiple factors. For starters, at the time the Playstation debuted (at least in my house) I was 13, the perfect combination of a mature want for good storytelling and an imagination waiting to be captured. Second was a monetary factor. Having not exactly come from the most affluent of families, gaming of any sort was a bit of a luxury, and RPGs came with the most bang for your buck. At the time a typical game was
much shorter (the original Resident Evil for instance can be beat in about 2 hours on a good day... even quicker if you're a freak) while your average RPG carried 40 to 60 hours of total immersion.
I honestly couldn't get enough of them. The moment I finished one I ran out to my local EB (this, of course, was before the great Gamestop conquest of the late 90s, so there actually
were other game stores) and buy the RPGiest (yeah, that's a word now, I'm not even getting the red squiggly under it in my text field) looking case off the shelf and buy it, caution be damned. It didn't matter to me what it was, I loved the discovery of new play experiences and stories. I had a standing order for every birthday that my family should buy me the most random RPG they could find at the best bargain they could, the more obscure the better... and honestly, more often than not... I loved my play experiences and I wanted to experience them all.
Now, I am an adult (for the most part... I still draw pictures for a living) and I can pay for my own games (as well as my own clothes and food... but not socks or underwear, who the hell buys their own socks and underwear? I can't think of a more disappointing purchase). This in mind, I realized that of all my modern game purchases and rentals, I was desperately searching for an experience that just isn't prevalent in the current gaming industry (I did of course still love many of these new experiences as well, but something still felt missing). Now, I don't begrudge forward movement in the least, but I did begin going back and replaying some of the games that I loved. Upon replay, I found that they were still able to capture me in the way they did as a teen, the downgrade in graphics or system capabilities didn't hinder me in the least. I know that for many, these are hurdles that just can't be overlooked, but apparently not for myself.
So, as I started (along with a good friend of mine) to frequent vintage game stores and find more of these games I loved in the past, more of it began to come back for me. After many talks of collections and our favorite most obscure titles of the past, I decided it was long past due for me to begin my personal dream collection. What began as a modest goal of course expanded quickly as I researched what it would entail, however with it expanded my excitement (okay... stop saying expanded... its making me uncomfortable) as well as the excitement of my friend (having a partner in crime as nerdy as yourself really helps). It was at his behest that I began this blog and continue to move forward in my endeavor.
