For anyone who's grown up with video games as a significant part of their childhood and adult lives, a retro video game collection can be a comforting dose of nostalgia. The retro scene is a perfect place to experience the games you never had the money or time to play when they were new, and it shines a light on overlooked and forgotten classics.

Collecting is creating your own little video game museum and it can represent whatever games, consoles, accessories or toys are important to you. However, the hobby has gained a lot of new collectors over the past few years, sending prices of retro games soaring.

If you're new to the community, here's a basic beginner's guide to how to approach video game collecting.

What do you want to collect?

Well, that's whatever is most important to you. Do you want to collect games you had as a kid and want to revisit as an adult? Do you want to play games from systems you loved that you never got to experience in their prime? Maybe you're taking a fresh look at a console you never owned.

If you're collecting cartridge based games, are you interested in cart-only, games with the original box, complete games with all the original inserts or factory sealed games that have never been opened?

Having a goal is very important, otherwise you risk spreading yourself too thin.

This is not an investment

The value of games has been on the rise for years, but it is not an investment vehicle. The price of games spikes as people with nostalgia for that console enter their 'disposable cash' years, but as they get older, get married and start families, they tend to lose interest in the hobby, which brings prices back down. This happened with Atari and will also happen to other console libraries in the future.

Where to find 'em?

There are a few common places you'll find retro games lurking out in the wild. Here's a few places to start looking:

• Garage sales
  I've had varying degrees of success finding retro games at garage sales, yard sales, estate sales and rummage sales (if anyone still calls them that). I think I'm showing my age here.

• Thrift stores
  Goodwill, Salvation Army, Savers and other local thrift shops can be good, though in my experience they tend to be heavily picked over by resellers. I've found good stuff in the past, but don't go expecting to find something. Consider it an exploration and if you do find something great, that's fantastic!

• Pawn shops
  I've actually had some luck finding retro stuff at pawn shops. Some of my pickups include a complete copy of Battletoads (NES), Blood Will Tell (PS2) and Shining Force II (Genesis), all found for amazing prices.

Know your prices

Prices are fluctuating wildly, so its important to know what a fair price for a game might be. Not only so you don't get hosed by a dishonest seller, but also so you know what to look for and so you can give a fair price to someone who doesn't collect and doesn't know what they have. I came across someone selling N64 carts at a garage sale a few years ago and they had Conker's Bad Fur Day (N64), but didn't have a price on it. I was honest about the price of the game and made them a fair offer. They got far more than they expected, I got a great price and I walked away with a clear conscience.

My favorite resource for determining prices is Pricecharting.com. They aggregate sold prices from eBay, Amazon and other sources to determine the current value of games. Its not a set-in-stone price, but a solid estimate of value.

Organize and display your collection

Once you've built a solid collection, you need to find a good way to proudly display your library of games that not only makes them accessible, but protects them from dust, sunlight and aging. My favorite shelving solution is the Sauder O'Sullivan media shelf. Its a great size and is easily adjustable to display any size of games (except loose handheld games). I use these not only for my game collection, but also for my DVD and Blu-rays as well.

Time to play!

Last of all, actually play your games. Enjoy them. Invite friends to retro gaming night. Discover new favorites. Its a fun hobby that gives you many different ways to approach it, but only one real way to enjoy it.

Have fun and follow me for more in depth posts about various aspects of the hobby, and whatever else I might find important to discuss.