Just about any hobby you can think of comes with some kind of costs associated with it and this is especially true for those who collect physical copies of retro video games. For me, that's one of a small handful of collections I'm currently building and setting aside some cash for this hobby is nothing new to me. However, in 2025 I learned a lot when it comes to collecting games on a budget and that's what I want to talk about today. In this solo episode of Sticker Shock, not only will I go over a few cost saving techniques, but I'll also discuss things I've learned about myself as a collector which have me thinking more intentionally about the things I buy.

LINKS:
Memory Card is building a PS2 Collection for $0
AYN Thor Retro Handheld
Retro Achievements Website

In the age of Steam and digital downloads, it's honestly quite surprising that we're still able to buy physical copies of video games. Only as of this year did I REALLY start taking physical games more seriously as I've begun to see more and more examples of studios and publishers show zero loyalty to the consumers who purchased their products.

It's no longer shocking when a game is removed from a digital storefront, only to be replaced with a "remastered" version. For a long time it's become common for games to release as a "code in a box" rather than having the game actually printed on a physical disk.

Then of course the newest version of this we're starting to see is from Nintendo themselves with their "game key cards." You buy a physical cartridge, they give you a code that downloads the game onto your console. You pay the same price and yet you have to use your valuable storage space on a game that could have easily fit onto a cartridge... I know that's not always the case, but rest assured, plenty of publishers are indeed releasing games under 64gb (Nintendo's limit for psychical cartridges) as game key cards.

So in this episode of Sticker Shock, Caito and I discuss our physical game collections. We'll also dive into when and/or why we'd still buy digital games, even in this economy!

Follow Caito:
https://www.youtube.com/@consolecaito

Personally, I'm not somebody who listens to a lot of music... So when I'm being subjected to algorithms that are loaded with AI "artists" that are literally ranking at the top of the Billboard charts, suddenly I feel like I'm in a good position to cancel my music streaming subscription and buy my music outright!

Yes, that is LITERALLY happening... The people behind some of the biggest songs right now (according to the Billboard charts) aren't talented singers or songwriters... They're just really good at prompting an AI service like Suno to make music for them. When I learned this, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to get ComposerCleo on the show to talk it through a bit. Not only is he an incredibly talented musician, but he happens to be the very same talented musician that composed the music for this very podcast. He knows what it's like to stream music as a listener and also has experience as an artist who publishes his music to streaming platforms like Spotify and YouTube Music.

Follow ComposerCleo here: https://www.youtube.com/@Composercleo

Links to Sources:
https://www.nme.com/news/music/xania-monet-becomes-first-ai-artist-to-chart-on-us-billboard-rankings-3904887
https://www.theregister.com/2025/11/10/ai_country_artist_hits_number_one/