Joining The Switch Effect in today’s Gabbin’ with Gamers is Danny (a.k.a. iammobilesuit). Danny is a HUGE Nintendo DS collector and after seeing his collection on Instragram, we knew he was someone worth getting to more about. Additionally, anybody with Mobile Suit in their name is A-Okay with The Switch Effect! So without further ado, here we go!

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

Thank You for your interest. Sure, I live in southeastern PA outside Philadelphia. I’m a big manga fan, retro gaming fan and Magic player. I’m a retail manager by trade. I have a girlfriend and a 7 year old son, been gaming since 1992, and  I have about 15 gaming systems and a couple thousand games.

Can you tell us about how you got into gaming?

I was always really jealous of my friends that had an NES even after I had the Sega Genesis. I thought the game library was superior and the games were cheaper.  I didn’t get an NES until the middle/end of the 16-bit era and right around then the games were super cheap since nobody wanted them. I worked at a farmer’s market around this time and there were two used game stores located in it. I could buy 1-2 games a week for the NES while Genesis games were still like $30-$50 bucks each. After a couple months I had 20-30 games. My friends thought I was a lunatic because they were trading their NES games in for Genesis games and SNES games.

One day my neighbor gave me an entire bin of games for free; it was like 30-40 games because GameStop stopped taking them. So in a six month time frame I had amassed around 100 games for NES and by the time my friends thought that was cool the prices started to rise on some of them in the secondary market. So mostly that large library really got me into gaming plus beating the first couple RPG’s i ever played.  Link’s Awakening for the Game Boy was a big influence on me as it was my first RPG I owned and i thought it was amazing. I also loved beating Secret of Mana when I finally got a SNES.

What was the first console and game that you owned?

The first console I owned was a 1st generation Sega Genesis (I still have it!). I got it for Christmas from my parents in 1992 and it came with Sonic the Hedgehog. I also got Pac-Man and Paperboy the same day so I remember it being the best Christmas.

Do you have any fond childhood memories based around gaming? 

TONS! That’s where all the best gaming memories should be made. I remember beating Link’s Awakening for Game Boy thinking the ending was really unique. I have a fond memory of playing Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 for Genesis with three friends thinking it was the most gore ridden thing imaginable. We would spend hours learning the fatalities on each other. My best friend and I beat Secret of Mana from start to finish co-op and i thought it was amazing you could play a game that long with a friend.

Were any of your family members enthusiastic about gaming?

Yes! I have an aunt that has a really amazing Atari and Colecovision collection. My sister and I would visit on holidays and spend hours trying out all of them it was a great time. My mother showed some interest but I wouldn’t say she was enthusiastic about it.

 
Just a few games from the collection

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

I have a lot of hobbies so I’m sure I would be playing a lot more Magic the Gathering or my manga collection would be a lot bigger.  I also enjoy writing music and playing guitar so I’m sure one of them would fill the giant void.

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

I have really mixed feelings about this. On one hand I really like the innovations and the experimentation that come from having a new technology. For instance, the Nintendo DS was an incredible time for me. Games like Soul Bubbles, Kirby Canvas Curse, The World Ends with You and many others were an exploration of dual screens and touch mechanics that most likely won’t be repeated because they figured out what sells where as before they were trying to find out what people wanted. Now they’ve established what sells and the experiment element is a bigger risk. On the other hand I consider myself a retro gamer as far as consoles go.  I was less enthusiastic about console gaming after the 16-bit era. I never enjoyed the blocky looking 3D of the 32-64 bit gen systems and beyond those I felt like I didn’t want to commit endless hours on just one game. I like variety and I also like to see a game through until the end before I get bored of the genre. This explains my love of handhelds over consoles as far as current gen goes.

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

It’s kinda scary for the collectors because it seems the industry is trying to get away from physical releases. I consider myself a gamer more than a collector so I’m fine with it because if I want a game I don’t have to go to the store. I think virtual reality done right would be popular, but probably not for me.

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

I think it’s great! I don’t own one, but there are a lot of titles that are bringing me closer to purchasing one. I’m most interested in Golf Story and Wonder Boy.  I still consider it a handheld so I’ll probably get one.

Here’s a few more!

Which new games are you looking forward to the most?

Pokemon Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon (just released), Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology, SMT: Strange Journey Redux, and Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age. Those are the major ones I would like.

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

Thank you for the kind words. I really liked watching collection videos on YouTube and when I searched DS game collecting videos I found I had either the same number of games as them or more games than them so I thought I had something interesting to share; so I made an Instagram account. I really just wanted to see what people liked the most and there are many games on that console that don’t have reviews or gameplay footage because of the giant amount of shovelware in the library. So it’s great to find all the hidden gems sprinkled throughout the library.  I love interacting with fellow gamers and being able to share hidden gems with each other.

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

I only dabble in social media with my Instagram account.

As a bonus question, what’s your favorite Mobile Suit Gundam series?

I love everything about Mobile Suit Gundam. The Origin manga it’s my favorite thing about Gundam. The hardback covers and the quality of the manga is amazing. The whole 80’s cartoon feel of it is super nostalgic to me. Hands down my favorite.

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

I’ve never traded or sold a game, I’ve lost quite a few but never intentionally. I think that’s crazy to think about; I’ve had some of this stuff for 20 years.  I’d also like to make songs for video games one day, but each year I feel like I get less time for my hobbies and I wish it were the opposite.

Click the link below to follow Danny on Instagram!