Yes there are collectors and yes it is a real hobby. There are video game collector shows. Games trade on the internet all the time. The only oddity is the pace of price appreciation, especially for unopened "high grade" graded games. It's a bifurcated market, like comparing people who chase relatively common condition rarities in PSA 9 & 10 to those of us that chase PSA 3 T206s.
Two different mentalities. Two different objectives. But same hobby, generally.
Like anything, if you think the market is contrived or being manipulated, don't participate. Who is to say what the highest graded copy of the seminal NES video game is worth or will be worth in the future? What if five internet billionaires who played and collected the games as a kid decide they want it?
The intrinsic value of all this stuff is zero. Always remember that.
There are some bad facts in the documentary, and obvious conflicts of interest, but what is the difference between promotion and manipulation? It can't just be the magnitude of the price appreciation. How is any of this different than PSA putting a high grade on a trimmed Wagner back in the day?
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