People of RF Generation: People of RF Generation: Duke.Togo

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My third interview in the People of RF Generation series is Duke.Togo. I had the pleasure of meeting Duke at RWX last year. I didn't ask the question, but his favorite pizza has mashed potatoes on it. He's well known around here for being one of the hosts of the Collectorcast.

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Duke, pointing at the meat lovers pizza that, while delicious, wasn't mashed potato topped.

Name (first only):

Chris

Location:

Central Indiana, USA

Where does your screen name come from?

Duke Togo is the name of the man with the custom M-16 and assassin for hire, Golgo 13. I’ve liked the character since the first NES game, and later got into the anime and manga.

How did you find RFG?

I was searching online for a way to track my collection. At the time I was using another website, but there were a lot of gaps.

What made you stay and become part of RFG?

The ability to submit items really got me in at first, and the group of people kept me. It doesn’t seem like it has been 7 years already.

Have you ever met or personally know anyone at RFG?

Of course! Bil, Crabby, Bickman, Ericescapade, Neomagicwarrior, Fleach, Izret, Singlebanana, Hungrymoose, CatchFiveBats, and I am sure I have missed someone (sorry!)

Number of Games Owned(at time of printing):

2,394

Number of Games on Wishlist(at time of printing):

28

Number of Systems:

Around 40

When did you start collecting?

I started collecting games when I was a kid. I picked up games and just held onto them. When friends would get out of games, I would pick up their stuff cheap. I’ve still got a lot of games and systems from when I was a kid.

What was your first system you owned?

The Atari 2600. I don’t recall getting it, so I don’t know if it was used or a gift, but I was about 5 or so.

What was your first game?

It would have to be Combat, since it was the pack-in. Lots of simple fun and good replayability.

What was your first game you bought yourself?

The first game I can distinctly remember was The Legend of Zelda. My birthday and Christmas are close together, so I took my birthday money and bought Zelda from Target.

What made you decide to buy that particular game?

I had seen the commercial with the weird guy, and it looked really great.

First game you ever beat?

There weren’t many games on the 2600 that you could “beat”, but my grandparents had an Intellivision at their house and I remember beating Advanced Dungeons & Dragons quite a few times.

Have you ever broken anything due to frustration from a game? Be honest, we won't tell…

No. I’ve always been one to take really good care of the things I had. We didn’t have a lot of money growing up, so you knew if something was broken it wasn’t going to get replaced.

Are you collecting now, if so what anything specific?

Of course. Besides new titles that come out, I watch for good older games that I have missed out on at some point. I’m also about to wrap up my US NES licensed collection (or at least as close as I’ll get), and like odd NES controllers and Famicom games.

When did you feel a tipping point from gamer to both gamer and game collector?

I really started getting into the collecting side in 2008. I had always picked things up from time to time, but that was when I started purposely seeking out games to collect.

What are your goals as a game collector, how have you developed them, and how do you feel about your progress toward them?

I’ve wanted to own every NES game since childhood, and I am finally on the verge of completing that goal. After that, I don’t think I will go for any other complete sets, but continue picking up interesting games. The only other system I would buy games just to have in the collection will be the Famicom.

How many games, systems, etc. are "enough"?

This is always a tough question. I sometimes really think about cutting back on the collection, but a lot of the items have memories attached to them. Things that I haven’t owned for years and that I just got at some random sale may go at some point, but I don’t know if there will be an end per se.

What's your proudest moment as a game collector?

It’s coming very soon. Very soon...

What's your least proud moment as a game collector?

Losing many of my original Genesis games. I’ve done a great job of holding on to so many games from my youth, but somewhere along the way some of my Genesis RPGs disappeared. Nothing incredibly expensive, but sad to not have the ones that were mine.

If you had to give part of your collection away for a worthy cause what part would it be, and why?

I’d be quite open to donating part of my collection to a local museum if that were to happen. It would have to be a situation where many people could enjoy them and they would be well cared for.

Where/how do you store it all?

I have an enclosed front porch where a lot of it stays, but some of it is in my living room.

What's your favorite part of your collection?

Hard to say, but my cousin’s R.O.B., my original FF III cart with my save on it, and some of the promotional fliers from gaming companies that I got as a kid.

What about a favorite series?

At the moment? Demon’s/Dark Souls and Bloodborne.

What is your guilty pleasure when it comes to gaming?

Buying Famicom lots. I don’t do it a lot, but getting a big batch of import, multicolored, cheap games is a thrill.

What is the most valuable part of your collection(Value or sentimental)?

Value? I’m guessing Little Samson (thanks Bil!). There is so much sentimentality wrapped up in everything else that it would be too hard to pick.

What game do you have the most nostalgia for?

It’s incredibly hard to pick just one, but Super Mario Bros. I could probably play that game a million times, and have some great memories of playing it with friends.

What would you like to improve in your collection?
A proper game room to put it in. We don’t have a big house, and with three girls it just isn’t in the cards right now.

What do you think was your best deal while game buying?

Sealed Dracula X for $6 from Blockbuster. I later sold it, still sealed, and did pretty well.

What item in your collection do you feel you overpaid for?

I’m kind of a cheapie when it comes to buying games, so not much. Maybe Casino Kid II?

What do you feel is the strangest or weirdest item in your collection?

I’ve got some weird Famicom pirate games like Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Earthworm Jim, and Harry Potter. They’re not good, but definitely weird.

What item(s) do you not have in your collection that people are surprised to hear you don't have?

The original Resident Evil. I’ve never owned a copy, and I’m still not sure why. I should have grabbed it on Saturn back when it was cheap.

Is there any way you'd ever stop collecting?

Probably not, unless it became a problem. I’m frugal enough that I don’t see that happening.

Do you have a funny story about your collection?

The only thing that comes to mind is when friends come over and see all the games, they inevitably want to play the common stuff. It’s usually things like, “Do you have Super Mario 3? I love that game!”

Have you ever had to move your collection to another house? What was it like?

Yes, when I bought my house. I had friends tell me that they would not help me move again. I guess I’ll just have to stay here.

If your significant other told you no more games, what would you do?

Have a heart to heart talk I suppose. I can’t see my wife ever doing this, as we both respect each other a lot. If the amount of time spent was an issue, I would work with that.

What percentage of your games are still sealed?

Not many, but I do have some. I’m hoping that sealed Sea Monkey’s game is going to put my kids through college some day.

What percentage of your games have you actually played? Completed?

Actually played beyond testing? Probably around half. Completed? That would be a pretty low percentage.

Do you own any complete collections?

Almost...

Time to bring out the fanboys! What is your favorite game of all time?

Tastes change over time, but at the moment I will say Dark Souls. There isn’t really anything to say other than it is just an amazing world with an incredible amount of depth and replayability.

Least Favorite?

Sports. You have to have them when going for a set, but ugh, sports.

For those who may not know, you are one of the hosts of the Collectorcast. How did you get involved with doing that?

Crabby and I were PM’ing back and forth, and just decided to do a Skype call one night and chat. We had a lot of fun, so we started doing it regularly. At one point, I just thought, why don’t we record this?

What has been your favorite segment you’ve done on the show so far?

That’s a tough one. I think the question segment has become my favorite. I really like listener interaction, and am always interested in ways to do things like that. The gaming community is great, and it provides a lot of fun for us.

Do you have any topics that you’d like to do, but will probably never happen?

Probably a few, due to the nature of the show. I could get incredibly nerdy about some topics, but Bil or Crabby may have no interest or deep knowledge of them so I don’t go after those. I am sure they have things that are the same for them. Poor Bil will probably have to do something solo if he wants to talk big box PC games.

Which NES game is most like Dark Souls?

Offhand, I would say Ninja Gaiden. It rewards skill, familiarity with the level, and isn’t afraid to punish you for your mistakes. Also, most people relate “NES hard” to Ninja Gaiden, and most people think Dark Souls is an “NES hard” game (although I would disagree).

Do you collect anything else besides games?

No, not really. One vice is enough.

What do you outside of games?

Spend time with my family, work, and try to get some more education knocked out. I don’t watch a lot of TV, but my guilty pleasures are Survivor and Big Brother.

What other features would you like to see more of at RFG?

Perhaps more data on game entries, things like compatible accessories.

Out of all the different ways to occupy your free time, why is gaming the choice for you?

Agency. Books, television, and movies are all passive experiences. While I appreciate that at times, I enjoy being engaged and active. I’d rather take part in a story than be the bystander.

What is your favorite defunct developer and why? (I will also accept a dev who has dropped severely in quality of releases. BUT you also have to explain when/why you think quality plummeted!)

Compile (and no, Compile Heart doesn’t count). Probably the best shooter developer ever.

Thanks for your time!