This summer’s London Gaming Market has hit right on the peak of the second official heatwave of the year in the UK. I headed down to London in the breezy morning, when the humid heat hadn’t fully coalesced in the streets and parks. The odd person on the train near Russell Square, wearing videogame-branded clothing, you could tell, was on their way to this niche videogame subculture event. The event was hosted in a hotel about half a kilometre from Russell Square station. The entrance to the event is located right next to a popular bar, where people were eating and drinking, and there were numerous discussions about video games and the potential for a good deal at the event. It was quite busy, but not even midday yet. This was a family-friendly event, with loads of youngsters keen to get a good bargain. In the venue, once you were around the stalls, people looked excited about some of the rare gems that were on sale. My friend and I had press passes, so we skipped the queue and got entry as soon as we arrived. Here’s my experience of this summer’s London Gaming Market.
Stall after Stall of Games
The event was held in a couple of large rooms in the hotel. There were rows of stalls, and your eyes were drawn to the color and artistic symbolism of rare games from every console imaginable. There was also every accessory you could think of, from N64 Expansion packs, to proprietary PSP memory cards, to Game Boy link cables, and a wide range of modded handheld consoles. I knew that in this space, there would be a lot of bartering, as people wanted to get the best price for the item that they were interested in.
I had something to sell. The Sega Master System Everdrive that I’d been using for the last few weeks was no longer needed. I had just received my Sega Mega Everdrive Core, which I had let my cousin borrow, and had been without for some time. The Mega Everdrive Core plays Master System ROMs (as well as Sega Genesis/Mega Drive ROMs). My thinking was that there’s no point in having two Everdrives that both play Master System ROMs. Additionally, while there is some charm with 8-bit Sega games, the only game that holds up well from that generation is Super Mario Bros. 3. After asking the first few vendors, they reported that they weren’t interested in the Master System Everdrive but that someone else in the venue probably would be interested in trading or buying it from me.
There was a wide range of games on sale from every system imaginable. Even obscure devices like the Virtual Boy and TurboGrafx-16 were well represented. Finally, a vendor said he would take my Everdrive and asked what games or devices I’d like in return. He may have been open to offering me cash, but I didn’t want to go down that route as I was convinced that trading the Everdrive for a console, game, or device that could come in handy in the future would be the right option. I saw a PSP priced at ยฃ65 in between a Game Boy priced at ยฃ50 and a Nintendo DS priced at ยฃ45. I had decided that after modding a few Game Boy consoles in the past, I’d like to move on to modding other handhelds, so I was super excited to potentially trade my Everdrive for the PSP. The vendor seemed happy to make the trade.
Manga, N64, and Modded Game Boys
While making the exchange, I was pleased and despite knowing that the value of the Everdrive could be around ยฃ100, I was the one wanting to get rid of it relatively quickly. I nabbed a console that is not only slick and cool, but is home to quite a few titles that I’ve been wanting to play. Lord of the Rings: Tactics and Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max are allegedly great PSP games that I missed out on when they originally released. The vendor himself seemed quite happy with the transaction. The stalls around us were full of manga and collector’s edition strategy guides for series such as The Legend of Zelda. A few stalls down, there was a huge space filled with IPS backlit Game Boy Colors, Game Boy Advances, and even Sega Game Gears. The Game Gear and the PSP are two handhelds that I want to get to know and create a few modded units for. Picking up that PSP today is the first step in me doing this. However, I later learned that the version that I bought was a PSP 2000, and would not be compatible with the screen kit that I bought.
At least the PSP 2000 would get me familiar with the PSP. I had owned a PSP in the mid-2000s, and remember playing a lot of FIFA and Grand Theft Auto on the system. Speaking of games, I picked up Tekken, FIFA 07, and Pro Evolution 5 all for ยฃ10 combined. I felt like I had conducted some good business. My friend didn’t purchase anything but was happy to view the deals for perhaps a purchase in the future. The London Gaming Market happens around once every six months. However, there are also similarly branded Gaming Markets in other parts of the UK at other times. I seem to remember there is a Bristol Gaming Market and a Sheffield Gaming Market.
Good Deal or Bad Deal?
Overall, the London Gaming Market this summer was a fun day, in scorching temperatures, where anyone could pick up a good deal, and I personally traded an Everdrive for a Sony PSP. While the console that I’ve acquired is over 20 years old, its slick design and huge array of games and movies available on UMD drew me to the device. The screen on the PSP still looks great to this day, and the ability to play UMD movies is a huge plus for me. I now have a range of devices that I can take on long train or coach journeys. Plus, I want to get into PSP modding. At the event, almost every imaginable accessory was available along with games from devices from the PS5 to the TurboGrafx-16. The fact that the venue of the event continues to be the same hotel as in past years means that you can go for a drink or a meal directly after, and partly for this reason I’d definitely recommend the event for someone who wants to treat their young family members to a great, fun day out. You don’t have to buy anything at the event (although some games are available for as little as ยฃ2), and tickets for entry are less than ยฃ5. If you don’t like ordering games online and need a specific or obscure gaming-related accessory or game, I’d say the most likely place that you’ll find it is at the London Gaming Market.
