Chasing a world record is no easy feat. It takes passion, dedication, and in some cases, a whole lot of money. But for one man, it was definitely worth it. Antonio Monteiro, a 36-year-old Portuguese man, is the Guinness World Record holder for the largest video game collection.
His collection officially entered the Guinness World Records books on March 17, 2014, by surpassing Ben Heckendorn's record of 10,572 games. Monteiro's collection currently consists of 14,612 games across 12 different gaming platforms.
Here's a look at how he became the world's undisputed video game collector king:
How It All Started:
Monteiro's love affair with video games started at a young age when he got his first console, a Commodore 64, as a Christmas present from his parents. He began slowly building his collection over time, starting with games he bought himself and then moving on to receive games as gifts from friends and family members. In 2007, he quit his job as an accountant to pursue his passion full-time by opening Portugal's first retro video game store.
Entering the Guinness World Records:
In 2013, Monteiro learned about Heckendorn's world record and decided he wanted to beat it. He documented every single game in his collection and sent the evidence to Guinness World Records. After a review process that took several months, Guinness officially recognized Monteiro as the new world record holder in March 2014.
The Future of Monteiro's Collection:
Monteiro has no plans to stop collecting any time soon. He still buys games regularly and estimates that his current collection is worth around €200,000 (approximately $222,000). When asked what his favorite game is, Monteiro says it's impossible to choose just one because there are so many great games out there. "I just love playing them all," he says.
Conclusion:
If you're a video gamer with a passion for collecting games, you might want to take some inspiration from Antonio Monteiro and go for the Guinness World Record. With a little bit of dedication (and probably a lot of money), it could be yours. Who knows? You might even end up beating Monteiro's current record someday.