CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — Though it looks like an overstocked toy store, what one can find in the Castle Rock home of Brett Martin are the dreams of a kid from the 1980s.
"This is where I keep my statues and stuff from various series," Martin said.
He is the curator of thef Video Game Memorabilia Museum.
"I like that title, self-proclaimed," Martin said.
His museum started with a collection that began when he was 9 years old. His first piece was a little figure of Super Mario, then it grew quickly.
"It's a lot of stuff in a small space and just kept going," Martin said. "Mainly, it was stuff I grew up with like Mega Man, and Mario and Legend of Zelda and Kirby and stuff like that -- characters that I felt a connection with."
As he grew older, he grew more space for his obsession.
"Once I bought a house, I was able to get a lot more things in a room and kind of discover exactly what I had," Martin said. "Because a lot of stuff was left in boxes when I was in an apartment. So once I could finally branch out a little bit beyond a couple of bookcases, then I could really fill a space."
His space filled up so much that he was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as having the largest collection of video game memorabilia in the world with more than 8,000 items.
"I tend to stick with Nintendo," Martin said. "Nintendo has the most stuff. It's like the Disney of video games essentially."
Though he's the record holder, Martin is still looking for more.
"A lot of it comes from eBay and auction sites," Martin said. "The thrill of the hunt. I've always been a collector, even when I was a kid. I collected Legos, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, dice, stamps. So, I've always had that collecting bug."
But, this collection is more than just playing around. Martin said it's a connection to his past.
"Nostalgia is really big. That's like my professional keyword," Martin said. "If it's not nostalgic to me, if you don't have like a connection to it, why would I have it?"
Even at 38 years old, he can be 9 once more.
"Makes me feel like I'm a kid again like I can jump into these worlds at any point just walking down here," Martin said.
He takes a trip back in time as a father of four and husband of a very patient wife.
"She tolerates it I suppose," Martin said. "She's not exactly a huge fan of it, but she realizes it's my passion. So, she's okay with it for the most part."
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