Emily Brown
If your roommate, partner or parents have been complaining about your video games taking up too much space, you should think about introducing them to Antonio Romero Monteiro.
With more than 24,000 games in his possession, Monteiro, from Richmond, Texas, is the Guinness World Record holder for the largest video game collection, and has boxes lining the walls in his home from floor to ceiling.
Obviously it takes some time to create a collection like that, which is why Monteiro started collecting video games when he was just 10-years-old in 1987.
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He started off by focusing on Sega Genesis, but his collection soon began to grow.
Speaking to the Guinness World Records, Monteiro explained: "Originally my collection focused on purchasing and repurchasing some of the games I played in my youth.
"Slowly it expanded to include games I always wanted to play, but hadn’t had the opportunity to, and eventually expanded to completing collections for individual systems."
Over time, Monteiro obtained everything from the very first Nintendo gaming consoles to the most recent video game releases.
It's not as simple as just walking into a store and buying the games, though.
He explained: "It can be pretty challenging to find retro games and systems in local video game stores, especially as you get to the last 15 percent of a collection.
"Some of the rarest games have taken me years to find a good copy at an affordable price."
Still, Monteiro has remained dedicated, and it's not just entertainment that drove his decision to collect.
"I see video games as a form of art, where creativity and storytelling transcend to limitless possibilities," he said.
"Each generation of video games systems gives further potential to realize creativity and share boundless stories, challenges and experiences.
"Some of my most precious memories include video games and their experiences with family and friends."
Memories aren't the only thing of worth in Monteiro's collection, though.
According to Guinness World Records, the collection had an estimated worth of about $2.1 million dollars in 2021.
To ensure the games stay in good condition, Monteiro has had to come up with preservation methods, including a dedicated air-conditioning unit, which ensures climate control in his collection room.
"In addition, I preserve the majority of the older games with paper boxes in a special PVC enclosure to protect the paper boxes," he said.
Thanks to his dedication, Monteiro has been named the record holder of the largest collection of Xbox items, Sega items, Nintendo items, PlayStation items
and video games overall