Interview with Robert Borg - A True Gamer

We've had a lot of interviews this month, with a central focus on the MRO: Battalion 1944 Open. This time, however, our interview will be a little more light-hearted, but nonetheless insightful on the local gaming scene. We've got Robert Borg, probably Malta's best gaming collector, here to tell us about his hobby and himself. He's a true gamer, that's for sure. 

1.) We'll start with an introduction. Describe yourself as a person; where you live, your work and other details to let us understand your personality. 

Hi, my name is Robert Borg and I am 39 years old. I live in St. Venera and work as a delivery person. Over the years I've developed an incredible collection concerning gaming which I can't wait to share with you. 

2.) Describe your daily routine

Every day I go to work as normal people do - my job is not an easy job as I am a delivery person that delivers tiles. After work I do spend some quality time with my children; Jade of 8 years & Julia of 13 months. It seems that Jade likes gaming as well - speaking of which, gaming is what I usually do with the time left over. 

Robert's collection of PS2 games.

3.) Amongst that it seems that you've got quite an impressive collection in terms of gaming across multiple platforms - describe it to us. 

I have 26 different consoles with a total of with around 3400 games excluding my collector and limited editions. I've been looking forward to counting everything up one day. 

4.) Such a large collection, as shown in the attached images, has surely taken a great deal of time and money to build-up. Describe the process of getting this far as a collector?

It all started with the Game Boy and the Amiga 500 when I was around 9 years old and from that time till today I never stopped playing and collecting games. It's my passion. 

5.) What would you say is the item closest to your heart and does this coincide with the most expensive item you own?

My favourite pieces tend to be collector edition titles, as the publishers put in extra effort to make it look incredible on a shelf. Personally, the collector edition that it is very close to my heart is that of 'The Last of Us'; which is not the most expensive game/collector I ever bought. 

6.) After all these years of collecting, which is your favourite game of all time on which console? Why?

My favorite game is 'Final Fantasy IX' on the Playstation ONE. However, there are many other games such as those which involves the entities Zelda/Link, Super Mario, Crash Bandicoot, Metal Gear Solid, and Resident Evil. Specifically for Resident Evil, I used to play it late in the evening to properly immerse myself in the terror - an exercise I recommend to all. 

7.) How do you manage to store all of the items?

At the previous house, I only had a tiny room in which to invest my hobby. Upcoming plans have me creating a new and larger room which will properly store my items. 

8.) What is the most difficult part involved with being a collector of videogame items? Also, mention the best part of the hobby. 

To be a collector here in our country it is not an easy hobby and it is a very expensive hobby as the prices here in our country and the prices, in lets, say the UK, are the same. What doesn't help is that there is a lot of difference in our wages and only around 3-4 shops here in Malta are dedicated as gaming shops. But as they say - NO PAIN NO GAIN!!! 

9.) As a collector - what is your ultimate goal?

In my opinion, there is no limit in this hobby. either you're in or out. There is no stopping or break in it so it's a never-ending story that keeps going on and on. With no definite goal, I'm going to keep collecting for as long as possible. 

10.) What does the future hold for your hobby?

In the future, I wish to have the strength to carry on into this hobby and wish that I could see more friends into it. Maybe I will have an opportunity to show my entire collection to those who are already gamers or collectors or wish to start this hobby. I'd love to spread collecting as a hobby in Malta. 

From just 10 questions, we've learnt a great deal from Mr. Borg. An avid collector, while being a caring father and a hard-worker, who aims to spread the word of collecting on the island. My insight on the hobby is that of awe - how could someone have so many games and not play them all? That's self-temperance if I've ever seen it. 

Overall, a great interview and Gamers.com.mt looks forward to seeing his hobby develop. Good luck!