READERS TAKE US THROUGH THE RETRO KEYHOLE

BLOCKBUSTER PLAYSTATION RENTAL CASE

“Gifted to me by my friend Tom. I then modified the console as a project by myself.”

AMOUNT PAID: GIFT

NES DELUXE SET WITH ROB “Everybody loves ROB and the opportunity presented itself. I bought two Deluxe sets so that I could complete one of them. I even have sealed ROB shades.”

AMOUNT PAID: £475

BIO

NAME: Phil ‘Flip’ Garner

LOCATION: Halesowen

ESTIMATED VALUE OF COLLECTION: £25,000

FAVOURITE SYSTEMS: SNES, PlayStation, N64

FAVOURITE GAMES: Rainbow Islands and Lylat Wars

INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/Flip1982

FRIENDS AND FAMILY

Phil Garner’s love for gaming starts at home

For Phil Garner, his life in gaming is all about family and friends. “My first game system was a Spectrum 48K which was shared with my brother Stephen and dad, David,” he tells us. “My dad would play Gulpman while my mum was pregnant with me, causing me to writhe around. We [later] perfected Rainbow Islands and Bubble Bobble, trying to beat my best friend Jon who was a cut above the rest when it came to high scores. We fought for the potions, letter bubbles and diamonds that filled the secret rooms. My dad passed away in June 2023 and as he started this all it’s my job to continue it for him. As a tribute to him, I framed a copy of Gulpman and displayed it in my living room.”