SUPER COLLECTENDO

Mark Smith's love for the SNES comes from lifelong friendships

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At the age of seven, Mark Smith was about to embark on a journey that would create lasting friendships. "In 1992, my parents took me to the local toy store to get me a Master System II and a copy of Sonic The Hedgehog," he tells us. "That was it for me, I was videogame crazy after that. Every kid on the street ended up getting a Master System as well, so we would be forever at each other's houses to hang out and borrow or swap games." Sometime later, Mark discovered a new console to indulge in.

"When my lifelong friend Charlie got the SNES a few years later, that was the game-changer," Mark remembers. "We would spend countless hours playing F-Zero, Starwing, Super Mario World and whatever weekly game he got on rental. I remember us thinking that this had to be the peak of technology. Then, Donkey Kong Country happened!" Mark kept his old games but only started seriously collecting when he found like-minded folk on Facebook.