July 7 (UPI) — A Texas woman with a massive collection of video game systems earned two Guinness World Records for her efforts.
Linda Guillory, 51, of Richardson, was awarded the Guinness records for largest collection of LCD gaming systems — 1,599 — and largest collection of playable gaming systems — 2,430.
Guillory said her collection started at age 8 with a Red Conic basketball game, and her passion for collecting was reignited by a conversation with her brother in 2003.
“We were up late one night talking trash about who had been the best player for various games we had as kids. Then he asked, ‘Whatever happened to your tabletop Pac-Man?’ The next thing you know I was on eBay looking for the Coleco Tabletop Pac-Man,'” Guillory told Guinness.
“I wanted to see if I still could beat my high score. As I searched, I saw dozens of games I always wanted as a child but never had. I thought I would be satisfied buying two or three. Then it seemed silly not to have the whole series,” she recalled.
Guillory said she soon had cabinets filled with vintage gaming systems. She said her collection grew by leaps and bounds during her visits to Japan.
“The ability to buy in Japan was huge. I cannot count the number of cities I visited. If there was a rumor of a game store selling vintage gaming systems, I made it my business to find it. I was fearless in my search.
“Thoughts of being lost and searching the back streets of Akihabara in Japan still brings a smile to my face,” she said.
Guillory said she is hoping to one day have her collection displayed in a museum. An engineer by trade, Guillory said she hopes to use her vintage systems to help teach children about electronics.