Massive Video Game Collection Sets Guinness World Record

The Guinness World Record for largest game collection has been set by Michael Thomasson, a 31-year-old New York father. He earned the record for owning 10,607 games. According to the Associated Press, not only does he own the games, but the dozens of systems to play them on as well.

Rare units like the Japan-exclusive, female-oriented Casio Loopy, Pippin, and Colecovision all have a place in his Buffalo home. The Colecovision, similar to a version his parents gave him one year after his grandparents got him a game for it, seems to be one of his favorites. In the recently released Guinness World Records 2014 Gamer's Edition, he said, "It's my first love so it's sentimental. But the games also were quality, with very little of the 'shovelware' typical of many systems."

In 1998 Thomasson had to sell his collection to help pay for his wedding. Later, he began buying two games per day on a $3,000-per-year budget, and today he estimates everything is worth $700,000 to $800,000.

Richard Leece, the previous record holder with 8,616 games, said, "My congratulations to a fellow collector," when he learned of Thomasson's achievement. "It's very impressive and I'm very happy for him."

Now, a year after Guinness' counting crew have left, Thomasson claims to own over 11,000 games. Check out a picture of Thomasson with his award below.

Thomasson among his collection.

How many games are in your collection? And more importantly, how many have you played? Let us know.

Leah B. Jackson is both an Associate Editor at IGN and Corgi megafan, and not necessarily in that order. Follow her on Twitter and MyIGN!

2013's Most Emotional Video Game Moments

Video game storytelling reached new heights in 2013. Bombastic, AAA experiences like The Last of Us featured characters that felt true to life. Indie hit Gone Home made us feel deeply connected to a character that we never actually met. And Bioshock Infinite may have gotten our attention thanks to its incredible, fantastical setting, but it kept our attention thanks to our quiet moments with Elizabeth. Below are our picks for the most emotional video game moments of 2013.

Warning: The thoughts below contain spoilers for some of 2013's key video game moments.

I think the most emotional moment in gaming this year is the bathroom scene in Gone Home. Upon entering the bathroom on the second floor of the house, the player discovers an audio diary from Samantha that details a moment which I read to be a major turning point in her relationship with Lonnie. As Lonnie is helping Samantha dye her hair, Samantha stares at Lonnie through the reflection of a mirror until suddenly Lonnie catches her gaze and tells Samantha that she is beautiful. It's a moment of terror, vulnerability, acknowledgement, and as cliche as it sounds, true love. I think the reason I found it so emotional is that even though Samantha and Lonnie are characters who are very different than me, the feelings that Samantha describes are, in my mind, universal. It's something that I think all young people experience growing up: wanting to find one's place in the world, first love, acknowledgement from one's peers, realizing a romance is blooming...it's a moment that reminded me of my first relationships. I was very moved. - Sean Finnegan

Jodie's Journey - Beyond: Two Souls

Beyond: Two Souls moved me. I cared tremendously for Jodie throughout her entire harrowing life story - so much so that I was actually frustrated that the game includes multiple endings. I needed closure! I needed to know that she was going to be at peace. It wasn't enough that she achieved some semblance of it in my personal version of the story. I still knew, in the back of my head, that there are plenty of Jodies in other PlayStations that chose the Beyond, or chose to live life alone. And it eats at me. That's how much I cared.

It's a little bit of a cheat to list "the whole game" as my emotional game moment of 2013, but I simply can't pick just one. Beyond: Two Souls is full of heavy themes of family, sacrifice, and abandonment, but the game is at its best in its quiet moments. A happy children's snowball fight that takes a dark turn. The stress of getting ready for a dinner date. Desperately wanting to fit in. Beyond: Two Souls is full of painful truths and it spoke to me on an emotional level in a way that almost no other video game has. - Justin Davis

The Big "Death" - The Last of UsThe most emotional moment in gaming this year has to be when Joel dies in The Last of Us… or at least, that’s what you think happened when you play for the first time. After tracking the Fireflies to an abandoned university in Colorado, Joel and Ellie are assaulted by vagrants and do their best to escape danger. Joel is suddenly attacked by a thug, sending him bashing through a catwalk’s guard rail and to the ground below, where he’s impaled by a snapped piece of rebar. As Joel struggles to fend off any remaining enemies, the screen wobbles and shakes, and he begins to lose consciousness. And for a while, The Last of Us makes you think he’s dead.

Of course, Joel isn’t dead (although I kind of wish Naughty Dog took that route). But the next thing you know – some time before you realize Joel is still alive – you’re controlling Ellie in a desolate, snow-ridden landscape as she hunts for food. This hour or so – the time between the assault at the university and the time you realize Joel is still clinging to life – is by far the most emotional moment gaming provided in 2013. It filled me with tangible sadness and a feeling of actual loss, a testament to The Last of Us’ incredible storytelling. - Colin Moriarty

The Infamous Giraffe - The Last of Us

Good God. The Last of Us. I got The Last of Us early, and so a weekend was set aside to plow through it -- to beat it in two sittings so that I'd be ready and prepped for any IGN feature that may come up. But plowing through the Naughty Dog title left me no time to reflect on the experience. I just played, ate, and slept. However, right after the "giraffe," I took my neglected wiener dog out for a walk. While meandering down the streets of San Francisco picking up poop, I finally had a chance to decompress and think about the game. It started with how beautiful the giraffe scene was, but then it went into how much Joel and Ellie had been through. The events in the burning building, Tess, Joel's daughter. In no time, I was on the verge of tears. I was away from the screen, but the impact of the giraffe scene had caught up to me and devastated me. - Greg Miller

Back Home, in Hyrule - The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

For me, this year's most emotional moment was stepping into the Hyrule of my childhood again in The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. Stepping out of Link's house was an unexpected jolt, an emotionally potent moment that took me completely by surprise; and it kept happening now and then as I walked around, seeing a familiar location or hearing a familiar song. It was like rummaging through my parents' attic and finding once-loved toys. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for A Link to the Past. It's the game that forged my love for video games, the first game I ever really cared about. A Link Between Worlds, in turn, forged a new connection between the seven-year-old I was and the grown woman I am now. A lot's happened, but we both still love Zelda. - Keza MacDonald

My most emotional video game moment of 2013 came not from a game but from the reveal of the Xbox One. Let me explain. We had a pretty good idea of what to expect on May 21, 2013. We’d poked some contacts, heard some things, and, generally, thought we had a decent handle on what was coming. We were also about 99% certain that the name of the system was going to be “Xbox Infinity” which, unlike “Xbox 360” when I first heard it back in 2005, I was OK with. We’d had someone we trust with knowledge of the situation confirm the Infinity name, so when Don Mattrick said “Xbox One” I was legitimately shocked. In a good way! I liked the name then and I still like it now, despite the occasional bit of confusion with the original Xbox. - Ryan McCaffrey

That Ending - Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is a stunningly imaginative game, wearing the face of a charming fantasy but transforming into a darkly emotive story as time goes on - about the devastation of loss, the necessity of sacrifice, and the futility of wishing. The bond between the older brother and the younger is largely forged by you, as you guide them from their colourful village into a world full of strangeness and danger, controlling one with each analogue stick. They can't survive without each other. The ending, though - that honest, gut-wrenching, unexpected and beautiful ending - is what establishes this as a classic in video game storytelling. It's a beautifully sad game, a fairy tale full of tragedy, like the old European tales before they were Disneyfied. - Keza MacDonald

Elizabeth is Free - Bioshock Infinite

There were a lot of emotional moments this year in gaming, and each tugged at my heartstrings in different ways. But the one thing that I always come back to is watching Elizabeth dance around on the beach in BioShock Infinite after she was freed from her tower. The giraffe moment in Last of Us gave me a similar feeling, but I love Elizabeth more than Ellie and watching her be truly free and happy for the first time, probably in her life, was incredibly heartwarming and wonderful. - Leah Jackson

My most emotional gaming moment in 2013 wasn’t from a game. It was watching the exhilarating, take-no-prisoners press conference Sony held at E3 this year in which it just shamed Microsoft over and over. Now I’m no Sony fanboy – I owned both a PS3 and Xbox 360, and slightly preferred gaming on my 360. But this was like watching a boxing match in which the champ just pummeled his opponent mercilessly with body blow after body blow – “no restrictions on used games”…BAM!...”no always-online connection requirement”…BOOM!...”the PS4 price is $100 less than Xbox One”…KNOCKOUT! The electricity in the IGN newsroom while watching was palpable. I’d never seen a company so ruthlessly dismantle a rival in a public event like that before – and may never again. - Chuck Osborn

Lara Croft is Forced to Kill - Tomb Raider

2013's Tomb Raider finally makes Lara Croft feel like a real person, with vulnerabilities and strengths. With fears and fiery determination. This is never more apparent than early on in her adventure, when she is forced to kill an attacker to prevent being assaulted. She's obviously shaken deeply by the experience, breaking down into tears afterwards.

Many gamers are quick to point out that Lara spends the rest of the game as a Nathan Drake-style mass murderer. This is a completely valid and reasonable observation, but in my opinion it doesn't reduce the impact of that first initial act of self defense. That fight sets the tone for the rest of the game. This is a Lara Croft that can (and will) get hurt. She's not a female terminator rampaging through the jungle. She's vulnerable and feels very real. - Justin Davis

Painful Memories Resurfaced - Gone Home

Because light travels so slowly, looking at the night sky is sort of like time travel, a chance see the stars as they were a millennium ago. I experienced something similar while playing Gone Home. In 1995, I was roughly the same age as Samantha, and my journey through her house evoked rich memories of adolescence. I exchanged mix tapes with friends, screamed over the din at garage punk concerts, and stapled together photocopied "zines." But the most powerful reminiscence Gone Home evoked in me wasn't a pleasant one. I had teenage friends in the nineties who were stigmatized for their homosexuality. They were subject to ugly treatment by parents and peers. I'm ashamed to say that during that time I could have been a better friend to someone, and instead I choose to hurt them through my ignorance and fear. Gone Home was a powerful reminder of the sins of my past, and also that even the worst things inside us can change, and that we can become better people. - Jared Petty

What video game moments of 2013 do you think will stick with you for years to come? Let us know in the comments below.

Massive Video Game Collection Sets Guinness World Record

The Guinness World Record for largest game collection has been set by Michael Thomasson, a 31-year-old New York father. He earned the record for owning 10,607 games. According to the Associated Press, not only does he own the games, but the dozens of systems to play them on as well.

Rare units like the Japan-exclusive, female-oriented Casio Loopy, Pippin, and Colecovision all have a place in his Buffalo home. The Colecovision, similar to a version his parents gave him one year after his grandparents got him a game for it, seems to be one of his favorites. In the recently released Guinness World Records 2014 Gamer's Edition, he said, "It's my first love so it's sentimental. But the games also were quality, with very little of the 'shovelware' typical of many systems."

In 1998 Thomasson had to sell his collection to help pay for his wedding. Later, he began buying two games per day on a $3,000-per-year budget, and today he estimates everything is worth $700,000 to $800,000.

Richard Leece, the previous record holder with 8,616 games, said, "My congratulations to a fellow collector," when he learned of Thomasson's achievement. "It's very impressive and I'm very happy for him."

Now, a year after Guinness' counting crew have left, Thomasson claims to own over 11,000 games. Check out a picture of Thomasson with his award below.

Thomasson among his collection.

How many games are in your collection? And more importantly, how many have you played? Let us know.

Leah B. Jackson is both an Associate Editor at IGN and Corgi megafan, and not necessarily in that order. Follow her on Twitter and MyIGN!

2013's Most Emotional Video Game Moments

Video game storytelling reached new heights in 2013. Bombastic, AAA experiences like The Last of Us featured characters that felt true to life. Indie hit Gone Home made us feel deeply connected to a character that we never actually met. And Bioshock Infinite may have gotten our attention thanks to its incredible, fantastical setting, but it kept our attention thanks to our quiet moments with Elizabeth. Below are our picks for the most emotional video game moments of 2013.

Warning: The thoughts below contain spoilers for some of 2013's key video game moments.

I think the most emotional moment in gaming this year is the bathroom scene in Gone Home. Upon entering the bathroom on the second floor of the house, the player discovers an audio diary from Samantha that details a moment which I read to be a major turning point in her relationship with Lonnie. As Lonnie is helping Samantha dye her hair, Samantha stares at Lonnie through the reflection of a mirror until suddenly Lonnie catches her gaze and tells Samantha that she is beautiful. It's a moment of terror, vulnerability, acknowledgement, and as cliche as it sounds, true love. I think the reason I found it so emotional is that even though Samantha and Lonnie are characters who are very different than me, the feelings that Samantha describes are, in my mind, universal. It's something that I think all young people experience growing up: wanting to find one's place in the world, first love, acknowledgement from one's peers, realizing a romance is blooming...it's a moment that reminded me of my first relationships. I was very moved. - Sean Finnegan

Jodie's Journey - Beyond: Two Souls

Beyond: Two Souls moved me. I cared tremendously for Jodie throughout her entire harrowing life story - so much so that I was actually frustrated that the game includes multiple endings. I needed closure! I needed to know that she was going to be at peace. It wasn't enough that she achieved some semblance of it in my personal version of the story. I still knew, in the back of my head, that there are plenty of Jodies in other PlayStations that chose the Beyond, or chose to live life alone. And it eats at me. That's how much I cared.

It's a little bit of a cheat to list "the whole game" as my emotional game moment of 2013, but I simply can't pick just one. Beyond: Two Souls is full of heavy themes of family, sacrifice, and abandonment, but the game is at its best in its quiet moments. A happy children's snowball fight that takes a dark turn. The stress of getting ready for a dinner date. Desperately wanting to fit in. Beyond: Two Souls is full of painful truths and it spoke to me on an emotional level in a way that almost no other video game has. - Justin Davis

The Big "Death" - The Last of UsThe most emotional moment in gaming this year has to be when Joel dies in The Last of Us… or at least, that’s what you think happened when you play for the first time. After tracking the Fireflies to an abandoned university in Colorado, Joel and Ellie are assaulted by vagrants and do their best to escape danger. Joel is suddenly attacked by a thug, sending him bashing through a catwalk’s guard rail and to the ground below, where he’s impaled by a snapped piece of rebar. As Joel struggles to fend off any remaining enemies, the screen wobbles and shakes, and he begins to lose consciousness. And for a while, The Last of Us makes you think he’s dead.

Of course, Joel isn’t dead (although I kind of wish Naughty Dog took that route). But the next thing you know – some time before you realize Joel is still alive – you’re controlling Ellie in a desolate, snow-ridden landscape as she hunts for food. This hour or so – the time between the assault at the university and the time you realize Joel is still clinging to life – is by far the most emotional moment gaming provided in 2013. It filled me with tangible sadness and a feeling of actual loss, a testament to The Last of Us’ incredible storytelling. - Colin Moriarty

The Infamous Giraffe - The Last of Us

Good God. The Last of Us. I got The Last of Us early, and so a weekend was set aside to plow through it -- to beat it in two sittings so that I'd be ready and prepped for any IGN feature that may come up. But plowing through the Naughty Dog title left me no time to reflect on the experience. I just played, ate, and slept. However, right after the "giraffe," I took my neglected wiener dog out for a walk. While meandering down the streets of San Francisco picking up poop, I finally had a chance to decompress and think about the game. It started with how beautiful the giraffe scene was, but then it went into how much Joel and Ellie had been through. The events in the burning building, Tess, Joel's daughter. In no time, I was on the verge of tears. I was away from the screen, but the impact of the giraffe scene had caught up to me and devastated me. - Greg Miller

Back Home, in Hyrule - The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

For me, this year's most emotional moment was stepping into the Hyrule of my childhood again in The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. Stepping out of Link's house was an unexpected jolt, an emotionally potent moment that took me completely by surprise; and it kept happening now and then as I walked around, seeing a familiar location or hearing a familiar song. It was like rummaging through my parents' attic and finding once-loved toys. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for A Link to the Past. It's the game that forged my love for video games, the first game I ever really cared about. A Link Between Worlds, in turn, forged a new connection between the seven-year-old I was and the grown woman I am now. A lot's happened, but we both still love Zelda. - Keza MacDonald

My most emotional video game moment of 2013 came not from a game but from the reveal of the Xbox One. Let me explain. We had a pretty good idea of what to expect on May 21, 2013. We’d poked some contacts, heard some things, and, generally, thought we had a decent handle on what was coming. We were also about 99% certain that the name of the system was going to be “Xbox Infinity” which, unlike “Xbox 360” when I first heard it back in 2005, I was OK with. We’d had someone we trust with knowledge of the situation confirm the Infinity name, so when Don Mattrick said “Xbox One” I was legitimately shocked. In a good way! I liked the name then and I still like it now, despite the occasional bit of confusion with the original Xbox. - Ryan McCaffrey

That Ending - Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is a stunningly imaginative game, wearing the face of a charming fantasy but transforming into a darkly emotive story as time goes on - about the devastation of loss, the necessity of sacrifice, and the futility of wishing. The bond between the older brother and the younger is largely forged by you, as you guide them from their colourful village into a world full of strangeness and danger, controlling one with each analogue stick. They can't survive without each other. The ending, though - that honest, gut-wrenching, unexpected and beautiful ending - is what establishes this as a classic in video game storytelling. It's a beautifully sad game, a fairy tale full of tragedy, like the old European tales before they were Disneyfied. - Keza MacDonald

Elizabeth is Free - Bioshock Infinite

There were a lot of emotional moments this year in gaming, and each tugged at my heartstrings in different ways. But the one thing that I always come back to is watching Elizabeth dance around on the beach in BioShock Infinite after she was freed from her tower. The giraffe moment in Last of Us gave me a similar feeling, but I love Elizabeth more than Ellie and watching her be truly free and happy for the first time, probably in her life, was incredibly heartwarming and wonderful. - Leah Jackson

My most emotional gaming moment in 2013 wasn’t from a game. It was watching the exhilarating, take-no-prisoners press conference Sony held at E3 this year in which it just shamed Microsoft over and over. Now I’m no Sony fanboy – I owned both a PS3 and Xbox 360, and slightly preferred gaming on my 360. But this was like watching a boxing match in which the champ just pummeled his opponent mercilessly with body blow after body blow – “no restrictions on used games”…BAM!...”no always-online connection requirement”…BOOM!...”the PS4 price is $100 less than Xbox One”…KNOCKOUT! The electricity in the IGN newsroom while watching was palpable. I’d never seen a company so ruthlessly dismantle a rival in a public event like that before – and may never again. - Chuck Osborn

Lara Croft is Forced to Kill - Tomb Raider

2013's Tomb Raider finally makes Lara Croft feel like a real person, with vulnerabilities and strengths. With fears and fiery determination. This is never more apparent than early on in her adventure, when she is forced to kill an attacker to prevent being assaulted. She's obviously shaken deeply by the experience, breaking down into tears afterwards.

Many gamers are quick to point out that Lara spends the rest of the game as a Nathan Drake-style mass murderer. This is a completely valid and reasonable observation, but in my opinion it doesn't reduce the impact of that first initial act of self defense. That fight sets the tone for the rest of the game. This is a Lara Croft that can (and will) get hurt. She's not a female terminator rampaging through the jungle. She's vulnerable and feels very real. - Justin Davis

Painful Memories Resurfaced - Gone Home

Because light travels so slowly, looking at the night sky is sort of like time travel, a chance see the stars as they were a millennium ago. I experienced something similar while playing Gone Home. In 1995, I was roughly the same age as Samantha, and my journey through her house evoked rich memories of adolescence. I exchanged mix tapes with friends, screamed over the din at garage punk concerts, and stapled together photocopied "zines." But the most powerful reminiscence Gone Home evoked in me wasn't a pleasant one. I had teenage friends in the nineties who were stigmatized for their homosexuality. They were subject to ugly treatment by parents and peers. I'm ashamed to say that during that time I could have been a better friend to someone, and instead I choose to hurt them through my ignorance and fear. Gone Home was a powerful reminder of the sins of my past, and also that even the worst things inside us can change, and that we can become better people. - Jared Petty

What video game moments of 2013 do you think will stick with you for years to come? Let us know in the comments below.

Amazon Plans an Internet Video Device

The company is developing a television set-top box and has begun discussions with outside providers of content to distribute their video services to the device, according to three people briefed on the plan, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the Amazon product had not yet been announced and remained confidential.

Amazon is planning to introduce the set-top box in the fall, one of these people said.

Bloomberg Businessweek first reported news of Amazon plans on Wednesday.

Kinley Pearsall, an Amazon spokeswoman, declined to comment.

It was not immediately clear why Amazon would bother designing its own set-top box. The device will most likely showcase Amazon’s own online video offerings, which include Prime Instant Video, a Netflix-like subscription video service with more than 40,000 movies and television episodes that is included as part of Amazon’s broader Prime membership.

Among other benefits, Prime members, who pay $79 a year, get free two-day shipping on orders bought through Amazon’s site.

Amazon also offers a much broader library of video content, totaling 150,000 titles, that anyone, including people who aren’t Prime members, can buy and rent.

But Amazon’s video services are already available on hundreds of devices, many of which connect to television sets, like game consoles, digital video recorders and Blu-ray players. An app for using Amazon’s video service is even embedded in some television sets, including models from Sony, Panasonic and Samsung.

Although Amazon was an early entrant in the e-reader market with the Kindle, the company is late to the market for set-top boxes, where the incumbents include Apple’s Apple TV device and a family of products from Roku.

Amazon, though, has considerable strengths and has shown an aptitude for reinventing itself in new categories, like cloud computing and tablet computers. One media executive who has participated in discussions with Amazon about its set-top box said he thought the company’s standing as a top shopping destination would allow it to promote its new device and give it a strong chance of attracting an audience.

The company could use other creative techniques for getting its set-top box into more living rooms.

Michael Pachter, an analyst at Wedbush Securities, said one approach that could make sense was for Amazon to sell the device for $100 or less, about what Internet set-top boxes cost today, and to include a free year of its subscription video service.

At the end of the term, customers would have an incentive to sign up for Amazon Prime to continue receiving all of its membership benefits, including the video service. “I think this is a Trojan horse to get people to join Prime,” Mr. Pachter said.

Amy Chozick contributed reporting from New York.

Amazon Plans an Internet Video Device

The company is developing a television set-top box and has begun discussions with outside providers of content to distribute their video services to the device, according to three people briefed on the plan, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the Amazon product had not yet been announced and remained confidential.

Amazon is planning to introduce the set-top box in the fall, one of these people said.

Bloomberg Businessweek first reported news of Amazon plans on Wednesday.

Kinley Pearsall, an Amazon spokeswoman, declined to comment.

It was not immediately clear why Amazon would bother designing its own set-top box. The device will most likely showcase Amazon’s own online video offerings, which include Prime Instant Video, a Netflix-like subscription video service with more than 40,000 movies and television episodes that is included as part of Amazon’s broader Prime membership.

Among other benefits, Prime members, who pay $79 a year, get free two-day shipping on orders bought through Amazon’s site.

Amazon also offers a much broader library of video content, totaling 150,000 titles, that anyone, including people who aren’t Prime members, can buy and rent.

But Amazon’s video services are already available on hundreds of devices, many of which connect to television sets, like game consoles, digital video recorders and Blu-ray players. An app for using Amazon’s video service is even embedded in some television sets, including models from Sony, Panasonic and Samsung.

Although Amazon was an early entrant in the e-reader market with the Kindle, the company is late to the market for set-top boxes, where the incumbents include Apple’s Apple TV device and a family of products from Roku.

Amazon, though, has considerable strengths and has shown an aptitude for reinventing itself in new categories, like cloud computing and tablet computers. One media executive who has participated in discussions with Amazon about its set-top box said he thought the company’s standing as a top shopping destination would allow it to promote its new device and give it a strong chance of attracting an audience.

The company could use other creative techniques for getting its set-top box into more living rooms.

Michael Pachter, an analyst at Wedbush Securities, said one approach that could make sense was for Amazon to sell the device for $100 or less, about what Internet set-top boxes cost today, and to include a free year of its subscription video service.

At the end of the term, customers would have an incentive to sign up for Amazon Prime to continue receiving all of its membership benefits, including the video service. “I think this is a Trojan horse to get people to join Prime,” Mr. Pachter said.

Amy Chozick contributed reporting from New York.

Building the Team: The Last Video Rental Start-Up?

A weekly roundup of small-business developments.

As noted in Monday’s Dashboard summary of the week’s small-business news, Miguel Gomez introduced a very unlikely start-up late last year in Ardmore, Pa., a suburb of Philadelphia. Ready? It’s a retail shop called Viva Video! The Last Picture Store. That’s right, it’s a video rental store. In this age of streaming videos and movie downloads, can an energetic entrepreneur breathe life into what most people assume is a dying business?

Why video rentals?

I worked for 13 years at another local video store which closed this past October when their lease ran out. They weren’t interested in dealing with a move, so I set about trying to find a place that could make sense. The store still had a steady business and a very loyal clientele, so as long as I could find somewhere that kept our overhead costs low, I saw a possibility to continue the store.

Did you have much experience?

My wife and I were managers of the store that closed, so aside from seeing the desire in the community to retain a video store, we were lucky enough to know the financials as well and to make our decision based on that information.

How are you going to compete against online services like Amazon, Hulu and Netflix?

Online services do have plenty to offer, but the personal experience is impossible to match. Our store caters primarily to a very film-literate clientele — a group of people that don’t just want access to whatever is thrown their way. A brick-and-mortar location is still the best way to learn and browse smaller titles, whether they be quirky art house fare like “Moonrise Kingdom” or foreign films like “Le Havre” or “The Skin I Live In.”

Don’t online services have user recommendations, too?

Online recommendations end up being a lot safer than those from a real life person, and those online recommendations can end up narrowing your field.

Are you concerned about finding new videos and DVDs and other inventory?

Not in the immediate future. The studios definitely seem like they would like to get out of the physical media game, but to a greater degree than the consumer does. Physical DVD collections are much easier to browse and a good way to show off your tastes to friends. I believe we will continue to see physical media for some time.

Will you be operating an online store?

We will have an online presence but not an online store.

How important is location?

Our location is along the main drag and has plenty of parking, a necessity for a video store. Our town is also a very walkable place with plenty of would-be customers in addition to the ones we hope to bring over from the previous store.

What was your initial investment?

The start-up investment to launch the store came from my personal savings and a loan from my family. A video store is not terribly complicated or expensive in terms of equipment. You need a location, employees, computers, shelving and the movies pretty much. I was able to purchase much from my former employer at a very reasonable price. I’ve always been a movie collector, so I had many movies already.

Did you have a business plan?

Yes. My business plan has us projected as accomplishing profitability after running the store for two years.

What’s your marketing plan?

We are trying to host a variety of events to let the community know we are here and to help foster a love of cinema. We are going to be hosting a screening for the Cinedelphia Film Festival, we will be hosting an outdoor screening for a community event in June, and we hope to have many more such events in the near future. We have plans to add a cafe and ice cream to the shop, as well as a sitting room to read about films and discuss them.

Do you have any competitors?

There aren’t too many video stores left in the country, but the ones that are left are all pretty great. Baltimore has Video Americain, Seattle has Scarecrow Video, Austin has both I Luv Video and Vulcan Video, San Francisco has both Lost Weekend Video and Le Video … so there are communities still supporting video stores, as long as the video stores have stellar inventories.

What has been your biggest surprise so far?

The generosity of customers that want us to be around! One customer has helped me paint the place, put up shelving, everything imaginable. Another customer has loaned us his collection of Blu-ray titles. Barry Solan of Video Americain called us up to cheer us on for starting a new store in this day and age, and then let me purchase rarities from his stock at a greatly reduced price to help us fill in some of the gaps in our inventory. On the first day I opened, before I could even let people walk into the shop, we had people signing up for monthly plans to show their support.

Do you think your store will still be around 10 years from now?

A very well run store with the right inventory, staff and clientele will be able to make a go of it. It’s not an easy business, but anyone in this business right now is in it because they love it.

Gene Marks owns the Marks Group, a Bala Cynwyd, Pa., consulting firm that helps clients with customer relationship management. You can follow him on Twitter.