Heroes of Time: Getting to Know Boris Ramieri

Hello guys and thanks for the opportunity!

My name is Boris, also known as Coach ’n’ Games. I was born in 1986, and my story as a gamer and collector began when I was 4–5 years old, surrounded by arcade cabinets and pinball machines in my father’s arcade.

Let’s face it: every child born in those years dreamed of it. How we miss the arcades of the ’90s…

One day my uncle told me: «You know you can play with it at home too?»

Whaaaaaat?

And that’s how I got to know the Commodore 64.

Then came Game Boy, NES, Master System, all the way up to the newer generations. I never threw anything away or sold anything.

I still remember the first PC they bought me just to play Doom and the first Quake.

Collecting has always been there, even though it really took root with the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation 2 generation: the first jobs and the first self-financed purchases, when I managed to get them, “it was still possible to do it on a budget,” games I had never played and are now hard to find.

I'm trying to complete all the titles for Game Boy. I would have had an easier time looking for Atlantis!

Now, with streaming and social media, I can show what I have collected over time, bringing retrogaming on real hardware to the highest possible level of expression.

I hope to see you soon on my channel, to talk with you about this wonderful passion that brings us closer.

2. Which video games or sagas do you love the most and that have had a special role in your history as a gamer and collector?

Very difficult question!

I should preface that I love every genre: in my life I’ve truly played everything. FPS, strategy games, fighting games, music games.

If you come across any Dance Dance Revolution videos out there, I’m definitely in them too…

Honorable mention to Sonic and Mario who, together with that beast Donkey Kong, made me fall in love with platform games.

The first Pokémon and arcade ports like Puzzle Bobble, Ghosts ’n Goblins and Metal Slug.

I think that, if there had been an hour counter on the old consoles, I would have easily surpassed 400 hours for each game.

But I can’t help but put Final Fantasy on the podium.

From the artwork of master Yoshitaka Amano to the music of master Nobuo Uematsu, which accompanies me throughout the day, they are the highest point of my collection, with some fairly rare pieces.

The emotion I feel when I replay the seventh, eighth, and ninth chapters is indescribable. And yes, I play them once a year, even just to see the endings again.

I consider the VII, together with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, the point of divergence between the old and new generation of video games: a restart that kicked off everything we love today, along with other titles, of course.

Another favorite saga: Kingdom Hearts.

Disney and Square Enix, then Squaresoft, together? Come on, it’s a dream come true!

With the best action game, in my opinion: Kingdom Hearts II.

In Metroidvanias, from Samus to Alucard: if there’s a new Metroidvania, I have to try it!

Resident Evil and Silent Hill.

The hours spent in Spencer Mansion or in Raccoon City’s police station, looking for those damned keys. Or running away from Pyramid Head, in the horror games that as a kid made me jump out of my chair several times.

Metal Gear Solid.

When I discovered the master Hideo Kojima, swapping the controller to defeat Psycho Mantis.

The Souls were a magnificent discovery. At first I understood them little, but after you get the hang of them, they captivate you.

To get to the latest game that opened my heart: Clair Obscure: Expedition 33.

The new Final Fantasy VII. The comeback of the turn-based combat I love, in an era in which it has been somewhat lost to make room for more demanded systems…

Long live indie developers!

The thought I have every time I insert a disc or a cartridge is to go back in time. I carry those moments in my heart: the friends who played with me, the days spent together, one life at a time.

Timeless moments in a save slot…

3. When did you start getting interested in video game grading, and what prompted you to look for a specialized service?

I know the world of grading for collectible cards and comics.

I have always looked for a grading service for video games, but nothing had ever inspired me before now.

Until, following Misshatered, I watched your video and, from there, I understood who I would be relying on.

4. How did you hear about The Games Market and what convinced you to choose our service for your video games?

As I was saying, while following Misshatered on Instagram, I came across the video in which she shows her graded Death Stranding and, let’s be honest:

“Jessica, you really have a great piece in your collection!”

And I think: finally a serious company for grading in Italy.

Once the site is opened, I immediately understand the professionalism of the service: the perfect shells, the labels, the care in handling the games.

From there, a few months later, I decided to send some issues for grading:

• Kingdom Hearts II — Sealed

• Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep — Sealed

• Final Fantasy I for Famicom — autographed by master Yoshitaka Amano

5. How did you experience receiving your games back after grading? What does it mean to you to have a graded video game?

When they were handed back to me, I have to say I felt like when, as a child, you open a new console for the first time and insert the first game.

I can’t fully explain what it feels like to have a ranked title, but it is very rewarding.

Some consider them wasted.

For me, in this way, they become eternal.

As a gamer and collector, I consider seeing some graded games almost a duty.

I hope to recover other noteworthy games to send them as soon as possible.

6. What aspects of our service did you appreciate the most and what would you say to another collector who is thinking about entrusting their video games to grading?

As I was saying, the precision I glimpsed in the videos represents everything I have been looking for for months in video game grading.

Perfect and beautiful shells.

Crazy-looking labels!

Not to mention the availability and precision with which the games are handled, as well as product knowledge.

Even today I still talk to myself because of that Kingdom Hearts resealed… but without you I probably would have given a game a score that, in reality, was a dud.

So, truly, thank you very much for this service that you offer.

From a gamer and collector, thanks.