Heroes of Time: Let's Meet Gabriele Odorizzi

My name is Gabriele, I was born in '89, and my daily life is divided between my job as a laborer in a training institute and three great passions that define who I am: my commitment as a volunteer firefighter, my deep love for travel, especially to Asia and Japan, and, finally, a deep connection with the world of auteur video games.

My gaming history was born in the elementary school desks, spending my days playing on my older cousin Roberto’s PlayStation 1, until, finally, the console became mine.

I vividly remember a Christmas spent with my family: on Christmas Eve, during the usual gathering with my paternal relatives, I received Driver 2 for PlayStation 1 as a gift.

Knowing the family traditions well, which meant spending Christmas Eve with my paternal relatives and Christmas Day with my maternal relatives, I immediately understood what would happen the following day.

The excitement was such that I couldn’t sleep all night waiting to unwrap, on Christmas morning at my maternal relatives’ house, my PS1 Slim.

Then there is the special bond with Pokémon: since I didn’t have a Game Boy, I spent every free moment, whether I went to my younger cousin Davide’s house or he came to mine, challenging him on Red and Yellow.

It was not just the challenge: it was the dream of exploring that world, of capturing the creatures and immersing myself in a map that I felt had no boundaries.

The turning point came with the Christmas of the Game Boy Advance launch: receiving it together with Pokémon Crystal was the moment when my first Nintendo console finally became officially mine.

After abandoning everything while growing up, the real rediscovery happened in 2019, after my first trip to Japan.

There I experienced firsthand a vintage culture that was already well established and respected: once I returned home, that experience rekindled everything in me, pushing me to finally start buying back, piece by piece, the games of my childhood to put back together the puzzle of my story.

Collecting means maintaining a deep connection with our past and the games we have loved. What are your favorite titles of all time? In your own words, allow us to “see” your shelves and the collection, or collections, that represent you. 

My shelves are the diary of my growth and the list of the masterpieces that shaped my taste.

The absolute pillar is the Metal Gear saga: I played it as a child and was blown away, but it was as I grew up that I understood its true depth.

I literally grew up with Snake: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater remains my absolute favorite, a masterpiece of storytelling and gameplay, followed by the first Metal Gear Solid, the other milestone that I deeply loved.

My passion for 'designer games' continues with devotion to all of Hideo Kojima's work and the creations of Naughty Dog, true masters: Crash Bandicoot and the Jak and Daxter series are fundamental pillars of my childhood.

As for the Pokémon world, I experienced the first, second, and third generations intensely, closing the circle with Pokémon Ruby, to which I dedicated the entire summer before my third year of middle school, right before moving on to high school.

I also cannot forget the epic challenges experienced in Dragon Ball Ultimate Battle 22 and the entire Tenkaichi series, or the rebellious sense of freedom of GTA: Vice City and San Andreas.

And, of course, there is Gran Turismo 2: the game I spent the most hours on overall.

It was my window onto the world of adults, with those 8, 12, or 16-hour endurance races that I planned like real events, waking up at dawn to manage to finish them.

Precisely to preserve this heritage of memories, I decided to give a physical and definitive form to my passion, by grading most of the titles mentioned, as well as the consoles that ran them: my PS1 Slim, the PS2 Fat and the Game Boy Color.

To this is added my collection of vintage Pokémon cards, which I rediscovered and cultivated with care over the years.

By grading your game, you made an important choice, and from now on it has become something more, not just as a collectible value. How did you get to know the world of grading? Have you already had similar experiences with other collections of yours, even different from your video game ones?

I discovered The Games Market on Instagram and was immediately impressed.

Watching their videos, I realized that they were not just experts, but people who transformed a visceral passion into a profession of the highest level.

They spoke about the history of video games, archival preservation, and historical accuracy with rare dedication; they clearly conveyed the idea that video games are not just a pastime, but a modern art form.

And art, as such, must be protected for future generations.

It was precisely this respectful and rigorous approach that gave me the necessary confidence: I wanted my pieces not to be merely 'sealed,' but certified by those who understand their soul and value, definitively eliminating any doubt about the authenticity of my collectibles.

What were the main reasons why you wanted to grade the title you brought us? Beyond the nostalgic aspects tied to the game, are there any other motivations behind your decision to entrust the grading process to TGM?

I did not see grading as merely an aesthetic choice, but as a true mission of safety and technical preservation.

Unfortunately, today the collectibles market has become a real jungle: professional resealing and the circulation of fake games are the order of the day, making it extremely difficult to understand what you are really buying.

I myself have run into scams and have firsthand experienced how easy it is to make a mistake.

For this reason, I decided to rely on TGM: to secure my collection and have absolute certainty about the originality of my pieces.

Certifying the entire collection, even where unfortunately some fakes emerged, was the only way to clean things up and crystallize the historical and commercial value of what I own.

It is an investment that transforms fragile and uncertain objects into museum display pieces, ensuring that that 'physical basis' of my memories is finally safe and protected from any counterfeiting.

Every game has its own story, as does its owner; the bond that is formed goes far beyond the simple owner-object relationship. When the title was finally returned to you, graded, what did you feel?

Seeing my titles and consoles protected in plexiglass was a huge aesthetic impact.

They have become true works of art, design objects that enrich the home.

Seeing masterpieces like the early Metal Gear games encapsulated, with their official rating, is incredibly satisfying: they have become display art.

Beyond the visual pleasure, of course, there is the awareness of having given the collection an objective value, also in economic terms, which before was only a hypothesis.

To conclude, we can only ask you the classic question: which aspects of our service did you like the most? Thank you not only for giving us your time, but also for choosing to place your trust in us!

It was an immense pleasure to work with you. It is clearly felt that behind every operation there is a genuine passion that perfectly combines with the highest level of professionalism.

You are not simple service providers, but true experts who know how to listen: the consultations you offered me were serious, in-depth, and never aimed at a mere sale; the goal was always to guide me as best as possible in caring for my pieces.

You are talented professionals, super attentive to every little detail and incredibly knowledgeable.

I chose to rely on you even knowing that there are more established packaging companies internationally, but I decided to go with TGM precisely because of your vision: you put your heart into what you do, and that makes the difference.

Moreover, I believe it is essential to support and promote an Italian company that operates with this level of rigor: I believe it is indispensable to have pieces of our video game history appreciated by professionals who share its cultural legacy.

I appreciated your extreme transparency, but also, paradoxically, your severity in grading: it is proof of your rigor.

Sure, as a human I have “suffered” for a few lower ratings, but it is precisely that seriousness that gives real value to my collection and confirms to me that I am in extremely competent hands.