There are so many ways that fans can express their love for the games they're passionate about and the community that comes with it. Arguably, Nintendo fanatics are some of the most hardcore ones out there. Take, for example, the fan who built a huge and fully-working Switch then donated it to charity. Now that's dedication, but one person in France may have gone that extra step.

Considering himself something of a collector, Fabrice Heilig already owns quite a substantial collection of all things Nintendo, including many of the company's vintage toys, games and playing cards. In fact, he's been collecting for so long that he started to run out of space in his home, so he did what anyone else would have done: he built an extension. However, it wasn't just any normal extension as Heilig has gone back to old school products that the company used to make.

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Back in the old days, Nintendo didn't just make home and handheld consoles. They originally began life back in the 19th century making and selling playing cards, something which Heilig has turned his attention to recently. In order to really reflect Nintendo's ancient history, the avid collector actually created a replica of the 1800s building where the company was originally based.

Photo showing a replica of the 19th century Nintendo headquarters.

While initially planning to just make a simple expansion, he decided to upgrade the project in which he would build the façade of the now-destroyed office where the Japanese tech giants originally started life. Going off photos and elements that have survived over the years, Heilig was able to calculate the measurements of the façade, and he was then able to faithfully replicate the old Nintendo HQ building. This is an exterior recreation only, though the inside has apparently been decorated to reflect Japanese interior designs, ready to house his playing card collection.

There are so many ways that fans can express themselves in different and creative ways. Though the fan mod for Morrowind which adds a ton of new content for free, or the team that made a 2D version of Metroid Prime simply for the fun of it, are ways of stretching out franchises or breathing new life into old games, there is something about someone using their skills to build something that is not only reflective of gaming, but is a part of history too. Maybe one day, Heilig will give everyone a guided tour of his Nintendo expansion to show off his collection in their new abode.

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Source: Kotaku, Before Mario