After starting the other thread, I started thinking about how fun it was to goto movies in the 80s and part of the fun was not just that the 80s were filled with great movies, but the theaters often had great games.
What did you play and where?
For me, there were two theaters that had games when I was growing up. First, the Keith Albee theater in Huntington, WV. They had several games over the years, but the only game that really sticks out from when I was a kid at this theater was Wizard of Wor. I played the shit out of WoW at this theater. The great thing was, the Keith Albee was a very old theater. Originally, it was built for vaudeville acts. It had very ornate decorations and was always very dimly lit. There were stories of dark tunnels underneath the theater and a catacomb/maze of tunnels. There was a balcony with a walkway that went around the entire top of the theater. The bathrooms were way down under the theaters through a series of steps with lots of turns down this wide hallway. It was a very creepy place for an 11 year old, but a great place for movies. The overall decor/ambiance of the theater being creepy was the perfect setting for Wizard of Wor. The creepy organ music and voice of the Wizard were just perfect for this setting. A very fond memory.
Then, there were the theaters at the Huntington Mall. These were sterile, box theaters of the 80s. However, they always had games. The two I remember the most at this theater were Crystal Castles and Marble Madness. While my memories aren't as clear of this theater, I think it is because the theater was not impressive, and the games didn't really add to the experience the same way WoW added to the Keith Albee experience. But, I always looked forward to movies at this theater because of these games, both of which I played a ton.
Interested in hearing your theater/arcade game stories.
- M1A
What did you play and where?
For me, there were two theaters that had games when I was growing up. First, the Keith Albee theater in Huntington, WV. They had several games over the years, but the only game that really sticks out from when I was a kid at this theater was Wizard of Wor. I played the shit out of WoW at this theater. The great thing was, the Keith Albee was a very old theater. Originally, it was built for vaudeville acts. It had very ornate decorations and was always very dimly lit. There were stories of dark tunnels underneath the theater and a catacomb/maze of tunnels. There was a balcony with a walkway that went around the entire top of the theater. The bathrooms were way down under the theaters through a series of steps with lots of turns down this wide hallway. It was a very creepy place for an 11 year old, but a great place for movies. The overall decor/ambiance of the theater being creepy was the perfect setting for Wizard of Wor. The creepy organ music and voice of the Wizard were just perfect for this setting. A very fond memory.
Then, there were the theaters at the Huntington Mall. These were sterile, box theaters of the 80s. However, they always had games. The two I remember the most at this theater were Crystal Castles and Marble Madness. While my memories aren't as clear of this theater, I think it is because the theater was not impressive, and the games didn't really add to the experience the same way WoW added to the Keith Albee experience. But, I always looked forward to movies at this theater because of these games, both of which I played a ton.
Interested in hearing your theater/arcade game stories.
- M1A


