Classic Arcade Era Survivors

This thread inspired me to just walk into my game room and start playing on Cabaret Island last night. Ended up putting high scores on Centipede, Asteroids, Robotron and Arabian. None of them were very good, and I've yet to install High Score save kits on any of them (except Robotron) so I was just beating the default scores. But it was nice to have good old SEX up in lights on 4 of the machines before I shut them off.

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I may only have arcade machines because I always enjoyed retro games and because my dad had a bunch of machines in the basement once upon a time (maybe around 20-25 years ago), and that may be the incorrect way to have nostalgia for them, but I'm gonna do it anyway and you can't stop me.
 
I may only have arcade machines because I always enjoyed retro games and because my dad had a bunch of machines in the basement once upon a time (maybe around 20-25 years ago), and that may be the incorrect way to have nostalgia for them, but I'm gonna do it anyway and you can't stop me.

My favorite part about nostalgia, there's no right or wrong way to have it!
 
My favorite part about nostalgia, there's no right or wrong way to have it!

The funny thing is, as much as you hear "different" stories, it's always the same. Almost universally, the stories I've read in this thread have been about either direct (your sentimentality for the past) or indirect (connecting with someone else through THEIR sentimentality for the past) nostalgia. In both instances, it's still connecting to the past (or someone else) through the games...it's not about the games themselves.
 
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The funny thing is, as much as you hear different stories, it's always the same. Almost universally, the stories I've read in this thread have been about either direct (your sentimentality for the past) or indirect (connecting with someone else through THEIR sentimentality for the past) nostalgia. In both instances, it's still connecting to the past (or the past of someone close to you) through the games.
Exactly. And people can't help when they were born. My daughter is in love with 80s music and fashion. A lot of times I think she wishes she was born back then. Guess what? She didn't have a choice. The only way my boys are gonna have nostalgia for 1980s arcade games is through me and my collection. That's their childhood. It means just as much of them as our childhood did to us.
 
This thread inspired me to just walk into my game room and start playing on Cabaret Island last night. Ended up putting high scores on Centipede, Asteroids, Robotron and Arabian. None of them were very good, and I've yet to install High Score save kits on any of them (except Robotron) so I was just beating the default scores. But it was nice to have good old SEX up in lights on 4 of the machines before I shut them off.

Cabaret island is awesome! They don't get enough love in the hobby. I'd still like to find a Ms Pac or Centipede cabaret.
 
A very thoughtful post Phet, I applaud you for it. The timing is impeccable, as I was just about to put together the "Aging Out of the Hobby" thread, but it got somewhat depressing.

I'll try and keep it as positive as I can . . .

I was born in 1965 (in So. Cal) which makes me close to the big 6-0 and yes old and depressing. I grew up with rotary phones, LPs, mix tapes, 8 tracks, Thomas Guides for navigation, typewriters, persimmon-headed drivers, cameras that used film rolls, etc. The one good thing about being this old is I think I am in the sweet spot for having experienced the whole arcade/coin-op evolution.

The earliest arcade memories started with Pong, Tank, Gun Fight, Sprint. I didn't like Disneyland much as a kid because of the crowds, but I was happy to go to hang out in the Starcade in its hay days (bronze age goodness) – I can remember 2 floors filled with rows of games like Steeplechase, Indy 800, Breakout, Drag Race, Stunt Cycle and Space Wars.

When the Golden Age of arcade games bloomed, I was at the age where we rode our bikes all over the place. There were literally 3 (full size 50-100 games) arcades within a 15-30 minute bike ride. In addition, every corner Liquor Store, 7-11, Laundromat had at least 2-4 games. Smoked-filled Bowling Alleys were big and had rows of games. In 1981, I got my Drivers License and then that really opened the options to more arcades and many excursions with the same group of friends. This was really the best of times.

Flash forward to the decline of arcades which coincided with coming into adulthood. In your 30's and 40s you really need to establish your careers, family and independence, no time to play games. Once I got financially sound and started growing older, I immediately thought about staying young by reaching back to the best memories/hobbies of my youth. Something to take you back to a simpler time (without kids, mortgages, taxes, bills, etc.). I started to think back to the pure joy arcades gave me. Walking into an air-conditioned building on a hot summer day with a pocket full of quarters. Blasted by the cool air, loud music, and the sweet symphony of sounds from the games. With those memories, on a whim, I did a search on eBay for local arcade games. Searched for my favorite game, Missile Command and lo and behold $125 game for sale within driving distance. As everyone here knows, once you have 1, it's on to the next one and the addiction is on.

Next year will mark 20 years since I joined KLOV . . . where did all that time go? Now the depressing part - aging out of the hobby: that time will come for everyone. You will get too old to fix, maintain, look for games and play games. Simply moving games around gets to be a chore when you are older. Games will start collecting dust as kids grow older and move out. Gatherings with friends and family will happen less. You can see this happening in our forum. Long time members are no longer active posting, selling their collections and even passing away. That's just life.

Bottom line "old man advice": Very cliché but enjoy today – that's all you have. In the end, you'll only be left with your memories. Money, material things will only matter to those who get an inheritance or try to pick your bones when you are gone. Go out to your games, crank up your favorite tunes and spend some time playing them - it will give you a reminder of why you got into this hobby. When the time comes to exit the hobby, you'll know but you'll have all the great memories.

I'm off to play some games, thanks for reminding why I got into this hobby in the first place :)
 
Great thread.

I was born in 79. I got into this hobby about six years ago.

I have many memories walking into Time Out arcade in Laurel Mall in Laurel, Maryland. I also have memories hitting the arcades on the Boardwalk with my grandparents in Ocean City, Maryland during our one week family trip every summer.

I first got into the hobby with the idea of buying just one arcade cab, once I had the money and the house/space. I bought it, then I said, "it'd be really cool to own this one too." Then I said, you know what, it'd be really great to own this one too. Fast forward a few years and now I have six cabinets in my basement and two in my garage that are projects.

Most recently, in the last year, I've gotten more into the restoration side of things. I've found I'd rather make the game as good as I want it to be rather than relying on someone else. It's great, cause I'm learning so much from the folks on here, albeit driving them nuts with my questions, and doing things I've never really done before. My Dad worked two jobs as I grew up so I never had the opportunity to learn how to "use my hands." So getting into the restoration side of things has been so much fun and I'm soaking the knowledge up like a sponge. I'm just trying to keep my OCD in check, sometimes I'm worried about things my fellow collectors would say, "just leave that alone, that's not a big deal."

So for me, the hobby is thriving and is more alive than ever.

I think the games from the 80s and early 90s have a special charm. Today's games are way too "real." And they're all the same…third person overview or first person shooter. Rinse, wash, repeat. Think about all the variety we have from the 80s…Burgertime, a freaking game about making hamburgers. Food Fight, you're tossing food at others…Gauntlet, awesome dungeon crawler. The games were beautiful enough on a CRT but also left a lot to our imagination. Today's games don't offer that.

I hope my son will one day find the same passion. He's almost three and he loves my Outrun and Ghouls and Ghosts.

Nostalgia is a strong thing. But I'll be honest, the 80s was truly the greatest decade. The music was fantastic, no cell phones, no World Wide Web, no social media…we've overcomplicated our lives today. Things are supposed to be easier but they aren't really. And now folks are gonna wear ski googles so they can have their apps in front of them. Sigh.

I'll get off my soapbox, but I have a ton of memories with these games. Games that are charming and beautifully rendered on those old picture tubes. For me the hobby is still strong and I'm still loving it. I only wish I would've gotten into it 10 years earlier.
 
Since I was born in 1968 games were mostly electro mechanical or BW screens when I first started playing arcade games. That puts me at around 10 - 11 when games started getting good and in color, seems like the perfect age to get started wasting quarters on video games. I don't collect games for other people or good times with the kids or killer arcade parties. My kid doesn't play the games or they rarely do anymore. I collect them so I can fire them up and play whatever 10 or 12 dedicated games for a while like I was in an arcade in the 1980's and that's it. It's like a time machine. If people want to join me then so be it. It was all my thing from the start and for my purposes because a hobby is usually about self fulfillment.

I plan on kicking all your asses on Defender and Stargate until I'm dead geezer.
I'm around the same age (born in 1966), and I'd say that this sums up my feelings these days about my home arcade/collection. My kid (now 14 years old) also rarely plays the arcade games anymore and is always playing computer/online games with his friends. And even when he brings his friends over, they, too, prefer to play the computer games or on the Nintendo switch we have and don't seem too interested in the arcade games.

He does still enjoy pinball though, but really wants me to pick up some new pins. I am hoping he'll someday take to learning a bit about how to repair the games as he has shown an interest in that aspect from time to time.

And I do still enjoy sharing the games at arcade shows (mostly CAX) and the occasional local event such as for his school.

In that vein (and not to hijack the thread certainly other than a little ;) ), I'll be teaming up with some other local collectors to bring some games to a local Star Trek convention that scheduled to take place next month. If all goes right, we should have all of the ST pins as well as my Sega ST upright and even a Captain's Chair on hand. And in addition to attendees playing the games, the organizers are planning to have the celebrity guests play one or more of the games at some point during the convention in some sort of contest for their favorite charity. Should be interesting/fun!

I'm hoping the STTNG actors who will be there can sign my STTNG pin.

Back to the topic: Like EVB, I plan on doing the same to any and all with regards to Tempest :D .

Jon
 
Bottom line "old man advice": Very cliché but enjoy today – that's all you have. In the end, you'll only be left with your memories. Money, material things will only matter to those who get an inheritance or try to pick your bones when you are gone. Go out to your games, crank up your favorite tunes and spend some time playing them - it will give you a reminder of why you got into this hobby. When the time comes to exit the hobby, you'll know but you'll have all the great memories.
Yes, it is not like my Children and Grandchildren are going to be collecting smartphones like us old farts are collecting refrigerator sized games............. certainly not the same vibe/attachment.
 
Phet….you are the man. DFB, born in 1972, 10 in 1982. I am now 52.

I am the kid playing centipede.

I just started my collection about 8-10 years ago, and just finished my basement arcade this past summer. So I started later than a lot
of guys, so I am not sure about aging out yet, it still excites me. My youngest son is 11, and he likes it, so I still have time. I do miss seeing all guys every year at Grinkers. Hopefully something similar will happen again. I have attached some photos of my new arcade. All you arcade bro's are the best.
 

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You have way too much room in there... build some more shit will ya.
This thread inspired me to just walk into my game room and start playing on Cabaret Island last night. Ended up putting high scores on Centipede, Asteroids, Robotron and Arabian. None of them were very good, and I've yet to install High Score save kits on any of them (except Robotron) so I was just beating the default scores. But it was nice to have good old SEX up in lights on 4 of the machines before I shut them off.

View attachment 720926
 
Laughs.. as I expected, I am still dealing with kids..

I remember when a new game called Donkey Kong showed up at a golf n stuff.

I still remember an arcade that had nothing but em machines. Lol..

I recall playing a version of computer spaces on a acoustic modem through a teletype. I think we were playing on a mainframe at Havery Mudd college.
 
You have way too much room in there... build some more shit will ya.
Funny, my wife always tells me to get rid of half my machines so we can put more seating in here. She's always like "it just feels so cramped and I hate when guests have to stand. Can't you get by with 10 machines or less?" She literally comes in here twice a year, and one of those times is to tell me to turn my music down.
 
Funny, my wife always tells me to get rid of half my machines so we can put more seating in here. She's always like "it just feels so cramped and I hate when guests have to stand. Can't you get by with 10 machines or less?" She literally comes in here twice a year, and one of those times is to tell me to turn my music down.
What it is it about wives and turning the music down anyway? Mine is also always doing the same. I keep telling her that the idea behind a decent sound system is to simulate being at an actual concert, and would you tell the performer or band to "turn it down" at a concert? Methinks not... Ah well...I certainly appreciate that she is OK with me owning the games and how it keeps me otherwise out of trouble ;) .
 
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Could you imagine just going down there and sitting, doing nothing? Yay.
It's only when we have a party and more than like three or four of her girlfriends show up. It's like she wants to become the hostess with the mostest for just that one night, but the machines are in the way of having a wine tasting area, a tea spilling area, an essential oils area and a whores di'vores area, etc. Old ladies, whattaya do?
 
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Born in 72 just like so many on here. I have very vivid memories of arcade games as a kid growing up in simi valley. The movie theater at larwin square had star castle, tempest, donkey Kong, and donkey Kong jr. My favorite was star castle I almost didn't want to see the movie any more when I started playing it. The 7-11 on my walk to school had punch out, karate champ, and star wars I played every day on the way to school and back home. The motorcycle shop had a dig dug that I would go in and play every time I walked by it. Games were everywhere. On the weekends I would go to the local arcade where I was introduced to paperboy and gauntlet.I wasn't allowed to stay at home when my parents were gone because me and my brother would get into huge brawls, so my mom would drop me off at the northridge mall when she was going somewhere and I would just hang out in the arcade all day. So many great memories I now have a basement arcade with pretty much all the games I ever liked as a kid. My kids are all grown none of them ever showed any interest in any of the games except maybe cruising world. I have about 40 games in the basement and an 18 ft trailer filled with more games that won't fit and I have no room for. I have totes filled with boards, chassis, and tons of misc parts. I need to go through the totes and get rid of most of it. I really need to thin the games down too but I just can't bring myself to do it. Sometimes I'll just go down to the basement turn on all the games and forget about life for awhile. The lights flashing ,the sounds blaring It just takes me back, and everything slips away even if it's just for a moment I'm a kid again living in the 80's and life is good.
 
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