Classic Arcade Era Survivors

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.
Dude. FUCKIN TIME OUT ALL DAY!!!!! I remember like it as yesterday!!! Laurel mall (before laurel started turning into what it is today) I'd go there when mom or grandma would go to the mall, I'd get a 5 spot and go crazy lol.
Born in 83 and lived in laurel my whole life so I understand completely!! And I understand about multiple games in the house now too lol
Lemme know if you ever wanna buy a Revolution X, I have them almost brand new (besides the monitor being 30 years old lol)
Good ol laurel in the 80's/90's
 
The thing is, the nostalgia ISN'T about the games, it's about your life when the games were a present factor. The smell of kettle corn may take you back to when you were a kid, and your family went on vacation to the Jersey Shore boardwalk. It's NOT eating the kettle corn that you crave, but the sentimental memories of the boardwalk. It's the same with these games. Seeing them all lined up, the lights, the attract sounds (maybe some MTV videos playing on the TV in the corner)...they can take us back to a simpler time that we've romanticized.

I think for the 30-somethings, they don't have the same affect. You may find them interesting and enjoyable, but in most cases, I don't think they would stir the same sentimental feelings. So as the hobby population gets younger and younger, the nostalgic romanticism gets replaced by more of a "look at my uncommon collection". Which much like the Facebook generation accepts their online social interaction as a cheap approximation for relationships, modern contraptions (Arcade1Ups) are slowly becoming more and more accepted as an approximation for arcade games. Again, not to disparage, but anyone that accepts the approximations, really doesn't share the same sentiment. To them, it IS actually the game that they want (not the memories the dusty old beast revives).
1967 baby here. I was there for the beginning through the golden age and beyond. It seems like every memorable experience from those years had an arcade game attached in some way to it, even the simplest ones. Riding my bike to 7-11 in the summer and playing Galaxian while drinking a Slurpee; playing LeMans at the movie theater (or later Tron); finishing Shinobi for the first time in the mall arcade then hanging out at the pet store... I still take my grandson on "nostalgia nights" here and there; there's still a functioning Drive-In theater within striking distance, then we come home and do emulators for the games. It's not what it used to be, but nothing ever is.

Great observation.
 
The other day I was listening to a Dylan song, and for some reason it reminded me of all the games I have, the hobby, and what they mean/meant to me, and why I still carry it and try to get back there...It's still important to me, and things as we all know change but in the end if you can hold that feeling it does great things for you...at least it does for me even now.

"Every step of the way we walk the line
Your days are numbered, so are mine
Time is pilin' up, we struggle and we scrape
We're all boxed in, nowhere to escape
City's just a jungle, more games to play...

Well my ship's been split to splinters and it's sinking fast
I'm drownin' in the poison, got no future, got no past
But my heart is not weary, it's light and it's free
I've got nothin' but affection for all those who've sailed with me
Everybody movin' if they ain't already there
Everybody got to move somewhere
My clothes are wet, tight on my skin
Not as tight as the corner that I painted myself in...

Well, the emptiness is endless, cold as the clay
You can always come back, but you can't come back all the way..."
 
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.
Agreed about today's "games". In the golden age, you had to be creative and come up with new and original concepts; something as seemingly minor as the sounds of Space Invaders or Pac Man made a big difference. Someone came up with the idea of spinning around geometrical shapes and Tempest was born. Today, it's all variations on the theme of FPS carnage and pseudo-realism, not actual "games". Personally, I was always more into escaping reality than moving around alternative reality.
 
Same age as you Phet. Born in 72. I've had thoughts lately similar to what you are going through. We moved into a new house with an awesome basement and I have the best setup I've ever had for my arcade. I have one daughter left in the house and she rarely plays any games except Pac Man which is the only game my wife plays. Once a year or so, we have people over and they look at the games and maybe try one or two but they largely sit unplayed. I still love the hobby and the nostalgia but this hobby has really only ever been about me. That's not what was intended but that is the reality. So, I have been thinking about this basement full of heavy ass games that would be a total pain for my wife to deal with if I kicked the bucket early. So, I've decided the time has come for me to start pruning down the collection to a few arcade games and pinball machines. It sucks but what an amazing hobby it is and I will always have love for these things. This hobby has led to new friends and awesome experiences and has improved my repair skills that has gone way beyond fixing games. I will always be a part of the community as we all get older but my game collection has got to thin down and I could use the cash for my family.
I don't know if I ever responded to your comment, my friend. I think we feel exactly the same way about this. I want this hobby and this feeling of nostalgia to never end, but my older self is starting to let practicality and inevitability creep into my mind. I hate it. I wish things could stay like they are right now forever. Is that too much to ask? I love having my boys here being my right hand men enjoying my hobbies with me. In addition to the arcade, we spiced up our home theater with a rear riser and new TV last year and we've been having a blast watching different movies in there this year. That's when I started realizing that in six years, my youngest graduates and it'll just be me sitting in there too. I just hope that my boys growing up doesn't cause me to grow up and get rid of everything that's fun and brings me joy if you know what I mean. I feel like we're becoming the model train guys that are gonna drop dead all alone in the middle of their warehouse-sized miniature railroad cities and no one is gonna care.
 
Born in 68. First game I played was Space Invaders Deluxe. I had been a collector for over 30 years.
I never expected kids to enjoy these games like we did. We grew up with them, it's nostalgia for us.
I got into it for me and me alone. Anyone else who enjoyed them was just a bonus. Sold all my games except 3 in 2022. Moved to a Condo and new I wouldn't have the space for 30+ games. Out of those 3 games I kept I rarely play them and will probably sell them too. There are exceptions but for the majority, only the people who lived through the arcade experience are passionate and crazy enough to collect and restore these games. As we each pass away, I strongly believe most of these games will end up in the landfill. Without the nostalgia, people today would not have the motivation to collect these huge, heavy machines which take up tons of space and need knowledge to keep them running. So with tons of games available (from people passing away) there will be no place for them to go, except the dump. I think about my games from time to time and the fun I had collecting and restoring but I'm actually glad it's over. I don't have to worry about maintaining them anymore and when I do pass, my family doesn't have to worry about taking them to the dump or selling them to whoever is crazy enough to buy them at that point. (probably some 70 year old). hehe. Since I sold them, I do have a multi mame machine but I also have bought a retro hand held emulator where I can sit on the couch and play almost any game I had. Sure it's not the real thing but it still gives me some nostaglia playing them and takes up not much more space than a smartphone. The hobby for me is done. No more searching daily for parts or extra pcb's. I come here maybe 2 or 3 times a week just to see what's going on but I am sure within a year I won't even be popping into KLOV anymore. For those of you still actively in the hobby, enjoy for however long you stay in it. It was sure fun while it lasted.
 
I want this hobby and this feeling of nostalgia to never end, but my older self is starting to let practicality and inevitability creep into my mind. I hate it. I wish things could stay like they are right now forever. Is that too much to ask?

Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is absolutely not. ;)
 
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