Do Personal Arcades Help?

paulliadis

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I don't have a home arcade setup like some of you. I only have the one game. I have a question for those of you that do have a home arcade. Does it take the sting out? I mean, I get bummed out a lot that there aren't many arcades around anymore like the ones we used to frequent. There aren't any near me at all.

Does having a gameroom with all these games at least make it not so bad? Sure it isn't the same as going to a place and plunking down some quarters and playing some games. And sure if they break you are the one who has to fix them.

Anyhow, just something I was curious about. Someday I may have my own mini arcade. For now I'll live vicariously through all of you.
 
Dunno!

We have 3 Dave and Busters in the Metromess and a couple of other arcades left.

I play so many different games to test them after repair that I don't play my games in the house very often. I keep it around for when family or company comes over.

Plus, it's my damn room! :) I'm decorating it, I'm putting things in it, and I want my bar, my games, my jukebox, my soda machine, and my big screen TV in there!

RJ
 
I have 2 of the largest arcades in the world with in a few hours from me, so I am lucky. Also going to other collectors personal arcades is a blast. Always fun to share the passion with others that have it too!
 
The Pizza Hut in my town has 5 arcade games in it and 2 don't work. I love my gameroom!!! I don't have to worry if the jump button is going work when I get to the endo of the level. Plus, I was born in the wrong time period so my gameroom is more like my fantasy room where arcades are real and they don't only have gun, driving, and fighting games in it.
 
Instead of a DeLorean and some plutonium or Mr. Fusion, get a two more games and a blacklight, it will take you back like nothing else.
 
Ground Kontrol is 20 minutes away from me and, as cool as that place is, I don't get over there very often. Does that answer your question? :) Also, start networking with local collectors, and maybe even start a local collector club like I did, and then you'll periodically be going over to other collectors' game rooms occasionally anyway. Problem solved!
 
Ground Kontrol is 20 minutes away from me and, as cool as that place is, I don't get over there very often. Does that answer your question? :) Also, start networking with local collectors, and maybe even start a local collector club like I did, and then you'll periodically be going over to other collectors' game rooms occasionally anyway. Problem solved!

Seriously, Jeff. If I had your collection, I wouldn't make many trips to Ground Kontrol either. :)
 
Jeff does have one of the nicest game rooms around. The only thing missing is a Skeeball. I know for me it is just watching other people play them, even when i go to one of the local guys that has a lot of games i really don't play, but just watch and talk about games. So to answer your question personal game rooms are great.
 
Thanks for the responses so far guys. What I'm getting at is while the games are still awesome a big part of the hobby is also nostalgia. Trying to recreate what once was.
 
There are no arcades nearby with classic games in this area, so it is nice to have access to them any time I want to play a few games.

I've gotten to where I like refurbishing them as much as I do playing. The best thing is seeing someone new come over with their kids on a game night and watch them as they turn the corner and see a fully working arcade.

It brings back the nostalgia for the parents and it's a completely new experience for their kids since they have never seen a real arcade.

I used to think that the teenagers wouldn't like it since they grew up with the newer games with better graphics and deeper gameplay, but I always have to shut the games down to get the older kids to leave.

-JM
 
He could use some Star Wars cockpits as well. Then I would like it better over there :)

I'm all for Darrell hooking me up with a SW cockpit. He did give me a good idea on someone to talk to about skeeballs though, so once I get a chance to follow up on that, his complaint about my gameroom might be resolved (seems like a long shot but if nothing else, it's networking). If only he would want to resolve your complaint about my gameroom. ;)
 
I don't have a home arcade setup like some of you. I only have the one game. I have a question for those of you that do have a home arcade. Does it take the sting out? I mean, I get bummed out a lot that there aren't many arcades around anymore like the ones we used to frequent. There aren't any near me at all.

Does having a gameroom with all these games at least make it not so bad? Sure it isn't the same as going to a place and plunking down some quarters and playing some games. And sure if they break you are the one who has to fix them.

Anyhow, just something I was curious about. Someday I may have my own mini arcade. For now I'll live vicariously through all of you.

It does, but you know what is kind of weird? I still spend time out there working on stuff, but it really only gets full-on use when I have friends/family over.

The first couple weeks after I got it done is was so cool to turn on all the games and just play them (9 vids and 2 pins right now), but after the newness wore off, it feels kind of odd to be out there by myself with everything on.

The building it and getting it up to where it is now was like a 2 year journey (and there's still plenty of stuff to do) with a lot of focus. Now that I'm past the biggest hurdle, a little of that focus is lost. I also still love playing games in arcades, even if its somewhere lame like a Chuck E. Cheese party.
 
It does, but you know what is kind of weird? I still spend time out there working on stuff, but it really only gets full-on use when I have friends/family over.

The first couple weeks after I got it done is was so cool to turn on all the games and just play them (9 vids and 2 pins right now), but after the newness wore off, it feels kind of odd to be out there by myself with everything on.

The building it and getting it up to where it is now was like a 2 year journey (and there's still plenty of stuff to do) with a lot of focus. Now that I'm past the biggest hurdle, a little of that focus is lost. I also still love playing games in arcades, even if its somewhere lame like a Chuck E. Cheese party.

I get this. I spent the past year fixing up my DK Jr. Now that I'm mostly done, I feel myself looking for another project.
 
I get this. I spent the past year fixing up my DK Jr. Now that I'm mostly done, I feel myself looking for another project.

Try a pinball machine, because you'll never be done fixing it, or tinkering with it.

I bought a Space Shuttle for 350$. I've now put 250$ worth of parts, supplies, light bulbs and tools to work on it into it. I fixed a flipper last night, and now a kicker hole is constantly firing and one of the trough switches is effed so it's kicking out two balls.

IT NEVER ENDS!!! :|
 
Way back in the day, my teenage years were spent in the arcade. When i finally had the chance to start my own collection, it was fun for about four years as i had lots of neighbors that would come over and play, restorations were fun and the whole hobby was enjoyable. Fast foward a few more years and lifestyle changes/age advancement left a very nice restored collection in a dark basement virtually untouched and wasting space. It's all gone now and i couldn't be happier.

Moral: It's fun for a while and fills a void but the interest won't last forever.
 
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I too find myself more entertained by fixing rather than playing my games. But it's nice to have them there for company. It's WAY fun to have a bunch of games to play when friends are over.

MAME cab was fun when it was just me, but it's no fun to have 1000's of games on one cab when you have 5 friends standing around waiting to play. Better to have them all on their own dedicated machines.
 
Way back in the day, my teenage years were spent in the arcade. When i finally had the chance to start my own collection, it was fun for about four years as i had lots of neighbors that would come over and play, restorations were fun and the whole hobby was enjoyable. Fast foward a few more years and lifestyle changes/age advancement left a very nice restored collection in a dark basement virtually untouched and wasting space.

Moral: It's fun for a while and fills a void but the interest won't last forever.

Had I known about your collection about 5 years earlier, I think I would have been pestering you to host (me) a bit more. As it was, I DID actually get to play a few of them at least once before 'the great selloff.'

*sigh*
 
I agree. It does help, and it's nice to have your own machines because you can pretty much play whenever you want, but as some have said, the entire arcade section only gets turned on when company is over. I don't throw on the full experience (lighting, sound, music) just to play a game by myself. I usually just turn on the game(s) I want to play and even that's few and far between. The hobby is more exciting when there is a project going on.

And I do have some great old-school arcades not that far from me, so I can go there whenever I want and play what I don't have.
 
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