Do you guys always get stares and random visitors if you have a Garcade?

PrairieDillo

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Do you guys always get stares and random visitors if you have a Garcade?

I've been working in the garage quite a bit this summer because I've been between jobs for the last 2 months and I've had a couple of people actually slowdown and stare/point. Last week someone pulled over and started a conversation with me about collecting vids.

I live on a corner house, have a fancy alarm and nosy neighbors that know that something would be up if someone else tried to move a machine from my garage. I don't worry too much about theft actually.

Do you guys have stories about people trying to find out about the hobby when they see you working on stuff?

I got my neighbor even involved cause he's now my official glass supplier as he gives me perfectly cut and delivered pieces at great prices when I need new glass.

I think that everyone in the neighborhood will really know about my hobby this Halloween when I setup the Halloween Arcade Freeplay Corner in my driveway.
 
people used to look and occasionally drop in and ask questions but I've lived at my place for close to 10 years now and have collected longer than that so the games have been around for a long time and there aren't that many new neighbors so they are used to it by now.
 
the older people across the street are always hanging outside on the pourch and i can over hear them saying things like "look he got another one" or "whats that thing? oh wow, its a juke box!"
 
I live near a college and my street gets super busy both from students and the neighbors. Many ppl know I have games but anytime I'm moving games from my truck to the garage, I get at least two ppl that stop and talk games. Some have them, some need repair, some are just looking to buy. Most of the 'looking to buy' are interested but only about 10% actually contact me later to discuss finding a game for them.

People are strange but then I can't drive by a garage without looking into it so I'm sure that looks creepy too, especially when I mouth-breathe and drive slowly.
 
I've been working in the garage quite a bit this summer because I've been between jobs for the last 2 months and I've had a couple of people actually slowdown and stare/point. Last week someone pulled over and started a conversation with me about collecting vids.

I live on a corner house, have a fancy alarm and nosy neighbors that know that something would be up if someone else tried to move a machine from my garage. I don't worry too much about theft actually.

Do you guys have stories about people trying to find out about the hobby when they see you working on stuff?

I got my neighbor even involved cause he's now my official glass supplier as he gives me perfectly cut and delivered pieces at great prices when I need new glass.

I think that everyone in the neighborhood will really know about my hobby this Halloween when I setup the Halloween Arcade Freeplay Corner in my driveway.

oh yeah kids all go cool i wanna play, adults ask me "hey do you have game X?? you should really get game X i remeember that from my childhood" its all good. Never know when they or sombody they know has a machine just collecting dust...
 
I work on my stuff all the time with the garage door open when it is nice outside. Only one person has ever stopped to talk about my games. I find that most people stare and just keep walking. Maybe I could put a sign on the mailbox that says, "Ask me about my games!" ?
 
my neighbors know i have games, as some have been over, and most have seen the overflow in the garage, but i don't really get random visitors or stares. my neighbor mike, who is the neighborhood watch 'all knowing' type neighbor has come in the garage and checked stuff out and tried to help a couple times when i've been working on stuff, but he is retired and doesn't really understand the gaming thing, he's more into pins.
 
Had a few neighbors drop by and talk about their xbox and how sweet my set up is.


A sheriff that patrols our neighborhood pulled over and hung for about 20 minutes last week, played some galaga ( on a 60 in 1 I built for my buddy).


tells me if I ever need anything let him know.
 
When I open up the garage door its like Christmas time especially at night when the gameroom is glowing people just drive by slow and stare. I get compliments from the pizza delivery guys, Comcast cable guys ( funny story they came to install my cable in my Gameroom and ended up playing my games for a while) and ADT alarm company (sales guys)which was pretty cool to talk to because one of the guys worked for Atari back in the day and had some really cool stories to talk about when they worked there in the early 80's.
 
Yea, I had someone stop and ask about the garagecade one day when I had the door open. I knew right away the he knew a lot about the games I own - turns out the guy lived just a few blocks from me and used to be an operator. He had already sold off all of his games including his pins. -bummer-
 
I live in a corner house on a private drive, so only one neighbor sees inside my garage. I'm afraid I only get inquiries from solicitors who happened to walk up.
 
yea i don't think my neighbors know to much about my collection yet, tho they've seen me move atleast 2 games inside, this may change in the next few weeks as they may notice a black cabinet turn into a basketball themed one with NBA in big letters (citristrip time :D ).
 
A few of my neighbors always seem to be driving by when I bam unloading one at night after hauling it back. The guys always get a kick out of it.

I too always look in open garages hoping to someday find someone like me in the neighboorhood. I have picked up 2 dead machines less than 2 miles from me
 
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My gameroom is in the basement so all the good stuff is out of view but I usually have a few games in the garage. Not too many random people last year but this year several have stopped by and asked questions. One guy has come by several times and always wants to buy games. I believe he is smarter than what he claims to be on video games. He somewhat knows the values and is always about half of what the klov prices tend to be. Last week he stopped by again and got mad that I sold a game without contacting him (I don't have is phone number, he never gave it to me). Then he asks what did I sell it for and said that is a lot more than he would have spent. He is kind of a weird guy. The normal people that stop by I will sometimes actually show them the real gameroom in the basement.
 
Don't have a cade, but still got a few share of looks.

I don't have a garage since I rent a 1 level apartment. But when I acquired my Dynamo cab I did get a few stares from the neighbors. The guy came and delivered it to my house, and kinda parked a ways down since he didn't know which apartment building complex I lived in because there is 4 apartment buildings here.

So here we are rolling this big old black dirty cab down the curb side of the street (busy street at that) because there isn't any sidewalks here either. (Don't know why) People were driving past like how people do if there is an accident or something to take a gander of what we were rolling down the side of the curb. People looking and a one honked their horn and yelled
"What game is that?".

It was a nice day so there were a few people sitting out on their balcony and just totally silent as we rolled on by. Probably wondering why the hell two guys were wheeling a arcade machine in the street. One old lady was looking at us like we had three heads.

As we get to about the entrance of the apartment complex. A guy was walking to a different building complex and stopped once he saw us, he just stood there. It seemed as thought he was watching us hesitant to ask if we needed help, even though we were not struggling or anything like that. The game was turned the other way so he couldn't see what game it was that we were moving. Upon turning the machine around to fit it into the door I seen him lean over to try and look at the marquee he then went on his way.

So now we are in the hallway and starting to move this thing into my apartment and a neighbor walked out of her apartment and stopped and watched and did the same thing as the guy. Sometimes I wonder what my mail man thinks when he sees all the packages I get from time to time. I can picture him looking at my box thinking. "I wonder if he actually has one of them arcade machines in there?"


Another time... I had moved back to the states back in February of this year. I moved from Japan and the Navy paid for packing, shipping and moving all the way around the globe damn near. So everything was packed up all in boxes or cardboard to keep rodents out, and to protect my things in storage and shipment.

As the movers were moving my things in, they didn't know exactly what all I had since my candy cab was all wrapped up in a box like structure. When the machine was moved into my house the mover made the comment. "Damn that thing is heavy, that must be a heavy duty washer and dryer set!" the other guy looks at the inventory list and says. "Mmmmm no. It says ....game machine?" I ripped it all off and they both had a surprised look on their face. "Holy shit! You brought that in Japan? Never seen a arcade machine like that before."
Then not even a minute later a neighbor stopped by my door to see if we needed the main door propped open for the movers since it somehow got shut. "Hey do you guys need to le.......Aww you got a Tekken Tag machine?!"

LOL I didn't think many people would be so curious as to what game I had gotten. Maybe the reason why the old lady gave us such a look was because she was thinking... "Tekken 3? You chose Tekken 3 over Mrs. Pac Man?"
 
I'm from Southern California. As such, I don't trust a damn soul. I keep my garage closed as much as possible. I'll even delay bringing a game in from the truck if there are too many people out and about on the street. For some reason it seems people think that you gotta be RICH to own these things... let alone 2 dozen. I don't like people in general... so I don't like people snooping around my garcade...

That said... Pizza Delivery drivers, DirecTV guys, etc. all seem to dig it... and now 3 or 4 of the local kids come by on weekends asking to play (which I let em do from time to time)...
 
Usually people just slow down when I pull my games out into the driveway. The neighbors show interest, but aside from that I don't have people stop by and chat.

When we had our new living room furniture delivered, the guy made a comment but I wasn't in the mood to chat.
 
All I got now is funny asain people walking by and whispering at each other when they see my pile, One of these day I going to get a call from the Fire department from all the stuff that in the garage LOL.
I use to have neighbors kids playing on my machines but both families moved away when the economy took a dump.
as for looking for games in other people garages. I haven't seen one around here in the last 20 years.
There two house facing mine. I should have bought the six car garage one when it was for sale. Hind sight always 20 20. There is another house for sale across the way a two story and Just for a second I thought I could buy that and Fill the whole place with arcade machines.
 
We live on a cul-du-sac, so we have two roads that make a 90 degree bend in front of the house. I have had several people roll up over the curb going around the corner when the garage door is up. I also drag some of them out for the semi-annual community garage sale. I haven't sold any at the garage sale, but we get about 3x the traffic that our neighbors get.

ken
 
My garage is mostly for repairs, the cliff hanging arcade is in the backyard.

When I am in the garage with the door open there are always Mexicans in beat up pick up trucks who slow down and take a look. Sometimes they are trying to find out if anyone is around so they can stop and help themselves to whatever they can steal in 30 seconds and take off. Usually they are looking to steal power tools which can be easily resold.

When they spot me, or I am standing out in the open, the most often thing I hear is "are those games for free?'...

Welcome to LA. We're doomed.
 
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