My son got kicked out of an arcade yesterday

[HudsonArcade]

I always loved how atari coin-slots would jam up with quarters, and I became an expert at using coffee stirrers to unjam them... I'd usually end up with a handful of quarters, and a couple free games on whatever game was jammed.

Centipede was the jammiest.

 

[jscott]

Kicked out of an Arcade is like getting kicked out of church.
gotta be a record though.
Got kicked out of water park after 10min once, for trying to "surf" down the slide.

 

[TheDrewster]

I see kids crawling under my games at CEC constantly. I tell them that I will spot them a couple tokens if they stop reaching under the games (for safety reasons). I usually dont see them doing it again. Ive found a method that works.

 

[EVB]

The kids that pushed every coin return button and checked every coin slot for quarters used to irritate the crap out of me. These were the same kids who would poke their heads right to the side of the monitor to watch you play. Even worse were the kids that would squeeze between the pins and then poke their heads over the side rails to watch. ahhh the memories

+1 this would piss me off. I mean it's pretty lame when you are trying to play a game and some little troll is down there digging for quarters in the return that could potential be yours!!! I think the worst part of it is they are too young to do anything about it otherwise it would be ass kicking time.

I would never allow my kids to pull that kind of shit let alone lead them to it. If I was the owner I would have taken mug shots and had them permanently banned for all the obvious reasons that have already been mentioned.

The only honorable way to get kicked out of an arcade is by being sofaking good at a game they think you have been playing too long and they cut the power on you in the middle of the game and make you leave. Happened to me on Joust at Westworld arcade in Westwood village Los Angeles.

 

[kiwasabi]

Embarrassed? Yes.

Anything wrong with it (assuming they aren't damaging anything or getting in people's way)? No.

Good parenting? I think they'll reach a point where it will be embarrassing for themselves, which in the end will be even a better lesson for them, so yes, I do think it's good parenting. Got to choose your battles. Lots more important things to teach them than that. Got any kids of your own? I'll be glad to compare manners, doing the right thing, grades, etc..

Fair enough, good answer.

And no, I don't have any kids. I figure I should grow up myslf before I have little, more sarcastic versions of me running around. Maybe in another 20 years or so.

And to answer the question posed by the topic, I might have been kicked out of a card/miniatures game store once but I can't remember for sure. I just remember pissing lots of people off on a regular basis (such is competitive games). It was all in good fun but my people skills weren't as exquisite then as they are now.

-Adam

 

[kiwasabi]

I look at this from the perspective of a business owner since I own a bar. I've had a couple tennants bring kids into the bar and I usually don't permit it. First of all, if they hurt themselves, who do you think is liable? Who is the first person that most parents are going to go after? The business owner. Say for example there is a loose wood screw, nail, or something sharp hanging under the machine the kids are reaching under and they injure themselves. It's not the kids fault for dropping to the floor and reaching under a machine that is not theirs. It's not the parents fault for not watching their kids and actually telling them not to do something like that. It is the business owners fault for not making sure that everything is clear and safe under the machine in case some kids come in and start looking for loose change under all the machines. That is what the lawyers will say when the parents sue, and that is why I agree with the lady who kicked them out. As a business owner, the liability issues are constantly on my mind. I'm in no way trying to start a pissing contest; I just wanted to give you a different perspective on this.

Having to constantly think about every little thing that could possibly go wrong with every random idiot in the world is definitely a hard life. I can certainly sympathize. But if that happens, just tell the judge that their parents were giving them alcohol. Then again, I guess that'd be your fault too, eh?

-Adam

 

[sonnyburnett]

Getting kicked out, wow since I was very young I had to get used to getting kicked out of places that nowadays when I'm older I still have that feeling that I'm not wanted when I'm at some place.

Anyway, back then from like the age of 8 when we started to go downtown in groups untill my teens, we had holes in our clothes, were foul mouthed (using a lot of bad language), smelled bad because we needed a bath, which I only got like once a week, needed a haircut, and we had NO MONEY, Yep were were a plaque to most but what they forgot was that inside us was a child that just wanted something fun too and was hardly getting any fun.

In my teens the sport was a machine similar to this one:

http://www.arcadeflyers.com/?page=flyer&db=arcadedb&id=1594&image=1

Which pushed coins (real money) and these were on a edge, hitting the machine made it tilt and the coins that fel were not guided to the payout as when tilted the payout slot locked and the coins were diverted to another way.
So the exact science was to hit the machine at the corners gently and gently, crouching in to the arcade as the machine was near the front entrance and ninja style hiding behind the machine, putting a paper napkin from Mc donnalds which you could take for free, in to the payout to dim the sound and hitting it gently and gentlty, there were 5 ers in there as wel, like $5 coins, we used to have a 5 gulder coin.

So yeah, getting kicked out??? man when the dude caught me he would beat the shit outa me, he got me one time but I managed to kick and break free as he punched me two time in the gut as he held my collar, the guy was big,well you had to be strong when working in a arcade back then.

 

[shardian]

Getting kicked out, wow since I was very young I had to get used to getting kicked out of places that nowadays when I'm older I still have that feeling that I'm not wanted when I'm at some place.

Anyway, back then we had holes in our clothes, were foul mouthed (using a lot of bad language), smelled bad because we needed a bath, which I only got like once a week, needed a haircut, and we had NO MONEY, Yep were were a plaque to most but what they forgot was that inside us was a child that just wanted something fun too and was hardly getting any fun.

In my teens the sport was a machine similar to this one:

http://www.arcadeflyers.com/?page=flyer&db=arcadedb&id=1594&image=1

Which pushed coins (real money) and these were on a edge, hitting the machine made it tilt and the coins that fel were not guided to the payout as when tilted the payout slot locked and the coins were diverted to another way.
So the exact science was to hit the machine at the corners gently and gently, crouching in to the arcade as the machine was near the front entrance and ninja style hiding behind the machine, putting a paper napkin from Mc donnalds which you could take for free, in to the payout to dim the sound and hitting it gently and gentlty, there were 5 ers in there as wel, like $5 coins, we used to have a 5 gulder coin.

So yeah, getting kicked out??? man when the dude caught me he would beat the shit outa me, he got me one time but I managed to kick and break free as he punched me two time in the gut as he held my collar, the guy was big,well you had to be strong when working in a arcade back then.

At local carnivals, there is a quarter pusher booth. Ever since I was a kid, I learned the trick to checking these things. There are pockets on both sides that vary in depth. Sometimes quarters will also get caught on top of the door flap for hte payout area. It is a simple task of looking down into the payout area to see if coins were on the door, and feeling into the corners for quarters. I actually averaged $2-$3 an evening at my hometown fair as a kid by doing this. With my winnings, I would walk around the machines off and on thru the day waiting for a precariously perched group of quarters. Then I would expend 1 or 2 from my collection to win $1-$2. hehe.

I never once got yelled at or ran off by the booth operator. The bigger kids who pounded on the machines, yes (there were no tilt functions on these). Not me though.

Just a few weeks ago I saw the same damn booth at my new local fair. Sure enough, I found 3 quarters just by checking 2 sides of the booth. I still got it!

 

[MaximRecoil]

The kids that pushed every coin return button and checked every coin slot for quarters used to irritate the crap out of me. These were the same kids who would poke their heads right to the side of the monitor to watch you play. Even worse were the kids that would squeeze between the pins and then poke their heads over the side rails to watch. ahhh the memories

How about the kids who would say, "Want me to get you past this part?"

I didn't mind people checking the return slots for coins; I used to do the same thing. The ones who did it while you were playing the game sucked though.

 

[shardian]

How about the kids who would say, "Want me to get you past this part?"

I didn't mind people checking the return slots for coins; I used to do the same thing. The ones who did it while you were playing the game sucked though.

I couldn't even imagine someone checking the coin slot of a game I was actually playing. That is asking for an ass beating...after I finished my game of course.

And yes, backseat drivers were annoying!

 

[YellowDog]

I was recently at the mall and there were some parents teaching their kids how to hit up the machines. First they would press every button, just in case there was some money left in it, then hit the coin return amd then check the coin slot. After the kids did all of that, Dad would look around and then rock the machine a couple of times and the kids would do it again. So much for doing the jobs Americans don't want to do.

Back on topic, I was banned permanently from the arcade in my local mall for breaking 3 top glasses on a Mata Hari in 10 minutes. The little drop hole at the top was a perfect sling shot to pop the ball up to the top glass and if you were lucky, break it. Now I have a Mata Hari and anybody who breaks the glass buys me a new one. So far no new top glasses, yet.

ken

 

[savit4l8r]

Your sons are 11 and 7 and they got kicked out for looking for change?!?! WTF is this world coming to???

 

[mudmantim]

Embarrassed? Yes.

Anything wrong with it (assuming they aren't damaging anything or getting in people's way)? No.

Good parenting? I think they'll reach a point where it will be embarrassing for themselves, which in the end will be even a better lesson for them, so yes, I do think it's good parenting. Got to choose your battles. Lots more important things to teach them than that. Got any kids of your own? I'll be glad to compare manners, doing the right thing, grades, etc..

I doubt it. I have a half-brother who goes around to fast food restaurants and sneaks around the drive-thru windows looking for change on the ground. He gets caught and told to leave more times than he's able to collect anything, but it's something he does.

By the way, he's 19.

-Tim

 

[mudmantim]

I was recently at the mall and there were some parents teaching their kids how to hit up the machines. First they would press every button, just in case there was some money left in it, then hit the coin return amd then check the coin slot. After the kids did all of that, Dad would look around and then rock the machine a couple of times and the kids would do it again. So much for doing the jobs Americans don't want to do.

Back on topic, I was banned permanently from the arcade in my local mall for breaking 3 top glasses on a Mata Hari in 10 minutes. The little drop hole at the top was a perfect sling shot to pop the ball up to the top glass and if you were lucky, break it. Now I have a Mata Hari and anybody who breaks the glass buys me a new one. So far no new top glasses, yet.

ken

I don't get it, did they change the glass after every time you broke it? That would be quick for all being done in 10 minutes. Or, did you just break it in that one spot, 3 times?

-Tim

 

[sonnyburnett]

, I learned the trick to checking these things. There are pockets on both sides that vary in depth. Sometimes quarters will also get caught on top of the door flap for hte payout area. It is a simple task of looking down into the payout area to see if coins were on the door, and feeling into the corners for quarters. I actually averaged $2-$3 an evening at my hometown fair as a kid by doing this.

OH YEAH BROTHER!! You still got it, you know the drill, we started out like that but we got greedy and wanted more and that's where the "bumping"came in.

Do you know any other brands that had similar machines as the one I included a link to as that is not excactly the one I used to hit

 

[josie]

I am actually guessing they got kicked out of the arcade, because the person working there is not being paid enough to be their babysitter... When kids are that young they should be accompanied by an adult... but that is just my opinion...

 

[taylormadelv]

My brother was notorious for hitting the arcade machines when he lost."

This is how my original arcade "career" ended in an arcade on the upper east side of Manhattan, NYC circa 1981. They used to have the Defender machines all cranked up and made the free ship 15,000 but I kept playing there anyway because it was the best arcade on the east side back then. After I lost and "hit" the game, a big, fat guido-looking guy yelled at me and threw a token at me. It was the last time I played arcade games until I started collecting about a year and a half ago.

 

[kiwasabi]

...and their rugrats!!

Does that sign say, "Get Glasses, ASSHOLE!"?

-Adam

 

[YellowDog]

I don't get it, did they change the glass after every time you broke it? That would be quick for all being done in 10 minutes. Or, did you just break it in that one spot, 3 times?

-Tim

They had 4 Mata Hari's. They kicked me out before I could throw a quarter into the last one

ken

 

[Dr Galaga]

They tried kicking about 5 friends and myself out of an arcade/bowling alley back around 1990 as we were walking in the door. They told us no cell phones and pagers (they were having gangs coming in from Chicago at the time). We all actually had portable amateur (ham) radios with us. We refused to leave. We told them that we have FCC licenses that say they we can carry them. We also pulled out a copy of the state law that kind of addressed this. Well, they called the cops. When the cops arrived we showed them our FCC licenses and the cops walked out saying, "I'm not touching this one." We made sure that the mangement saw us using the radios a few times that night!