What's Your Motivation?

[SanTe]

So what's your motivation for restoring and collecting these old ass arcade games?

To be Flynn. As time goes on I play less, and I focus more on fixing/maintaining/improving my games and making the game room better. I like the feeling of knocking out a to do list and getting everything back to 100%. I spend more time trying to make a great arcade than I do playing. It's a little OCD of me, but that must be an itch that needs scratching.

Honestly I don't even feel compelled to play my games much anymore, but I feel comforted when I go into my game room. Sometimes I just spend a little time in there and don't even turn any of the games on. Maybe just throw on the TV and play some music videos while I tinker around.

 

[Shavenyak]

For me, this hobby has about 5 or 6 "stimulation points" that get me going.

1. The Hunt: Finding that purchase. Checking the usual internet hot spots daily and hoping to find something that catches your eye.

2. The Purchase: Here you have to use your communication and negotiating skills to try and reach a deal. At the same time trying not to get scammed or robbed during the transaction.

3. Transportation of the Beast: Driving home with that 300 pound box of wood. This includes bringing a buddy or one of your kids and having a road trip.

4. Checking out the purchase: The excitement of getting your purchase home and being able to see what you actually have. Is it all original? Has is been hacked to death? Is it working? Any clues to where it has been and surprises left in the cabinet?

5.Fixing/Restoring the game: Here is where you make a plan on what needs to be done and find out if you are talented enough to handle the job. These tests your various skill levels of: Woodworking, electrical, electronic, painting, googling, youtubing, and beer drinking, to name a few.

6. New Purchases: With your new game, you also have an excuse to get some new tools and order buttons, joysticks, cap kits, and art work ect and wait for your packages to arrive.

7. Making the game yours. Finishing all your plans, and getting the game to work and look the way you want too.

8. Enjoyment: From finishing the game and watching friends and family enjoy not only playing the game, but your stories associated from the restore.

I enjoy all of the above when it all goes right!

All this.

To be Flynn. As time goes on I play less, and I focus more on fixing/maintaining/improving my games and making the game room better. I like the feeling of knocking out a to do list and getting everything back to 100%. I spend more time trying to make a great arcade than I do playing. It's a little OCD of me, but that must be an itch that needs scratching.

Honestly I don't even feel compelled to play my games much anymore, but I feel comforted when I go into my game room. Sometimes I just spend a little time in there and don't even turn any of the games on. Maybe just throw on the TV and play some music videos while I tinker around.

I get this. Is that your game room?

 

[mysticmonk]

For revenge!

All the times I ran out of money in an arcade, only to listen to the bleeping sounds and flashing lights taunting me as I walked out the door "you cant play me!"

So its a four-point plan;

1) Collect the games and play them to get really, really good. So good that one credit lasts me an entire month.

2) Build (or borrow) DeLorean time machine, go back in time and put operators out of business by hogging the machines forever.

3) Laugh in sweet vengeance.

4) Return in DeLorean to alternative apocalyptic future where arcade machines have become self-aware and identified humans as enemies and....stuff.

Still working on point 1

 

[SanTe]

I get this. Is that your game room?

Ha! No, that's actually a screen grab from the original Tron film, a shot through the windows of Flynn's second floor office above the arcade. The Billy Idol look-alike in the white trench coat should be the tip-off.

 

[ArcadeTechGW]

I do it to get some quality time with games I enjoyed in the past. I look for games I really enjoyed, and pick them up when I can. I fix them as time permits - I really enjoy fixing old games, and bringing them back to life.

I'm not so much on the restoration stuff - I am amazed and humbled by what some of the people here can do to restore a game cosmetically - it's simply amazing and wonderful! It's also something that I have no skill or interest in learning. I do the 0's and 1's and electronic stuff.

The new house I got relo'd into is taking a lot of my time that I would be spending on my games. That's kind of a drag, but it won't last forever, and pretty soon, I'll be back to working on and fixing games.

Today, I have to sand trim and paint the garage window with Kilz, so that we can paint the trim linen white instead of golden oak, as we continue to work to transform all our golden oak trim to linen white trim. The windows are large and it takes several hours to move things away, sand for the proper prep, and then to actually mix the paint and hand paint the things. Once done, there will be peace for a while.

Tons of work to do around the house. This house is a time vampire - it sucks the free time right out of me. Too many things I want to make better and change.

 

[dalaibl0445]

it'll be fun to fix them all when i'm retired... because that's about another 15 years... they should all be NON working by then right?

all the parts will probably no longer be available...
they will have to be switched to LED screens...

kidding, kidding...
it's just a blast... really is. playing, and learning to fix them. a LOT of parts still seem to be available. And you don't have to leave the house during the COLD Wisconsin winters to play arcade games...

 

[AJ2]

to piss off the wife

 

[Tronic]

So what's your motivation for restoring and collecting these old ass arcade games?



.

I paid for a degree in electronics, so I feel this was a hobby to wring a little more out of that. Since my current job is more IT related, it helps keep me fresh on what I studied so many years ago.

And have a hobby that's family friendly.

And for nostalgia.

And for the reactions of people that visit.

 

[TheYeti]

My current motivation is to not be upside down on nearly every game I've purchased.

 

[Hydreigon]

Research. Most arcade games I have a high interest in aren't mentioned much here and it's fascinating to look into these types of games.

 

[TimePiloteer]

8. Enjoyment: From finishing the game and watching friends and family enjoy not only playing the game, but your stories associated from the restore.

I never seem to get to step 8!