Who here was a teenager in the 80's?

The only reason I have a cell phone now is because my wife upgraded and gave me hers. I use it for two things... to deposit checks and to get $.99 tacos at Jack n the Box...

Once you finally discover texting, your life will change.
 
I so regret not taking pictures of the arcades I frequented when I was young. I had no idea how much they would mean to me as a middle-aged man.
Thats my one regret. Back on MY day cell phones were nonexistent. Closest we could come to instant pictures were polaroids, and no one was carrying them around.
 
when I was in ninth grade our high school had open campus for lunch and there was a roller rink directly across the street that was open for lunch that served personal pizzas, fried burritos, nachos, stuff like that and had arcade games. when the lunch bell rang, we would full sprint to the rink to order lunch and play games, I remember they had a Spy Hunter, Track and Feild, Yie Ar Kung Fu and Dig Dug, they had more but those are the ones I remember, I played Spy Hunter every day. we could hear the first school bell ring indicating that lunch was almost over and that's when we headed back to campus, I never once ate lunch in that school cafeteria.
Our Senior High ('74-'76) had an open lunch policy. Down the street there was a lunch counter type place with about 14-16 EM pinball machines. Would smoke up and head there during lunch. Was about 50/50 if I made it back after lunch.
 
Our Senior High ('74-'76) had an open lunch policy. Down the street there was a lunch counter type place with about 14-16 EM pinball machines. Would smoke up and head there during lunch. Was about 50/50 if I made it back after lunch.

We did too ('85-'87). We had something like a 32-minute lunch break and were allowed to leave campus. Called it the "Hardee's 500."
 
before I had a vehicle and a freshman there was this dude that would let you ride in the back of his truck to McDonalds if you were wanting something different from the roller rink, every single time he would crank up Money for Nothing by Dire Straits on his system in the truck.
 
Thats my one regret. Back on MY day cell phones were nonexistent. Closest we could come to instant pictures were polaroids, and no one was carrying them around.

I had a double-eight movie camera (still have it). Took some movies of other shit that was important to me at the time but nothing of the arcades. Such regret. :_(
 
February of 1974 over here! When Pac-Man was a new game, I couldn't get near it at the Danvers (MA) House of Pizza with the older kids swarming it!
 
I'm with ya.
I had a Polaroid camera but I wouldn't be dragging it around with me because I was either on my bike or somewhere I was hoping to impress chicks 🤣
And I can tell you how the latter went 99.9% of the time.
I had a double-eight movie camera (still have it). Took some movies of other shit that was important to me at the time but nothing of the arcades. Such regret. :_(
 
The best part was getting games in perfect working condition for $50-$300 depending on the game delivered to my house when I was in 9th grade. At some point I had at least 4 games in my room and my parents were not too keen on it. Haha!!!
 
1968 here, moved to Alhambra in 1978. We had a bowling alley down the street on the border of Alhambra/Monterey Park. There was an arcade called Pirate's Cove a lil bit further. There was Golf n Stuff in City of Industry, Showboat (I think?) in Puente Hills, the arcades in the shopping malls. My parents would go to Vegas often so I lived in the Mega Arcade downstairs at the MGM Grand (later Bally's) and all the great arcades in just about any casino. It was late 70's and early 80's so all of the great EM's of the time then came Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, etc and then Dragon's Lair was introduced and my world was blown. Went to my first concert to see Judas Priest at the Aladdin Theater ('82) and Iron Maiden @ the Irvine Meadows Amphitheater ('85). Man, what a time to be growing up in So Cal...

I was a teenage dirtbag baby, listen to Iron Maiden baby... :rock:


Maiden and Priest were the god's that we praised...

 
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Late to the party. Born in 72 and class of 90 so yes, a teenager in the 80s. That said, being only 10-ish during arcade peak I was intimidated by older teens with combs in their back pocket, rocker t-shirts, mullets and muscle cars parked outside of the arcade dominating all the popular games especially Williams games for whatever reason.
 
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Late to the party. 72 and class of 90 so yes, a teenager in the 80s. That said, being only 10-ish during arcade peak I was intimidated by older teens with combs in their back pocket, rocker t-shirts, mullets and muscle cars parked outside of the arcade dominating all the popular games especially Williams games for whatever reason.
Because they spent the money and could. Just that.
 
Because they spent the money and could. Just that.
Look at it this way:
Few of them were football players, or basketball players, or popular in school. This was an arena where THEY could be the Alpha and EXCEL.

All for the price of quarters. Which they had. So they did.

Wouldn't you give a few bucks to beat the Quarterback and Prom King at Robotron? I know I would have.
 
Look at it this way:
Few of them were football players, or basketball players, or popular in school. This was an arena where THEY could be the Alpha and EXCEL.

All for the price of quarters. Which they had. So they did.

Wouldn't you give a few bucks to beat the Quarterback and Prom King at Robotron? I know I would have.
That makes total sense. I wish I knew then what I know now.
 
Late teens in the early 80's. I miss the fighters and the drivers phases of the arcade evolution. I found something that cost more than arcade machines to play with and that was women. Laughs.
 
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