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9.14.10
By David Oliver: Author Page
What I’m Thankful For
Arcades
This is more of a what I was thankful for. And I continue to lament the fact that it’s getting harder and harder to find quality arcades in this country, at least in Los Angeles. Playstation, XBOX and all the other home games have gotten simply amazing, but there was and will always be something to me – part of probably the first generation that grew up with video games – that heartily enjoyed an afternoon spent trying to either get Mario up that friggin’ skyscraper, blow things to shit with Contra, kick ass and get ass kicked on the original Mortal Kombat, Ring King, Elevator Action, Victory Road, Heavy Barrel, Dungeons and Dragons, Nightstriker, WWE Wrestlefest and WWE Superstars, Vanguard, Final Fight, Burning Fight, Moon Patrol, Metal Slug, House of the Dead, Carrier Airwing and too many more titles to even remember.
I grew up in and around Louisville, KY. There used to be a great arcade in the old Galleria in downtown on 4th Street. Saturday mornings, I used to scrape together $2.50, hop on the bike, crank myself about four or five miles across the Ohio River on the 2nd Street Bridge, get to the arcade at 10:00 AM, get the $5 worth of tokens for the two bills and two quarters I had clutched in my hand (the best deal ever) and easily be able to kill at least four hours. Then I’d hop back on the bike for the return trip, and look forward to the next encounter with my video nemeses. Kept a kid in shape and out of trouble. When I was 14, my best friend and I spent our last day hanging together making that arcade trip, which we did a few times. He was killed the next day riding his bicycle on that very same 2nd Street Bridge.
Even when I was in college, there was a pretty good arcade at the River Falls Mall, which is now some kind of fucking gigantic bass shop since the entire mall, which was less than 20 years old, folded. Southern Indiana…. I found a couple of good arcades here in LA when I first moved here in 1996. Los Angeles Community College on Vermont Street had two (now just one), there was one on the Santa Monica Pier, not sure it it’s still there now. There is one of the sleaziest arcades downtown on Broadway between 7th and 8th Streets. You had to make your way past the homeless, the t-shirt and sunglass vendors and all of the other Downtown LA wildlife to get there. And that arcade was just as clean as the outside environs, which is to say not very.
There was a fantastic arcade across the street from Pasadena City College. It had more games than almost any arcade I’d ever been in. Folded about four or five years ago from what I gather. I believe there’s still one in Westwood. It was an upscale but small and overpriced joint. Didn’t go there very often unless I was bumming around the Westwood shops. Used to be a really handy arcade across from Westside Pavilion on the corner of Overland and Pico. That got turned into a mattress wholesaler over a decade ago. There are some arcades still to be found in malls. But typically, they only have the ultra new games that cost about a buck to play for one credit.
Good arcades, especially good arcades with good games both old and new, are indeed a dying breed. But I was thankful for them while I had them.
10 comments
I was there for the Galleria Arcade's last day. That was nearly 10 years ago.
There's a arcade at a mall just outside of Nashville that is still doing it right. It's dark inside, the games cost a quarter and all the old school games are there.
The one on Vermont sometimes gets sketchy but has a good vibe most of the time and has some really good talent to compete against . I was psyked the last time I was there(2yrs ago) to see they had some pristine Killer Instinct machines. Dusted off the skills and after $25 I had my initials at the top of Sabrewolf and Jago rankings.
The one on the Piers still there, last time I was there it was all DDR machines and ancient skeeball. An okay time but not worth making a real trip to.
Is that one Downtown still around? I've been there a few times and co-sign – it's a dive.
I grew up in Southern California (and still live there to this day), and I have fond memories of arcades growing up. It seemed that in the 1980's there was one around every corner, and lucky for me there was. I used to ride my bike across the freeway bridge to play the classics, at a small arcade, but it was the place to be during the summer. I still remember, between 2 and 4pm on weekends for only $2 you could play unlimited time on some of the best games around, Galaga, Pac-Man, Moon Patrol, Berserk, BurgerTime, Donkey Kong, etc etc. The place closed a long time ago, but the memories still linger. David, if you are interested in taking a trip to Big Bear CA, (Oktoberfest is right around the corner!) there is a wonderful arcade up there called the Super Bear. It's definately worth the trip since the last time I was there about 3 years ago I was able to play the deluxe 6 player X-Men and WWF Superstars. Heck they even have a working condition ultra rare Discs of Tron cabinet…
Great post:-) David – I know it's not he same but you definately set up MAME on your pc or whatever (MAME on the original xbox is actualy great btw). In my tiny studio flat (I live in London) I have a MAME cab; it's not one of those fancy looking ones though; it is an original 80s cab (just the cab itself is ofcourse) and is a bit grimey. I still love playign Final Fight, Street Fighter and Shinobi etc. Will probbaly have to sell it when I next move though, as it's a bitch to get up and down stairs:-(
We still have an arcade here in East Lansing, but it's a shadow of it's former self. I spent countless hours and quarters at Pete's growing up in the 80s. Now, games are different — still has some pinball games and stuff, but the last time I was there it was filled with those dance-dance pad game things. Ugh. Give me Time Pilot and Dig Dug and Spy Hunter! Give me TRON!
I was at Funspot in Laconia NH this Saturday. I was unbelievable– they even had Astro Fighter, Gorf, and Pleiades, really obscure games that I hadn't played since my youth. It's an incredible arcade, anyone that digs games needs to make a pilgrimage. (And no, I didn't get a Donkey Kong Kill screen.)
Yup, miss arcades like crazy. Was just trying to find one last week to take my visiting nephew to. In all of Manhattan we could only find a small dive in Chinatown. I wonder if someone combined an arcade and a bar (like Alamo Drafthouse has done for movie theaters), the arcade could thrive again. It's really all about the social aspect of hanging out and competeing against other gamers… face to face!
And getting drunk!!
I have really been liking these articles. Almost every one has been good, and put a smile on my face. This one though is very good and just makes me sad. I soooo miss arcades. Had simular experiences in the 80s. If my buddy and I had $5 we would jump on the mopeds and make a day of it, with a pit stop for 59 cent tacos at Taco bell, and a stop at the comic shop to check out the quarter bin. Those were the days. Now, get off my lawn!
Reminds me of a tiny little strip mall in Newark, DE. They had a theater, a prehistoric 5 and 10, magazine store, and an arcade. I loved that arcade and hated moving, and a part of me still wants it to be there. I played ALOT of pool there too. Many pleasant memories of the early 90s there.
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