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Your Old Arcade Spot - Then and Now
Rando:
Hmm,
It was the mid 80's, arcade owned by a copy in Hillsdale NJ, can't remember the name for the life of me. Something like "GameStop" but obviously not that. Friend and I would ride bikes and play games. Lots of Joust, Tron, maybe some Journey. Was never very good at any of them, but awesome stuff. ~ Edit - forgot to say what it is now. Last I saw, it was a lawnmower repair place. Still looks the same, small square brick building, but various engines inside instead of games. :(
That and the boardwalk in Wildwood NJ. Hit arcade after arcade with my brothers and Cousins, playing lots and lots of Spy Hunter.
Awesome.
yotsuya:
When I was a kid, we'd mostly play games at convenience stores (mainly Circle K's), laundry mats (how I miss those Sundays at the Corral Cleaners), pizza places (Peter Piper Pizza in Maryvale was the best), small mall arcades (like the Gold Mine) and grocery stores. The crown jewel of the arcade scene was Castles N' Coasters, your typical family amusement center with a huge selection of games, all located inside a large mideval-style structure. I'm happy to say it's still going strong after all these years!
wonderalex:
While I was growing up in the 80's in 90's there were three arcades - each for different stages of my life.
The first was Amusement 2000 - a dump next to the local grocery store where I would go (without permission) and spend my meager allowance. It was an 80's den, where kids' bikes were routinely stolen (I lost 2). Yet I still have memories of going there with my bro (days when we were actually nice to each other) playing the classics - Robotron, Galaga, PacMan, TRON et cetera. It closed during the 86-87 recession.
The second was Pinnochio, located in a mall across the street from my high school (convenient). Every lunch hour we'd eat our lunch while walking to the arcade (rain or shine) to play Guantlet, Gauntlet 2, Jackal and many more - risking detention for getting back to class late. Raymond (i think that was his name) owned the place - nice old man who gave us tokens. On Saturdays you could pay 20 dollars and play all day, as long as you wanted. He'd just walk over open the coin door and load you up with credits. He passed away not long after I graduated, it continued for a while, but the mall was in decline and it and the mall were demolished in the 90's - it's just empty now. I miss this place the most.
The third was Amusements 222 or just Two-Twenty-Two (Deux-Vingt-Deux for you francophones) where I spend most of my time while I was in CEGEP (17 to 20) - it was a pool hall - pinball mecca and arcade all in one spot. That when's Virtua Fighter (2,3,and 4) ruled my arcade time, I'd play pinball while waiting for my girlfriend and buddies to arrive to drink beer and play pool. It's gone now too - closed up shop a not too long ago I hear - another casualty of "home" entertainment. I had hoped it was still around - wanted to bring my son to see.
My university years were spent in front of computers, history books, art classes and social "gatherings" ;) - arcades weren't a big part of my life then - just somewhere to kill time between classes or parties.
Thank you for starting this thread Mozil - it helped me figure out what to call my cabinet: Pinnochio Dreams 2222, just sketched the marquee on a napkin.
WonderAlex
Vulgar Soul:
--- Quote from: wonderalex on January 25, 2011, 09:31:57 pm ---
Thank you for starting this thread Mozil - it helped me figure out what to call my cabinet: Pinnochio Dreams 2222, just sketched the marquee on a napkin.
WonderAlex
--- End quote ---
Ha ha, no doubt. Nice name! And always nice to read ole "comin of age" arcade stories.
Smeghead:
The only place you could even play arcade games when I was growing up other than the travelling funfair was THE MOST seediest, smokiest, most 'take your life in your hands if you enter' dive just off Oxford Street in London.
I was just a kid or I might not have gotten out of there sometimes.
There was actually a proper one in Oxford Street itself but you had to be 18