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Best thing about the arcades OTHER than games

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Marcade:
Seeing as I seemed to cause a bit of a heated debate with my other post (what killed the arcades) I thought I'd try to level the karma a bit.

So other than the obvious, being games, what was some of the little things that "made" the arcades for you?

A vivid memory of mine was the going up to the person on the change kiosk and asking for "tens please", giving over a pound and waiting for them to depress the heavy machined button on their antiquated change machine, similar to a typewriter in appearance and waiting for the ten pence pieces to clang into the collection bin, that resembled a kidney dish, where I could get my grubby little mitts on the precious coins needed to play the games!

Carpets, always gaudy and unnatractive but always screamed arcade and welcome to me  :P

elkameleon:
Oh yes, the soda stained, always gaudy carpets... The closest thing we have to arcades left around here is the local movie theater, they have a few (crappy) games.

Donkbaca:
I would say centipede, since its not a game, its a novelty

SammyWI:

--- Quote from: Donkbaca on April 29, 2011, 07:51:27 pm ---I would say centipede, since its not a game, its a novelty

--- End quote ---

Funny.  When I first floated the idea of building a Mame cabinet to my wife, her one question was: Will it play Centipede?

Me: yes.

Her: Cool.

Disclaimer: I like Centipede too.  ;D

The one thing I always remember about arcades was the sounds.  Just an overwhelming mix of game music and sounds.

Tumerboy:
Depending on if we count it as a game or not. . . I grew up in Santa Cruz CA, and so my arcade of choice was the Coconut Grove at the Boardwalk.  This is a huge video arcade, but off to one side is the shooting gallery.  A counter with old fashioned light guns surrounded a seemingly random old west scene with bottles and cans, a piano, and various other things.  You'd aim at the little round reflectors, shoot, and something would animate.  I loved spending time there.

For things that really aren't games, Marini's candy store that was attached to the Arcade.  And the --bags of cream-filled twinkies--.  I remember one day when I was probably 9 or 10, walking up to the original TMNT Arcade game.  An older (remember I was 9) guy was standing there playing already.  He was only at Bebop, but as soon as I stepped up and tried to put in my quarter he threw a hissy fit, and told me he wanted to play by himself, and then proceeded to physically block the coin slots with his knees while he continued to try and play.  I was super confused and annoyed.  I probably wandered off to the Rampage or Operation Wolf machines.

ETA: My memory of Centipede isn't from the Coconut Grove, but from our local pizza shop.  My mom would take me there when I was really little sometimes, or we'd get take out from there or something, and they always had a Centipede machine in the back by the back door.  I remember when I was really young, being scared to death of the side art.  And later on I remember pretending to play, and then a little later actually playing, and liking it.

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