Your first arcade experience?

[DaOld Man]

What was the first game you played on a "real" arcade?
And what was the history?

My first was "Galaga"

I graduated from high school in 1976. I did not go to college, but some of my friends did.
One weekend they were all in, and they invited me to get together and go out for the weekend.
Since I had not seen them in several months, I was anxious to get up with them and see how they were doing.
We decided to go to Bowling Green, Ky. and go bowling. Bowling Green was about 30 miles away, so we stopped at the first "Junior Food Mart" before we got there for a bathroom break.
They had a "Galaga" cab in the small store, and while I was waiting for my buddies to finish their call of nature, I put a few quarters in the machine.
I had never played a quarter munching game before, but it was great.
I tried like everything to beat the flying insects, but much to my demise, I could not.
My friends wound up crowding around, cheering me on.
Eventually we ended up bowling and sharing some great memories of high school.
Ever since then I thought how great it would be to have one of those machines.
Later in life (about 1988), I played the arcade machines with my young son. (Many quarters were sacrificed.)
Even later (about 1996), I sacrificed even more quarters with my young daughter.
And look here now, I am not just playing the arcade machines, but I am building them!
Life comes full circle.
And I am now proud to pass on (or create) the memories to my grandaughter!
3 generations (so far) of the Arcade experience.
God bless the memories.
And long live the special experience called "Arcade".

Now, what say is your experience?

[popsicle]

Space Invaders at the bowling alley by my grandma's house. 

[secret80sman]

Super PAC Man at the Asian market in the high rise across the street. I would do work for the owner  for like an hour after school and he would give me 50 cents which he got right back 10 minutes later. Between that machine and his Stargate one I killed a Ron of time I should have been using for homework but I still smoke all my friends at Super PAC Man. Stargate is a different story, that thing still is hard as hell.

[paigeoliver]

Galaxian cocktail (possibly Galaga or one of the other "Bugs in space" games) and a Red Baron upright. I remember those two from a trip to a restaurant in the town I moved out of 1 month after my 5th birthday. The memory probably dates to summer of 1982. I don't think I actually played the games, I think I just looked at them and moved the controls around (tried to ask my mom, but she doesn't remember this at all).

I more clearly remember playing Moon Patrol at Chuck E Cheese in 1984 for my 7th birthday.

[rhoelsch]

Pac-Man at a Pizza Hut, propped up on my dad's knee because I couldn't reach the controls. Then they put in a Spy Hunter, which just blew my freaking mind... I still hear the Peter Gunn theme whenever I pick up a pan pizza

[SavannahLion]

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php/topic,80084.msg836221.html#msg836221

[mimic]

I have vague memories of going to arcades where there were only pinball machines. I remember playing pong for the first time, but nothing tops, when I walked in to one of the arcades and the owner was playing DEFENDER! I saw that game for the 1st time and I was floored! The light show that game did with stuff exploding, all the flashing when last humanoid was killed on screen and it went into space? I will never forget that moment!!!