Why?

[darthbane2k]

What was the MAIN reason for building your first cab?

Im just curious of people's thoughts...


1) to actually PLAY and ENJOY classic games?

2) To revel in nostalga?

3) To show off to your mates?

4) Because the cabinet just looks good within the living room!

[More Cowbell]

1-3 in that order. No 4 since mine has been relegated to the basement.
#1 and #2 go hand in hand.

[fredster]

Because they looked cool and BECAUSE I COULD

[CheffoJeffo]

Because they looked cool and BECAUSE I COULD

Right said Fred! (e.g. what he said)

Cheers.

[walls83]

I say 1 and 2 all the way. 


But my wife says cause Im a dork.

Whatever the reason, I build one and theres nothing she can do about it.  Learn to love it or go watch Oprah.

sometimes life is real good.

[subcriminal]

All of the above and because you can't buy one like mine 

[Franco]

1, 3 and 4 I suppose.

I found mame after a small feature in FHM and got hooked instantly. Soon after I bought a X-Arcade which sufficed for a while. Then I found some cabinets on t'net and decided I really wanted to build my own but I couldn't justify spending a load of

[nostrebor]

It's all about the build.

I rarely play my games, but I truly enjoy building them. I "retired" from car restoration and race car building after the kids came along, and this hobby has filled the need to fabricate nicely. So far it is the only hobby I have had that was self-supporting financially. I can buy and sell within the hobby to keep my projects rolling.

[Witchboard]

So far it is the only hobby I have had that was self-supporting financially. I can buy and sell within the hobby to keep my projects rolling.

I have yet to master this.

I haven't actually built anything from scratch, just been working on restorations.  I find myself working on games that I never played as a child in the arcade, just on my Atari 400.  There's a bit of nostalgia, but I actually find the classics fascinating.

[DrewKaree]

Why not?

Oh, sorry.  I was just answering your non-specific topic

[Bones]

To pick up hot chicks.

[Luckydevil]

because consoles look weak next to a full blown arcade game no matter how old it is.



"To pick up hot chicks."

I'd like to think that we are in the upper echelon of the nerds in terms of coolness. 
Nerds that play D+D with dice are at the bottom of course. 

[RayB]

1 & 2

[SteveJ34]

1 and 2 for me.

I wanted to acquire and restore a Galaga machine then ran across what could be done with multi game play so went down that path instead.

I'd still like to build a Galaga to spec or restore a classic if the right one could be had.

[Hurray Banana]

It's all about the build.

I agree, building the thing is half the fun, I'm currently building a cocktail (I'll put a project announcement up when I sort some pics, taking forever - no time to devote), my full size cab is currently in pieces. I used it as a learning experience. I will build another at some point.

I love playing the games I played as a kid (brings back so many memories), my girlfriend thinks I am mad (which I am), but let's me do it cause she can see I love it.

[markb]

For me there were 2 reasons, firstly I had a spare computer and secondly I enjoy a challenge.

Building a cab is fairly unique, you are required at some point to be part electrician, part carpenter, part computer bod.

[MYX]

1 - Fer sure (playing)
2 - yup - although when it is all said and done, there were never scrolling blinking lights on the clasics. It is almost trying to put pinball concepts into cabs. (nostalga)
3 - Uh...yeah (showing off)
4 - no it will go in the game room. (look good in living room)
I also have to agree that it is about the build. 1. to see if I can pull it off. and 2. I am just having a heck of a lot of fun (except for when I'm not)

[PCtech]

I hate to say it, but someone paid me.  I love the games, spent way too much time in the arcades as a kid.  I've known about MAME for awhile, but never thought about putting it in a cab.  Once I found out about it, and started telling a couple people about how "cool" the idea sounded, once guy offered to pay me to turn his "Mortal Kombat" into a MAME machine.

I love doing it, but can't afford to do one for myself 

[WwonderLlama]

I'd have to go with 2, 1, and 3 (in that order).  I can't say 4, since my black-painted cab looks terrible in my white-walled living room...

I'd like to think that we are in the upper echelon of the nerds in terms of coolness. 
Nerds that play D+D with dice are at the bottom of course. 

But wait... I do both... So where does that put me?  Am I in two places at once?  That'd be cool! I could be at work earning money while being at home building/playing my MAME cab!

[KillerArcades]

For me:

1) to actually PLAY and ENJOY classic games?

YES!

2) To revel in nostalga?
Yes!

3) To show off to your mates?
yeah, that doesn't hurt.

4) Because the cabinet just looks good within the living room!

nah, mine's being relegated to the downstairs "game room" as well. :p but, I can control the lighting more down there anyway, so no biggee.

[Doc Thirst]

Mine is a story of badluck and hard knocks.  Well not really, but I'll tell you anyway.

When I was a kid I loved video games.  I even remember the first game I every played (it was a western themed Atari game) and the first arcade I ever went to (it was a storage shed in a small town with like 5 titles).  The problem was financial.  My folks were never wealthy and truth be told, never had enough money until well after I was out of the house.  Therefore a trip to the (mall) arcade went like this...

Me:  "Wow, mom can I have some quarters?"
Mom:  "Sure, here is $1.25, I'll be back in a hour."

I'm sure you know the rest of the story, 5 plays lasted about 2 minutes, then I spent the rest of the time looking at games wishing I could play.  So lets just say I'm trying to make up for lost time, or more honestly lost quarters.

[thebrownshow]

I'm not sure exactly why I built mine.  I had known about MAME for at least 5 years prior, but once I found this place and said to myself "Holy crap, you can actually DO that?" -- I just HAD to build one.  It was all I thought about, kinda like Richard Dryfuss in Close Encounters.

After the fact, though, I think one of the biggest benefits of building my cabinet is the history factor.  A few of my friends have next to zero knowledge about the classics - we're the Street Fighter/Mortal Kombat generation, and that's essentially all they know.  Now I have a machine where we can relive the summer days spent at the local 7-11 drinking Slurpees and trying to figure out finishing moves, yet I can also give them an old-school education and show them how badass Robotron and Defender really are.

[M3talhead]

5) I'm not quite right in the head.

[RetroACTIVE]

2 > 1 > 3 > 4.... and "I want one too!"

[MYX]

5) I'm not quite right in the head.

um yeah, but why did you build it? I don't mean to speak for anyone else, but, I don't think that any of are really right in the head.

[HOTR6]

A friend of mine BOUGHT one for her husband. She paid over $3000 for it. I was there when the shop delivered it and I saw what they had done and figured I could do that for MUCH cheaper!
She had a few parties and everyone LOVED the thing withis little 17" screen and played all these games. My husband liked it ALOT since he was an arcade junky in his youth and EVERYTIME we get near an arcade he ALWAYS wants to go in and play so I mostly built it for him. I like to play frogger and Donkey Kong and stuff.
Now that I have built it I LOVE to show it off! It was really nice when my stupidly rich brother in law came over to the house 1/4 of the size of his with no Ferrari parked in the garage like his, and he was so impressed and loved the cab, it wasn't even finished yet (he was playing on the keyboard before I got my I Pac) Just to have something cool and be able to impress him was worth the time and effort! My friends kids think it is the greatest thing too! It is fun!
My husband insisted it be wood grain and so it does look good in the living room!

[rackoon]

Definitely (1 mostly.)  I love the classics!
Let me tell you why.

    First,  most console games are just to easy. Arcade games, on the other hand, are a true challenge because they  want to kill you fast so you will dump another quarter in.

    Second, I want to relive my wasted youth. I still play them at the local pizza joint. My son and I waste ten bucks a week on ms. PAC MAN, Defender, and Galaga.

   Third, the simplicity of games like PAC man, tempest and such are great for playing while drinking. Also, the controls of an arcade game are easier to use when you are buzzed.

  Finally, yea I guess it is a little about showing off. Having an arcade cab with all the classics will be somewhat of a status symbol in the circles I run in.

[thebrownshow]

   Third, the simplicity of games like PAC man, tempest and such are great for playing while drinking. Also, the controls of an arcade game are easier to use when you are buzzed.

Can I change my reason to that one?

[Teebor]

1 to 3 for me

But my Girlfriend thinks I am mad, but everyone else I know wants to play on it once its built. 

[Havok]

Because I had empty floor space.

 

[ppilot]

A friend of mine BOUGHT one for her husband. She paid over $3000 for it. I was there when the shop delivered it and I saw what they had done and figured I could do that for MUCH cheaper!
She had a few parties and everyone LOVED the thing withis little 17" screen and played all these games. My husband liked it ALOT since he was an arcade junky in his youth and EVERYTIME we get near an arcade he ALWAYS wants to go in and play so I mostly built it for him. I like to play frogger and Donkey Kong and stuff.
Now that I have built it I LOVE to show it off! It was really nice when my stupidly rich brother in law came over to the house 1/4 of the size of his with no Ferrari parked in the garage like his, and he was so impressed and loved the cab, it wasn't even finished yet (he was playing on the keyboard before I got my I Pac) Just to have something cool and be able to impress him was worth the time and effort! My friends kids think it is the greatest thing too! It is fun!
My husband insisted it be wood grain and so it does look good in the living room!

Wait a second, you built a cabinet for your husband?  How is your relationship?  Is it pretty strong, and if not, what are you doing this weekend?

[HOTR6]

Posted by: ppilot
Wait a second, you built a cabinet for your husband?  How is your relationship?  Is it pretty strong, and if not, what are you doing this weekend? 

Ha Ha! Yup I built one for him! AND I just found out the new TopGun light gun I bought is going to be here today so he can play police trainer!
HE was actually supposed to build the cabinet for me so I could put the computer in it but he never got around to doing it so I ended up doing it while he was in Iraq. Must have been quite a shock for him to come home to this huge peice of furniture that wasn't there when he left!
I will build you a cabinet to your specs and even help you do everything. It was fun! I figure once he brings over some of the Marines he works with I will be doing several builds. I am excited!