Laundromats...the final frontier?

[Crowquill]

Last week my washing machine died so I've had to take a few loads to local laundromats. While I've known for some time that these are one of the last places to find games "in the wild", I was surprised at how many I found. I'm thinking I might use one of my days off to go on a Laundromat safari to see what Cincinnati has to offer.

I'm not sure why I didn't think of this sooner as most of the games I played quite a bit as a kid/teenager were at a local laundromat. They were the usual crappy convesion games that you found in the late 80's and usually had at least one joystick or button that didn't work. I guess I just figured that the games disappeared from there like everywhere else.

Case Study #1
The first one had 4 games if you count a MegaTouch. Included were Cruisin World, Mortal Kombat II, and a Namco Classics Vol 2 running in a big Bally 4-player style cab w/ what appeared to be a 27" monitor. It also had a crane machine that was caged up like a wild animal (to protect the glass maybe?). I forgot to take my phone or camera with me that day.


Case Study #2
Much nicer and cleaner laundromat that's near work. I've never actually played a single-screen  Playchoice before. Besides the sideart and a flopsy joystick, that thing was immaculate. Unfortunately only 3 of the 10 game slots were filled (MT's Punch-Out, Tengen Gauntlet, and Super Mario Bros.). The 20th reunion wasn't surprising but was in good shape. The Bullwinkle pin had one problem. The start button wouldn't work. It just kept flashing "press start" to taunt me. I could care less about hunting games.

So far both places' games are from the same operator. It's a place that I sometimes drive by to look in the windows of their "showroom".

I'll post more as I check around the area. I'll try to name the pics with where they came from just in case anyone in Cincy wants to check them out too. Next time I'll try to remember to breing a real camera and not just my phone.

[Chris G]

Growing up in SF, I don't recall ever seeing arcade games in a laundromat... hmmmm... these days I only seem to come across them in pizza places.

[leapinlew]

Why would women doing laundry want to play video games?

 

[BobA]

Stange thou it may sound there are probably some guys around who do not have women to do their nasty laundry.

 

[Donkey_Kong]

Had to go to my home town laundromat the other day for the first time in like 15-17 years or something insane like that. I loved going there in the day cause of Ms. Pacman. The sole game there. Anyway, the other day, Thats right baby!!...MS PACMAN. Had to be the same machine. I believe they own the game which might explain the longevity of its placement there.

Friggin sweet! Hopefully the washing machine breaks again soon so I can go back or, I get my mame machine done! Either way...

 

[Crowquill]

It really makes sense if you think about it...people with a pocket full of quarters and time on their hands. Seems like the perfect place for coin-op games.

While I definitely want to try and get the washing machine fixed this week, I'm the first one to volunteer for laundry duty if it doesn't.

I'm thinking next time I might check out my "college-days" laundromat that I used to go to near the University of Cincinnati. I didn't even live that close to it, but they had a pretty good variety of games. The college girls doing their laundry there had nothing to do with it 

[paigeoliver]

Laundrymats are actually most commonly frequent by single 20-somethings. Hence the videogames.

[MaximRecoil]

The local laundromat is where I discovered arcade games in '84. Technically, the first game I ever played was Pac-Man at the mall in '80 or '81, but I was only 5 or 6, lost quickly and thought no more of it.

Our laundromat had 3 video and 2 pinball machines. The machines got more business from people coming there specifically to play them than they did from people already there because they were doing their laundry. It was a popular after-school hangout. The general store in the center of town was also a popular after-school hangout for the same reason (5 or 6 video machines, no pinball).

[Jeff AMN]

I remember when my mom would wash large blankets and stuff like that we'd always head to the laundromat. There was a nice game room in the back and I'd sit there the entire time playing the games. Star Wars was always a favorite of mine, even if I was just watching the attract mode. "Remember...the Force will be with you."

[btp2k2]

I have seen a few machines in my local Pizza Hut. And the Red Robin near my house has a couple vertical shooters....still a few left, but not many.

[TOK]

Many hotels still have gamerooms also. Typically only 3 or 4 games, but always accessible from the lobby.

[paigeoliver]

It doesn't seem like they are building them into the new hotels though. Hotel gamerooms mostly seem to be in hotels that have been around a long time.

[shardian]

Here is what is in every non-traditional gameroom around here (Wal-mart, movie theaters, etc.:
2 crane games
Fast & Furious racing
Big Buck Hunter

Wowwww...I am sooo excited.

[SithMaster]

my walmart has crusin usa, kiddie rides, and a crane game.  we had a police trainer but hoodlems broke the guns.

at least i have a chuck e cheese but its gone downhill.  no more air hockey, basket ball, skee ball, pins (cept for simpsons), or decent games.  sure there star wars, tmnt turtles in time, and space invaders but mostly ddr and racing with mainy redemp everywhere.  so sad.

[shardian]

my walmart has crusin usa, kiddie rides, and a crane game.  we had a police trainer but hoodlems broke the guns.

at least i have a chuck e cheese but its gone downhill.  no more air hockey, basket ball, skee ball, pins (cept for simpsons), or decent games.  sure there star wars, tmnt turtles in time, and space invaders but mostly ddr and racing with mainy redemp everywhere.  so sad.

Yeah the Billy Bob's (pretty much the same as ChuckECheese) in our area has went to crap after their remodel. All crappy overpriced 3 seconds per quarter redemtion games, or $2 a hit racing games. They do at least have an Elvis Pinball, but the 3rd flipper has issues. Kids hardly go there anymore either.

[FrizzleFried]

There is an arcade in an old ass 2/3 vacant mall that was built in 1968...still there...but it's filled with mostly newer $.50 and $1.00 type games.   

[SithMaster]

The first time i went there after the remodel i asked if they were selling anything and the guy said they got rid of anything they didnt want.  they get there games from a vendor so i wasnt sure if they sent them back or if they sold them to locals.  if they did the latter id feel horrible.

one arcade near me in a mall has a ps2 that you pay to play.  other than that people go there for ddr.

[Jeff AMN]

There are a few arcades around me, so the scene isn't totally dead. Some arcades have over 100 games, but they are few and far between.

[am_monkee]

there was a great bowling alley that had about 15 games not too far from where i lived. then it closed and i was miserable.

there is a bar in bklyn that is half brewery/half arcade games. only problem is it's usually haunted by hipster doofuses on saturday night trying to hook up.  which, granted, is fine, but not when you're trying to play seriously.  i mean-could you beat your high score on dk if some couple kept bumping into you while making out? PRIORITIES PEOPLE!

[SithMaster]

that is when you start twitching asking if they hear the voices too.

100 games, you sir are lucky.  there are a few laudromates near me but there is no point in me going to hunt if i cant bring any home.  current limit is 2 but im trying to work my way up to 3.

[JeepMonkey]

How did you like the single screen PlayChoice compared to the dual screen?  I am looking to buy a PlayChoice, and I am watching one on ebay.  It is a single screen.

[Crowquill]

How did you like the single screen PlayChoice compared to the dual screen?  I am looking to buy a PlayChoice, and I am watching one on ebay.  It is a single screen.

Surprisingly it wasn't that different. The timer was a seperate red LCD panel behind the tinted glass. When you pressed "channel select" it jumped to the green screen showing all the games in their slots. Once you selected one it went to the instruction screen for that game. You held down the "channel enter" (or whatever it's called) for two seconds to go to the game itself. From there it continued as usual until the timer ran out and then it went back to the green screen to ask if you want to continue. Just like the two screen you could change games at any time.

I was driving by the first place again today so I stopped and snapped a few pics. Most turned out badly, but you can see the crane machine that amuses me so much. In one of the other pics you can see where Cruis'n World is plugged in...right above the toddler's head. The MKII has developed a vertical hold issue since the other day.

I also got a pic of the toys in the crane as they are just so crappy. They need a cage to stop someone from stealing a stuffed carton of milk? I'ts the face-down blue-and-white one on the right. The stuffed hen might also be worthy of vandalism.

[leapinlew]

holy cow....

If I walked in my laundromat and saw a machine caged up like that I'd get the hell out of there. If people are robbing a crane machine - they'd probably kill me for my underwear (it really is nice underwear).

[SithMaster]

werent you listening its whats on the inside that they are after...

[grundle]

Laundrymats are actually most commonly frequent by single 20-somethings. Hence the videogames.

That's what I thought when, shortly after graduating college and moving out of a college town, I was on travel for work and decided to save the company some money by not having the hotel wash my clothes.  Found the local laundromat - let's just say that I was paying $3 per pair of underwear for my laundry after that.  A woman at the laundromat actually was yelling at and hitting her child right in front of me because he had gone next door and gotten the large slurpee instead of the small that she said he could get.

[FrizzleFried]

If people are robbing a crane machine - they'd probably kill me for my underwear (it really is nice underwear).

werent you listening its whats on the inside that they are after...

THAT is what scares me!!

Actually...I have met 2 of the lady folk I dated for some time each at a laundromat...

Of course the laundromat was in a beach town called Pacific Beach...and it seemed that there was a city ordinance that required that all women living in said city be of at least a 7/10 on the "Jon Scale" of 1-10 (1 being hideous and 10 being absolutely stunning).

[RayB]

There's a chain of "truck stops" (gas/food/goods) called Love's... I stopped at one in New York or Pennsylvania... Had about 4 games in this little alcove.