How much influence does your better half have over your arcade addiction?

[waveryder]

Myself and Ms Jersey (My better half, her projects coming soon!) were discussing javeryh's Uk popularity thread and it brought up an interesting point. Not just that we are drinking heavily (oh yes we are!) but an interesting point. We believe that over here in the UK our better halves have much more say in the arcade cabinet process than our US counterparts because our machines invariabley end up in the living room or garage rather than the basement or dedicated gamesroom that US buildings seem to be blessed with.
So our question is how much say does your better half have in your arcade addiction?
Waveryder & Ms Jersey

[Dazz]

After letting my woman read a couple of the other threads she said for us it is just a matter of finances...  She's more then happy seeing me do something that I am passionate about and enjoy doing (other then sex).  The inside our house just doesn't have room for a 300+ pound machine and ample space for people to stand/sit around.  We are currently discussing finances and looking into enclosing our 2 car garage to have a gameroom type entertainment area. 

[TelcoLou]

My wife has given a lot of input, and shares my enthusiasm .. we're constantly thinking up ideas together for the name, side art, marquee, etc.

The only arguments I can foresee is who's turn it is to play next once the cab is done 

[Daniel B.]

So our question is how much say does your better half have in your arcade addiction?

Too much!

I have 2 machines. A big "w dy", and a candy cab.

The woody is in the basement (Like a living room. Big screen, consoles, etc), while the candy lives in the garage, in progress. Recently there was a fantastic deal on ebay for a nintendo mario cab, but I couldn't get it because she didn't want it upstairs, and it wouldn't fit downstairs. The house simply isn't big enough, in her opinion to hold more than 1 at a time. I informed her the candy wouldn't fit downstairs either and she agreed to let it be in the front room, but it took hours of arguing and pleading my case.

I'd have alot more cabs, if it weren't for her.

[weisshaupt]

After spending many, many, many hours on this project over the last year and a half, my wife has told me that I may never, ever again build another cabinet. She even looked at me mean when I got my v2 RandyT trackball and put it in today.   Does that count as input?

[CheffoJeffo]

Mrs. Cheffo was doubtful at first, but after the first cocktail came home (and everybody played it for 3 straight weeks), she realized the value of the hobby to me (and the kids and our friends). We came to an understanding that the main area of the basement was mine to do with as I pleased, so long as I didn't clutter up the main or upper floors (granted, I had three cabinets in the dining room at the time, but it's not like she was under duress or anything).

Just before Christmas, I mentioned that I needed to use her Paypal account to order a half dozen arcade boards. She didn't even blink. "Let me know when you have them working".

 

If, however, I ever let Bust A Move fall into disrepair ... in that case we may see some bloodsport.

 

[Afterburner]

Let's see....my wife bought me a Logitech wheel/pedal set and seat from Playseats for Christmas.

It will get turned into an enclosed driving cab sometime in the future.  Gotta get the plans going.

[waveryder]

I'm having to use Waveryder's account as verification of my own is pending;

Ms Jersey; I havent played Pop 'n' Pop in weeks, due to BGB's rewire job and I'm just about ready to pop myself! Be warned; it's important that 'we' other halves have access to "our games" otherwise cabinets get banished to garage

[danny_galaga]

i have had two 'psuedo' better halves when embarking on projects. the first being my sister (we bought a house together). she was understanding and let me go. i was done in about 2 months. the second is my housemate. i have to be much tidier with her. so any day i work on my project, i have to pack everything away again when im finished since there is no shed or workbench. ive been at it for about two YEARS  at the moment she is in vietnam for a month and ive been doing stuff with my project. theres stuff all over the dining room table. it will just about be finished when she gets back 

[Turnarcades]

My missus is golden, and let's me spend what needs be on the business sise of things, as you have to speculate to accumulate, and accumulate we do.

Luckily because she sees the cash side of things, the games room equipment I have is not frowned on, rather standing testament that playing games all the time isn't a waste of time. I'll be adding to my personal collection soon with a couple of fruit machines and a quiz machine.

[NoOne=NBA=]

My wife thought the first cab was a complete waste of money....until it got finished.

Four cabs and one pin later, we are rearranging the entire house to turn the family room into a game room.
She's already planning a pool table purchase when we get done rearranging.
She wasn't too happy about the cabs accumulating in the dining room, but didn't have any viable alternatives until now.

[Fozzy The Bear]

How much influence..... mmmmm Good question...

Well my other half bought me a TurboTwist2 for Christmas last year and some other bits this year. On my birthday she'd found a Jaks Space Invaders that I'm going to turn into a miniature cabinet. For a large portion of last year I was restoring a stripped Virtua Striker that cost very little to buy and sold for a very nice sum and she let me do that in the lounge (mostly because the garage is full of other stuff including two cabs   )

So all in all my other half is a sweetheart about it all. We're quite happy to let each other do whatever we want to do as long as we don't blow money that is earmarked for the bills that must be paid. It's a good level of give and take really.

Yes she gets pissed off at me leaving arcade monitors in the house sometimes.... especially if she falls over them. But most bits are never hanging around for too long, because they end up being used for fixing other peoples machines.

That said, she loves her SNES!! so being able to play all the SNES games on the cab helps a lot!  

Best Regards,
Julian (Fozzy The Bear)  

[CheffoJeffo]

You know that the muppets are all about keeping their wimminz happy !

 

[TheShanMan]

Well, after about a decade of having my centipede cab in a partial state of mame-ification, my son started showing interest in it so my wife actually said "why don't you get that thing working?" Being TOLD to do it was all the motivation I needed . My custom metal swappable cp is basically done (except for beautification) with one panel so far (2 joysticks) - I need to land my next job before money gets allocated for more controls!

But my whole family, including wife, loves playing it, and that definitely helps to warm her up to the idea of spending in this area. She's fine with me buying what I need to do 2 more drop in panels (single switchable joystick, and trackball), and seems fine with my long term plans for an analog joy/spinner panel, a lightgun panel, and ultimately maybe even a steering wheel panel.

The only problem is now it's hard to get time for ME to play the darn thing. If I ever turn it on, my kids appear in a flash, and how can I selfishly play when I see their excitement for it?

That's where my idea for a cocktail cab comes into the picture. I've joked about it with the wife for years, "hey, wouldn't it be cool to have a cocktail cab as an end table in the family room?" Wife - "I'm not having an ugly arcade machine pretend to be a piece of furniture!" I think she's warming up to it a bit though - I probably just need to come up with some concrete plans for a really nice looking cab that would fit in with furniture (i.e. really nice stained wood, smoked glass top). Then I'd actually get to play whenever I want - just go to the machine that the kids aren't using!

And we've tossed the idea of moving to a new house around. I will have to look with the idea of having a game room for arcade machines, pool table, foosball table, etc.

[CheffoJeffo]

If I ever turn it on, my kids appear in a flash, and how can I selfishly play when I see their excitement for it?

Somebody needs more cabs ... 

It won't change anything -- the kids always want to play whatever I want to play, but it's nice to have an option.

 

[WaRpEd]

None my 2 personalities don't talk to one another.

[sfrascella]

November 2005

Me: Honey I'm going to build a Mame cab.
Her: A what?

November 2006

Me: Honey I have to drive to Detroit to pick up a Defender, I'll be late.
Her: Ok be careful, see you when you get home.

December 2006

Me: Honey I found a Galaxian  for $130.00
Her: That's not bad.

November 2007

Me: Honey I found a Centipede in Pennsylvania for $175.00, can I go get it?
Her: Yes, but this is your Christmas present.

December 2007

Me: Honey I won a Berzerk on e-bay.
Her: Do you have room for another game? (subtle hint that flew right over my head)

January 2008

Me: Honey I picked up a Galaga for a hundred bucks!
Her: I thought you weren't getting any more games.


So I think I have hit the wall...................at least for a while.