Post by leunas on Jan 7, 2007 20:18:19 GMT -5
d1ck McVengance over at Destructoid has written a great article lamenting the decline of the old school arcade. With the rise of home consoles, the existence of actual arcades have become fewer and fewer. More often than not, arcades are now relegated to Chuck E. Cheeses, Mini-Golf courses and the occasional movie theater lobby.
I remember the arcade I used to frequent near my house and how much I used to love it. It was the place I first discovered my favorite guilty pleasure, Crystal Castles and where I dropped an endless amount of quarters playing Dragon's Lair, never quite being able to get past the first few screens.
Back when I was living in New Orleans, before the hurricane, there was a terrifying arcade filled with thugs and gang members on upper Bourbon Street, one at Celebration Station, and two out in Metarie that were actual dedicated arcades where games were still a quarter.
In the five years I lived, I watched the two main arcades close and eventually, Celebration Station as well. The last time I was there, the Bourbon Street one had closed as well, but I think that was more due to Katrina than anything else.
d1ck makes an impassioned plea at the end of his article to send him your stories of any arcades that are still running that you know about so he can eventually compile a list of them all. And while age now prevents me from going to them without looking like a perv, I will always remember those heady days of the eighties, standing around the arcade in my Sir Issac Lime t-shirt, watching in amazement as some kid saved Princess Daphne to much cheering and applause.
www.kotaku.com/gaming/arcade/where-are-thou-arcades-226798.php