Remember when Arcades were scary?

[RJY33]

I'm 32. Used to go to Chuck E Cheese when I was real young, and then bowling alley and mall arcades later on. Had a place called Aladdin's Castle too. Used to always love going to the Jersey shore beach arcades on vacation also

All these stories you hear are true. My mall arcade literally had no overhead lighting. Just the glow of the machines and a lamp on the glass display case where you cash your tickets in for spider rings and pencil erasers. I remember they only ever had one worker in there wearing a red vest he never moved from behind the counter. He was in the big room up front with all the pinball and racing games. Then you turn a corner and go into this small ass room with all the fighting games lined up. Once you went into that room anything could happen there were no exits or cameras. You were on your own. Always older kids and dudes with ponytails back there sweating and yelling. Saw fights and cops tossing dudes out of the mall regularly. Scared me when I was little but looking back it was good for me.

I was a fighting/ side scrolling beat em up fiend. When you walked into your local arcade and saw a new MK or SF game best feeling ever. You knew you were about to drop your whole allowance ($3 ). I remember getting so heated playing these violent games, and if I lost my money before I beat them I would go home and finish the beating on my little brother

 

[daze23]

what about newer places like Dave and Busters that are adult themed with liquor

it just ain't the same without a bunch of knucklehead teenagers

 

[Tryna Makit]

Only thing dangerous was the smell of unwashed nerd and disgusting Stained carpet

 

[itsyoung!!]

I used to play at various spots across the Northern VA area, and some were type sketchy as well. Dimly lit, could smoke indoors still (a few you could still do so up until the early 00's). I remember seeing a number of physical fights over games when cats were cheap with the unblockable throwing in MK1.

On a note, what was the old school term for players that used to do stuff like that back in arcade games? That was pretty much the only way that they could win.

cheesing ? we used to call cheap tactics cheesing

 

[hex]

I was in arcades in the 80's and 90's....to anyone that thinks this thread is bullshyt, or exaggerating, you need to look at it in perspective.

Crime was out of control, basically everywhere back then. I don't just mean NY or Cali, I mean crime over all was a lot higher than now. Take that into account, now remember arcades were full of teen agers....also take into account there wasn't cameras all over the place, or cell phones to call for help....and you have the recipe for fukkery.

Fred.

 

[Woodrow]

Nightmares

what in the holy...

 

[Woodrow]

i was always good money at the local spots in my hood. the dealers knew my work, lol. soon as they saw my short ass bop in they would just start lining up matches for me. nikkas would literally be sprinting to their granma house to pull cousins off the snes and try to give me run. was too young to realize they were betting on me the whole time (or why they kept sliding me $40-60 dollars when it was time to be out).

nyc was a completely different story tho. u didnt hit the machines in nyc unless u were 5-6 deep.

lol. any of u nikkas pick a meet up spot BEFORE going in that bytch? on some "if some shyt pop off we all link back up right here! NOBODY LEAVES TIL WE ALL LINK UP!"


and shytttttttttttt... at one point u just didnt go to brooklyn. at least not with ur wallet in an actual pocket.

 

[8====D]

we use to hit up the arcade that were always in pizza hut restaurants back in the day. . .

o' how the times have changed

 

[jmspro]

I remember when NBA Jam came out and I was beating this 20 year old mufukkka and I was like 12. He would get mad and start yelling FUKK!!! on the last few points I scored and I would jump every time. I beat his ass and ran outta there.

 

[Liquid]

I was in arcades in the 80's and 90's....to anyone that thinks this thread is bullshyt, or exaggerating, you need to look at it in perspective.

Crime was out of control, basically everywhere back then. I don't just mean NY or Cali, I mean crime over all was a lot higher than now. Take that into account, now remember arcades were full of teen agers....also take into account there wasn't cameras all over the place, or cell phones to call for help....and you have the recipe for fukkery.

Fred.

The only reason I was able to get away with going down there alone was because my uncle was well connected with many of those goons in the area.

 

[hex]

The only reason I was able to get away with going down there alone was because my uncle was well connected with many of those goons in the area.

I was straight because Kansas City, Missouri is relatively small especially compared to places like Cali or NY. So there would always be several of us at the mall.

There was no free standing arcades, they were all in malls....and in a span of around 15 years every single mall in KCMO closed down, due to crime and/or the surrounding areas deteriorating.

Fred.

 

[Momentum]

I definitely seen some shyt go down over who's quarter was next

Definitely seen near fights over someone joining a Marvel vs Capcom campaign as player 2 without asking

 

[Momentum]

Did this really turn into a "real nikka" gang thread

 

[krackdagawd]

on market street... so much fukkery. Dont even get me started about the spot in irvington on Springfield ave back in the early 90s.

Risking our lives to play videogames

If you went in there anything less than 3 deep you were food, these kids don't know how good they got it now a days.

 

[Pegasus Jackson]

They're popping up all over LA. There's one in Portland that I plan on visiting this fall. They said that the hardest part of keeping things going is the lack of parts to keep the machines going. It's all outdated technology and companies don't make it much anymore.

I'd love to open one in the DC area

Hipsters are opening bars with old arcade games they barely remember. In DC they have Atlas Arcade on H Street. In Philly/NYC they have Barcade and in Atlanta they have Joystick.

But yea.. the 80s to early 90s arcade scene was a lot "Grimier" (relatively speaking) then that Dance Dance Revolution bullshyt of the 2000s. Hell, I remember when people could smoke in arcades and that's where you went to see the weed man. Had some chicken hawk pedos in that bytch too... a totally different era.