Arcade Memories

Arcade memories....oh man where to even start? I could probably write an entire memoir on all of my great arcade experiences. Here are just a handful that come to mind. Inspired by this thread.

The first time I ever played Dig Dug was at the Damascus video store. I had already picked out an nes game and my Dad and brother were still making their selections so I tried the old machine out. I remember the screen burn on the old monitor and the smell of that place even today.

The first time I ever played Street Fighter 2 was amongst a bunch of intimidating high school kids gathered around the machine at the mall arcade. I saw the graphics of the game and the crowd huddled around and it felt like I was a spectator in some underground fighting tournament. I put my quarter up and patiently waited for my turn only to have my ass handed to me, but man what a ride. The older kids were congratulating me for giving it my best shot and started giving me tips on doing the special moves. It was the first time I had experienced any sort of gaming "community" other than friends you knew coming over to your house to play games.

When we were kids our family used to visit Myrtle Beach once a year on vacation. Usually after hitting up the Pavilion amusement part we would tour the main strip and hit the many arcades on the way. It was there, as @Fr0zenFist mentioned, that I played a ridiculous amount of Street Fighter Alpha 2 in it's heyday. I met tons of really cool locals and vacationers who were more than happy to throw down several times and exchange tips along the way. It was also on these trips that Daytona USA became my Dad and I's racing game of choice. I'm sure we raced each other on just about every Daytona USA machine in the Myrtle Beach area. To this day he still smokes me on that first track like it was built for him. Good times!

In my Junior year of high school I was a part of a college study program that offered trips to visit various campuses on the east coast. On a certain trip to Atlanta, we were given a "free" evening to wander around a shopping strip for souvenirs, which also included a mall. There of course I found the arcade and enjoyed an evening Street Fighter EX and Alpha 2 matches with the locals. The highlight of the night was when a group of us took on both of Capcom's Dungeons and Dragons machines from start to finish. It ended up being expensive, but the memories of taking on that challenge with those fellow strangers was the best souvenir I could ask for.

Our local mall arcade once had a magnificent 2 seater Marvel vs. Capcom 2 machine, giving each player their own monitor and comfy fighter pilot seat. I spent countless weekends there on that machine. Sometimes friendships were made and sometimes things got salty, but it's safe to say we were probably keeping that place a float from the attention we gave that machine.

Lately I was given the argument that paying for each game at an arcade is no different from the microtransactions of today's mobile gaming. I had to disagree. You see, if you've read the above memories you'll notice that I had a great time playing the games, but the more important piece is the people you enjoyed the games with. Arcades for me weren't around as much to supply gaming as they were to experience them with your friends and family, which is something sorely missing from modern gaming. Online gaming is fun, but everyone should make a point to gather around a tv with your friends every once in a while. Those are truly the best gaming experiences, in my opinion anyway.

Thanks for reading! Be sure to check out the thread below and share some of your own arcade memories with us:
http://retroafterdark.com/community/showthread.php?tid=242