Arcade pics 1977 - 1984

[shertz]

Thought I would pass this on. 190 pics of classic arcades from 1977 - 1984. Everyone who's into classic games have fond memories of the arcades during that period. These pics really show how big and fantastic arcades use to be. It brings tears to my eyes when I see some of these pics with rows of Pac-Man's and other games all cramed together. There are even a few pics of the arcade I use to goto a lot when I was a kid called Starship Video in Upland, CA! These pics were collected and provided by Brett Pulliam (aka: nutballchamp) who is a fellow arcade collector. Enjoy...

http://www.bpulliam.smugmug.com/gallery/4918209_3RCNf#294408939_52KhM

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

My God, but this is magical stuff.

Those of you who weren't around for the first golden age of video games - please, take a look, soak it up. This only happened once. It'll never happen this way again.

I'm gonna go stay up past my bedtime looking at the rest of these.

[kainemaxwell]

omg, those bring back such great memories!

[vectrexer]

really cool pics. Hope to realive some of the day when California Extreme (http://www.caextreme.org (http://www.caextreme.org)) happens in July.

[Kaboomer]

Nice. It's amazing to me with as much time as I spent in our local arcades in Omaha, Nebraska, that I don't have a single photo of me playing an arcade game :( Oh, to go back in time.

[GaijinPunch]

Sweet hair cuts...all around.

[klausien]

Thank you! Truly awe-inspiring. I am just a bit to young to have experienced this, but it looks like pure fantasy.

My best memory of that time was the relatively small arcade in a local roller rink. Both have been gone for 20 years at this point, but it had that late 70's/early 80's look. I remember playing The Empire Strikes Back there. I was only 3 or 4 years old, but I definitely remember. There was also a pizza place (Hungry House) that had a small attached arcade with about 10-15 machines. Played as much Asteroids and Star Wars (sit in!) as I could, My Mom wasn't into arcades. She saw them as a haven of scum and villainy.

I spent the summers of my youth chasing what's in those pictures without ever really knowing what I had missed. I was always looking for something as cool as those arcades during the early 90's resurgence brought on by SFII. There were a couple that were fun, such as those on the Jersey shore boardwalks and in some of the local shopping malls (Rockaway, Willowbrook), but none had that ambiance. If only it were possible to keep a place like that open now. There are so few left.

[shawnbo42]

I also remember and miss those days...life was good. On another note, I think it'd be interesting if any one of us ended up with one of the machines out of those pictures, although we'd never know. Too bad operators didn't do a "wheresgeorge" kind of thing, you know, put an index card in the cabinet or something, and track the ownership. I think it would be cool nowadays if you KNEW exactly the history of your cabinet....ah, just rambling. Great pics, definitely captures the feel of how it used to be.

[Nitrosport]

Some of those pictures are just amazing. There was so much money put into these places. I wish I could have experienced all of this.

"Do not cut school to be here" <---LOL

[XYXZYZ]

God, I want a time machine. I miss it...:(

Striped tube socks FTW :rocker:

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I wonder if that photo of all the assembled Donkey Kong machines is one of the warehouse in New Jersey where Nintendo set up it's East Coast distribution in the 1980's. It's described in great detail in the book Game Over and it looks like it could fit that description! (Page 2, Line One, Photo 4)

If so, that might even be "Nintendo Fun Club President" Howard Philips in the far right, half off-frame!

[mailman187666]

I just BARELY remember those days. I was born in 1982 but my mother would take me to those places as soon as I was able to walk. My main arcade memories come from around when the first Double Dragon came out, around that era. I do remember my mother bringing me to the earlier arcades though and having to stand on a stool to play Donkey Kong and Pac Man though.

[Pantechnicon]

Yep. Those were the days. Sometimes it's hard to remember how grand it all used to be.

- Picture 13: Omega Race and Star Castle juxtaposed...(/drool)

- Pics 38 and 39: The arcade owner must have been pulling in some serious bank to afford all that protective wood paneling for the machines.

- Picture 59: sigh...I'm probably going to sell my Pac-Man cab tonight (sorry...I need the space in the garage). This one makes me have second thoughts about the idea. I think I'll make up for it by taking my Lunar Lander cab off the block.

- Picture 73: Somebody pick PDF up off the floor, kthx.

- Picture 183: "ARCADE" = The panacea for terminal boredom when being dragged off on some horrible family vacation: "Mooooom?! Daaaad?! We don't want to go see the river! When can we go to that arcade?!"

Maybe I'm overstating it a bit but it seems like there were very few places back around 1982 where there wasn't at least one cab. I'm talking about stores of all types: grocery, convenience or department, as well as restaurants. I think I miss that particular ubiquity more so than I mourn the death of the Big Arcade. Anybody else feel that way?

[nestlekwik]

I just BARELY remember those days. I was born in 1982 but my mother would take me to those places as soon as I was able to walk. My main arcade memories come from around when the first Double Dragon came out, around that era. I do remember my mother bringing me to the earlier arcades though and having to stand on a stool to play Donkey Kong and Pac Man though.

I was born in '81, but I was the same way. When I was able to understand what was going on, I remember constantly hitting my arcade's Super Mario Bros. Vs. cabinet along with various shooters and platformers. This was back when arcades could still stretch about half the length of the mall with the newest and classic games and $5 bought you hours of entertainment. By the time I was able frequent arcades on my own, the Double Dragons and Final Fights were everywhere and I heavily got into the one-on-one fighting game craze when it first launched.

At least in my area, I can remember when arcades were actually packed with people. You had to wait in lines to play stand-up cabinets - if it was the brawler games you had to wait until someone ran out of quarters to take their spot or you waited in the fighting game coin lines to challenge the winner. Now in this area, you're most likely the only person in any given arcade unless you go during a time where all the school-age kids gravitate around a DDR machine or redemption games. The fact I have to drive an hour and a half to find a decent arcade any more should speak volumes about how horribly arcades died here. I really miss those days.

[Pantechnicon]

It's amazing to me with as much time as I spent in our local arcades in Omaha, Nebraska, that I don't have a single photo of me playing an arcade game :(

Gizmo's at West Roads Mall FTW!

[winona2k]

We never really hadmany arcades in sweden in the 80´s or at least not where I lived. I did visit finland quite a lot though and on the ferry I got to play quite a lot of games over the years.

I remember playing games Like Congo Bongo, Robotron, Karate Champion, Outrun & Yie ar kung fu to death.

And like all others I played an incredible amount of VS matches on SF2 & Samruari Showdown cads in the late ryears. Then it just....died.

[guitargary75]

That case that they put Grand Slam in has to be the ugliest pinball machine case in the history of pinball, just hideous.

[diskoboy]

As Archie and Edith Bunker would sing:

"Those were the days!"


And that picture of all the DKjr's in the Nintendo plant.... I'm willing to bet mine's in there, somewhere... :D

And pic #180... Is that girl sitting inside a Sinistar cockpit?

[BydoEmpire]

Wow, that's some fun stuff. Thanks for posting, it totally made my afternoon! I had a couple cool arcades in Fond Du Lac, WI where I grew up, but they were all way smaller than these. That pic with the row of Pac Man cabs was pretty amazing. It's also cool to see all the families in there playing together.

[cityside75]

Maybe I'm overstating it a bit but it seems like there were very few places back around 1982 where there wasn't at least one cab. I'm talking about stores of all types: grocery, convenience or department, as well as restaurants. I think I miss that particular ubiquity more so than I mourn the death of the Big Arcade. Anybody else feel that way?

Yep, as magical as the arcades were to me, when I play Donkey Kong Jr. I can almost smell the laundry detergent from the laundromat where it was located near me. Playing Stargate or Make Trax bring me back to Dominick's grocery store near the service desk, and playing Frogger or Phoenix bring back memories of ragtime music and peanut shells on the floor at our local Ground Round restaurant. It seemed for a time that you couldn't go ANYWHERE without having a game nearby. I miss those days as well.

[Pantechnicon]

And pic #180... Is that girl sitting inside a Sinistar cockpit?

Based on the side art (http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=9553), I'd say yes. Lucky little kid. I don't think I've ever seen a Sinistar cockpit cab @_@.


...as magical as the arcades were to me, when I play Donkey Kong Jr. I can almost smell the laundry detergent from the laundromat where it was located near me...

That's exactly the lost ubiquity I was talking about. In fact in my neck of the woods our laundromat was right next to a pool hall/arcade. I'd bug my mother incessantly to go over the pool hall while we did laundry, unless the Tempest cab at the laundromat wasn't being hogged. Then I'd be content to stay in the `mat.

The one that probably stands out most vividly in my memory was circa 1982, Johnny's Market in Santa Fe, NM. Just this little hole-in-the-wall grocery in the middle of a residential, mostly Spanish-speaking neighborhood. I used to stop there en route to 6th grade every morning to buy a bag of Capri Sun for my lunch drink. I told my mom that Capri Sun cost $1 per bag when it was more like sixty cents. The change netted me enough for a daily round of Space Fury, which was on the enclosed porch leading into the store. Great fun. If I did good enough at the game I'd be late for school. To this day Space Fury and Capri Sun (which my kids drink) remain inextricably tied together in my memories.

[Nikademus1969]

Yep, as magical as the arcades were to me, when I play Donkey Kong Jr. I can almost smell the laundry detergent from the laundromat where it was located near me. Playing Stargate or Make Trax bring me back to Dominick's grocery store near the service desk, and playing Frogger or Phoenix bring back memories of ragtime music and peanut shells on the floor at our local Ground Round restaurant. It seemed for a time that you couldn't go ANYWHERE without having a game nearby. I miss those days as well.


Yep...we never really had a "real" arcade in the town where I grew up, but the grocery stores did a pretty decent job at filling the void. At one point, one of them even had a pinball machine.

Heh...I remember being all excited when I turned 21. Not because I was able to drink legally, but rather cuz I was finally able to get into the bar to play Street Fighter II *lol*

[diskoboy]

Ahhh, picture #7.... It's so weird seeing the 'New Game!' signs on top of the Time Pilot, Munch Mobile, and Gyruss.... I was 8 when those games were new.

And those monitors operators would place on top of machines so crowds could see.... Did anybody else besides me despise those things?

And it's so funny seeing those 1981-82 shots. You can tell the year by the amount of Pac-Man, Asteroids, Centipede, Ms. Pac-Man machines they had. Practically every arcade had (at least) 2 Pac-Man machines, by the beginning of '82.

And for those of you who were too young to experience the first golden age - you seriously have no idea what you missed out on... Those were just amazing times.

And I just realized photo #125 - the machine on the left is an ULTRA-RARE Aztarac machine. You can barely make it out with all the glare.

[Rob2600]

Here's another awesome batch of old arcade photos:

Flickr - Time Out Amusement Center (http://www.flickr.com/photos/petromyzon/sets/553223/)

There are some amazing shots in there.

[Sudo]

Really cool stuff. I wish I had gotten the chance to experience those days, but sadly I was born in '85. :(

[tcv]

You know, I am almost positive that #14 is a picture of the entrance to the exhibits above the Journey Into Imagination ride in Epcot Center, Walt Disney World. ??

[Tron 2.0]

Thought I would pass this on. 190 pics of classic arcades from 1977 - 1984. Everyone who's into classic games have fond memories of the arcades during that period. These pics really show how big and fantastic arcades use to be. It brings tears to my eyes when I see some of these pics with rows of Pac-Man's and other games all cramed together. There are even a few pics of the arcade I use to goto a lot when I was a kid called Starship Video in Upland, CA! These pics were collected and provided by Brett Pulliam (aka: nutballchamp) who is a fellow arcade collector. Enjoy...

http://www.bpulliam.smugmug.com/gallery/4918209_3RCNf#294408939_52KhM
Ahh thanks for the flashback those were realy the golden years for arcades.

I use to go to timeout alot when i was a kid.

Makes me miss it too given then arcade cabs were every where at the time.

Every thing from gas stations,convenience stores and even grocery stores would have a arcade cab or two.

That's untile the 90's got here by 95...it all went down hill afther the console market took over.

Yeah consoles today can do alot in terms of gameplay and graphics,but i miss the arcades of the old still.

[GaijinPunch]

*Walks out of house... goes down street to local smoke den/arcade*

[Captain Wrong]

You know, I am almost positive that #14 is a picture of the entrance to the exhibits above the Journey Into Imagination ride in Epcot Center, Walt Disney World. ??

It is.

Damn I used to love the Star Trek sit down. That was the shit, as you kids today say.

[emceelokey]

Damn! Video games were free at Beefsteak.

You know. Nowadays a standalone arcade is much like a porn shop. You may go in there once in a while but never alone and you definitely wouldn't want to associate yourself with the regulars there.

[madman77]

Wow those pics bring back many memories! Thanks for posting them.

[ubersaurus]

Wow, that's incredible. So many machines and people!

I've only seen something similar a few times in my life: Arcades in Japan, Wizzards in Detroit, various arcades in my youth (back when SF2 was a huge draw) but this blows them away. Beautiful sights.

[rbudrick]

http://www.bpulliam.smugmug.com/photos/294408939_52KhM-L.jpg

WTF! The marquis is going through his face ala the movie Tron!

-Rob

[Damaramu]

Oh man, these pics bring back memories. Hmm....I've never seen one of those sit down Star Trek machines though. Very cool!

[orangest]

the incredible wizard on the comiskey park scoreboard is hilarious.

[mregashu]

What a great set of pictures. reminds me of being 4 years old and my Dad helping me play the Star Wars Arcade game. (he'd use the joystick, i'd hit the fire button).

Isn't it amazing to think that that those of us at a certain age will always have vivid memories of the arcade because it was truly a major, national phenomenon, and yet because it was so short lived and so based in youth culture those older than us and younger than us really can't understand it? It's like the great unifying piece of pop culture for everyone in their late 20's to late 30's. (roughly speaking, age wise.)

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

Nowadays a standalone arcade is much like a porn shop. You may go in there once in a while but never alone and you definitely wouldn't want to associate yourself with the regulars there.
How do you figure? The last time the arcades were a relatively dark and supposedly dangerous place was in the late 1970s, before the arcade became Chuck E. Cheese-ified. These days it's hard to find an arcade at all, and if you do find it, there are quite a few concessions to the younger crowd (i.e. redemption games). Not really a suspicious place with seedy regulars.

[rpepper9]

The people in those photos are almost as good as the games! 80's fashion was some of the most ridiculous ever. Keep rocking the stash dude!

[Rob2600]

Don't forget, more awesome old arcade photos from the 1980s:

Flickr - Time Out Amusement Center old arcade photos (http://www.flickr.com/photos/petromyzon/sets/553223/)

[bacteria]

I was a teenager in those days, I used to love going to the arcades and playing Defender, 1942 and Galaga, in particular; and some strange crossbow game. I played Asteroids on a ferry, 1979 I think it was, which would make me 13 at the time.

[DarthKur]

Those pictures filled me with such intense feelings of nostalgia and longing that it is almost painful. I so very much wish time travel was possible in instances like this. I miss so much from then. All the woodgrain/earth tone decors and other funky color schemes, space themed places, the sounds and lights. Plus the women were beautiful, cars were still big and powerful, the nonsense of being "politically correct" did not exist...........I could go on and on. :|
Thank you though for those pics,to both people that provided the links. They are wonderful to behold.

[Fuyukaze]

I remember some of those days. The funny thing is I remember ashtreys being attached to the cabs. I had to stop 2 pages in cause it just reminds me how gone those days are. When we could walk into a huge room with people focused intently on a screen and having fun.