Video Game History Museum - location found?

[Steve W]

I've been wondering about the progress of the museum. Good to know it's opening didn't pass me by.

[Niku-Sama]

Hmm. North Texas...

That's a long drive

[8bitgamer]

Here are a couple of my Fort Worth Star-Telegram articles of relevant interest. The first one is on the museum, the second is on retro arcades in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

http://www.dfw.com/2016/01/06/106456...celebrate.html

http://www.dfw.com/2016/01/06/106457...ade-games.html

[Steve W]

http://www.dfw.com/2016/01/06/106457...ade-games.html

I never got around to going into Tornado Terry's, even though my friend used to live a few miles away. I remember looking at their website back then (which hasn't changed apparently, it still looks like a GeoCities site from 1998) and it looked a bit too "kiddie", with a lot of emphasis on redemption games.

I'd like to go to Barcadia, my only problem is I don't like to be around people who drink. They don't have enough unusual machines to compel me to deal with drunk a-holes.

I never knew about Free Play Arcade in Richardson. I knew about nearby NickelRama, but their website makes it look even more "kiddie" than Tornado Terry's, so I haven't ever been inside. I'm definitely going to have to check out Free Play. It sounds like the closest the Dallas/Fort Worth area will get to an Arkadia Retrocade or a 1984 Arcade type of place locally.

[dgdgagdae]

I had never heard about Free Play until this post, even though it's only about 12 miles from me. I got super excited last night when I read about it, and I couldn't wait to get off work to go check it out.

I should have had a great time, but for some reason that I just can't put my finger on, it was just ok. The games are in great condition, and there's a good variety. If you like beer, they have an eclectic selection.

I don't know, maybe you just can't recapture the arcade magic. I've played the games all before on compilation discs or through MAME. The lighting just isn't right. There are no decorations on the walls. Some of the games had very muted sound, so it didn't even have much of an arcade sound. It might be an unfair criticism, but it just wasn't my childhood.

[Greg2600]

I had never heard about Free Play until this post, even though it's only about 12 miles from me. I got super excited last night when I read about it, and I couldn't wait to get off work to go check it out.

I should have had a great time, but for some reason that I just can't put my finger on, it was just ok. The games are in great condition, and there's a good variety. If you like beer, they have an eclectic selection.

I don't know, maybe you just can't recapture the arcade magic. I've played the games all before on compilation discs or through MAME. The lighting just isn't right. There are no decorations on the walls. Some of the games had very muted sound, so it didn't even have much of an arcade sound. It might be an unfair criticism, but it just wasn't my childhood.

I get the same vibe at the retro arcades around NY/NJ. I just get bored with the games after a little while.

[Steve W]

I had never heard about Free Play until this post, even though it's only about 12 miles from me. I got super excited last night when I read about it, and I couldn't wait to get off work to go check it out.

I should have had a great time, but for some reason that I just can't put my finger on, it was just ok. The games are in great condition, and there's a good variety. If you like beer, they have an eclectic selection.

I don't know, maybe you just can't recapture the arcade magic. I've played the games all before on compilation discs or through MAME. The lighting just isn't right. There are no decorations on the walls. Some of the games had very muted sound, so it didn't even have much of an arcade sound. It might be an unfair criticism, but it just wasn't my childhood.

Well, I decided to go to Barcadia in Fort Worth today to get something to eat, just to check the place out. Right before I was going to use the change machine, it broke down or jammed or something, so I couldn't get any quarters. I walked in with only five quarters on me, so I had to use them sparingly. I played a couple rounds of Q*Bert, a long session of Star Wars: The Arcade Game, and a couple rounds of Tron. I had a cheeseburger that tasted like ground cow manure with spoiled cheese on top (but it came with great seasoned waffle fries), spent my change, and left. I wouldn't mind going back there (with more change on me) but I'm not sure I would eat there again.

Here's the thing though... having only a small amount of quarters to spend (I didn't want to bother the hipster bartender for change) meant that I cared more about the games than when I can play them in a compilation or through emulation. When I was a kid I had very little money to spend on arcade games, and that made the experience all the more precious. Time in an arcade was a treat for me when I was 12. Now I can afford game consoles and laptops that can run those same old games, and it doesn't feel the same. But I got that same feeling today selectively using my five quarters on things I really wanted to play that I couldn't run properly in emulation due to control issues (Tron's spinner, Star Wars's flight yoke, Q*Bert's diagonal 4-directional joystick). I ended up caring about the experience since it's something that I won't get the chance to do very often, just like when I was a kid. That was a good feeling.

[dgdgagdae]

Here's the thing though... having only a small amount of quarters to spend (I didn't want to bother the hipster bartender for change) meant that I cared more about the games than when I can play them in a compilation or through emulation. When I was a kid I had very little money to spend on arcade games, and that made the experience all the more precious. Time in an arcade was a treat for me when I was 12. Now I can afford game consoles and laptops that can run those same old games, and it doesn't feel the same. But I got that same feeling today selectively using my five quarters on things I really wanted to play that I couldn't run properly in emulation due to control issues (Tron's spinner, Star Wars's flight yoke, Q*Bert's diagonal 4-directional joystick). I ended up caring about the experience since it's something that I won't get the chance to do very often, just like when I was a kid. That was a good feeling.

I can get that. How do you think you'd feel about a place like Free Play Arcade, where you pay $10 to play unlimited games? It's really kind of in the middle of the 2 experiences. I found myself just moving from machine to machine, trying out each one in turn. I'm sure you're right in that I didn't internally value each game, since I could go back to any one at any time. That said, I'm definitely going back. I didn't get to play on all the machines that I wanted to. They have a Star Wars machine (not a sit down, unfortunately), and I didn't play it. I wish they had Tron, that was one of my favorites back in the day.