/vr/ - Retro Games

>>7386303

While you stayed at your grandmother's seaside resort hotel where your parents would dump you during the summer so they could fuck loudly at home, you'd set out on a sunny day after a superb breakfast with a pocket full of change and decide which of the many arcades you were going to first. You'd be welcomed by a cacophony of bleeps and bloops when you entered, and be overwhelmed by dingy labyrinths of striking visuals and attract modes. The smell of machinery, dirty coins and stale perfume was also a wonderful, familiar greeting. The surprise element was the real draw. See, while arcade games were covered in magazines to a point, it was unusual for them to be previewed, so you would very rarely get advance word of new games. Basically, you'd wander round these dark mazes of cabinets and be totally surprised by a brand new, exciting-looking game, right there in front of you. And you'd dump a coin in and be playing it within seconds. This happened frequently. The social aspect was also unique to this era. You'd hover over someone's shoulder (or they'd hover over yours) to see their skills and get tips. Again, walkthroughs and guides weren't common, so you'd more or less have to rely on shared information for an advantage. Beating a game in the arcade with an audience was a real thrill, it's an indescribable feeling.

It was a fantastic era, now sadly all but gone.