Click here for the full Paper Arcade line up.

electric…

Once upon a time, public, social gaming didn’t look anything like this:

It looked like this:

And, in case you haven’t noticed by now, we kind of miss that.

The comforting scuzz, the singles, the doubles, the ten tens, the new machines, the fag-burns, the score wars, the geeks, the freaks, the clash of bleeps and blips and thuds.

The feeling that whatever was happening around us was strange and exhilarating and opening up so many avenues of challenge, self-expression, peer approval, and quick-sharp mainlined hits of fun, fun, fun that went on for however long you could carry on – literally – beating the game designers at their own games.

Arcades were a home from home; a social hang-out. They made holidays perfect, good times great, bad times better…

So, here’s a one-off special devoted to the lost world of the arcade. Particularly the cheesy, provincial, improvised, end-of-pier glory of the British arcade.

Sure, we’re getting a little dewy-eyed, but this is all meant in the spirit of celebration, not empty nostalgia.

If you know exactly what we mean, then welcome home.

If you’re too young to remember, then – seriously. Great days…

kingdom…

99 Credits Forever. Original Arcade Videogaming Spirit…

Arcade Auction. A new kind of cab competition. FUSEBALL

Arcade Nirvana. The day it all began. AHCHAY

Arcade Mecca. Zap bad guys, inhale ozone, dodge officials. PAULEMOZ

Arcade Legends. All human life was there. AEROFLOTT

Arcade Esque. Rollerball madness. Katamari Damashii, by SICKBOY

Arcade Love. Here’s why. Just read. FUSEBALL

Arcade Heaven. Novelty Automatic Machine – a kind of requiem. SICKBOY
WARNING: This is a small film, but a big download. Sorry, dial-uppers. We’ll put up a Bit-Torrent version when we work out how.

Next Week…

Major manly back-slaps to sty for help with the ‘80s arcade pics.

RODENT, July 30th 2004

selected previous issues :

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