arcades

My wife and I went to CAX (California Extreme) this year, a huge two-day gathering of classic and new pinball and video arcade cabinets and tables, all at the convention center at the Hyatt Regency in Santa Clara, and we didn't need any quarters. I've written about it before, but I barely mentioned the video arcade cabinets. I do want to thank our hosts, Anthony Ruelas and Micaila Taylor, and especially Anthony for making our trips possible.

I’ve written before about how limited my experiences with arcades has been, and while that’s a perennial topic with me whenever it comes up, there’s more to tell than what video games I’ve never ever played: the subject of this entry is going to be pinball, and while there are some good associations, there are also some painful ones, too.

This was the year my father passed away, and he was a pinball enthusiast.

Actually, that may be a bit of an understatement. 

This looks somewhat familiar.

Previously on Game Restart: [it’s a series]

The thing about arcades is that arcades are expensive. 

Adjusted for inflation, a quarter in early 80s money is approximately 63¢ in today’s money at the time of this writing. Most people probably aren’t used to spending money after the initial investment in the console and then the game for their home, but imagine spending that for every three tries, lives, or continues.