![]() The first, Atari’s Gran Trak 10, was primitive, but others followed throughout the ’70s and ’80s. It was inevitable that the arcade manufacturers, once the technology was available, would turn their attention to making racing or driving games. In time, Arnie’s expanded to include a pool hall, an ice cream parlor, Georgie Porgie’s, and even a barbershop for haircuts, but the biggest attraction for me were the arcade games where I spent countless quarters trying to beat that “next level”: gobble as many pills as possible in Pac-Man, knock an Ostrich rider off his perch in Joust, or get to the end of the track without wiping out or crashing in Pole Position. Many hours of my youth were spent at Arnie’s Place, the arcade in my hometown of Westport, CT. Game controls and gameplay in arcade machines were usually intuitive and easy to understand, and they were addictive because the proverbial “next level” was always just within reach. While they are a far more primitive from those manufactured today, or even in the late ’70s–’90s-generally acknowledged to be the “golden age” of the arcade-they still performed the same function modern ones do: providing entertainment for a coin or two. These early coin-operated machines were the kind, like Zoltar, that sometimes told a player’s fortune (made famous in the movie Big), played music, or allowed you to shoot at targets. The first “arcade games” were invented in the 1920s for use in early amusement parks. ![]() This being Petrolicious, vintage driving arcade games in particular. Yes, it does seem like a long time ago-ancient history to some-but there is another good reason we shouldn’t forget the ’80s: vintage arcade games. ![]() And, at the same time, it was also a period of significant economic development and international relations. ![]() It was an era of some outlandish fashions and strange hairstyles. ![]() It was one that witnessed the birth of MTV, Pac-Man, and the Rubik’s Cube. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |