Every arcade collector has read about or been lucky enough to participate in one of the best experiences in gaming geekdom — the arcade warehouse raid. I was fortunate enough to hear about a friend of a friend of a friend (of course) that was getting out of “the business” and had “some games to get rid of at a good price”. So, what do you do when you have no room in your basement arcade for more games? Why, you get more!
I was there.
Towards the end of the 2007 Summer, I went to Lake George again. I decided I’d make sure to find Gaslight Village this time around. I dug deep into my childhood memories of where Gaslight Village was. I have memories of seeing Gaslight from the back seat of the car, looking out the window. I remembered blurred, colorful images of families walking outside the black wrought iron fences that surrounded Gaslight. I also remembered seeing amusement rides towering above everyone in full motion, loaded with laughing and screaming people. If Gaslight was near the road, then in the present day I should see something if I looked hard enough. As I drove down Rte. 9 towards the Lake George Village, I looked to my right… and there it was.
It’s about time I put online some pictures of my basement arcade! There’s the neon sign that Doug gave me as a “housewarming gift”. What an excellent gift indeed! In my arcade, I have a green chalkboard hanging from the ceiling titled, “Tony’s Arcade All-Time High Scores”. Granted, “all-time” is relatively short in the existence of my arcade but I had to add some prestige. After all, Tony’s Arcade is a place where you flex your arcade skills to once again reclaim that high score you had a long time ago (and possibly in a galaxy far, far away…)
When people walk down the stairs they feel transported back into the Golden Age of Videogames. As you walk in, the arcade games are laid out in a U-shape and are silhouetted by the blue and red neon glow of the “Tony’s Arcade” sign. There’s a TV hanging from the ceiling that’s playing non-stop 80s Pop and New Wave videos. Above everything, the sound effects from all the games fill the room and transport you back to being that nerdy kid again. The nerdy kid who could attain superstar status when holding the high score of Pac-Man, Star Wars, or Tempest.
Now for the all-time high scores and some photos of Tony’s Arcade…
This year’s highly anticipated arcade party finally arrived. The guys and gals who grew up in the Golden Age of Videogames were ready to transport back to the early eighties. They were ready to to duke it out hand, button, and joystick while slurping down Hosmer Mountain grape sodas and chewing Willy Wonka’s Bottlecaps. New to the Tony’s Arcade scene were Space Invaders, Donkey Kong, and the first ever pinball game — Future Spa. The glow stick awards were back with high scorers wearing them like glowing medals of coin-op honor. I rarely had a chance to compete against my comrades as I played host crediting machines, keeping score, and passing the glow sticks around. Another new addition, the 1976 Seeburg Sunstar, was blasting and thumping along with the games as people selected 70s, Disco, and 80s music. The most played song of the night? “The Hustle” by Van McCoy. A close second was “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond. I think we had one too many Boston Red Sox fans hopped up on Willy Wonka’s Nerds. If you want, you can skip right to the video of the event on YouTube.
Special thanks go to my brother, Brian, who supplied me with TONS of reissued, mint 45s for the Jukebox. Thanks to Doug and Snacky who also gave up some precious 45s for everyone’s enjoyment. Another special thanks goes to John O. who donated a Wells Gardner K4600 monitor to the cause. My “new” Pac-Man had a bad picture tube where the green gun was shorted. Christine wouldn’t have been racking up the Pac-Points if John didn’t give us the WG monitor!
It was time to have a little arcade tournament at Tony’s Arcade. Some smack-talk had been going around about who was better at Tempest, who could beat who, etc. It was also time to give EDOT a thorough shake down, now that it was fully operational. Some e-mails were sent, calls made, and games were turned on. After the party began, we had some competitions going on (like Rob trying to beat the high score on Tron at the upper right). Nothing was more heated than the competition between Rob and Ken on Star Castle. Ken played Star Castle for nearly an hour straight getting the high score of the party. Then Rob decided enough was enough and hit a new all-time high score on Star Castle. Believe me, it was awful to watch.
It’s been a long time…
Wow, I can’t believe it’s been 20 years since I was last at Lake George, NY. My last trip there in August, 1986 (pictured at left with my brother, Brian, and our friend, Matt) seems like yesterday. I recently returned from a relaxing family trip up to Lake George. I’ve been to Lake George three times before — the summers of 1984, 1985, and 1986. Definitely a long time ago! Each time was a memorable adventure… going to Gaslight Village, The Great Escape, staying at Alpine Lake, and white water rafting to name a few. There were also arcades in the Lake George Village area on Canada St. (aka “The Million Dollar Mile”). In between getting dragged from one gift shop to the next on those trips, I was allowed to play some video games.
Now, in 2006, some things have definitely changed. The Lake George Village area seems a bit more smaller… probablly because I’m not that short, young, greasy teenager any more. The wax museum is a little different (now it’s “House of Frankenstein Wax Museum“) and many of the shops I was dragged to as a kid are gone. The “Million Dollar Mile” is no longer called that on the tourist maps. Gaslight Village is also gone… but more on that later. It was excellent to see the Minne Ha-Ha (34 feet bigger!) still steaming around and hear its calliope. Goony Golf is still there at the intersection of Rtes. 9 and 9N. As I stood on the corner of Canada St. (Rte. 9) and Beach St., I saw one of my childhood memories standing before me. Fun World!
Who says you can’t fit a Pac Man in a Prius?
I think this is a symptom of having a classic arcade fixation. I drove about 40 miles with this Pac Man in the back of my Prius… thank goodness for rachet straps and bungee cords! I picked this one up from Scott at the Ageless Arcade, along with a Q*bert in similar condition. (The Q*bert was less hassle to load in… but nerve-wracking because I drove in rush hour traffic through New Haven.) This particular Pac has seen better days… it was painted black and converted into an Arkanoid. I ended up selling this cabinet to purchase another Pac-Man project that was in better condition!
