A Night at the Arcade

On May 22, 1980, Pac Man was released on the world by Namco.  I was seven years old at the time and completely obsessed with the whole video game phenomenon.  The first time I saw Pac Man was in the small arcade inside Keel Roller Rink in Salem Illinois.  There it stood to the right of the exit leading into the concession area.  Virtual ghosts chasing a hungry little munch happy icon around the screen was too much to resist.  Popping in quarter after quarter, my addiction to video games went from bad to worse.  I had a full blown case of Pac Man fever in no time at all.  And I was loving every moment of it.

Along one wall of the arcade room were a host of great classics.  Games like Missile Command, Crazy Climber, and Super Kobra, just to name a few.  The opposite wall had a number of flashy machines as well.  These were games like various versions of pinball and the ever popular Zaxxon tucked away in the corner.  The blinking lights and cheesy alien like sound effects helped to draw kids in like flies and bring us face to face with one digital challenge after another.  Whether it was the thrill of the chase or the knowledge that you were going down in flames, you had to be ready to pop that next quarter into the machine to keep the momentum going.

Playing video games with roller skates on was all part of the fun. Sometimes, just to clear your head, it was important to make your way around the rink a few times, dodging others as you went, before settling back in front of your favorite game.  Even if your feet were slightly sore by the end of the evening and your piece of water mellon Bubbleishous was losing its flavor, you were never surprised to learn that your pockets were completely releaved of any change larger than a dime.  But, still you scrimped and begged if necesary, taking any hand out you could get to exchange for a quarter to milk the machines for one last go.  ”Please Mr., Give me a quarter.  I’m burning up!”