Neon Retro Arcade, 1/30/15 C.A. Grand Opening

[Another World]

Husband and Wife team, Mark and Mia, began their story 11 years ago over a game of pinball. Since then they have amassed a collection of retro coin-op video games which now partially fill the Neon Retro Arcade. Located in Old Town Pasadena, California, the arcade currently houses over 40 vintage games. The couples aim is to bring back the social bonding experiences a generation of gamers enjoyed during the golden age of arcades. For more information, directions, and a listing of which games are currently exhibited, check the link below.

Neon Retro Arcade Homepage

 

[Clydefrosch]

can anyone explain their business model to me? if its all free play, how do they pay the cost for keeping the place running? isnt there some kind of licencing stuff involved with putting up arcade cabinets? even if they're not set to take quarters? if not for the oldest ones, at least for those next gen ones mentioned? and what about electricity, cleaning and repairs, the bane of all arcades?

 

[SavvyTaco]

can anyone explain their business model to me? if its all free play, how do they pay the cost for keeping the place running?

Found this on their twitter: $10/hr & all games on FREE PLAY!

 

[shadow1w2]

I went to a place like this here in California that had the same model but it was all pinball machines.
It was just fifteen dollars for the whole day there though.
My group spent the whole day there, it was a great road trip, totally worth it. xD

 

[aeolus426]

HELL YEAH I KNOW WHAT I"M DOING TODAY.

 

[RevPokemon]

Damn I wish this was close to where I live

 

[Clydefrosch]

Found this on their twitter: $10/hr & all games on FREE PLAY!

i guess the youngsters won't be having much of this kind of social gaming then. spending 10$ in quarters over the course of 20 minutes is one thing. handing out a full 10$ bill first is another. oh well

 

[mightymuffy]

i guess the youngsters won't be having much of this kind of social gaming then. spending 10$ in quarters over the course of 20 minutes is one thing. handing out a full 10$ bill first is another. oh well

The youngsters unfortunately won't be bothered playing a selection of old cabs like these in the first place though, this is something aimed more at the older gamer who fancies a bit of retro 'cading it, and $10 per hour seems good value judging by the pics shown. Kudos to the owners, and hopefully it does well for them - alas if you ask me it's 50/50 whether this'll hold its head above water or sink like a stone though... and I'm being optimistic for 'em there too....

 

[Sicklyboy]

I actually just got back from a place just like this here in NJ, called YESTERcades, in Somerville and Red Bank NJ. They're like $8.50 an hour for the first hour then they charge in 15 minute increments rounding down, or $25 for a whole day pass. All cabs set on free play. They've got so many old cabs, air hokey, fooseball, billiards, pinball machines out the wazoo, classic consoles and even up to current-gen. Love this place

 

[ShadowNeko003]

Hmm, seems interesting. And it's right in my neck of the woods. I'll have to check it out later

 

[Nemmay]

It's a shame these places are only potentially economically viable in what many would deem as areas saturated with "hipsters." It's good PR to advertise that it's geared towards the older crowd who enjoyed the social bonding experience of the arcades of old, but lets get real here.. The people bringing in the most money to these businesses are going to be those of a younger generation with too much time and money that deem it "cool" to do something that most do not. Don't get me wrong, I'd spend all day at an arcade like this if given the opportunity; I just felt like stating the obvious to anyone who's business savvy, since no one seems to have brought it up for discussion.

HELL YEAH I KNOW WHAT I"M DOING TODAY.

We expect a full report.

Hmm, seems interesting. And it's right in my neck of the woods. I'll have to check it out later

That goes for you as well.

PS: If they allow footage, try to get some; I'd love to get a detailed view of their operation. Sadly, the closest I have for an option for an arcade in my neck of the woods is a poorly ran and extremely dirty Gattiland which is essentially a huge Gatti's Pizza with videogames. Used to be a great place when I was a kid, but with my last visit as a chaperone for my younger brother (he was nine at the time), they had removed most of the arcade cabinets.. They didn't even have a single pinball machine, it was a horrifying experience.

They basically had a ton of machines designed to get people to "gamble" for a chance to win an expensive product in the case, an indoor hover/bumpercart thing with an incredibly small arena, one air hockey table with little annoying brats cheating, and a bunch of ran down skeeball machines, which most of them were out of order. They didn't even have any light-gun cabinets, it was an awful experience, and even my kid brother hated it.

My brother is a kid who appreciates gaming going all the way back to the Atari 2600 era, since most of his early exposure to video games was from when I was living at home and I had collected a ton of consoles and games over the years. His first console of his own was a Sega Genesis, with Kid Chameleon.

 

[Digital.One.Entity]

Koo Koo always good to keep the Classics alive for every Newer Generation so they can appreciate them....not too far from my hood


Guess I got somewhere to go next Weekend