The 20 coolest arcades in the world
By Yohana Desta From Mashable
It’s time to level up.
Pinball and Pac Man are mainstays in pop culture, but it isn’t easy to find an authentic arcade where you can play them. Not every city is like Tokyo, where arcades are a dime a dozen. However, gaming culture still thrives all over the world, and there are plenty of venues to satisfy your 8-bit needs.
From a supremely flashy theme park in Dubai to an eight-story warehouse in Tokyo, here are 20 arcades you should visit.
- Club Sega in Tokyo, Japan
Clubsega
Gaming giant Sega owns multiple arcades across the world, and this one in Tokyo’s Akihabara district is the largest. It has six floors of nonstop games, including classics like Tekken and Virtua Fighter.
IMAGE: FLICKR, BO NEILSEN
- Funspot in Laconia, New Hampshire
Funspot
Guinness World Records named Funspot the largest arcade in the world in 2008. It has literally hundreds of games, from Pac Man to skee-ball, and is dedicated to preserving classic games for arcade fans.
IMAGE: FLICKR, ROB BOUDON
- Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, Nevada
Pinball
Opened in 2009, the Pinball Hall of Fame takes its title very seriously. The Vegas attraction has acquired vintage pinball machines from the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s and beyond, and currently boasts a collection of about 150. You can go on a virtual tour of the gaming haven here.
IMAGE: FLICKR, SUSAN SERMONETA
- Barcade in Brooklyn, New York
Barcade
Barcade prides itself on two things: providing delicious craft beer and classic video games. The first venue opened in 2004 in the notoriously hipster neighborhood of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. There are now three other locations in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Available games include Donkey Kong, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and more, a full list of which you can find here.
IMAGE: FLICKR, PIXEL FANTASY
- Joypolis in Tokyo, Japan
Joypolis
More than just an arcade, Joypolis is essentially a theme park. Once you’re done with the bumper cars and the indoor roller coaster, make your way over to its coterie of arcade games.
IMAGE: FLICKR, /KALLU
- Game BAR-A Button in Tokyo, Japan
Barabutton
Not all arcades have to be behemoths. The tiny but beloved A Button in Tokyo’s Akihabara district is a testament to that. Its walls are jam-packed with games and vintage decor, including old school gaming consoles.
IMAGE: FLICKR, NAOSUKE II
- The 1up in Denver, Colorado
1up
Sporting two locations in Colorado, The 1up has more than 45 games in its nostalgia-ridden basement location, including pinball and skee-ball lanes. On top of that, it serves beer, food and tunes from a jukebox. You can find a full list of available arcade games, from Mortal Kombat to Mario Bros., here.
IMAGE: FACEBOOK
- King of Kong in Orlando, Florida
Kingofkong
Most self-respecting arcade lovers have probably seen the documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters. It told the tale of gamers Billy Mitchell and Steven Wiebe as they battled against one another to get the highest score in Guinness World Records for Donkey Kong. In the doc, Mitchell, top-ranked arcade player, came off looking…well, kind of like a villain. “No matter what I say, it draws controversy. It’s sort of like the abortion issue,” he says at one point.
Well, that same Mitchell opened up an arcade called King of Kong in the Orlando International Airport. Within its Donkey Kong-themed walls are a neat array of fun games. One curious fact is that its namesake, a Donkey Kong machine, is nowhere to be found. Maybe Mitchell doesn’t like the idea of having someone beat his high score in his own house?
IMAGE: FLICKR, JOE SHLABOTNIK
- Ground Kontrol in Portland, Oregon
Groundkontrol
This barcade in Portland’s Chinatown neighborhood has a lite-brite setup that feels like you’ve stepped into Tron. Under speakers blaring metal, users can play a laundry list of vintage games with original cabinets, a list of which can be found here. There’s also a huge list of pop culture-themed pinball machines, like The Addams Family and The Lord of the Rings. Plus, its bathrooms are just killer.
IMAGE: FLICKR, IAN LINKLETTER
- Museum of Soviet Arcade Machines in St. Petersburg, Russia
Sovietarcade
History buffs in search of rare, likely unheard-of games should book a flight to St. Petersburg. The Museum of Soviet Arcade Machines tracks down rare games produced in the mid-1970s. Not all the games are propaganda-pushing vehicles, according to Venture Beat, and you can play them during the museum’s open hours.
IMAGE: FLICKR, JASON EPPINK
- Chris Kooluris in Manhattan, New York
Kooluris2_0
Did you ever dream of having your own arcade? Well, Chris Kooluris of New York City took your dream one step further and built an enviable arcade comprised of rare games and pinball machines — all in his Manhattan apartment.
The diehard gamer, a PR firm vice president by day, originally built the arcade when he moved out of his Manhattan apartment and into his fiancee’s Brooklyn apartment. His old place wasn’t selling fast enough, so he converted the bedroom into an arcade. Fast forward a bit, and he’s no longer engaged, but he does have a full-fledged apartment devoted to gaming, according to a Wired profile. He told the magazine he’d love for gamers to just come check out his place, so hit him up to see if the offer really stands. See more images of his home arcade here.
IMAGE: IMGUR, CHRIS KOOLURIS
- The Heart of Gaming in London, England
Heartofgaming
Affectionately known as the HOG, gamers flock to this London spot for late-night gaming (you can pay for literal overnight sessions). Hundreds of people can sit comfortably and play games like Street Fighter II. What it lacks in trendy decor it makes up for in culture, as it’s home to numerous events like a monthly, 36-hour gaming marathon called Ultimate Clash. There’s also 3rd Impact, where players duke it out for the high score in Street Fighter III.
IMAGE: FACEBOOK
- The Galloping Ghost in Brookfield, Illinois
Galloping
Where do you begin when you’re at an arcade that has more than 400 games? It’s currently the largest video game arcade in the U.S., and players can easily get their paws on Galaga and Frogger.
IMAGE: FACEBOOK
- Sega Republic in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Segarepublic
Dubai is no stranger to excess, and its Sega Republic arcade is no exception. The indoor theme park is spacious and flashy, with 76,000 square feet, rides and more than 170 games. Go for the grandeur, stay for the gaming.
IMAGE: FACEBOOK
- YESTERcades in Red Bank, New Jersey
Yestercade
Built on pure nostalgia, the kitschy, kiddish YESTERcades looks like your average, run-of-the-mill game center. People really love this place and its plentiful offerings of consoles, from Atari to Xbox.
IMAGE: FLICKR, ROB DICATERINO
- Anata no Warehouse in Kawasaki, Japan
Anatanowarehouse
This place must go on your bucket list. While Tokyo is a mecca for all gamers, the Anata no Warehouse is unlike any other arcade in the world. Intentionally built to look run-down and abandoned, Anata is grim and creepy, inspired by the design of China’s back streets. It has eight stories, each modeled after the arcade of your nightmares. Enter at your own risk.
IMAGE: KANTO KITSUNE
- Feng Yun Zai Qi Game Center in Shanghai, China
Fengyunzaiqi
If you’d prefer to actually play games in China, head to the Feng Yun Zai Qi Game Center. Set in a 1930s underground mall (a fun fact itself), it has rows upon rows of colorful gaming options and DDR.
IMAGE: INKY
- Taito in Tokyo, Japan
Taito
Back in the arcade capital of Tokyo, Taito is one of the area’s best stops for gaming fans. It has all the games you would expect, and boasts a particularly dense collection of shooter games, according to CNN.
IMAGE: TAITO
- Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum in Farmington Hills, Michigan
Marvinsmarv
A surreal wonderland of mechanical goods, Marvin’s is packed with weird artifacts. Items picked by founder (and mechanical and electric gaming expert) Mark Yagoda surround you as you play pinball and Donkey Kong. It’s also been named one of the most unusual museums in the world.
IMAGE: FLICKR, JUKIE BOT
- Super Potato in Tokyo, Japan
Superpotato
Let’s end this list in Tokyo, at the incredibly named Super Potato. Known first and foremost as a top retro gaming store, fans of video games, anime and manga can get their hands on Sega consoles, Famicom games and collectible items. You’ll find a vintage arcade on the fifth floor, where shoppers can drop their bags and get straight to gaming.
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