Here is a pretty fantastic article about the social centerpiece of growing up in the late 1970’s and 1980’s – the video game arcade. From the evolution of the arcade from pinball machines to Pac Man and Frogger, it has been a part of American youth for many many years, although it it could be argued that it did not hit it’s heyday until the 70’s and 80’s. Today, they are another casualty of the digital revolution with gaming consoles migrating to living rooms and basements around the world.
Whenever I visited an arcade, I usually found myself cursing at Galaxian, Galaga and every racing game within the joint. Today, I get my fix by heading out to the Pinball Wizards event, held every year at the Allentown Fair Grounds. And there is always the Silverball Museum in Asbury Park, NJ.