While I was on tour with my band...

[fvgazi]

... I ran into some cool video game experiences.

In Gainesville FL, I played a bar called 1982, which some of you people may be familiar with. It's a pretty cool punk club with maybe the best concept ever. Behind the bar there are 4 or 5 large TV's all hooked up to retro gaming systems. They have SNES, NES, n64, Genesis, and are equipped with a large library of games which you can select from. To play is free, but there is usually a small $5 cover to get in (and monday night is game night!).

I played Super SF2 Turbo against some dude while sipping on some beers and got my ass handed to me. It was fricken' awesome. I thought it was cool after just reading the huge thread on online vs face-to-face gaming. It was like being at an arcade but better. It was an experience in gaming i've never had before and I hope I can get to do it again some day.
------------------
In Ridgewood Queens(NY) there is an awesome artspace/venue called the Silent Barn which runs this thing called "Baby Castles". I have not attended it yet, but from what i've seen, they claim to be "the first independent gaming arcade". They have a ton of indie developed games running on homemade arcade machines. The machines are art themselves and resemble nothing of your classic arcade cabinet.
------------------
Tallahassee FL - There is a video game museum. I did not get to go, but it's awesome that it exists.

[yosh]

cool story bro.

seriously though, thats pretty awesome. there isn't much stuff like that in canada (bc anyway)

[Hobie-wan]

Sounds like a fun tour.

[HellHammer]

Honestly, that sounds amazing. If I were anywhere in that vicinity, they'd have to have the police escort me out around closing time...every single night.

I have read about a few similar places that do the whole 'retro videogame console in a bar', but they are almost always in Japan. IIRC, one of the more popular ones in Japan was called '8-bit'. Such a cool concept. It's like the new-age video arcade, but for more than just people who remember when every city had a video arcade, haha. Seems like you could make a lot of money, if you were located in the right area.

[Anayo]

That sounds awesome. I wish I could have gone.

[fvgazi]

I couldn't find pictures of 1982, but here are some of baby castles. I'm going to have to check out this place. I go to shows there frequently and only live about 45 minutes away.





http://www.tigsource.com/2010/08/05/babycastles-hardcore-feelings/
The independent gaming source had an article on it a few weeks back.

[Hatta]

Behind the bar there are 4 or 5 large TV's all hooked up to retro gaming systems. They have SNES, NES, n64, Genesis, and are equipped with a large library of games which you can select from. To play is free, but there is usually a small $5 cover to get in (and monday night is game night!).

If it's behind the bar, do you have to get the bartender to change the game for you?

[jp1]

Tallahassee FL - There is a video game museum. I did not get to go, but it's awesome that it exists.

I suppose you are talking about this exhibit in the Mary Brogan Museum.

http://www.thebrogan.org/index.php?opti ... 0&Itemid=1

It is only temporary. But it is pretty cool.

[fvgazi]

If it's behind the bar, do you have to get the bartender to change the game for you?

Yeah. They have crates of games there. I suppose it's a good way of stopping people from stealing the games.

They have a list of high scores, records, and hold tournaments too.

[(-_-)]

cool story bro.

seriously though, thats pretty awesome. there isn't much stuff like that in canada (bc anyway)

at Metrotown in Vancouver there is a petty populated arcade called CHQ. A lot of guys are always packed around the fighting games. Tekken and Street fighter mostly.