We woke up Saturday morning to some wet snow, but still decided to take Jeff’s mini van instead of my SUV, it had more space. My youngest would stay with Jeff’s family and visit the Indy zoo, while I took my oldest along for the ride. Never too early to infect him with the collecting bug and I hoped he would enjoy the experience. The ride was easy and the school wasn’t that hard to find. It was huge and it was red.

The building had seen better days and was a little dangerous, but that just makes it more interesting. My son thought it was spooky and wanted to know if we’d see any ghosts. Ghosts of classics long past perhaps, but not much more. The hallways were dark and strewn with all types of debris. The place had definitely been picked over and according to one of the locals, collectors have been pulling games from this place for over 20 years. At one point it was packed solid, now all that remained were a few dozen conversions, cranes, EM games, and a small mix of more recent titles. Regardless of the selection, it was still fun to poke around. How often do you get such an opportunity?

The building had some amazing old woodwork, with gorgeous banisters and wainscoting on almost every wall. A matrix style phone could be seen in each classroom, with child height and wall length chalkboards everywhere. The place must have been amazing back in the day. Strewn about in the various rooms were remnants of a once thriving coin operated business. Empty boxes for long gone NIB games, conversions galore, bootleg artwork, and even custom made cabinets for some unknown bootleg game. The place was saturated with arcade history, it was awesome.

Weird poker games, burned out pinball shells, collapsing walls, broken SAMI EM glass, and plenty of dust. This place had it all. You could just taste the lead in the air from all that flaking paint. While games on the second floor would have to be hauled down the massive flight of stairs, at least there was a loading ramp off the back of the school to make it easy to pack up the vehicles. All purchases would be wheeled out the back after payment and quick inspection by the operator. People were orderly and Brent kept things moving along smoothly. We were lucky enough to get a short tour by Elutz who also knew the operator and had permission to wander freely. He showed me the “bootleg” room where they used to strip non-earning games and turn them into something else. It was an awful mess but it told an interesting story. How many games met their fate in this room? The piles of power supplies, kit boxes, and stacks of bootleg artwork speak volumes. This was all that remained after decades of collectors coming in and pulling the best parts.

There were a bunch of pong clone type games to be found, worthless really, unless you like that kind of stuff. A funky Allied Paddle Battle and a converted Paddle Battle stood prominently on the second floor. The shell of a Kee tank, a converted bi-plane and a more-or-less complete bi-plane could be seen. A few EM games missing parts, a row of EM pins, a pretty nice looking Bally Road Runner, more flaking paint and a couple of cute little DECO Astro Fighters rounded out the second floor. The DECO’s were the reason we made the trip in the first place. Three of the DECO’s were located on the second floor, one on the first. My Magliner with stair climbers made the descent down the massive flight of stairs quick and easy.

If the main structure wasn’t enough, there was also another building across the street that housed many of the pinball machines that were for sale. Not only did it have pins and more games, it also had a giant hole in the roof! Ugh, never good to see that as you know the games would be trashed. I know a few guys got some deals, including a sweet Taxi pinball that went for a great price. Jeff and I were out of space for the ride back so I didn’t spend much time in this space, plus Edward wanted to show me the cabinet building room and I was eager to get back on the road. The cabinet room was where they used to build and assemble cabinets for the conversion kits, bootleg or otherwise. There was still a nice pile of woodgrain laminate on one table, lots of wood debris, old tools, including a nice press brake. It reminded me a little of dptwiz’s old work space We wandered around in a few of the rooms snapping photos, what a crazy place. I could spend a ton of time here, but it was time to get moving. We still had to load up the Deco minis.

So how many DECO mini cabinets can you fit in a mini van? The answer is four. With the easily removable bases we were able to tetris the cabs into place with ease. The original three fit so well we decided to take the fourth one too! We weren’t sure if any of them would work and it would be better to have the whole bunch to mess with at once. One of the cabs had a bad base and it was left behind, I may go back for it one day. You can see the games packed in the van and then nicely cleaned up sitting in Jeff’s garage. Pretty cool little machines, much better than their tall, boxy cousin.

I loaded up one of the nice machines and the part machine into my 4 runner, packed up our gear, grabbed the kids and headed back home. Got back Saturday evening in plenty of time to unload our junk and move the game into the basement for cleaning. It was a great trip and I’m glad I got to experience the school house raid.

On the drive out to visit James’ place, Jeff filled me in on some of the details. Not only did James like vector games, but he has a bunch of super rare titles in his lineup. Some of them I had never seen or played before. The kind of games that just can’t be played in MAME. Rather than ramble on about his stuff, I’ll just let the game list speak for itself:

Armor Attack, Asteroids, Asteroids Deluxe, Aztarac, Battlezone, Berzerk, Black Widow, Blaster, Bubbles, Computer Space (yellow), Crazy Climber (deluxe), Cyberball, Death Race, Defender, Dig Dug, Donkey Kong, Dragon’s Lair, Food Fight, Frogger, Galaga, Gravitar, Gyruss, I,Robot, Joust, Lunar Lander, Major Havoc, Missile Command, Moon Patrol, Quantum, Reactor, Robotron, Space Duel, Spy Hunter, Star Castle, Star Wars, Tempest, Tron, Wacko, Warrior, and Zookeeper. That is 40 amazing games in one space, including every Atari vector (right? I’m not missing any?). I was truly going to be in Arcade Nirvana.

We arrived at James’ house late morning, in a little subdivision with modest homes and well kept yards. His was a neat little house, hiding one of the most amazing game collections I will probably ever see. I couldn’t wait. James greeted us at the door and I liked him right away. Friendly, courteous and eager to talk shop. We wasted no time heading into the arcade and immersing ourselves in the sights and sounds of the glorious 80′s. The games were organized in long rows in the one main room, with a bar and access to the backyard close by. A handful of games were in an overflow area adjacent to the main space, with all possible floor space used up. Excellent. Not only were there a TON of amazing games, but every single game was WORKING. Let me repeat that so it sinks in. All 40 games were working. Enough babble, here are some pictures.

The Wacko, Food Fight, and Death Race were placed in the little overflow area near his hvac and water tank. I was so in awe of the rest of the collection, I forgot to go back and play Death Race! I have played Wacko and Food Fight before, but I really wanted to try Death Race. I guess I have an excuse to go back for another visit

Jeff and I stepped up and played Two Tigers for a bit as I had never seen or played a dedicated cab in person. The game has some amazing artwork, but the game play was a little lacking. I wanted the planes to react more like the ship in Time Pilot, but it just wasn’t happening. Maybe a little more play time and some strategy would have helped, I try not to judge any game on the first play. Still amazing to see one in person. I also gave the computer space a try, it felt odd playing that little bit of history! I like simple black and white games so I actually enjoyed this one. I can understand why it didn’t do well though, as it isn’t very engaging. The yellow example that James has is in beautiful shape and a real treat to see. Let’s not forget the Reactor, I, Robot and some MCR goodness. Moving on…

We played a little Crazy Climber in a beautiful Nichibutsu Deluxe cabinet, some Warrior with its stunning artwork and black light backdrop. Warrior game play was OK, just a little tricky to maneuver at first. That game is definitely about the wow factor, it is truly amazing to see all lit up in person. Then there was the Williams row with a couple of duramold cabinets, some Cinematronics vectors, a Berzerk with the bat stick, and a Tournament Cyberball 2072. I should have given that one a try, but just kept moving, we had so much to see!

On to the next row of games which included an Aztarac, Missile Command cockpit and the Atari vectors. I have to say that Aztarac was the standout game for me during this adventure. It was a blast to play and the funky bubble plexi bezel made it that much cooler. I’m told that it gets ridiculously hard at higher levels, but I thought it was just loads of fun to play. The MC cockpit was another surprise for me as I really enjoyed playing it wrapped inside the cab with the booming base. Much more fun than the upright. As for the Atari vectors, what can I say? Incredible to see them all lined up looking so pretty.

Whew! That is one heck of a collection and having them all working at the same time seems like a small miracle. How is it even possible? It turns out that James has a knack for fixing the games, both the electronics and the cosmetics. He’s a bio-medical engineer by trade and the electronics repair came easy, the restorations he just takes his time with. All his games were immaculate, and his dedication to the hobby really shows. Of course the only thing that could possibly match such an amazing collection is an equally impressive bank of electronic test equipment. Let’s check out his “work bench”. His work space is adjacent to the arcade, you actually walk through it to get to the game room. I suppose that makes game repair a little easier, having everything so close. It certainly was neat, well organized, and loaded with the kind of test equipment most of us can only drool over. So drool away…

At this point we had spent what seemed like only moments, but must have been a couple hours down in James’ basement arcade and workshop. I thought we were done, until I looked up and was reminded that James also liked Showbiz Pizza memorabilia, or more specifically the Rock-afire Explosion show. But what was the rest of that stuff up there?

So James is an avid collector of Showbiz Pizza memorabilia, but not just any type of memorabilia. He collects Rock-afire Explosion stuff, that funky animatronics band that used to play at all the Showbiz Pizza resturaunts. For James, some of his fondest memories were playing the games and watching the shows at the famous Showbiz Pizza. I won’t get into too much detail about Showbiz Pizza and its history, if you’re a collector you know all about it. If you want more information, there is a great website called showbizpizza, check it out and you’ll get all the info you care to read. So when I asked what the labeled cases were on the top shelves, James said, “They’re the shows for the Rock-afire Explosion.” Hmm, I didn’t realize there were any DVD’s of the old show, let alone that many. I was wrong, they are actual show tapes for the animatronic sequences. Oh my.

Of course you can’t have all those animatronic show tapes without something to use them with. That’s right, he’s got some of the actual animatronics as well. James took us for a short drive to a storage unit that was packed full of characters from the famous show. It was a little eerie because they were lacking “skin” and looked more like the movie robots from I, Robot (how appropriate). He had signs, compressors and other accessories for the show, blips from my childhood memory. James explained that the character costumes were safely packed away, along with more parts. His ultimate goal? To expand his arcade with enough space to have a fully working Rock-afire Explosion show! Think he’s a little ambitious? Perhaps, but have you seen his game room? I would say that if anyone could pull it off, James certainly can.

And what good is a storage unit if you can’t tuck a few games into the corner? Hidden among the robots was a nice looking Atari X-O football and a cinematronics space wars, two great games waiting for a little TLC. We finished up at the storage unit and went back to the house. James mentioned he had another character in the garage, so we decided to take a look. Whoa! Not only did he have a wild Uncle Klunk animatronic, he also had a bunch of classic arcade projects that any avid collector would love to have.

So the projects consist of an EDOT, Tailgunner, Solar Quest, Tapper, Red Baron, Space Invaders, Space Invaders Deluxe, XO Football, Space Wars, Rip Off, Gyruss, Starhawk, Space Fury, and Qbert. 15 more impressive games for his list. I look forward to visiting again and really hope he can do the expansion to fit all of these games and the Rock-afire Explosion, what an amazing space that would be! I didn’t want to leave vector heaven, but it was time to get back on the road and head home. I had a great time, made some new friends and really enjoyed seeing and playing such a variety of classic games. I’m looking forward to the next road trip…maybe we’ll head West next time.

As we drove the short distance to Morgan’s place, Jeff and I discussed Morgan’s history on RGVAC and in the collecting community in general. Back in the 1990′s and early 2000′s, Morgan was best known for his knowledge of Zwackery. Zwackery is an odd D&D style adventure game that was designed by a marketing person at Bally Midway. Zwackery had great potential as one of the early adventure games to hit the scene, but the controls are very complex which make it a difficult game to grasp and play effectively. Morgan had a comprehensive website with all kinds of information and history about the game, but it has been down for a long time.

While details about the game play and its history are temporarily MIA, there are a bunch of videos that will give you an idea of how wacky Zwackery is. It’s one of those games that just can’t be emulated properly, you really need to play it on dedicated controls. Morgan is lucky enough to own two uprights and the original prototype game which he purchased directly from the designer. He also has a collection of laser games and some top tier pinball machines.

We arrived at Morgan’s place, located in a nice, quiet, suburban looking subdivision. He welcomed us in and brought us down to his basement. I certainly wasn’t disappointed by the selection of games, though he only had a handful in the finished basement. The first thing that struck me, besides the games, was that the basement was finished, but not the way a collector would do it. It was a living space first with games added almost as a second thought. Not quite what I expected, but perhaps I was spoiled by the lavish atmosphere of the freecade.

While Morgan only has a handful of video games in his basement, they are mostly sought after, rare titles. Except the Tempest of course, which is pretty common. Not sure what the story is behind the lack of side art on that one, never got a chance to ask. Tempest, Major Havoc, Quantum, Zwackery, Dragons Lair, Journey and Space Ace. Nolan Bushnell’s uWink and a handful of pins any die hard pinball collector would love to own. Not a bad lineup.

After chatting a bit and playing a few games of Zwackery and Medieval Madness, Morgan brought us upstairs and out to his garage to take a look at a few of his project games. Now his garage had a lot of clutter just like most of us arcade game collectors do, but the projects Morgan was talking about were nothing short of spectacular. Especially if you like laser games. Don Quix-ote, Badlands, Thayer’s Quest, Cliff Hanger, Road Runner, color Bud Tapper and another Zwackery. There was also an Interstellar which I must have missed when taking photos. I think the last time I saw so many laser games in one place was at California Extreme. It’s an impressive collection, but very sad to see them tucked away in a garage collecting dust.

We talked a bit while ogling his laser games and got a little back story about what he was up to these days. A few years ago Morgan partnered up with another collector and together they now operate 80+ games in major areas of Ohio. He said they do OK, but of course with the bad economy many of his best locations are losing business or closing up shop. Times are tough and coin-op gets hit hard, entertainment dollars are usually the first to dry up. Operating and maintaining the games takes a lot of time and effort and I think Morgan has become victim of the work/hobby syndrome. Anytime you need to make money with your hobby or something you enjoy doing, it starts to become more work and less fun. Eventually its just work. After working on games all day for a living would you want to come home and work on your own games? Not likely.

Overall we had a very short visit with Morgan and I didn’t get to know him as well as I would have liked to. I did appreciate his hospitality and willingness to show us his collection, and wish him the best of luck with his locations. Let’s hope he can find that collecting spark again one day. For all you laser crazies out there, please don’t go out trying to hunt him down to ask about selling his games. Yes they are likely all for sale and I can put you in touch with him. Don’t expect cheap collector prices though, expect “I know what they’re worth and won’t sell for anything less” kind of prices. Add a comment and I’ll contact you. The next and last installment of the Road Trip to Arcade Nirvana is arguably about the most incredible arcade game collection I’ve ever seen. That’s saying a lot considering what we’ve already seen so far! Stay tuned and happy gaming.

While a few arcades still exist in the wild, they are typically filled with redemption machines and kiddie rides. You might get lucky and find a random pinball machine or arcade game, but who knows if it will be working properly. Today’s arcades are nothing like what I remember from back in the day.* These days, the very best classic 80′s arcade collections are in the hands of private enthusiasts. This trip would prove just how true that really was.

First stop was New Albany, Ohio to visit the Freecade! Greg and his lovely wife Christy were gracious enough to let us stay at their home during our trip which was a big help. We arrived late on Friday and socialized a bit in the arcade while finalizing our plans for the weekend. The Freecade is an amazing place. While I had seen the before and after photos of Greg’s basement arcade, the pictures didn’t do the space justice, you really had to see it in person.

Saturday morning we spent some time helping Greg move stuff around. We moved a gutted Omega Race out of the basement and a nice Crystal Castles in. Moved a High Speed pin into his garage and while we were there, decided to organize his projects into a nice row. We managed to get all evidence of arcade related stuff out of the living room and we’re now Christy’s favorite guests. There was a kid party planned for that afternoon and when the guests started showing up, we disappeared into the basement. Jeff and I pulled out the non-working Chicken Shift and Arch Rivals and had them both up and running in about 20 minutes. I had to play Chicken Shift. We would have tackled more but the kids finally discovered the basement and quiet time was over

Greg’s space is divided into two main sections. At the bottom of the stairs sits the full wrap around wet bar, token machine and pool table area. There was a Wii hooked up to the big flat screen and a Rampage and Gauntlet sat alone near the washroom. This was the perfect hang out space, I got to chill with a cocktail while watching TV and simply enjoying the arcade ambiance. The orange cove lighting surrounding this space gave off a nice soft glow and set a relaxed mood.

To the right of the pool table is the first row of arcade games and to the right of the stairs is an alcove full of more games. Walk through the aisle to the other side and behold two more long rows and a center row of cockpits! I didn’t count all of the games in the space, but I’d guess there were at least 40 to 45. Greg has a great collection of fun games along with a couple odd balls like Flicky and Chicken Shift which I had never played outside of MAME. Jeff and I played games all day and night on Saturday. I don’t think I’ve ever had such a marathon gaming session before and it was fantastic. Unfortunately the Star Trek cockpit and a few other games were down, but there were so many good working ones, it didn’t really matter. The cove lighting in this section was loaded with black lights and they put out a good amount of light as everything was glowing nicely.

We did meet a few of Greg’s non-arcade buddies and fellow collectors Kyle and Trent from the Ohio area. Trent and Kyle were destroying high scores everywhere. I developed a new appreciation for Dragon’s Lair which I have always disliked, Chicken Shift which was just too fun, Omega Race and Spy Hunter. Played the crap out of those games. It was after 1am by the time I gave in to exhaustion. We had a full day ahead of us, it was time to get some sleep. I had a great visit at the Freecade and hope to make it back again soon.

*Of course there are exceptions ~ the Galloping Ghost arcade in Brookfield, IL and John Yates Arcade Museum in McLean, IL are full of vintage arcade games and NO redemption. If you have a chance to visit either of these fun filled locations, you should! Worth the effort.

This one is a pretty cool looking Sega Combat EM game. According to Marvin’s site, you control a tank and blast away at targets with only 12 shots. I really wanted to grab this one as it was in great shape, just didn’t have the extra money or space at the time. My friend was interested in these…

A pair of 1974 Midway Chopper’s according to Marvin’s site. Amazing to find one, but two was unbelievable. Even stacked on top of each other, they still looked to be in great shape. A fun variation of the typical helicopter themed EM game such as Whirly Bird.

While trying to climb over stuff to see what was there I saw a few Davy Crockett’s, a Midway Dog Fight, Fun Land (or Play Land?) and a couple western themed EM shooter’s. There was also a Pitch and Bat or two and a handful of older pins. Unfortunately for us we waited too long to follow up. A collector off the RGP forums (Mark the fireman in Hoffman Estates ~ I don’t like you!) swooped in and picked up 8 or 9 of the best games in the warehouse. Lesson learned for me. If you find something good you’d better make the deal and haul it away, don’t wait or hesitate, you’ll be sorry later. Oh well, I won’t make the same mistake again. Mark, if you’re reading this, I’d like an invite to play Combat once you get it working

This was the reward for completing the Arcade Aid challenge and guessing all 56 video games hidden throughout the city. I managed to get about 47 without help, not too bad. The ENCOM employee badge arrived in about a week and has an employee ID number, scan code and cool holographic sticker. For a give away item, this thing is fantastic. Yes, I’m a Tron fan and will wear this proudly.

Apparently it also gives you a clue to make it farther in the search for Flynn. Scanning the bar code on the ID badge will lead you to THIS website, for employee’s only. The contest/game has been around for awhile so of course you can find most of the answers on Google, but give it a shot first, lots of fun! Visit the official Flynn Lives website, create your login information and get started on your journey. Tron Legacy awaits!

My kids love the game and it looks great next to Mad Planets, so I’m going to have to get a jump on my project this Spring. If you spent any time at an arcade growing up, the Q*bert sounds are very unique and instantly recognizable. How could you forget?

Thanks to Jeff of rotheblog I was able to connect with the man responsible for the Q*bert sounds, Mr. David Thiel. He participated in a great little chat session which is archived over at coinopspace, a classic arcade game forum, check it out! Sound is David’s business and he’s still very active in gaming sound, recently doing work for Stern Pinball. To hear some of his work you can visit his site at daudioguy. Let’s get back to the game.

Keeping Jason’s game for awhile allowed me to send out his marquee for a nice little thank you surprise. David Thiel was kind enough to autograph it for Jason, making this Q*bert just a little more special. I know Jason is a big fan of the game and I hope he continues to enjoy this classic for many years to come. Hop on!

I haven’t had a chance to go through every thing, but skimming through the piles there were a couple interesting items.

I found a bid package outline from the US Navy for their crane vending business, a spiral notebook with operator route collection notes, misc manuals for games I had never heard of and a few stacks of arcade magazines. I hope to dig through the stuff over this holiday weekend to get a better idea of what’s there and worth saving.

John Yates, the avid collector responsible for the museum, has created a cozy little place to play a bunch of true classics. When we arrived there were a handful of customers playing games and a few volunteers working hard moving new games into place and keeping the ones on the floor working 100%. There is no admission fee to get into the museum, but games do cost twenty five cents while cockpit games a mere fifty cents. Donations to a worthy cause! After the grand tour we spent the afternoon pumping quarters into the games.

While I didn’t get an exact count, the museum has between 35-40 working games. There were 7 games I had never played before in a dedicated cab, that was amazing. I discovered a few new “must haves”, that’s for sure. For more background information about the Arcade Museum, check out the posts at rotheblog as he’s covered all the details. It isn’t often you get to see a lineup like this in the wild. If you can make the trip, it is certainly worth it. Bring your quarters and support the Arcade Museum.

At first I thought this was just some fallout from the driveway issue, but when the dripping continues even when it is dry outside, you know there’s a problem. I had a constant drip coming from one of my fluorescent cloud fixtures in the game room, so I removed the fixture to see what was going on.

After removing the drywall that was obviously moldy and wet along with some additional chunks to allow me to look around better, I discovered the culprit. A section of one inch copper pipe that feeds the water tank has a joint right above the light fixture. It’s leaking and creating the pool on the back of the drywall. I’ll end up cutting a bigger hunk of drywall out in order to verify the problem, fix the leak and then patch the ceiling. Drywall on the ceiling is loads of fun. Here’s my vote for a drop ceiling…if I had more ceiling height we would have done it.