What is this site? This site is essentially an attempt to allow the viewer to experience a glimpse of what were some of my fondest childhood memories, the arcades of the early 80's.

From the second I played my very first video game, a space invaders cocktail, to the latest and greatest console systems, I have always been a huge fan of video games. But, it is the games of the early 80's that hold the strongest nostalgic value for me.

Playing games back then was more than simply putting a quarter in a game and attempting to temporarily postpone an alien onslaught, it was an all-encompassing environmental experience. The huge popularity of games such as Pong and Space Invaders, lead to arcades sprouting up everywhere. From the smallest crack in the wall convenience stores, to mid-size dedicated arcades, to the mother of them all, the mall arcade.

Each of these locations had their own ambience which I can still remember like it was yesterday. Some locations were kept very dark, sported popular rock music of the time, and constantly pushed the latest and greatest games. Others were more, "family friendly", typically combined with food (usually pizza) in an attempt to invite parents and their children to participate.

Going to an arcade always seemed exciting and new. It also provided for a great social experience. We didn't sit at home, gaming and talking with people over the Internet. Instead, a group of friends would ride their bikes to the local arcade, and attempt to conquer the latest challenges. I remember working with my friends to beat such classics as Tron, Track & Field, Dragon's Lair and Cliff Hanger. When we weren't working together, we challenged each other to beat our personal high scores.

Eventually, the arcades of the early 80's started to disappear. Sure, we now had computers and home consoles with games (really great games). But, the experience was missing something. At the time it was difficult to determine exactly what that was. I believe it was the fact that we had the games, but we no longer had that all-encompassing experience.

A few years ago I started thinking again about those games of the past. I wondered, if any of them still existed? If so, how much would they cost? Well, those thoughts have lead to the collection of games you can see listed on this site. For some reason, I seem to really enjoy obtaining these games, repairing them, and playing them. Doing so has lead to an interest in electronics I never really had before. Hopefully, some of the techniques, troubles, etc. I have documented repairing these games can aid fellow collectors in getting a classic up and running again.

It wouldn't be hard to say that the arcades of the early 80's really set the path for the rest of my life. My interest in the games lead me to working on and programming computers. From the early Apples and Commodores, to today's modern PCs, I have always had a desire to program them. This desire lead to obtaining a degree in Computer Science, and ultimately lead to becoming a software engineer. On this site, I will also list some of the current software programming projects I am working on that are related to video games.