The Game Room arcade in Republic, WA...

[NERDtendo]

I live in a tiny, very poor mountain town. I would love to open an arcade, but I realized I really just wanted people to play my games. Instead, I made a free arcade. I open my arcade one day a month for 2 hours and anyone can come and enjoy free arcade games, free drinks, and free snacks. My county spans hundreds of miles and has a population under 2,000. The Game Room averages 30+ attendees each month. I have a few Jamma cabs mixed in with my classic and dedicated games so those (as well as the TVs for console games) get changed out every month so there are always new games to enjoy. It’s been a lot of fun. Games break and it costs a lot, but it’s my passion and it’s been a ton of fun!

Here are some pictures of the Game Room over the last couple of years...

 

[NERDtendo]

Shortly after I moved here, someone mentioned they saw an arcade game at a resell shop...so I made a deal with the owner to fix one of his games in exchange for this game...

 

[NERDtendo]

Just getting started...

 

[egg_sanwich]

That’s a great idea, looks like a lot of fun

 

[NERDtendo]

I had brought a couple broken games with me when I moved so I could have something to work on in case I couldn’t find any in my tiny mountain town...got Centipede running!

 

[NERDtendo]

Added some lighting and started filling out the space...

 

[NERDtendo]

Got a call from the local school that they found an arcade game in their furnace room...I bought it.

 

[NERDtendo]

Got SEGA Turbo running and added more lighting...

 

[Neodogg]

Good on you Nerd!

 

[NERDtendo]

One of the biggest turnouts...

 

[NERDtendo]

I had to close for over a year because of Covid. In the downtime, I snagged a couple more cabs...

 

[NERDtendo]

I officially reopened last month!...this is how The Game Room looks as it currently exists!

 

[ForeverSublime]

Your generosity will lead to many fond memories. What a treat.

 

[yagamikun]

Dude, this is awesome! Good on you. Good luck with all this - I'm sure your neighbors appreciate your efforts.

 

[Burning Fight!!]

That's some great stuff.

 

[Hawwa]

Very well done sir. Would I be attending to a meeting like that the organizer would never have to pay for a drink.

 

[doaal]

This is so wholesome!

 

[Pretty Amy]

Very cool of you. Nice CAW cabinet too!

 

[cr8zykuban0]

To see this is very wholesome and so awesome of you to provide arcade fun for your community.

 

[Viewpoint]

Got a call from the local school that they found an arcade game in their furnace room...I bought it.

Holy fuck how is that fan even working? The amount of dust in that place is awful. I hope you wore a hazmat suit moving that thing out!

 

[NERDtendo]

Holy fuck how is that fan even working? The amount of dust in that place is awful. I hope you wore a hazmat suit moving that thing out!

It’s ash. The furnace is a wood burning stove. We are a bit old school living remotely in the mountains...

 

[Gremlin]

Awesome setup and mad respect for inviting people over to play them!

 

[sirlynxalot]

Is the arcade contained within your house, or do you place the cabs in some kind of community center or rent space or something? Do you set them to freeplay or do people put quarters in?

 

[traveno]

I officially reopened last month!...this is how The Game Room looks as it currently exists!

Looking good! Even got a couple pinball machines in there. I'm a fan. Everyone is right that this is pretty fucking wholesome.

 

[NERDtendo]

Is the arcade contained within your house, or do you place the cabs in some kind of community center or rent space or something? Do you set them to freeplay or do people put quarters in?

It’s in my house. People walk in through the basement where the arcade is. They hang out upstairs for drinks/snacks and a little more quiet place to talk. If it grows too big for my house, which I hope it does, I will set up an actual space in downtown main street for my arcade (still all free). Spaces are available for very very cheap so it will be totally doable. I want the arcade space and the community to grow organically. Games that have free play are set to that. Games that don’t have that option have a credit button on the coin door. Head-On doesn’t have credits or a start button so quarters are lined on the bezel old school style and people just grab a quarter from there to play a game.