Revisiting 80s Arcade Games

I've always loved playing 80s arcade games. I was practically raised on 80s games, from the really basic Atari stuff on. We actually had an Atari 2600 when I was just a kid. Compared to the latest cutting edge video game systems, it was kind of primitive, but I was just absolutely in love with it at the time. A lot of people growing up in the modern age don't really realize how amazing a development computers were. They sort of take it for granted. Back then, however, we were all blown away.

In ten years, 80s arcade games really made a lot of progress. The first retro video games were so simple that it is hard to believe that anyone used to like to play them. If you look at Pong, for example, and compare it to even the first Mario Bros. game, it is like a whole different world. One of them has two lines moving back and forth to bat a blip on the screen, while the other has a whole little world.

That was what made 80s arcade games so exciting to me. I loved all of the 80s games that I got to play, but the best part was definitely getting the chance to watch the genre of video games grow up right before my eyes. Nowadays, the computer games are so realistic that it is hard to notice any technological difference between one game and the next. With 80s arcade games, however, every year something new and better would be coming out. This made every new 80s arcade game an exciting new development for video game fans everywhere.

Another feature of 80s arcade games was the creativity. Early video game designers had so much less to work with, and so they would have to be so much more creative to make things come together. I remember the way that first generation NES games could create the illusion of a whole world through having different stages of moving background. They would not have enough memory resources for a truly 3 dimensional moving background, so instead they would show a series of screens sliding past the character as he went on his way. It was actually more artistic in many ways than the look of more modern games.

My favorite 80s arcade games were the ones which combined different types of game style. I loved getting to play a game which allowed me to do some roleplaying, some first person combat, some side scrolling action, and some puzzle solving all in one. It made playing the game seem so important and serious, as if the fate of a whole world depended on the outcome. The very best classic arcade games really lived up to that standard.

Old Arcade Games Bring Back Memories

With the meteoric rise in popularity of home gaming systems like PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, and Xbox 360, full-fledged video arcades seem like a thing of the past. That's too bad, as some of my fondest childhood memories involve taking a huge handful of quarters to a couple of video arcades by my house to play pinball, Pac-Man, Centipede, and Space Invaders for hours on end. Now these old arcade games can't be found in any public places -- but are still available to hardcore collectors, or those looking to recapture a piece of their childhood.

Because these old arcade games aren't being manufactured anymore, the best way to find them is to check online for specialty dealers. There are actually quite a few companies that do nothing but buy, sell, and refurbish these monstrous gaming units that were staples of the 1970s and 1980s, so finding your childhood favorites shouldn't be too difficult. The real challenge is finding old arcade games that are still playable, in relatively good condition, and reasonably priced.

Fortunately, the Internet makes it easy to contact dealers from across the country. This obviously gives you access to a far greater number of sources, and increases your chances of finding the unit that you want. For instance, one of my favorite old arcade games is Galaga, a fixed shooter game where the player controls a spaceship and shoots at a never-ending stream of enemy aircraft. I couldn't find Galaga at any dealers in my entire state, but discovered on the Internet that a store nearly 500 miles away from me had two units available. After viewing photos, asking detailed questions about the game's operability, and engaging in some haggling, I ended up buying the thing at a price I could live with.

For those who want to play old arcade games without shelling out a thousand dollars or more on a machine, you can enjoy free action on some retro gaming websites. By accessing these sites, you can play your favorites right on your computer without having to pay a penny. Sure, you'll likely have to put up with a few annoying advertisements, but that's just a minor inconvenience that can easily be overlooked. After all, getting to play old arcade games online is worth a few bothersome pop-ups, right?

Whether you're a serious collector or just an enthusiast bitten by the nostalgia bug, locating old arcade games is a piece of cake. So if you miss Frogger, Donkey Kong, Q-bert, Pole Position, or any of the other beloved titles you grew up with, why not bring all the exciting action back to your place today? Start searching for a specialty retailer near you or scan the top auction sites to find your favorite game right now!

80's Arcade Games Take Me Back to My Childhood

My wife and I recently took our son and daughter to the mall to do some clothes shopping, and as expected, our son was finished much, much sooner than our daughter was. My wife decided to go with our daughter to help her finish up, when I spotted a video arcade a few stores down from where we were sitting.

I told her that I would take our son to the arcade, and I would get a soda or something. Little did I know at the time that the establishment had an entire section devoted to 80's arcade games, and that my wife and daughter would be the ones waiting for us - for a while, anyway.

I made change for a five dollar bill and gave a handful of quarters to my son, who immediately ran to some very sophisticated and realistic car-racing game, with about two dozen buttons and gadgets, the specific purposes of which he seemed to know by heart.

I watched him weave in and out of lines of cars for about five or 10 minutes, occasionally crashing, and occasionally advancing another round, when I happened to glance over and see a very familiar face - that of Ms. Pac Man.

It was as if I had been magically transported to my youth, and I told my son that I would be right back. I walked over to a little section of the arcade that had hardly any customers, and I saw two entire rows of 80's arcade games.

Games that I had not seen or even thought about for many years, including Space Invaders, Frogger, Q-bert, and Donkey Kong were right there in front of me, and now, I had all of the money I needed to play for as long as I wanted to play.

I was at it for about an hour when my wife showed up. I thought that she would be annoyed with me for leaving our son alone while I gracefully guided Ms. Pac Man through her maze, but as soon as she saw the line of 80's arcade games, she jumped right in next to me on Pole Position, a game my son thought was absolutely pathetic.

We must have stayed at the arcade for three or four hours that day. It was actually our kids who started to pester us to leave, so we finally gave in and went home.

Our kids had a good laugh at their parents that day, and they made fun of how simple those games were compared to the games of today. I quickly pointed out to them that if it had not been for those 80's arcade games, today's games may not even be here.

Top 80s Arcade Games

The most played games in the 1980s include some very familiar titles and some that most people will not remember. For all of you gamers out there playing “Dead Red Redemption” or “Call of Duty” this list will serve to remind you that your favorite games did not just pop up out of thin air, but are the result of years of gaming and gaming research. The top 80s arcade games were the primitive precursors to today’s technologically advanced digital games which can even be played by many people at once across the internet. These games may seem prehistoric by today’s graphic resolution and imagery standards but many, myself included, will argue that the 80s arcade games were more fun to play.

We need to start with the mama and papa of them all, Pac Man and the subsequently improved Ms. Pac Man. Pac Man wowed fans of 80s arcade games with its intricate game play and ever increasing speed as you advanced through levels. For the two or three people left on earth that have never seen or played Pac Man, the game is basically a two dimensional maze that you have to navigate through with your player, the aforementioned Pac Man. Ghostly figures, appropriately called “ghosts”, chase you and try to kill you. If they touch you then you disintegrate and the game is over, or at least your playing piece is dead. You are allotted several players at each level. The point of the game is to reach the glowing spheres which you gobble up and that gives your little blue Pac Man extra power which enables him to eat the ghosts. Sounds silly when you dissect it but man is it fun. Ms. Pac Man came out about a year later and it was even better and faster than the original.

Another of the great 80s arcade games is Centipede. This game can still be found in the retro corner of most major arcades or at the seediest bars you can find in any given neighborhood. Centipede play is still a blast and you can actually play some souped up versions of the classic on X-Box and Playstation. It is difficult to describe Centipede but suffice to say that it involves a long and winding centipede coming down the screen very quickly while you try and shoot it from below. Mushrooms block the way and as the centipede gets closer to the bottom of the screen it becomes super fast and much more difficult to kill.

One of my favorite all time 80s arcade games is Galaga. It is difficult to find the original Galaga anymore, though I believe there is a version of it available for X-Box and/or Playstation. Galaga was an advanced version of the primitive but addictive Space Invaders of the 70s and featured great graphics, squadrons of alien spaceships, and different levels of guns that you could use to kill the alien hordes from deep space. A wonderful game that has yet to be equaled despite techy advances to gaming, which proves the point that games do not need to be super graphic in order to be great.