# Quarters North American Video Arcade in mid to late 1980's



## lwhitehead (Oct 31, 2019)

I need help in creating Quarters a North American Video Arcade in mid to late 1980's, 

First off how big can I make it?, I remember that Video Arcades of the day were very poky 

Second when did they started playing Music and allowing the players to eat food inside?.

LW


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## lwhitehead (Nov 1, 2019)

Um is 1983 to early for mid 1980's timeframe, but that's when Quarters was built in fact 2 months after Talisman of Penultimate Truth was awarded to my main character.

LW


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## lwhitehead (Nov 1, 2019)

There were Moral Panics in the 1980's would this Arcade cause any?, 

I know that Video Games did cause some, but the next round would be in 1990's.

LW


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## BadHouses (Nov 1, 2019)

Maybe put a Satanic daycare in the back room.


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## lwhitehead (Nov 2, 2019)

No Devil Daycare in the back, this Arcade is home to the DM like Owner towards my main character and his Three Friends.

LW


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## Ralph Rotten (Nov 2, 2019)

Don't you mean "Quarters; A North American Video Arcade"

Dunno what you mean by arcades being pokey...you mean like Gumby's friend?

Arcades were loud, and people played games mindlessly (video games were much simpler back then.)

You could put your quarter on the corner of the screen to indicate you were next to play on the machine (but whenever people did that to me I took their quarters and told 'em to fugger off outta my face.)

Most arcades allowed you to buy food and drink, since that was where a lotta revenue came from. 
The playing surface of most games were sloped to prevent people from setting a drink on them.

They either had a change machine, or some fat geek with a change dispenser on their belt.

Usually there were at least a couple of machines that did not work properly because someone had abused the controls. Worse yet, they were not always marked as OOS so people kept wasting quarters in them.

There was always a game or two that people lined up for, or had a waiting list to play.
There was always that one guy who could play asteroids forever (what a mindless game that was.)
There was always someone who had memorized the pattern for Pac Man (another moron game.)
Only the coolest people played Defender or Tempest.


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## lwhitehead (Nov 2, 2019)

Were there any Video Arcades the size of a Warehouse?, Ok so Food and Drink was sold earlier then I thought. 

Quarters is a neon Palace for Video Games, 

LW


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## lwhitehead (Nov 3, 2019)

Well Quarters has to the size of a Warehouse is that possable if were part of a Shopping Mall?. Open from 3 P.M. to 3 A.M. every day, The Man who is runs Quarters is a mysterious type of person he isn't a Fat Geek but a Tall nicely dressed Man.  To the main character and his 3 friends he is there DM, for example when the main character is learning to drive he made the Car from Outrun appear to help him out. 

LW


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## Winston (Nov 3, 2019)

lwhitehead said:


> Well Quarters has to the size of a Warehouse is that possable if were part of a Shopping Mall?



No.  Like most small businesses, arcades had cost per square foot limitations.  The profit margin of that kind of business meant a small to medium footprint, max.  Cheaper rent could be had elsewhere, but then kids wouldn't come.  Catch-22.  



> Open from 3 P.M. to 3 A.M.​



No way.  Morality laws (curfew) and common sense.  No parent would let their kid stay out that late (especially in the 1980's).  There's an old trope about only drunks and cops being out past 0200.  Midnight to one, at the latest. 

And you can dress the proprietor any way that fits your story, but in reality a well dressed arcade owner would be under scrutiny for dealing drugs.  Unfair, but that's the way most cops work.


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## Ma'am (Nov 3, 2019)

lwhitehead said:


> I need help in creating Quarters a North American Video Arcade in mid to late 1980's,
> 
> First off how big can I make it?, I remember that Video Arcades of the day were very poky
> 
> ...



IF this is for fiction, you might want to just create your own arcade name. That way you have the leeway to make it in whatever way best suits your story. And you don't have to worry about potential lawsuits if your work gets published and someone has an issue with something you say. I'm sure legal trouble over it is a very small likelihood but avoiding it is still one less thing to worry about.


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## lwhitehead (Nov 3, 2019)

What your saying Winston is that an Arcade owner was normally up to there eyeballs in bills in 1980's.  So my Owner has a source of income to pay for the floor space in the mall that's why it has Two type of enterences One for the Mall and One outside.

Unlike a normal Arcade Quarters is free of the worst elements of people that an Video Arcade normally have, this is due to the actions of the owner He seems to know what's aways going on inside and out of the Arcade.

LW


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## lwhitehead (Nov 5, 2019)

I still like Quarters since the Man who runs it states it's form of currency for his Arcade, This is will ether be a novel series or comic series. For the novel series each title will called Quarters then the year it take place in such as 1983.

Also were in America could this Arcade be located for good flow every day?,

LW


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## lwhitehead (Nov 6, 2019)

Well it has to be in state with low driving age for Teens, also what good Suburban area would be good?.

The Man who runs Quarters is based on Robert Preston characters from Music Man and Last Starfighter, One of the reason the local Adult don't like this Man is the fact his unknown source of Cash. 

Quarters is what would known later in time as a Safe Zone for Kids, 

LW


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## Ralph Rotten (Nov 6, 2019)

The biggest arcade I ever saw was at Circus Circus.
The entire 2nd floor was arcade.
It was so big that they would have 7 or 8 of the same games in a circle.
It was nirvana.


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## lwhitehead (Nov 13, 2019)

That's about the Size of Quarters in the mall, very large and with Neon.


LW


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## Ralph Rotten (Nov 15, 2019)

At CircusCircus you could play until you got video-shock, and would be all twitchy when you sleep.
They kept the prices reasonable because they wanted the kids to be busy so Mom & Dad could spend more time at the tables.
I think I games for like 15 hours straight once.


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## lwhitehead (Feb 24, 2020)

That's why Quarters has to have at least Four levels, Three for Arcade Games The Fourth is the Owner's Personal living space.  Now as stated before in previous postings modern Crusaders would hate an Arcade like Quarters, Modern Crusaders like to target the voiceless victims. Remember this was the era when some people though A.I.D.S. was God's Vengence against Gays, most of these uptight people were members of same moral Crusades.

I would like to point out that the Second series will intilted Quarters:the Next Generation, hey it worked for Star Trek.

LW


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## lwhitehead (Apr 30, 2020)

Folks still need help with this setting I think that Quarters could sell well as a YA novel series and setting.

LW


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## apocalypsegal (Jun 11, 2020)

It's been a while since my older boys did the arcade thing, but from what I remember, they were all part of a shopping center/mall. The one local was about three typical storefronts, so fairly large. Games were arranged in somewhat of a maze, with aisles going around and around. It was loud, fairly dark (so the game screens showed up better, I'm guessing), and no food/drink allowed. Bill changing machines at convenient locations, with attendants keeping an eye on things. No outside entrance, only access inside the mall.

Another thing was, random people were not allowed. Unless you could show you were there with your own kid, you were nicely told to leave. People were getting more and more aware of pedophiles, so parents wanted to be sure they could let the kid in alone and not worry about them being enticed outside. I know I was watching my boys like a mean mama hawk at all times! They didn't get to go to the men's room alone until they were about twelve, and even then I wasn't far from the door, and made sure they checked for others inside before they went in. Yeah, I was like that.


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