Looking back on arcades as a whole, I’ve noticed a slow decline in clientelle variation.  From the very beginning, as I’ve mentioned before, I remember having all sorts of folks frequenting Ebeneezer’s, all coming together for one common purpose:  To play the vidya.

While there are certainly many people in a modern arcade at any given time, it seems like not only are there fewer females and non-whites, but the few who do visit these places hang around in little cliques.

We had a few characters back in the day.

• Name:  Big John
• Type:  Biker
• Favourite games:  Pac Man, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Big John was a gamer of a sort, but I think he mainly stuck around for the company.  He’d often just sit at the counter drinking a beer, looking gruff and scary.  I was the only one he softened that gruff exterior for.  He had a little daughter, but she died, so I think having me around was comforting for him.

• Name:  Jessie
• Type:  Punk
• Favourite games:  ‘Anything where I can kill somethin’.’

She was tall, spindly, green-haired, probably diseased, and smoked a pack or two a day.  She tended to hang out around the beat’em ups and wait for someone to start playing, then join in.  She hated playing games alone.

• Name:  Manny and Milly
• Type:  Awkward
• Favourite games:  Ice Climber, Simpsons arcade, anything co-op

Twin brother and sister, parents apparently thought the names were cute.  They were always together. every time I saw them.  Absolute epitome of the stereotypical ‘nerd.’  Big glasses, pocket protectors, the works.  Occasionally they’d get into fights, with one another, and when they did, there was blood.  Only people I’ve ever seen get further than level three in Mario Bros. ‘co-op’ without killing each other.

• Name:  Dave
• Type:  Fat dude
• Favourite games:  Gauntlet

Big, morbidly obese black man.  Never played anything but Gauntlet and pool, and it showed.  He actually completed Gauntlet on one credit for our Christmas Donation marathon one year.  Liked to poolshark new people, especially if they looked like they had money.

These are just a couple of the players at my old haunt.  We must have had nearly 100 regulars who’d be in and out at various times of the day and week.  When I walk into the Winchester arcade though, what do I see?  Ten wigger kids, four koreans, and a small group of kids running around making noise.  No group talks to another, and they all stay pretty much quiet.  Occasionally a mother will bring her kids in and look uncomfortable while the kids play shitty ticket games.

I tried to set up interviews with people I assumed were regulars, but I got turned down by every single one. What the hell, people, this is a social place, don’t get freaked out by a tall, muscly Italian girl with blue hair asking weird ques-  … Oh.  Maybe that’s the problem.

I don’t know what happened, though.  I can’t continue to write about ‘culture’ if there’s no culture left.  I guess I’m gonna be stuck reviewing old cabinets for awhile.