Basic Info: Arcade Dreams

The guy who runs Arcade Dreams was really nice, and answered some questions for me. I have placed links to any reference He makes. You not only get to find out about the inner thoughts about an arcade hobbyist, but also get a geography lesson on the UK.

•{ What is your favorite Arcade Game? }•

My Favourite arcade game eh? That's a tricky one dude. Most guys remember an 'era' of arcades, the guys in their 40's remember the late 70's early 80's, the guys like me in their mid 30's remember the mid to late 80's and the younger crew remember(mainly) the early 90's, the Street Fighter Generation if you will.

Seeing as I'm a mainly mid to late 80's for me it's a lot of the big flashy classics, Outrun, Space Harrier, Double Dragon, Ikari Warriors, Chase HQ... so many I could reel off as being IMHO classics.

•{ What was your favorite Arcade? }•

Well, we had 4 arcades locally down at Portobello beach in Edinburgh( 3 have since closed, I done a report on one of them) there is hopefully going to be a new one opening like a phoenix( a wee arcade reference there :-P) from the flames of the one recently closed.

We went to a lot of Butlins on holidays during these years and they always were well stocked with arcade cabs, great holidays. I guess the Mecca has to be Blackpool of the 80's though... huge arcades every 20 meters crammed wall to wall with the latest and best games available... I was there recently and it's a shame to see what's happened to most of them... what I'd give to go back 25 years with £20 in my pocket and a whole day to walk along that promenade…

•{ Are you an arcade owner? }•

I wish I was in the business mate but I mainly watch from the sidelines.. I'm a member of most of the UK's major arcade forums(which are growing all the time) and have grown to appreciate a lot of pinball stuff too.

I'm actually a heating/gas/plumbing engineer to trade so that's what pays the bills but my hobby and passion is the arcades, old and new, big and small.

My dream would be to open a small arcade and for it to be a success, what give me the most joy of all is to see folk playing my machines, that's why I've taken a luton van full of machine to the latest 2 arcade/pinball/retro events at Revival and NERG.

I was speaking to a guy in a wheelchair who was enjoying playing my Japanese arcade machines because they are sit down cabs and he said it was a perfect height for him... that made me very happy to see him getting stuck in..

•{ How are you involved with all of this? }•

About the growth part... maybe a lot of it is our midlife crisis? last generations was possibly fast cars/motorbikes whilst possibly this time round its arcade and pinball machines.
I hope it continues to grow and more folk get back into the the arcade scene and love of the old games, if we don't try to preserve them what will be left of them to show our grandkids? pictures in a magazine? a single cab in a museum? that would make me sad.

There's 1000's of us out there though so hopefully it  can grow and get the young crew into it.. the PS/Xbox generation.. to prove that games back them weren't all just blocky crap :p

•{ What does your family think of this? }•

The kids love it I guess, they usually have something different to play and especially my wee boy loves his time in the garage.

The wife was pretty resistant at first but it's not like I'm blowing a fortune or on the drink/drugs/hookers .

If the s#!t was to hit the fan tomorrow I could get back pretty much every penny I've put into the garage... I'd be heartbroken though lol