In a small nondescript alleyway in the Whiteaker district behind Ninkasi Brewing Company, a gutted pinball machine’s entrails spill over its glass face and cascade toward the floor. Across town on Oak Street and East 13th Avenue, another local “barcade” had its soft opening and packed the house. Up in Portland, the dull glow of arcade cabinet monitors mingle with pints of beer. Quarters jingling and curses of another life lost echo down the street to blaring dubstep. All over the country, barcades are making a huge comeback, and Eugene is no exception. @@http://www.ninkasibrewing.com/@@
Chad Boutin has run his arcade on and off in the Blair alley as The Location (now known as Blairalley) Arcade at 245 Blair St. Not a barcade per se, it didn’t serve alcohol at the time since they didn’t have a liquor license. But when the remodeling of the space is finished, they will offer booze, pinball, arcade cabinets (the term for the large arcade machines) and live music.
“It’s that part of reliving youth,” Boutin said. “And what is the most remembered part of youth? Entertainment.”
Looking around the room covered in new paint, arcade machines crowd each other in the middle of the room, covered in plastic, Boutin removes his sunglasses and says, “We’re gonna have a scene here. A club. It all relates to a very poignant part of people’s lives.”
In the back shed area of the Blairalley (one word; it is a play on words of the old Bally cabinet and pinball company). The many arcade machines stand open, torn apart, cannibalized or dead. A sun-bleached cabinet header for “Escape From the Planet of the Robot Monsters” stands in one corner, while “After Burner” sits next to a dilapidated “Ms. Pac-Man” in another. In a room off that, modern computers line the walls with programming code on them. @@http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=7716@@ @@http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8782@@ @@http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=6821@@
“Sometimes, man, we gotta go deep into these things and rebuild them ourselves,” said Boutin.
On the corner of Oak and 13th, a dance club that was called The Indigo District used to occupy the space where one of the new barcades now lives. Level Up offers more than 50 cabinets and 25 pinball machines. Ranging from “Donkey Kong” to a newer machine where you can hunt dinosaurs for sport with a touchscreen device for navigation and a light gun for shooting, this arcade is well stocked. @@http://www.yelp.com/biz/indigo-district-eugene@@ @@http://donkeykong.nintendo.com/@@ @@http://www.leveluparcade.com/@@
Joshua Docherty’s day job is an IT support manager at the University Law School. But in his off time he’s an entrepreneur, one of three co-owners of Level Up. @@http://www.uoregon.edu/findpeople/person/Joshua*Docherty@@
There seems to be a DIY aspect to the arcade cabinet sub-culture, as all of them have been or will be refurbished by hand.
“I’ve seen the insides of all these machines. You have to know or learn how to work on them. A cabinet in perfect condition might cost you $4,000, but if you get a beat-up one and fix it up yourself, it would only cost you a couple of hundred,” Durocher said. “It’s a lot like restoring classic cars. A rust-bucket of a classic could be fixed up for cheap. For me, it’s a labor of love. We’re not going to get rich off of arcade machines.” @@This is either supposed to be Docherty or this person’s full name wasn’t mentioned before@@
“I have two little kids. When I brought them here, their eyes lit up and I know they’re gonna love this place,” said Kenny Wilson, manager of Level Up. “Of course, for guys like me it’s about nostalgia. I mean, we couldn’t blow a ten-dollar roll of quarters on a game.”
Wilson continued, “Console gaming has gone to the next level. This isn’t about high-tech. This is about vintage and about being social.”
Level Up also offers 16 local beers on tap and a plethora of Oregon liquor, with food provided by the Maize Lounge next door.
Either of these barcades would be a good choice to unwind. So, have a pint and try to get the high score on “Donkey Kong.” Even after all these years, it’s still impossible.