Ever since I was young, I’ve always loved going to arcades. The fact that there were all these video games in one place, with lots of people playing them, seemed totally awesome to me. There was nothing compared to sliding your quarter into a Street Fighter cabinet and taking on random challengers, and it saddens me that the Arcade is nearly dead in the United States.

An odd, nostalgia-driven fantasy of mine (though it is doubtful that I will ever have the money, space, and/or free time required) is to have my own arcade, filled with my favorite games. There are, however, some people who have managed to make it happen. Probably most notable of private arcade owners was Michael Jackson, who purportedly had a fairly large arcade at his Neverland Ranch.

As far as non-celebrities, however, there are some who have managed to put together their own impressive collections. The most awesome one I’ve seen pictures of is Luna City Arcade, a collection so great that it required a separate building to be built. The collection is mostly of early 1980s games, which is significantly different than what I’d have, but still really awesome. The owner has personally restored the games to working condition, which is a fairly impressive feat considering all the work involved. He opens the arcade to the public once in a while for charity events, which is pretty cool.  Needless to say, I’m pretty jealous of this guy!

Realistically, I’d be happy to own at least one single arcade cabinet someday (probably one I built or refurbished, housing a computer that runs MAME), but one can dream.