Arcades were one of the coolest experiences of our childhood. Those dark, dank and sometimes dubious places provided for hours and hours of fun, money spending and skill acquiring. If you, too, were an Arcade Kid, you might have experienced some of these supreme, elating moments, a focal point in the life of any gamer.

Top 10 Arcade Moments

#10

The Pac-Man Ghost Bug – Avoiding the Pac-Man ghosts is no mean feat. Every now and then, though, the gods of arcade games favored you, and you experienced a wonderful bug. While hitting the evil ghost, it simply went through you instead of killing you. How’s that for sheer, dumb luck?

#9

Seeing Naked Girls - No, no naked girls roamed the arcades of the 80s to the best of our knowledge, but there was at least one game that let you see images of naked Japanese girls – Gal’s Panic. Advancing through the levels, you gradually undressed the girls on the screen by killing evil enemies, and eventually you got to the two things you really wanted to see: TITTIES!

#8

Kicking the Shit out of your Friend – Since we couldn’t REALLY beat the shit out of anyone, arcade games were a good substitute. Disassembling your best friend on Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat was one of the most satisfying things around.

#7

Learning From the Pros - You know those games that ate up all your money and you could hardly advance a few levels in them? Those could be really frustrating, but luckily, there was always an ace player around. The best way to learn was to stalk the pro-gamer while he was playing your favorite hard game, hover over his shoulder and watch him find all the secret items, kill all the bosses and avoid all the traps. After such a thorough lesson, you got to be a pro, too. Well, some of the time, anyway.

#6

Perfect Galaga – Getting a perfect bonus level on Galaga. Ah, sweet music to our ears!

#5

Getting it Pinned – After finishing a pinball game, there’s this little raffle thing going on – some numbers scroll on the screen, and if they match, you get a free game. Free! No need to insert coins and shit. Winning that mini game is about as likely as winning the lottery, so it counts as golden moment in our book.

#4

One Coin Legend – Finishing an arcade game on just one coin. Nuff said.

#3

Carving your Initials – Much sweat, blood and aching wrists after starting a game, you finally hit a Hi-Score. That’s truly a sweet moment – writing your meaningless initials on the hi-score list. The day after  you have to do it all over again, because some dumbass turned the machine off or simply got a higher score.

#2

Getting a Free Ride – When some space cadet stops playing and leaves the machine, without realizing he’s just left you an unplayed credit.

#1

Becoming the Center of Attention: Admiration is a wonderful, addictive thing. You don’t easily get the admiration of hardcore gamers, but when it happens, it’s a moment to remember. Imagine yourself playing your favorite game, the one that you really have mastered, and a crowd of dozens of other gamers slowly gathers behind you, whispering, oohing and ahhing, cheering you along and clapping when you finish the game as the true master you really are. That is a rare moment of respect in an arcade, and only the luckiest among us get to experience it.

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