View full image

71_Neon Retro Arcade

The greatest hits of coin-op video games

Back

Next

There was a party. There was a pinball machine. There were sparks flying. That’s what was going down when Mia Mazadiego and Mark Gunther met and fell for each other in 2002. It seems apropos, therefore, that the couple went on to open a 1980s and 1990s-era arcade, where walking down an aisle feels like stepping back in time – except that it’s not so dank inside. Occupying a cheerful space with hanging cafe lights, about 50 classic arcade games and 7 pinball machines beckon to visitors: “Remember me and all those good times we had? I’m still here for you.”

Generally speaking, the 20-somethings get fired up when they catch sight of Street Fighter 2, The Simpsons, and Ninja Turtle. The 30- and 40-somethings make a beeline for PacMan, Centipede, and Asteroids. Preteens find their home at Neon too. They’ve been watching YouTube videos of the classics and come excited to play the real things. What those young’uns don’t experience is the use of quarters. The business model of Neon is free play. You pay a per-hour fee ($10) and can start and restart a game at will – no need to place your coins “on deck,” claiming your right to go next. There’s one rule though – no game hogging, which, according to Mazadiego and Gunther, has, remarkably, never happened. Many of the games are multiplayer and often those playing are glad to let others join in, ramping up the competition and fun.

Info

Address 28 S Raymond Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91105, +626.568.2924, www.neonretroarcade.com | Getting there Paid lots and metered street parking | Hours Mon, Wed & Thu 3pm–10pm, Fri 3pm–midnight, Sat 11am–midnight, Sun 11am–9pm| Tip Head east to the sprawling and diverse Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens (1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, CA 91108). Highlights include the more than 14 geographic gardens, particularly the Chinese, Japanese, and Desert Gardens.

The whole arcade phenomena really started with the Atari game, Pong, in 1972. The play was elegantly simple. Based on the sport of table tennis, two paddles hit a ball over a net. Whoever gets to eleven points first wins. The story goes, one of the Atari founders plopped down the first Pong game in a bar to see if it held interest. In a week and a half, the console was having mechanical difficulties. It turned out the problem was that too many quarters were blocking the coin mechanism. Popular indeed.

Nearby

Norton Simon Museum (0.615 mi)

Front Porch Farmstand (0.839 mi)

Pasadena City College Flea Market (1.839 mi)

Leo Politi Mural (2.175 mi)

To the online map

To the beginning of the chapter