As the saying goes, “the thrill is in the chase”. As an avid curator of video games of the retro kind, and lover of vintage toys, I can attest to this notion – there is nothing like the adrenaline rush you get when hunting an old game or that Six Million Dollar Man figurine you had from the 70’s.
The allure of the hunt is intoxicating, and when you ‘find’ your prey, it is like a “hit” (or should that be “fix”?). I embark on these ‘retro gaming hunts’ on a regular basis – it is the rush that I am seeking from trying to find my prey. It is a guilty pleasure that does not hurt anyone (except for my hip pocket). Even when the hunt is fruitless, the passion lingers to hunt again.
From time to time, you find a place that jolts your adrenal gland – just like the hipster vintage market I found in the northern suburbs of Melbourne. Looking at the photos, you get the idea of the gear that is available in this place – from vintage toys to electronic games. It is easy to get your ‘fix’ by looking, but the hand-to-wallet twitch is ever present.
For your photo fix, check out the entire album here
If you have any adrenaline inducing stories, please share them with us. There is nothing like the release of epinephrine and dopamine – it feels great!
Located at Pier 45 in Fisherman’s Wharf, this wonderland is Mecca for arcade nostalgia buffs. Once you enter the museum, you are greeted by familiar sounds of coins dropping into machines, pinball bumpers being hammered, plastic fire buttons being mashed, and good old Zoltar providing fortunes – music to the nostalgic ear. This Musée contains one of the world’s largest (over 200) privately owned collections of coin-operated mechanical musical instruments and antique arcade machines in their original working condition. The best part is, you can play them all!
The most difficult decision in the Musée is where to go first, and what to see next. It is a huge place! It is akin to being a kid in a candy store. But after Pong, we proceeded to the ‘mechanical’ machines, built 80+ years ago. No photos can do these old machines justice. They have to be seen and touched in the flesh. Their build quality is second to none. Now I understand why people say “they don’t build them like they used to”. These things are built like tanks and are priceless relics.
At the rear of the Musée, you will find the largest concentration of golden era games (Centipede, Spy Hunter, Rally X, Battlezone and others) as well as more modern arcade machines, including SNK’s Neo Geo cabinets. Let’s just say, I spent a considerable amount of time (and money) in this area.
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