Galloping Ghost world record attempt

[racerx]

The Galloping Ghost crew set the Guinness record last night for most people simultaneously playing arcade machines at 207. We'll see if it withstands the paperwork.

 

Album here.

 

[number six]

I'm pretty sure i was in some arcades back in the early 80s that could beat this every saturday

[Dauber]

I was there, but I didn't get there in time for the world record attempt, and Billy Mitchell left right before I got there. I did get to meet Walter Day, Jeff Lee, and Daniel Pesina though...all really nice guys.

 

BTW, a LOT of world records were set that night...lots of world record high scores, and I believe they officially named GGA as the world's largest arcade, beating out Fun Spot.

Edited June 2, 2015 by Dauber

[VectorGamer]

BTW, a LOT of world records were set that night...lots of world record high scores, and I believe they officially named GGA as the world's largest arcade, beating out Fun Spot.

 

I heard a while back that they were expanding the arcade. Did that happen and is that how they were able to surpass Funspot?

[Dauber]

Yeah, they're definitely expanding...I think they're looking to buy out one of the spaces adjacent to the arcade...but yeah, I think they actually knocked out one of the console rooms to accommodate all the games they've acquired. Seriously, the place is a freakin' maze and VERY claustrophobic! Some of the games are actually two-in-one cabinets -- that is, two motherboards in one with toggles hacked on...because they don't have enough room for all the individual cabinets. I think one goal is to get a big enough space so that these boards can be put back in their separate cabinets.

[VectorGamer]

If Aurcade is up to date Galloping Ghost has over 100 more machines.

[racerx]

I'm pretty sure i was in some arcades back in the early 80s that could beat this every saturday

 

I sure wasn't, and I spent a ton of time there.

 

You have to remember, the typical Aladdin's Castle-type arcades typically only had probably 60-80 machines, and mom and pop type arcades had far fewer. To have 207 people playing machines is something. I don't know how many were playing 2-up; most were on individual cabs.

Edited June 2, 2015 by racerx

[number six]

 

I sure wasn't, and I spent a ton of time there.

 

You have to remember, the typical Aladdin's Castle-type arcades typically only had probably 60-80 machines, and mom and pop type arcades had far fewer. To have 207 people playing machines is something. I don't know how many were playing 2-up; most were on individual cabs.

 

There was some pretty large 'mega-arcades' back during the initial boom. The Omni in Miami had an arcade that had multiple rooms over 2 floors, the smallest of which was probably 60 machines.

 

Still, anything that can keep the arcade scene going is a good thing.

[VectorGamer]

If I'm going to travel to an arcade it's got to have at least 100 machines. I think 100 machines is a good number (if at least 60% are videos) that will usually yield a good mix of the popular and less popular (but good) games. If I go to an arcade, I'm not going to be playing Pac-Man or Donkey Kong cuz I can play those games at home.

 

A travel exception for me would be a trip I'm thinking of making to NJ where I would stop at Richie Knucklez on a Friday night, travel to both Yestercades locations on Saturday and then hit Silverball Museum on Sunday. A couple of days ago the roof collapsed at one of the Yestercades locations so that trip is on hold until they reopen that location.

 

Anyway, my mall arcade BITD had 100 machines and it was a nice arcade. They had videos, pins, air hockey, billiards and projector games. I miss that place.

[Dauber]

A travel exception for me would be a trip I'm thinking of making to NJ where I would stop at Richie Knucklez on a Friday night, travel to both Yestercades locations on Saturday and then hit Silverball Museum on Sunday. A couple of days ago the roof collapsed at one of the Yestercades locations so that trip is on hold until they reopen that location.

 

Must have been the Somerville location; their Facebook page just announced that biweekly tournaments in Red Bank have resumed starting yesterday.

 

BTW, I was disappointed last time I went to YesterCades in Red Bank. NONE of the games that I remember them having that I was looking forward to playing were there...they were probably moved to Somerville.

 

I used to live in Ocean Grove, literally a five-minute walk from the Asbury Park boardwalk. Silverball opened right after I moved to Chicago. I'd be spending a LOT of time there if I still lived in OG. (And I worked in Red Bank in 2000-2001. If YesterCades had been there then, I would suddenly find myself calling my wife a lot..."Sorry, honey, I have to work five hours late AGAIN tonight..." )

 

I'd love to go to Richie Knuckelz...next time I'm in Jersey and have easy access to a car, I just might make a trip there...never been to Flemington...

 

BTW, you wanna hear awesomeness of old arcades? Baly's Aladdin's Castle at the recently-defunct Lincoln Mall in Matteson, Illinois....a s**tload of arcade games (including lots of cocktail tables), pinball machines, a video jukebox, double-monitors on some of the more popular games (so you could watch the gameplay without having to be right up against the machine), and at one point they had bumper cars....man, I loved that place...it was sad to see it gradually diminish...

Edited June 3, 2015 by Dauber

[racerx]

Thing is, for the record, you have to have a lot of machines and all of them being played. I mean, I could have 30 people playing at once at my place. But all my machines would have to be working (grrr) and I'd have to have enough people there to play them all. I don't think I was ever at an arcade where ALL the machines were occupied.

 

Even in 1982, some machines would have a line to play, some would have one player, and a lot would be empty.