My brother and I haven't' been to The Arcade in quite a few months; mainly because they changed the hours (I believe they are only open Fri-Sun now?). I think the last time, we drove there and found them closed, then went to Marvin's, which is almost always open.

The last time we were there, most all the pins were operational; however it sounds like that has changed (with less pins). Unfortunately, I think the posts within the last week or so epitomizes the struggle Pinball has in the world of arcades even given the current uptick of interest in pins.

I WILL say, if you're looking for some classic vid action; The Arcade is the place to be. My brother and I constantly found ourselves saying, "I remember that one!" Or saying, "I've never seen that one!"

I was at the PHOF earlier this year (June). I will say I was bothered by the issues that plagued a few of the newer modern games. AFM was pretty rough; a lot of switches didn't trigger. I think TRON LE; the slings didn't work. AC/DC, the pops didn't work. In retrospect, I probably should've reported these issues, but I guess I felt that with SO many problems on so many machines, that maybe the owner/operator didn't care (yup, I realize that's a bad opinion to take). With that being said, I wouldn't want the burden owners/operators have with pins (especially in the PHOF). I know; I realize the task these people have in front of them, and realize it is not an easy one.

I live in a smaller MI town, outside of a small MI town. In Downtown Three Rivers, retail space is relatively cheap. I often think how cool it would be to open an arcade. To open a place all of us would reminisce about the old days of pins and vids; to show younger generations what games were like when we were kids... But I always come to one conclusion: It really could only be done if you didn't need to turn a profit.

I salute all the owners and operators that have arcades or have games in arcades; it's not easy, but we thank you for doing it.

Chris