Hello Everyone., I Live in Montreal, and recently got the arcade bug. Being 31, I played all the classics growing up, and just wanted to start reliving that era through collecting and building my own. I have started building my first classic cocktail design MAME Cabinet and of course am starting to find my constraints and limitations. Number one problem I have is space. I have a 4.5 apartment which is obviously limiting, but I also have a 3 year old son with me half the week. So although he is loving the games part, Im not too crazy about him being part of the tools, saws part etc. So I guess my first question is.. Is there a place for a guy to go, where he can work on his machine... kinda like a rental garage/workshop?...Are there others like me who may want to band together and rent a place a as a time share/social thingy?lol...and finally. is there any discussion out there as to maybe building a community based retro arcade, maybe in a location like the Belgo Building...downtown Montreal? I know there  isn't a huge market for arcades, and we obviously do not want to open a venue simply for drug trafficking etc. I thought of the Belgo, more for the potential to attract the surrounding artists and patrons of the Belgo, possibly to generate modest income for the people involved (ie.Supplying game, Time etc.), but more as a place to enjoy the games, maybe work on a project (in a workshop area) and to socialize with other enthusiasts..

Now, I haven't surfed this whole site as of yet, so please excuse me if there is already a whole plethora of info on this subject, already available here...and also, feel free to post links to those pages...just trying to get a grasp on it all and maybe get more involved.

thanks

Salut, je vais y aller en francais car vu que tu est de montreal qu'il y a des chances que tu comprenne et c'est moins long pour moi.

Habituellement les gens restorent et fabrique leur game chez eux, je ne voit rien dans le genre que tu suggère.
Aussi il y a souvent des meeting qui s'organise pour se rencontrer et partager la passion. Le forum est plus ''pinball oriented'' mais il y a aussi qque ''vids crazy'' comme moi !

La ''Montreal Pinball League'' viens de débuter, si ca t'interesse viens faire ton tour, regarde la section concerné sur le forum pour plus d'infos !  

PS: A 31 tu es probablement plus jeune que la moyenne

ya I was pretty young when alot of the classics came out, but still felt the need to pilfer my mothers purse for quarters and other change to make them.. O the good ol' days.

Salut llotek,

Welcome to the bug However, I like people calling themselves Old player when they are 31! It really makes me feel young (not) .  I am new to this myself and if I may give you a bit of advice.  Stick to this forum for a while and read everything you can.  There is a wealth of info and everyone is willing to help. Don't be shy to ask.  Lastly, you stated you are from Montreal but you can put it in your profile after you click on your own name it will be on the left of your choices, simply put it there.

take care and play on brother

Sorry to burst a bubble, but chances of opening a commercial arcade are slim to none. Quebec law KILLED arcades with licensing fees on machines. I have inquired with the government on opening something like GJD is doing in toronto with the arcade museum and found out quickly that Quebec don't want arcades. The paperwork for a non-profit organization is simply brutal, and in the end, it would cost at a minimum near 6-digits to get going... and I don't mean a Bally display.

The best viable solution remains MAACA and the MPL in Quebec.

Ahhh ok, well thanks for the info. I think i get the bureaucracy.. no one really wants some semi dingy place used mainly for drug dealing and other shady stuff, which im sure was an issue of some sort back when making the current laws. anyhow, Im not done there, certainly going to get involved with the league...

the casino and loto-quebec is much more profitable for them/us...

Quoted from llotek

Being 31, I played all the classics growing up

I'll just add my friendly jab to the new guy...  

You realize of course that you were BORN the same year Space Invaders came out...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_invaders

You were two years old when PacMan hit the arcades...

Us "old farts" were actually teenagers during that era...

Welcome aboard sonny-boy !    

Cheers,
Ole Man Steph,

Quoted from Steph

Welcome aboard sonny-boy !    

Cheers,
Ole Man Steph,

What is wrong Ole Man Steph afraid to tell how old you really are by updating your profile and putting in your DOB?  

take care

Quoted from Sparky

Sorry to burst a bubble, but chances of opening a commercial arcade are slim to none. Quebec law KILLED arcades with licensing fees on machines. I have inquired with the government on opening something like GJD is doing in toronto with the arcade museum and found out quickly that Quebec don't want arcades. The paperwork for a non-profit organization is simply brutal, and in the end, it would cost at a minimum near 6-digits to get going... and I don't mean a Bally display.

The best viable solution remains MAACA and the MPL in Quebec.

Sparky, wouldn't a "private" arcade-like be more profitable or easier to set up (i.e.: less expensive)? Like the Go-kart places where you have to be a "member" to be able to ride/play?

All pins and arcades could be set up on free play, but players would have to have a "member's" card in order to play them?

Just a thought!

tartagliag

I know there are lots of restrictions here (in scarlem)

As for OLD player.....


I'm in my mid 30's and seem to be one of the "young pups"

Quoted from gmaranda

What is wrong Ole Man Steph afraid to tell how old you really are by updating your profile and putting in your DOB?  

May 1966.

Too young to be a Boomer, too old to be a Gen-X'er,
...but just right for the Golden Age of Arcade !  

As for why I don't put my DoB in my profile,
it's simply a matter of personal privacy and security.

With just about every other facet of my existence available on-line via Google,
(.. even a street-view on my damn house !!! )
I'd rather keep what little private info I have ...private ...    

---

As for the "age" issue, I hope no-one takes this too too seriously ...
I'm 43 going on 23, and with a 2, 4 and 7 yr old kids in tow,
most people think I'm in my 30's....  

...ah, if only I had my 80's hair back .... !    

cheers,
Steph