- Joined
- Apr 4, 2026
- Messages
- 3,652
- Level up in
- 1348 posts
- Solutions
- 5
- Reaction score
- 10,070
- Points
- 6,177
- Location
- Winter Wonderland
Yes, we all have tales about wasting our money on unplayable junk.
That's one of gaming's most ancient institutions, a staple of the hobby.
But what about blowing your quarters or tokens on an arcade machine you had to stand in line for, hoping it would eventually get good and justify it?
That was always a terrifying concept for me as a kid, especially because my older sister was entrusted with our money and wasn't exactly a benevolent dictator when it came to handing it out (she, much like me, considered chocolate to be one of life's biggest pleasures and would much rather spend money on it, but this wasn't her money to spend, so she penny-pinched instead... much to our annoyance).
Once, all the popular machines were taken and there were lines up the ass for them, so we chanced playing one of the few that were (more) available... and this was basically the result:
(No, I don't even remember what the hell we played — it was THAT forgettable).
That experience taught me patience, in a way — it really was better to wait for Metal Slug or Street Fighter to be available than to chance the machines at the very back of the arcade.
You?
That's one of gaming's most ancient institutions, a staple of the hobby.
But what about blowing your quarters or tokens on an arcade machine you had to stand in line for, hoping it would eventually get good and justify it?
That was always a terrifying concept for me as a kid, especially because my older sister was entrusted with our money and wasn't exactly a benevolent dictator when it came to handing it out (she, much like me, considered chocolate to be one of life's biggest pleasures and would much rather spend money on it, but this wasn't her money to spend, so she penny-pinched instead... much to our annoyance).
Once, all the popular machines were taken and there were lines up the ass for them, so we chanced playing one of the few that were (more) available... and this was basically the result:
(No, I don't even remember what the hell we played — it was THAT forgettable).
That experience taught me patience, in a way — it really was better to wait for Metal Slug or Street Fighter to be available than to chance the machines at the very back of the arcade.
You?
