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Author Topic: Home Arcade Ideas  (Read 4691 times)
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jasonsmith
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« on: May 29, 2014, 08:56:04 pm »

Hey guys, give me some ideas on what you'll think a home arcade should have. ie. Lights, carpet, wall color, etc.

What in your opinion should an arcade look like? What must it have to be legit?

I really want to turn my space into more of an arcade rather than the garage that it's in. 
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TimeRunner
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« Reply #1 on: May 29, 2014, 09:22:46 pm »

Hey guys, give me some ideas on what you'll think a home arcade should have. ie. Lights, carpet, wall color, etc.

What in your opinion should an arcade look like? What must it have to be legit?

I really want to turn my space into more of an arcade rather than the garage that it's in. 

I'm always going for Flynn's Arcade, but darker.
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lordkahless214
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« Reply #2 on: May 29, 2014, 09:37:55 pm »

I always like things like neon signs, blacklights, game related artwork, license plates, vintage movie posters, or posters from amusement parks, for  example I have several repro Disneyland attraction posters for my arcade, they aren't hung up yet, they need frames.
maybe framed LPs from favorite bands. I know a guy who took a picture LP of pacman and added a clock kit, giving him a custom pac man wall clock.

For carpet I always like blacklight carpet, it really pops in the dark and is what was in many old arcades, lots of patterns to choose from. Walls should be dark if possible, blues or reds, keep the focus on the games and artwork not on bare walls.

keep in mind that's just my preference  Grin
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jasonsmith
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« Reply #3 on: May 29, 2014, 09:45:13 pm »

Nice ideas, thanks. I like the blacklight style carpet as well. Adding carpet would be a huge chore as it's a concrete floor and I'd like to add a sub base as well but may be worth it.
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lordkahless214
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« Reply #4 on: May 29, 2014, 11:37:43 pm »

I have the same problem adding carpet to my arcade, this isn't my permanent home, and half of the garage still stores a car, I have been considering an epoxy floor with UV reactive chips in it as a compromise, something else you can consider.
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jasonsmith
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« Reply #5 on: May 30, 2014, 12:05:21 am »

One of my biggest issues right now is that the arcade is way too bright with all the machines on. I don't want to paint the walls and ceiling black or something dark but I think it's the only option. My EM pins light the place up like its daylight almost. My ceiling is white and probably the biggest reflector.
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iankellogg
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« Reply #6 on: May 30, 2014, 07:47:08 am »

Every one should build a pole barn!
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MastarArcade
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« Reply #7 on: May 30, 2014, 10:14:54 am »

My arcade is my sunroom. It used to be totally white, but recently I painted it Black and then bought some Pacman wall decals for the room. It's actually starting to look pretty good now (uploaded a picture to the Flickr stream yesterday).

Still need some lighting though. I'm thinking about making something custom, but we'll see!
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Mastar's Arcade YouTube Channel

Games: FiFJr, Gyruss, OutRun
Pins: Black Knight, Fish Tales, Flash
jasonsmith
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« Reply #8 on: May 30, 2014, 10:16:10 am »

I saw that pic, looks real smart!
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jasonsmith
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« Reply #9 on: May 30, 2014, 10:59:20 am »

I have the same problem adding carpet to my arcade, this isn't my permanent home, and half of the garage still stores a car, I have been considering an epoxy floor with UV reactive chips in it as a compromise, something else you can consider.

The issues is the hardness of the concrete floor to me. It's just not that comfy to stand on and it can get cold in the winter months. Currently I have anti-fatigue mats all over the place and they feel great. If I was to install carpet putting the pads on top would be dumb. Putting a foam underlay would cause problems with moving things around as the wheels would sink and would most likely damage the carpet. Curious if just the carpet alone would provide enough give.

Hey MastarArcade, how easy was it to put the black on the walls? Did one coat work easy enough? Do you think it'll be a challenge to paint over it again with something lighter?
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iankellogg
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« Reply #10 on: May 30, 2014, 11:02:25 am »

I don't think it is a good idea to put arcade games on padded carpet. I have that now in my apartment and even with the leg leveler extended the bottoms of my games get messed up when I move them.
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jasonsmith
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« Reply #11 on: May 30, 2014, 12:43:20 pm »

Makes sense, if I went that route my thought was to add those big carpet puck things. If the carpet was a thin berber style maybe it would hold up better??
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iankellogg
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« Reply #12 on: May 30, 2014, 12:50:42 pm »

i have those carpet sliders on now, they dont work as well as i thought they would. by far the best thing i have is my pacman which has casters and that thing is a breeze to move.
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TimeRunner
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« Reply #13 on: May 30, 2014, 03:09:49 pm »

I have casters on my pins and felt padding on the arcade machine legs to protect the wood flooring below. Anyone ever figure out what the weight distribution of an average arcade machine is? I figure the cabinet is always heavier than the then monitor.
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lesoleil70
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« Reply #14 on: May 30, 2014, 05:23:00 pm »

If you want the authentic smell, spill a lot of beer on the carpet, and cigarette ash.
Lots of packets of scampi fries, or sausage and tomato crisps need to be available.

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"We don't give the fuck, what the fuck you think of this shit, alright!" - Jacobsen, J. "Arcade Outsiders Ep. 56" http://media.libsyn.com/media/vgo/arcade_out_ep_56.mp3 (12/02/14)
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