The History of Gaming at E3

by Ross Miller { May 11th 2006 at 5:00AM }

Kentia Hall is showcasing the history of gaming with classic arcade booths that attendees can try for free. Click below to check out our collection of photos from the display.

Tags: dig dug, DigDug, donkey kong, DonkeyKong, mappy, ms pac man, MsPacMan

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

James @ May 11th 2006 5:49AM

WOW! Someone from Joystiq actually dared to wander down into the bellows of the convention center and not just loitering around Nintendo's booth.

the_game_master @ May 11th 2006 6:22AM

Ah the arcades. Now there's something that reached a peak in the mid 90s and then faded away.

coalhalo @ May 11th 2006 6:47AM

...ah, Arcades, where I went when I skipped school in the eighties.

Ahhh... the indecipherable din of three dozen games being played simultaneously.
Happy days, but expensive days for a poor kid like me.

Now they're all full of fruit machines/bandits/slots? or whatever everyone calls them internationally.

Babylonian @ May 11th 2006 7:22AM

Holy crap, Kentia Hall actually serving a purpose. E3 really does break expectations this year.

Jeff @ May 11th 2006 7:42AM

Chinatown Fair in NYC still looks basically just like this inside... unfortunately I couldn't find a photo of the interior, but here's the ext: http://www.empirearcadia.com/album/Shankar011.jpg

Gotta love that they bill themselves as having "world famous dancing and tic-tac-toe"

The classic arcade is not dead.

Chris K @ May 11th 2006 9:25AM

GODDAMN MAPPY! That song has been stuck in my head for TWENTY YEARS STRAIGHT!

http://www.coinopvideogames.com/videogames09.html

ARGH!

Diego Garcia @ May 11th 2006 11:19AM

Did they have Gorf?!

tack @ May 11th 2006 12:04PM

@6
"Holy crap, Kentia Hall actually serving a purpose. E3 really does break expectations this year."

They've had this in Kentia hall for years.

I actually enjoy wandering through K hall on my way out. Some of the wackiest, coolest, or bizzare stuff can be found there.

I got a free USB powered drink chiller this year.

Chessasaur @ May 11th 2006 12:13PM

Kudos to E3 for setting this up! And they had my favorite shooter game - Bezerk!

Tim @ May 11th 2006 12:21PM

I don't see Mario Bros.

http://mariobrosarcade.blogspot.com

Nathan @ May 11th 2006 12:22PM

I have that exact same Donkey Kong machine in my basement. Circa 82. My most prized posession.

Brian @ May 11th 2006 12:48PM

There is nothing like the classics - especially in your very own arcade:
http://thebrokenjoystick.com

Tyre @ May 11th 2006 1:05PM

#2 Hey sony mindless drone. I loved PS2 and still play in constantly, but sony has been surpisingly underwhelming (That means boring) this E3. Sorry to burst your bubble but the 15 minute MGS trailer wasn't really that amazing. At this point I much rather read up on Nintendo.