Over 50 years since Pong burst onto the gaming scene and 30 years since the Sony PlayStation changed the trajectory of the field, small independent arcades featuring scores of vintage games continue to thrive throughout the Denver metro area.
In many cases, unassuming exteriors give way to dimly lit interiors with memorabilia-adorned walls, locally sourced libations, and, of course, the flashing lights, exclamative sound effects and controller clatter of the arcade’s reserve of classic games. There’s something, perhaps, a bit more impersonal when the venue gets scaled up in a corporate chain setting.
To its credit, many Denver-area locales have managed to preserve the magic of these establishments.
Jason Ungate, owner of The Tabletop Tap in Englewood, credits the thriving local arcade scene with the renaissance of interest in classic games.
“The Denver-metro area has a handful of very unique arcades which all offer something a little bit different,” Ungate said. “(The) 1Up (Arcade Bar) has a thorough lineup of arcade games that invoke the feeling of the ‘80s via their classic game lineup. Akihabara (Arcade and Bar) gives locals the chance to experience a Japanese-themed spot with candy cabs and other games you’d never see in an American arcade.
“We at Tabletop Tap marry board games with video games and console games, a mishmash of multiple nerdy elements,” Ungate continued. “These places and more offer unique experiences, both for the generations that may have grown up with them, and the younger generations who are just encountering them for the first time.”
While Akihabara and 1Up both keep Westminster’s gaming community satiated, the metro area abounds with unique shops in other locales as well. Up in the foothills, Wild Game Entertainment Experience in Evergreen has everything from bowling to arcade games, while Blizzard Mountain Pinball specializes in the kind of wizardry The Who immortalized in 1969.
Over in Arvada, dueling Olde Town arcade establishments Secret Level and Super Zoom Bang Bang cater to different demographics; the former includes a bar and is generally open a couple of hours later than its counterpart, which primarily caters to younger kids and doubles as a toy story.
Holly Nikolich owns the Colorado Pinball Pub in Littleton (with another location in Monument) and opened the shop with her husband as an outgrowth of sorts of their annual pinball festival, the Rocky Mountain Pinball Showdown and Gameroom Expo, which is entering its 21st year this year.
“We’re long-timers in the pinball and gaming world and are proud to bring the arcade and whiskey community together with the Colorado Pinball Pubs,” Nikolich said. “My husband and I opened Colorado Pinball Pub as a year-long home for the folks who enjoy our annual pinball festival.
“The once-a-year festival brings together the pinball and gaming community from across Colorado, neighboring states, and beyond,” Nikolich continued.
A longtime love of games seems to be a common thread with shopkeepers.
Ungate said he and his wife, Kristin, had been collecting classic games like Joust, Battlezone and Frogger, and eventually set out to combine their love of classic games with their love of board games in what would become Tabletop Tap.
“We wanted to create a place that was clean and welcoming, but also full of nostalgia for the ‘80s and the ‘90s,” Ungate said. “We offer over 250 board games, a small but rotating collection of arcade games.”
Ungate also said that he, like many other arcade owners, seeks to foster community at the arcade, even going so far as to host community nights such as a monthly Mario Kart tournament, a “nerdy book club,” and a video game book club.
“Our biggest goal right now with our bar is to provide a welcoming environment and a momentary bit of escapism from the chaos going on in the outside world,” Ungate said.
Matt Velasquez, owner of Channel 3 Retro Gaming Center, said that he noticed the gaming community distinctly change after the advent of video games and strives to allow people to connect in “more authentic ways” at his shop, which he says caters to both gaming veterans and young people looking for community.
Velasquez also said that the advent of arcade chains — such as Round One in Littleton, Immersive Gamebox in Denver and Main Event in Highlands Ranch, Thornton, Colorado Springs and Windsor — has allowed corporations to gain a foothold in the industry, though he posits that these establishments are more focused on alternative revenue streams than the games themselves.
“(Arcade) chains are more focused on making money in other ways, like through drinks and food sales,” Velasquez said. “I think local shops put more of an emphasis on the games and keeping up the games over time.”
Nevertheless, the independent arcade scene in Denver seems to be thriving, and hopefully won’t be ceding way to its corporate competition anytime soon.