The Files G33Z3R Arcade Files
Insert Coin
The arcade cabinets of the '70s, '80s and '90s — and the pizza place, mall or bowling alley where you found them.
A roll of quarters, a high-score screen with three initials, and a cabinet that smelled like carpet and ozone. Every one of these machines was somewhere in your town. Each file has the record — who made it, when, how it played, what it became — and one question: did you drop quarters in it? Then tell us where the machine was.
👕 Wear the memory
The arcade files you can still put on: the shirt walls at 80sTees for the subjects in this room.
Affiliate links: as an Amazon Associate and an 80sTees affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. Details
The files
The golden age (1978–83) · 15
The golden age (1978–83) · 1972–1978
Was Pong the first arcade video game?
Released: 1972
The golden age (1978–83) · 1978–1983
Did Space Invaders really cause a coin shortage?
Released: 1978
The golden age (1978–83) · 1979–1984
Why did Asteroids look different from other arcade games?
Released: 1979
The golden age (1978–83) · 1980–1985
When did Pac-Man come out in the U.S.?
Released: 1980 in Japan; October 1980 in the U.S.
The golden age (1978–83) · 1979–1983
What was the difference between Galaxian and Galaga?
Released: 1979
The golden age (1978–83) · 1981–1985
Why was Defender so hard?
Released: 1981
The golden age (1978–83) · 1981–1985
Was Donkey Kong the first Mario game?
Released: 1981
The golden age (1978–83) · 1981–1985
Who made Frogger?
Released: 1981
The golden age (1978–83) · 1981–1985
Who designed Centipede?
Released: 1981
The golden age (1978–83) · 1981–1990
How did the double-ship trick in Galaga work?
Released: 1981
The golden age (1978–83) · 1982–1990
Why was Ms. Pac-Man made without Namco?
Released: 1982
The golden age (1978–83) · 1982–1986
What was Q*bert saying when he swore?
Released: 1982
The golden age (1978–83) · 1982–1986
How did you kill things in Dig Dug?
Released: 1982
The golden age (1978–83) · 1982–1985
Did the Tron arcade game make more than the movie?
Released: 1982
The golden age (1978–83) · 1982–1986
Why were you riding an ostrich in Joust?
Released: 1982
Mid-'80s classics · 6
Mid-'80s classics · 1983–1986
Why did Dragon's Lair cost 50 cents?
Released: 1983
Mid-'80s classics · 1983–1987
What was the original Mario Bros. arcade game?
Released: 1983
Mid-'80s classics · 1983–1988
What was the sit-down Star Wars arcade game?
Released: 1983
Mid-'80s classics · 1984–1988
What was the arcade Punch-Out!! like?
Released: 1984
Mid-'80s classics · 1985–1990
What was the Paperboy arcade controller?
Released: 1985
Mid-'80s classics · 1985–1990
Who said "Warrior needs food, badly"?
Released: 1985
Beat-'em-ups & fighters · 4
Beat-'em-ups & fighters · 1987–1992
What made Double Dragon the first big beat-'em-up?
Released: 1987
Beat-'em-ups & fighters · 1989–1993
What was the four-player Ninja Turtles arcade game?
Released: 1989
Beat-'em-ups & fighters · 1991–1996
Why was Street Fighter II such a big deal?
Released: 1991
Beat-'em-ups & fighters · 1992–1997
Why did Mortal Kombat cause a Senate hearing?
Released: 1992
Questions
- What are the Arcade Files?
- A directory of the arcade cabinets of the '70s, '80s and '90s — each with the record (maker, year, how it played, home ports and sequels), a vote on whether you played it, and a Memory Wall for where the machine was in your town.
- What was the golden age of arcade games?
- Roughly 1978 to 1983: from Space Invaders through Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Galaga and Dragon's Lair, when arcades were on every corner and the industry out-grossed Hollywood. The 1983 crash ended it; the '90s fighting games brought a second wave.
- Where do the facts come from?
- Public references, mainly the Wikipedia article for each game, linked on every file. Designers are named only where they're documented. The stories are ours.
- Can I play these here?
- Not the originals — we don't host ROMs. But the site has its own arcade of original retro games, free, in the browser.