Made In Chicago: Classic Algonquin Arcade
ALGONQUIN (CBS) -- Want to play Pac Man, Asteroids or Donkey Kong? If you said yes, you might have been a gamer back in the 1980s.
Kevin Slota is co owner of No Limit Arcade in Algonquin, a virtual blast from the past for adults and kids.
"It's like an amusement park for arcades," Slota said.
Slota and his partner Mark Battaglia opened the gamer's paradise in December.
"I think when people walk through the door their first reaction is, where have you been and how long have you been here," said Battaglia.
LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio's Lisa Fielding Reports
Podcast
The 4,000 square foot classic arcade, at 2719 W. Algonquin Road, houses about 60 machines grouped according to category
"We have a jock section, a simulators and drivers section, pinball games, a dance section," Battaglia said
But unlike the old arcades, you pay one flat fee and play all games, all day.
"There's no tokens, no slide cards, you just play all day," Battaglia said.
But the retro section, Slota says is the most popular with the older crowd.
Battaglia says games like Frogger, Pac Man, Asteroids and Centipede take us back to a simpler time.
"When they see them, they say oh my god, I haven't seen that thing since I was 18, 19 years old," said Battaglia, a self proclaimed expert at every game in the house. He says they tap into a unique market.
"We've got everything newer driving games, simulators but to come in and play the old stuff is the real hook here," he said.
At a time when everything old is new again, Slota hopes the arcade taps into that nostalgia.
"We'll keep the 80s here forever," he said.
Admission to No Limit Arcades is $20 per person, or $15 for students and veterans. One child age 12 or under is admitted free with each paying adult.
A $99 monthly membership is also offered for the more frequent gamers.
Slota and Battaglia are also renting the space next door, which eventually they want to convert into a space for Xbox 360 tournaments.
