The Golden Age of Games

I remember going to LaVal's Pizza on Telegraph and Durant to play the arcade games there. It was in a dark nook filled with intimidating and cool adults who drank beer, smoked cigarettes, played pool, and listened to loud abrasive music on the jukebox. I played Street Fighter II with a burnt-out rock-for-life type who looked like the human version of Evil Ernie. Arcade games, particularly the ubiquitous Street Fighter II, were a conduit intersecting all walks of life. No other venue could have produced an opportunity for a little kid like me to hang out with such a bad dude. Long before there was the “gamer community” (patent pending) with its webcomics and LAN parties, there were games that brought the community together.