Enjoy a retro gaming retreat at The Gamer’s Garage Arcade in Marseilles

Jordan Harrison’s collection of arcade games started like most collections – with just one.

“I remember playing it a lot when I was a kid,” he said of the first arcade machine he bought: Virtual Cop 2. “I realized I was at a point in my life where I could actually afford these things that I thought as a kid I never would.”

Then he bought another one, and then another. Before he knew it, he had 30 or 40 arcade games. At that point, he figured he should share them.

“(My brother and I) just started talking about it, and we decided that if we were going to have this ridiculous obsession with buying these machines that we probably ought to just open an arcade and let other people enjoy them,” he said.

He and his brother, Geoff, opened The Gamer’s Garage Arcade two years ago. Today they have more than 100 games. The garage is stocked full and takes visitors back to a time when they played video games with their friends side-by-side as opposed to the virtual games people play remotely with friends today.

The arcade has about a dozen pinball machines, which are a favorite of his as well as customers’ but a little hard to keep in service.

“Pinballs are tough. They’re definitely the most expensive of the games, and they’re very high maintenance. There’s a lot of moving parts,” he said.

Pinball machines still have a large following, though, so quite a few manufacturers make aftermarket parts for games that are 20 or 30 years old. Arcade games can pose a bit more of a challenge, particularly CRT monitors.

“We keep all of our games as genuine as possible to their original form. I take pride in keeping the CRT monitor in them. We do not convert them to LCD or LED flat screens. We do not do that because I believe that when you go to an arcade, especially a retro arcade like ours, I like to experience the feel of the game that I felt when I was a kid playing that game. That’s why most people go to a place like that. They want to relive their childhood.

“They want to relive memories, and I feel like providing them with the most genuine experience of playing that game to bring them back to that time is what I want to do. For me, playing that game on its original hardware, on its original monitor, in its original cabinet provides the most genuine experience for the customer.”

The games are mostly from the 1980s, ’90s and early 2000s. They have classics such as Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., Centipede, Cruisin’ USA, Revolution, Buck Hunter and Buck Hunter Safari. When they were opening the arcade, those were some of the most requested games. They also have four lanes of skeeball, as well as driving games and shooting games.

“People really seem to enjoy the drivers. They’re hands on, and in our driver lineup we have a lot of double games where they’re linked together so you can play head-to-head. That engages people quite a bit, and they really enjoy when they can race against their buddy or kid.”

The arcade is at 225 Lincoln St., Marseilles. Look for the front door flanked by Donkey Kong barrels. Hours are 3 to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $15 per person, and all games are set to free play. Keep your receipt and walk a few blocks to downtown eateries, such as Ziggy’s Bar and Grill, Illini Lounge, Ryan’s Eatery or Bobaluk’s Beef & Pizza, and come back for more play. The arcade is available for private parties. If interested, contact The Gamer’s Garage Arcade on Facebook.

More places to play

O-Nett Gaming Co., 215 W. Washington St., Ottawa: O-Nett Gaming is a video game store that sells vintage to modern video games, game consoles and accessories, game guides, comic books, trading cards (including Pokemon, Magic: The Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh), collectibles, memorabilia and more. The store also includes a tabletop gaming area and an arcade with more than 30 classic games and pinball machines. One-hour passes for unlimited play are $5, and all-day passes for unlimited play are $10.

Goblin Gaming, 712 La Salle St., Ottawa: Goblin Gaming sells a variety of board games, card games, collectible cards, tabletop games, role-playing games and collectibles. The store hosts regular events, such as Friday night Magic: The Gathering. Follow Goblin Gaming LLC on Facebook for upcoming events.