Will you sell games from your personal collection?
I am always open to offers but realistically I would say the answer is no. I have spent a lot of time and money repairing and restoring my games and I probably wont easily part with them. I do, however, currently have some games for sale. Check my for sale page.

Where do you buy games?
There are many places to look. The most common places are local classifieds, local collectors and local operators (less common). If you don’t mind paying for shipping, or can find a good deal that justifies the cost of shipping, places like eBay, out of state collectors and various online stores can sometimes be good places to find games.

What is a vector game?
In a sentence it is a game that uses a monitor that, instead of rendering pictures like a TV or a computer screen, draws lines. It’s sort of hard to explain. Star Wars and Tempest are both games that have color vector monitors. Vector monitors are also called X-Y monitors. They are super cool but sometimes unreliable and can be fairly expensive. Sort of like the Ferraris of the classic arcade world. For more info check out this page. Below is what Tempest, a color vector game, looks like during game play.

Is it hard to fix games?
It depends on you and what your skill level is with things like woodworking, artwork touchup, mechanical assembly, electrical wiring, and electronics. I am pretty good with everything except electronic repair so my biggest secret to success is having a great (and affordable) local tech I can bring non-working electronic parts to. Normally by networking with fellow collectors you can find a good tech pretty quickly in your particular area. USENET message boards like rec.games.video.arcade are a great place to start getting to know fellow collectors.

Is the monitor dangerous?
It can be. The CRT (cathode ray tube) has the capacity to store over 20,000 volts even after the monitor has been turned off for an extended period of time. Check out this article about installing a new capacitor kit into a monitor commonly found in Nintendo games like Donkey Kong and Super Mario Brothers (a Sanyo 20EZ). It should give you a pretty good idea of what a monitor is all about.

How do I get into a game if I don’t have a key?
Locks are cheap. Some try to pick them but I drill the suckers out. Start at the center of the of the lock with a 1/8″ to 3/16″ drill bit and go until the lock literally falls apart. Try the smaller bit first. If you don’t have luck with that try a 1/4″ bit.

Do the games draw a lot of power?
Sort of. Most games with a 19″ monitor draw about 360 watts (120 vac x 3 amps) of power. In comparison a modern 32″ tube television draws about 160 watts of power.

Are some games more reliable than others?
Yes! As you begin researching various games you will notice this. In my experience games that have vector monitors are much more picky than their counterparts with raster monitors. But they are soooooo much fun they make up for it. Pole Position is another tricky one; the PCB’s (main circuit boards) are notoriously unreliable and hard to fix.

What are the most popular games?
The Killer List of Videogames has a great list of the top 100 games. You can find it here.

Are the games heavy?
Yes! A game with a 19″ monitor (a common monitor size for older classic games) normally weighs anywhere from 250lbs to 375lbs. It is a good idea to get a used refrigerator dolly.

Can you make money buying and selling games?
This hobby can be expensive (especially if you get into the more sought after games like I have) but if you do your homework, don’t overspend, and are a little handy you can normally sell a game for what you paid for it.. or maybe even a little more. Not a bad investment! I would not count on actually making much money at it though.

Where do you buy parts?
Fortunately there are many reproduction parts available today. You can find vendors on my links page. Inevitably you will run into a situation where you will need to find a part that hasn’t been produced in over 20 years. I normally post what I need on Google USENET or search on eBay for hard to find parts that I cant find thru my normal list of vendors.

Are classic arcade games expensive?
Prices depend on a variety of things. Geographic location, condition, and popularity can all effect price. Prices can range from free (normally for a beat up non-working game that isn’t widely considered collectable) to over $1000 for common highly sought after games that are in excellent shape (like Galaga, Pac-Man or Star Wars). Super rare games can sometimes even get over $2000. An example of this would be a working and dedicated I, Robot. One of the most desired games in arcade collecting circles is a dedicated Major Havoc. A nice one in original and working condition can fetch over $3000.