Two of my favorite activities are slowly dying out: Going to arcades and collecting old video games from local yard sales/used stores. Arcades still exist but are absolutely tiny in number compared to what was around only ten years ago, and as time goes by, it's becoming harder and harder for me to find old games at local sales. Gamestop has recently stopped carrying any console games older than the Xbox 360, Funcoland (my store of choice for NES/SNES games during the early 2000's) folded into the Gamestop umbrella long ago, and even reliable places like the Salvation Army and Goodwill almost never have video games in my area these days.
Of course, it's easy to find any old game on Ebay or Amazon if you're willing to pay the price. Same goes for arcade games too, though those prices are quite out of my range. Ordering a game off of Ebay really isn't quite the same as browsing a selection in person, though. I want to take a moment to spotlight some of the businesses that are keeping these nerd dreams alive.
I'm focusing only on my favorite arcades/shops reasonably close to the Boston area. If anyone would like to contribute a guest article for their own area, contact me!
