Threesday: Arcades and awkward video games
Whether you've convinced yourself that you're an adult or not, somewhere deep inside each one of us is a small child clamoring to be let out. And we find that more often than not, our inner child wants us to take him to the arcade- specifically, the Sega World arcade in the New Century Plaza right off People's Park.
If you've never been, Player's Arena takes up over an entire floor of a huge, ritzy mall, and is chock full of video games and activities that would make even the sternest of businessmen loosen their tie. With so many, many methods of merrymaking, it's hard to know where to start, so we picked a few of our favorite wacky games that you can try, or avoid like the plague.
1. Dog Walker
Video games are supposed to be a fantastical break from reality, right? Where you can transcend the normal boundaries of existence and be something else, something exciting and new? In that case, we still don't understand why a game like Dog Walker exists. I mean, what could be more mundane than paying money to tie up a virtual dog and walk it?
The game's pretty straightforward: you stand on a treadmill with a leash, pick a dog, and then walk it, making sure that it doesn't get hurt, tired, or angry. Needless to say, we failed. Perhaps because we've never owned a dog, or perhaps because we couldn't figure out how to work the game because it was in Japanese, but we failed nonetheless, and almost got our Husky hit by a car. Luckily, it was a video game car, so no animals were hurt in the playing of this game.
2. Ten Strike Classic
Sure, you could be distracted by the flashy F-1 Racing simulators, the Sega Sports Arena, or the multitude of Yugi-oh style interactive card game machines. But amongst the fashionable, state of the art video games lie a few relics from the past, like Ten Strike Classic. It's so classic, it even has "classic" in its name!
Basically, it's a glorified pinball machine that lets you "bowl" by pushing levers and knocking over magnetic bowling pins. Honestly, this game looks so old that it probably outdates the PRC by about ten years. But watch out: even though the game has a "for amusement only" sign, you might get into a ten strike competition with one of the security guards, and he just might beat you mercilessly until your inner child gives up and throws a tantrum. We're just saying - it might happen to you.
3. ATM (Automated Ticket Machine)
Like any good arcade, you can collect points (the archaic term was "tickets", we believe) and trade them in for prizes once you've had your day's worth of fun. Of course, playing all those games and having all that fun was soooo tiresome: how we longed for an easy way around all that effort! Luckily for today's youth, you can skip all the entertainment and just go straight to the ATM, or Automated Ticket Machine!
All you have to do is insert your card, press the start button, and try to line up the flashing lights. If you win, you get points automatically put on your card. If you lose, well, nothing happens. It's so clean and simple, you could be cashing in on prizes in no time. And you'll never lose those tickets again, or have to fight your way to the counter with fists full of them! God bless technology.
Sega World Player's Arena, 9F, New Century Plaza, 48 Xingyi Lu near Nanjing East Road
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