Player One Arcade Bar – Ready for business
Retro is always cool, no matter if its clothes, music or movies. The same logic applies to video games too, and the best part of being an adult is being able to enjoy grown-up stuff (beer and whiskey) while dipping your finger into the pool of past memories.
Located in North Hollywood, CA, Player One Arcade Bar offers 21+ entertainment with a combination of retro arcade video games and full bar service. Most games cost only twenty five cents and among the establishment’s impressive roster of games, patrons can find the classics. With over 50 games to choose from there is never a dull moment.
Player One Arcade Bar – which has absolutely nothing to do with the book or Spielberg movie – features a synthwave motif. Complete with a neon color scheme and a live DJ pumping out synthwave tunes on Friday and Saturday night.
Owners, Chris and Annique are southern California natives, being both raised in San Diego. After a chance re-meeting via a mutual friend one San Diego holiday evening in late 2017, the two quickly reignited their connection. 2019 marked the opening Player One, whence they became not just life partners, but business partners as well. Their extended family includes two cats named Io and Callisto, as well as a snake, named Quetzi boo.
Slickster: First and foremost, what would you like the public to know about your establishment?
Annique: Thank you so much for taking the time to interview us about Player One Arcade Bar! We’re very excited and flattered. Thank you again.
What would you like the general public to know…? That’s such an interesting question because there are so many things; small things and big things. The number one thing, I think, would be that we are not named after the “Ready Player One” film. We are actually named after the concept of player 1, 2, 3, 4. No one wants to be player 2, or even 3 or 4. Everyone wants to be player one. And this rings true from my childhood, the childhood of our other owner, Chris, and really everyone during the 80s. You always fought as a kid with your friends, your siblings, your neighbors to be player one. It’s a love note to wanting to be that cool 80s kid on the Atari.
Slickster: While the concept of a Barcade is very cool, it’s not new. Has there been or is there a specific Video Game Bar that inspired you to open Player One?
Annique: Yes, absolutely. So for years, I’d been going to 82 in DTLA. I loved their simple, minimalist aesthetic; an aesthetic that forces your cognitive attention on why you came: video games. They do great drinks as well, so every once in a while, whenever I had the cash, I’d grab a friend and head down there. I thought the idea was genius. It was a simple equation of vintage games plus alcohol. I could time travel back to being a kid, yet live out the present reality of being an adult with an adult beverage.
Later, Chris, my partner in life and in crime, moved up to LA with me and I took him to 82. There was one particular night after watching Blade Runner 2049, going to 82, and then listening to synthwave on the drive home that we both felt something; the tone of having experienced all those three elements together in a span of a few hours stuck somewhere in the undercurrent. It just resonated. And on the drive home one of us looked at the other and said, “you know what would be cool? Owning our own arcade bar.” And it was there we began the steps to do so.
Slickster: Now for the impossible question. Can you please name your top 5 personal favorite arcade games?
Annique: So this question is not actually that hard for us! I love my particular games, no matter how good or bad I am at them, (lol) they’re still my favs.
So the number one game for me is Galaga! I’m so competitive at it. Whenever a customer mentions that it’s their favorite game, I’m always like, “Oh, I’ll take anyonee down!” They’re always like, “whoa, easy!”. But it’s all in fun, so if I’ve ever challenged you, reader at home, to some Galaga, please excuse my energy! Next would be Tekken 3, then Street Fighter 2: ultimate edition, House of the Dead 2, and finally Contra.
Chris’ favorite arcade games are definitely Tetris, then Street Fighter Alpha 3, PacMan and then, Night Striker!
Slickster: Does Player One have a variety of different types of games? For example, pin ball, air hockey, 4-way Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?
Annique: We have so many games! We’re so lucky to have partnered with Vintage Arcade Superstore over in Glendale, who’s provided the games for us. Currently we have almost 50 games, which I believe is the most for an arcade bar in Los Angeles! 6 shooting cabinets, 7 racing cabs, 12 traditional cabs, 9 fighting cabs, 5 co-op fighting cabs, one Dance Dance Revolution, 11 pinball and 2 air hockey. Our racing games include a rare 4-player edition of Cruisin’ World, and a Harley Davidson racing game. Can I mention that we also have a super ultra rare Dr. Who pinball? Also, we have PacMan: Battle Royale! A 4 player competitive game where you not only try to eat the pacs and the ghosts, but each other.
Slickster: One of my favorite Barcade games is the pinball game Theatre of Magic. Do you have that specific game there?
Annique: We don’t have Theater of Magic, but I could look into getting it!
Slickster: Do all of your games cost a quarter?
Annique: All of our games are quarter based, and many of them are single quarter play. Some of the pinball ranges from 50c to $1, with Air Hockey at $1.50 a play and PacMan: Battle Royale being $1.
Slickster: We initially discovered your Barcade on a synthwave subreddit. Synthwave is a resurgence and re-imagination of everything 80s. It also draws heavily on video games and cult classic movies. As a reader can tell from our synthwave interview Archives, this is not a national trend, but an international growing sensation. What is it about this resurgence of 80s culture, and recreation of it with modern technology that is so appealing to the current generation?
Annique: This is a great question and I absolutely agree! It is an international sensation. I actually did a lot of research on this phenomenon when we were initially creating our business plan and what the evidence seems to draw a conclusion about is the analog nature of the games.
Chris and I are Xennials (in the cusp between a Gen X and Millenial) and pretty much our generation was the last to experience an analog childhood coupled with a digital adulthood. And I think with that said, the oversaturation of the digital era has left us all, including the younger Millenials and Gen Z-ers wanting a return to something more innocent, to a simpler time.
The quicker technology moves, the quicker the world seems to move; certainly right now, we’re inundated with fast moving technology in complicated times. Going into an arcade and playing games that are considered “vintage” or even “nostalgic” allows us, through what is now considered simple technology, to essentially experience a piece of a bygone era through getting hands on with these amazing games from the 80s and 90s.
Slickster: Does Player One feature any type of synthwave music while patrons sip some brews and play a few games?
Annique: Player One is beyond proud to play synthwave while folks play games and sip drinks! Synthwave is everything to our bar, and we embrace it to the highest degree! Usually our music schedule is as follows: 80’s new wave/first wave/pop until 9pm. 9pm… SYNTHWAVE TIME!! Ten minutes until closing time: 80’s love songs/ballads. If you hear the 80s ballads playing, you don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here (as the cliché saying goes) We even have an awesome dj who plays all of the above, Kevin deNicolo (@sulkin_Raven), on Friday and Saturday nights. He’s new to the dj-ing scene, but absolutely awesome.
Slickster: The retro gaming scene seems to be very healthy and firmly established. Can you comment on this and what the future may hold for the retro gaming scene?
Annique: That’s another really great question. The retro gaming scene is really just growing stronger and stronger. Again, I think, fueled by the want to return to a simpler time, but also because of the concept of “everything old becomes new again”. It’s a new generation of gamers wanting to explore the history of gaming, and it’s older gamers returning to their youth.
The awesome part for the young’ins is, they get to actually experience thee past by playing the games themselves, not just read about it, or watch a YouTube video of someone else playing. The experience lends itself into one that’s real vs. vicarious. The younger onees want to experience that, and I think that’s something that’s only going to grow for years to come.
Slickster: Thanks for chatting with Slickster Magazine, and best of luck on your barcade. Is there anything we didn’t cover that you’d like to mention to our readers?
Annique: Thank you so much! Something to mention to our readers is that we will be starting up tournaments soon! DDR, Super Street Fighter II: turbo, Mortal Kombat 3: Ultimate and air hockey. If you live in the LA area, please stop by. If you’d still like to be a part of it, we’ll start live streaming the games soon on Twitch and possibly even Caffeine. Thank you so much for the interview!