An Epic Story

A Short Documentary about Playland

Almost ten years ago, my local arcade, Playland, closed its doors. This was, and still is, my favorite arcade. It’s the one I had been frequenting since I was a kid, back in those day playing Star Wars almost exclusively. Playland was right near the movie theater and beside the fancy restaurant my parents liked to go to and we’d often have to spend some quarters while we were there.

When Playland went out of business, they had a big auction and sold everything (you can read that in the article I linked above). There was a line to get in. My wife, then my fiance, and I went not knowing what to expect. I had hoped to get an arcade machine on the cheap. Partly due to nostalgia, and partly due to the dearth of arcade auctions in the area, everything sold for more than it was worth, and a bit more than I could afford. The auction happened only a few months before our wedding, and what money I had in my savings went to that.

My daughter and son never got to play at Playland, and most likely never will in a real arcade (Dave and Buster’s doesn’t count, not to me at least).

You may be asking why I’m telling you all of this. That’s an interesting question for sure. For the answer, check back here on Monday. Perhaps our story has a happy ending after all. For me, at least.

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