Page 117 of Glitched Play

Photographs of kids lined up around machines in the late seventies and eighties.

An idea sparks so fast I actually stop walking.

"What?"

I turn toward him. "Your streaming platform."

He waits.

"What if we did a documentary series?"

He tilts his head.

"Explain."

"The evolution of gaming."

His eyes sharpen.

"Not just consoles." I keep talking faster as the pieces click together.

"The people… the arcades… the competitions. Show the friendships created. The home systems. Show how it’s grown and we can create a new nostalgia.”

I take a quick breath before I continue throwing out all these ideas. "How gaming changed from quarters and joysticks into communities."

"We interview developers."

"Collectors."

"Players."

"We show people where all this started."

For several seconds he simply watches me. Then... "I like that."

"You do?"

"Yes." His smile grows.

"I also dislike that I didn't think of it first."

I chew on that for a moment before he continues, “That’s why I don’t use money cards here. I wanted to keep the nostalgia of hearing quarters dropping and the bleep that you hear when it’s accepted. I don’t want to compete with new arcades. I want kids to know how we got to where we are today. Building one more feature at a time.”

He slides his hand into mine and I think how incredible this man is.

“It’s amazing how one idea turns into another.”

He turns me to face him and says, “You build the foundation. The structure. Then it can grow.”

I no longer know if he’s talking about us or gaming.

Lunch is in a converted train depot that now houses a sandwich shop with antique railroad signs hanging from the rafters.

Original wooden benches still line the walls.

Old ticket windows have been transformed into ordering counters.

The smell of fresh sourdough, smoked brisket, roasted tomatoes, and homemade potato chips fills the air.