The Underground Arcade Primer





There is no Wikipedia entry for Underground Arcades . Are we just that deep down ? Maybe so . But this is not an entirely bad thing .

The ” Documentary

A fantastic primer into the world of Underground Arcades , their role in the community , what they provide and how they exist . 

This is the Araiguma Battle ” Documentary ” in the style of @ExperiencedBPB ( YouTube ) and our best way to convey not only what we do , but something that represents all Underground Arcades . 

We are NOT the only one . Keep scrolling to see more !

A Brief Explanation

What is an ‘ Underground Arcade ‘ ?


Underground arcades are grassroots spaces not known to the general public, typically dedicated to specific types of games and their communities .

They are non-commercial driven community spaces , which are mostly ( but not all ) donation based or self funded rather than relying on charging by subscription or entry fees .

These spaces have an emphasis on fostering community. Part of their semi-private nature acts as a filter, while remaining accessible to those who might find their home. It allows for the cultivation of an organically grown and genuine community.

Let’s take a look at some of these spaces.

To note, there are many more. Only spaces with a public presence, and photos they publicly share, will be detailed here:

gARCADE ( AKA Star69 Garage Arcade )

” Hey everyone, I’m Rob. Some of you know me as Katsu or even *69|Katsu if you’ve known me for a long time.

I’ve been running a fighting game arcade ( aka gArcade ) out of my house/garage for about 10 years now. It started as just some setups in the kitchen and living room that never came down. Then it moved into the garage as I bought some new machines.

It’s with the help of the Austin area’s Fighting Game Community that we were born and kept us going. I do not charge any fees. It’s 100% completely free to everyone.

All that I ask is that people be cool to one another. I have not been disappointed either. “

Links :

Facebook
YouTube

Red Parry NYC

” The dopest gumshoe arcade/lounge and general chill space. Sessions every Monday and Thursday. “

Links :

Twitter
Twitch

The Don’s Arcade

” Cody used to be a hero, famous for saving Metro City. Bored with the peaceful life, he kept fighting, day and night… Until he was jailed. One day, he managed to break out of prison. Wandering outside, he now seeks something that will satisfy him. “I saved the city, saved a girl, but couldn’t save myself…” “

Links :

Facebook

Hobocade

” A secluded video game hangout in the heart of Silicon Valley. Many BEMANI arcade games, many classic “

Links :

Twitch
Facebook

Dabs And Cabs

” YOUR MONTHLY DOSE OF DRINKING, DABBING, AND THIRD STRIKE. “

Links :

Website
Twitch
Instagram

Birdland Arcade

” Arcade Aviary, Taito Egret II Fanatics “

Provider of Arcade Hardware such as Splitfire , the best way to Stream JAMMA games , TD I/O , stickers and more ! As well as a great supporter of Araiguma Battle ! 

Links :

Website
Twitter
Instagram

Gamecenter Mk.III

” The Anime Fighting Game Dojo

” It depends on your definition of success. A lot of time, a tournament organizer’s definition of success is how much money in venue fees they can make. That is a very different definition of success than I have,”

“For them, the more people who come, the better. And having high-performing players who come in regularly is a means to an end of getting as many people in the door as possible. I have a different definition. For me, it’s basically fostering good players, making good players great players, and making the great players into world class players. That’s my definition of success, and we succeed really well in terms of that. “