Few things bring back nostalgic feelings of summer holidays spent at the arcade or local game hall more than a touch of ‘80s and ‘90s style and neon lighting. These simple features, paired with some older technology (that was remarkably advanced at the time), can bring the simple joys of yesteryear to the present.
If you’re a gamer with unused basement space, one of the best ways to enjoy this nostalgic joy every day is to turn it into a retro arcade. Not sure where to start? This simple guide will help.
Atmosphere and Ambiance
Among the most memorable things about ‘80s and early ‘90s arcades are the upbeat, retro atmospheres they all had. Recreating this ambiance is achievable as long as you follow specific design choices, particularly in lighting, flooring, and painting.
Lighting
A quintessential requirement for a retro arcade recreation is neon lighting that casts different colors across the room. These can be added through simple neon tubes or LED strips that run along the top of walls or through more elaborate lighting designs that depict classic game icons, like Pac-Man.
Alongside the glow of neon, all other (more functional) lighting should be added to soften the possible glare of neon. Accompanying lights, however, must be slightly muted and not overpower the neon or make your basement too bright. As such, low-wattage downlighters, which do not spread their light too wide, are a great option.
Flooring
To make the most of your neon lighting and give your cozy arcade a more refined, authentic feel, consider upgrading the flooring with plush, dark carpeting. To give it some more oomph, the carpeting could be accented with bright patterns or symbols that are brought to life by your neon lighting or even black lights.
Aside from providing a more comfortable surface to walk on, these carpets serve another purpose. Due to their dark color and stark patterning, arcade carpet, as it has come to be known, shows little wear and can even help hide accidental spills, which is perfect if you are snacking while gaming.
Painting
Bright swatches and bursts of color are typical of retro arcades and should be your ideal paint palette. Favoring neon blue, vibrant greens, and fiery reds, old-school arcades used these bright colors to attract players and help them become more excited.
For a slightly more modern twist that still retains the retro vibe, you can choose to paint your walls in dark colors that help accent your lighting. The darkness of your backdrop can be broken by using the classic bright colors on all cabinetry or by displaying retro wall art like classic video game posters.
Tech and Games
If possible, the best tech to outfit your retro arcade with is classic arcade cabinets with their CRT monitors and hardy joysticks. Finding these, however, can be somewhat challenging and costly where they are available. The following simple tricks, however, can deliver the same retro feel using modern tech.
Custom Cabinetry
The first trick is to hide modern tech behind retro cabinetry. This can be done by building standalone arcade boxes or even a built-in selection of carefully designed cabinets and cutouts in which all your modern tech can be hidden.
LED or CRT
Finding a working CRT monitor may be worth more effort than you would like to expend. However, with a sheet of Perspex and a slight magnification film, you can place a modern LED screen inside your cabinets and enjoy the visual effect of a retro CRT. As an added benefit, although the screen will look like it is from the ‘80s, it will have all the modern features, like V-Sync and other enhancements.
Emulators
Many classic arcade titles like Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, and Space Invaders are available on modern platforms. However, support for joysticks and other more retro controls is not available on these platforms. Therefore, loading a retro emulator on your PC or Raspberry Pi that supports old-school-style joysticks is your best and cheapest option.
Game Choice
After you have finalized your tech and your perfectly planned gaming stations are in place, selecting which games to play is among the most important choices to make for your retro arcade basement. Classic games, like those mentioned above, are a given. However, there are many other options to consider.
These range from classic casino slots, many of which have free-to-play demo modes on some of the most popular US casino sites, to underappreciated titles from the ‘80s like Dragon Unit, Toki, and Crystal Castles, to smash hits from the early ‘90s like Street Fighter 2, Final Fight, and Mortal Kombat. Ultimately, you should choose the games that you loved the most from your youth. Doing so will maximize the nostalgia every time you step into your basement.
Bonus Touches
Following the above steps is sure to make your basement feel like the ultimate ‘80s/’90s arcade. However, you can add some bonuses that will make it even more enjoyable to spend time in.
Snack Bar
A mini-fridge or snack cabinet stocked with sugary, high-energy snacks is the perfect treat to have nearby when you’re feeling hungry mid-game. Chilled soda on hand is also a great way to ensure you stay hydrated for longer gaming sessions.
Leaderboard
If you are sharing your arcade space with others, a neat addition that will spur on some friendly competition is a leaderboard wall. This can be a wall painted with chalkboard paint that you can write on or a digital wall that houses a screen masked in cabinetry. Whichever you choose, you can use it to prominently display the various high scores of each game.
Comfy Seating
Although having comfortable bar-chair style seating at your game stations is recommended, playing arcade games in the traditional sense meant standing for long periods. As such, having a cozy nook with plush seating is the perfect reward for when you have just beaten a high score.
Tommy Hardy, an alumnus of the Georgia Institute of Technology with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, has been a go-to figure in residential upkeep and innovation for over 18 years. His career commenced in a leading home appliance manufacturing company, where he mastered the intricacies of household systems. Joining our platform in 2020, Tommy quickly became a reader favorite for his practical and easy-to-follow guides. He took the helm of our DIY section in 2019, consistently delivering content that empowers homeowners. Beyond his professional pursuits, Tommy is a passionate gardener and enjoys woodworking, skills enhancing his hands-on approach to home care.
