Mirror80

Reflecting on recent retro style

  • Home
  • About Mirror80
  • Contact

’80s Nightlife: Arcades

January 19, 2011 by Kate 1 Comment

Welcome to the first post of our “’80s Nightlife” series, which will spotlight depictions of 1980s pop culture and design during the post-sunset hours. Movies and television shows of this era displayed a penchant for big-city skylines with neon lights, nightclubs featuring the best in new wave music and excess-ive evening wear, and plenty of synth and saxophone accompaniments to glam it up.

Our first post takes a look at that magical world of flashing lights and gaming thrills: the arcade. In the early ’80s, also known as the “golden age” of arcades, eager players spent hours hovering over acrylic-top machines, trying to beat the top scores of games like Donkey Kong, Space Invaders and Pac-Man.

We couldn’t include this post without a clip from the 1982 classic Tron (see above) in which we get a glimpse into the sound-rich, neon sign-clad world of Flynn’s Arcade, owned and operated by the movie’s main character, Kevin Flynn.

’80s style enthusiasts–be on the lookout for running lights (marquis-style); nooks bathed in neon orange hues; wall signs in shades of hot blue, orange and violet; ’80s track lighting and pendant lights hanging from the ceilings; and old-school game graphics and machines.

Arcade '84, Image courtesy of Dave Dries

Yearning for more? You’re in luck! Dave Dries has recreated the magic of the ’80s arcade (shown above). As noted on his website, Cinemarcade:

Arcade ’84 is my attempt at recreating the atmosphere of the classic arcades. It’s a 3-minute+ trip through an imaginary arcade circa 1984 entirely rendered in 3D computer graphics.

Arcade ’84 is amazingly detailed (down to the awesome arcade carpet), and the site includes vivid descriptions of ’80s arcade life. You will need to have Quicktime installed on your computer to view Arcade ’84, but it’s well worth the setup time.

Thank you, Dave, for taking us back to the golden age of the arcade, complete with meticulously crafted sights and sounds.

Enjoy!

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • More
  • Reddit
  • LinkedIn
  • Pocket
  • Print
  • Email

Related

Comments

  1. Eric says

    October 20, 2018 at 7:48 pm

    shout to kate From Mirror80s Feel Free to Take A Look At my Blog elgmuzikgrewp.blogspot.com

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Mirror80 is a blog that celebrates the intersection of modern design and retro style. I'm Kate, and I enjoy exploring the look and feel of the "recent retro", with a focus on the late '70s through the early '90s. Welcome to Mirror80. Read More…

Categories

  • Art
  • DIY
  • Fashion
  • Film
  • Graphic Design
  • Interior Design
  • Interviews
  • Playlists
  • Reflections
  • Retro Foodie
  • Still Life
  • Television
  • Video Picks

Mirror80 Email List

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive a weekly email featuring our latest posts. [ninja_forms_display_form id=2]

Popular Posts

Recent Posts

  • Pastabilities
  • A Magical Fall
  • DIY Frosted Pumpkins
  • “Physical”, Working Out and Womanhood
  • An ’80s-Style Dining Room Makeover

Archives

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter

FEATURED POSTS

Embracing Color

7 Easy Ways to Bring ’80s Style Home

Top Gun Style: A Tropical Patio

Retro Architecture at the Beach

Holographic Style

Teatime, Retro-Style

A Memphis-Meets-Deco Home Tour

Dead Malls, Childhood Memories and ’80s Style

An ’80s Fashion Photo Shoot!

1980s Interior Design Styles

Copyright © 2023 · Dynamik-Gen on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.