What I think of when someone talks about "Tabletop Games"

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jahshwa314@reddit

what is this even here? did you made this?

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xtrobot@reddit

Found the guy who never went to Pizza Hut

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busybox42@reddit

This makes me think about Pizza Hut. Not sure if anyone else's had them but the one that use to exist here did.

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Whatnowgoddammit@reddit

Ours had Galaga.. I always found a quarter for Galaga

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notworkingghost@reddit

Never enough space on that thing for the food and the drink. I need a clear view to game properly.

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philiptherealest@reddit

I spent all my childhood life savings on that!

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classicsat@reddit

Tabletop games you play on a table, players sit around it. Most board games, D&D type games, etc.

That video game is called a cocktail cabinet game, as opposed to a more conventional upright cabinet.

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quasifun@reddit

let me guess, you used to stuff nerds into lockers in the 80s

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BmanGorilla@reddit

I don't recall ever being in a Pizza Hut and asking "can I go play that cocktail cabinet game?"

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DrKeepitreal@reddit

I used to eat my lunch on them while playing video games.

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applyheat@reddit

I got to Stage 2 on the game 1942 when the power went out at a Bennigans in Miami in 1990. I haven’t played the game since that day.

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Majik_Sheff@reddit

These were called cocktail cabinets. More home friendly than the standard upright cabinet but not nearly as collectible as the cabaret cabinet.

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Yea, we called it cocktail games. Remember playing PAC man back in early 80s at some bar, not sure why they let kids in a bar in the 80s, but then again, they let me buy liquor and porn as a 8 years old kids in the 80s

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boldone89@reddit

This, Asteroids or Centipede

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TheJokersChild@reddit

Now see, I thought that was called a "cocktail game." But podcasting millennials made "tabletop" mean "board game," presumably to distinguish from a video ("console") game.

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awh@reddit

But podcasting millennials made "tabletop" mean "board game," presumably to distinguish from a video ("console") game.

I assumed it was to distinguish it from "board games for children" like Monopoly or Sorry.

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Disastrous_Heron4558@reddit

I wonder how much money I’d have if I had ALL my quarters from this and other arcade games back then and invested it and let it sit.

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11waff11@reddit

You invested in pure unadulterated fun.😅😆

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MissAnth@reddit

My local pizzaria had a Frogger game like that. Frogger was my game. Of course I wouldn't say no to a bit of PacMan. But only Frogger was the tabletop version where you could eat your pizza and play at the same time. I went at least once per grading period, when they handed out tokens for grades.

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disco_duck2004@reddit

The ones I see at Pizza Hut. Just played it 2 weeks back at a barcade.

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11waff11@reddit

Glad the owner brought back the spirit of Pizza Hut.... bring me a red cup with foam root beer pls! 🍺 😍😍😍

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qualityskootchtime@reddit

The OG Pac-man and Ms Pac-man were tabletops at Frantone’s Pizza in the 1980s. There for decades. I loved Ms Pac-Man because it was so fast!

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PatrickRsGhost@reddit

I always thought of basic board games, like checkers, chess, Monopoly, Sorry, or Life.

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Better_Ad7836@reddit

I had to retrain my brain when I heard ta tabletop games, because this is what I automatically thought they were referring to lol

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KGBspy@reddit

I remember one of these in a restaurant in the town I grew up in, our friends parents owned it. It was in a coat room. We had no money so we’d eat the free popcorn, get tap water and play this, occasionally rifle through the coat pockets of people looking for change.

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Clutchguy77@reddit

Pizza Hut!!

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jaycutlerdgaf@reddit

Pizza was the first thing that came to my mind!

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Antsygrl1@reddit

Me too, but Shakey's!

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SomeDudeNamedRik@reddit

700 degree pizza that removed skin!!!

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Antsygrl1@reddit

OMG sit down Donkey Kong and Pac-Man were THE SHIT back in the day.

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berrey7@reddit

I had a game called SPRINGER on this format when I was little. My dad had arcade games around town, and we kept this one at home.

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Mysterions@reddit

I see what you mean, but I don't ever recall actually calling these "tabletop games" back in the 80s. I only have heard the term used to refer to D&D, etc. But honestly, never even until the 90s (but I was never into D&D so who knows when it first started being used)

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kanrad@reddit

Same, when I think Tabletop I think D&D etc.

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Streamjumper@reddit

Especially since D&D was out in the 70s and cabinets are an early 80s thing.

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BmanGorilla@reddit

Sure, but if no one ever called it that then you didn't think of it. I never heard of 'tabletop gaming' until the 2000's sometime. DnD was the only game like it that I knew. I did think the video games were called tabletop games, so clearly someone must have been calling them that.

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kanrad@reddit

My friends and I played D&D and AD&D in the early to late 80's.

We looked like the group they based Stranger Things on.

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tunaman808@reddit

You're just confused.

Tabletop games are games played on a table top: all the classic board games, Dungeons & Dragons, Catan, etc.

Those video games are called "cocktail table games" in the industry, and that's what I've always called them:

https://creative-arcades.com/collections/cocktail-arcades

https://bestreviews.com/gaming/consoles/best-cocktail-table-arcade-machines

https://www.greatersouthern.com/cocktail-multicade-arcade-game/

https://vu.wwu.edu/games/cocktail-table-arcade-games-list

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RustyDogma@reddit

Yes. Anyone who equates these to tabletop games didn't play tabletop games which were prolific at the same time. I loved playing these, but I never heard them referred to as tabletop. We called them bar table games.

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BmanGorilla@reddit

I'd never heard of table top games. I knew DnD but didn't know there was a name for the genre, and 12 year old me certainly didn't care, either. So I think of these of tabletop games. OP is not alone with this thought.

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Hawne@reddit

Hey dude I'm having a party next weekend with all the fun people!

Please don't come around.

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BmanGorilla@reddit

Exactly the same for me! I heard it mentioned and thought 'those things were badass!' Then I was disappointed to find out what they were talking about. I use up too much brain power at work to play four hour card games. Wouldn't mind playing pac man for 30 minutes though.

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Hawne@reddit

Those had the wonkiest coin boxes ever, one good knee kick would trigger just as if you inserted a coin. We would play for hours in the crowded backroom, inserting a dime an hour just to 'keep cover'.

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notthe1Uknow@reddit (OP)

I remember that!

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Tigrisrock@reddit

Weird. I never heard of these table video games being called tabletop games. No wonder you are confused if you thought those machines were tabletop games.

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blackcoffeeredwine@reddit

HMCS Scotian (reserve unit) had one of these. As a sea cadet I spent more of my weekend "training" on it, instead of where I was supposed to training.

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temporalwanderer@reddit

I had the biggest crush on a girl in elementary school, or at least I thought I did. In hindsight, I think it was the tabletop Defender game in her family's basement that I couldn't stay away from...

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Astronaut6735@reddit

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Zed64K@reddit

In the 80s, this was the very best way to play head-to-head with a slice of pizza and a fountain drink. Good times.

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wetsuit509@reddit

This is missing the dark, smokey cocktail lounge, the ashtrays and cigarette ashes on it, and a couple stubby bottles of molson beer.

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SheriffBartholomew@reddit

Sounds like good times

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Themoosemingled@reddit

It must be chi chis

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SheriffBartholomew@reddit

Monchichis?!?

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kerosenehat63@reddit

Loved those table top versions. You could relax, place your drink down, and play your favourite game. All the bars used to have them. Galaga, Gyruss, and Arkanoid were my go- to games.

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Cranky_Hippy@reddit

I'm the reason the joysticks are broken on these things. We kids used to LEAN on them so hard while playing. I'm betting that's why they fell out of style.

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therocketn00b@reddit

Pizza and roller skating

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mfhandy5319@reddit

I doubt most people alive today will admit that they ate pizza wearing roller skates.

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busybox42@reddit

Why? I did.

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Workamania@reddit

That’s the best kind.

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LadyNorbert@reddit

I had spinal surgery when I was eleven, at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and they had a couple games of this kind in the arcade on my floor. I was fascinated, I had never seen a setup like this! Once I was well enough to walk the halls I wanted to go down and play, especially since they had it rigged that you didn't need quarters. I couldn't play for long because sitting was too painful (standing and walking were okay, lying down was fine, but sitting was hell) but I still remember how entranced I was by the idea of this thing.

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Mountain_Exchange768@reddit

Space Invaders was my favorite.

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wheresbill@reddit

I liked the football one

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CasualBi24@reddit

I have a cocktail table of Pengo

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Character_Cupcake856@reddit

Pizza Hut

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helen269@reddit

Space Invaders lyrics:

Wub-wub, Wub-wub.

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dudaman@reddit

Being able to sit down while playing an arcade game has the lap of luxury. You always felt so fancy playing on one of these.

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Flababulous@reddit

I smell pizza.

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CanIgetaWTF@reddit

And 10 cent soft serve refills ^

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kanrad@reddit

We had one of these, with Centipede at our local Pizza Hut. Back when you could go in and sit down for an all you can eat buffet.

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Slablanc@reddit

GenXer reporting in. Back in like ‘82 I clearly remember waiting in line at the local pool with quarter in hand to get my five minutes and three lives.

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AdhesiveSeaMonkey@reddit

Somewhere in San Diego CA, there may still be a Round Table Pizza who would like me to pay them back for the tabletop PacMan machine I burned out by reaching level 256.

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Ann_Nyx@reddit

These were the best! Had these in our local Pizza Hut and would play before the pizza came out.

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MRClean_409@reddit

Ms pacman! Hell yeah

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delldarlin@reddit

Local DQ had upright Pac-Man, Rally-X on the cocktail cabinet. And Dennis the Menace all over everything for some reason.

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claytionthecreation@reddit

I always think of Pizza Hut

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chucho320@reddit

These games and the jukebox made waiting for the pizza tolerable.

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wise_foolredux@reddit

Came here to say this! I read my books! Where is my personal pan pizza!?

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claytionthecreation@reddit

And my plastic red cup of Pepsi

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ONROSREPUS@reddit

I have never played one of these. Honestly I have only ever seen a couple that I can remember.

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the_47th_painter@reddit

The best thing to see when you're waiting to be sat at your table at the restaurant for Sunday breakfast when your 10 or 12 years old.

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Knight_thrasher@reddit

And the proper way to sit at one is square to the controls, one knee on each corner

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Yerrusr@reddit

Was awesome!!

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keymonkey@reddit

That particular one looks like the kit RecRoom Masters used to sell. I have a 50 game MAME version in my basement.

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Dense-Consequence-70@reddit

I remember a tabletop football game that was amazing

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n_thomas74@reddit

I once played a tabletop of Asteriods that was amazing.

It was 2 players simultaneously. Because it was undirectional, it worked from both sides.

I only played it once and have never seen it again.

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ExistentialPenguin70@reddit

Yep. I can smell the Pizza Hut

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PhiloLibrarian@reddit

I keep fantasizing about being rich enough to afford one of these forever my house!

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thebiglerm@reddit

They still make them. I want one too!

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-Morning_Coffee-@reddit

And here we have the earliest example of the gaming nerd: the proto-nerd, if you will.

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thebiglerm@reddit

Can almost smell the pizza man i miss those places

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Muted-Noise-6559@reddit

You could bump the coin door with palm of your hand for credits. We played hours upstairs at pizza joint.

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-ACatWithAKeyboard-@reddit

The Pizza Hut where I lived had a tabletop Asteroids game.

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mfhandy5319@reddit

...where i played galaga. Inception?

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Veggyhed@reddit

You know they're pretty easy to build. There's a lot of plans around on YouTube, the Internet, and Reddit, and it can be done relatively cheap

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notthe1Uknow@reddit (OP)

I had not actually thought about that. That would be cool, I just don't know where I would put it in my house

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Veggyhed@reddit

Several years ago I had a friend whose wife said that he could add it to the house as long as it replaced a piece of furniture so he built it into a coffee table

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HIs4HotSauce@reddit

i feel this... there is so much stuff I'd like to have, but there is also so much stuff I don't want to store... 😭

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Sometimesunaware@reddit

Anyone else remember the Atari football tabletop game? Little X's and O's, controlling the ball carrier with a trackball. You put a quarter in and got a few minutes of game time, $20 worth bought 60 minutes for a full game.

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notthe1Uknow@reddit (OP)

I LOVED that game! It was incredibly loud but you also got a arm workout from trying to roll the ball.

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Poohgas@reddit

The local bowling alley had one of those. I love that game. RIP Stadium Bowl.

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bluesunlion@reddit

I can smell the pizza parlor and hear the clink of plastic plates just looking at this picture.

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notthe1Uknow@reddit (OP)

For me it's hearing the bowling ball roll down the lane followed by the pins crashing.

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