GenX Question of the Day 5/29/26
Posted by HotelDiva@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 50 comments
Do you remember wasting your quarters to play Galaga?
Posted by HotelDiva@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 50 comments
Do you remember wasting your quarters to play Galaga?
deetman68@reddit
Ha! We just got this on PS5 two days ago. It looks exactly like the arcade.
StriperHerring@reddit
Best. Game. Ever.
FleetAdmiralCrunch@reddit
There was a Dave and busters with a 10’ screen for galaga. I am pretty good at the game so about 3 years ago my brother and I played there and I got my initials on for all the high scores. It was still there a few months later.
Slugggo@reddit
A lot of my childhood could be described in terms of arcade games and where I played them.
The candy store on my corner had Asteroids for a long while, and then Phoenix. I would sometime miss the bus for school because I was so deep into an Asteroids game.
There was a pizzeria around the corner from my house that had Gorf and Tutankham (very underrated game). They'd rotate new games in every few months and there was always a line of kids putting quarters up on the machine for nexties. 🤣
About 10 blocks away was an arcade that had everything from the old black and white 2-player Atari football (with the X's and O's and trackball controls) all the way to Dragon's Lair.
On my route to my grade school was a bodega that had Jungle King, which was the Tarzan game where you swung from vines and jumped over boulders. And a block away from there was a pizzeria with Donkey Kong and Crazy Climber (another vastly overlooked gem).
The best was, several of my relatives had houses at the Jersey shore, and we'd go down there 2-3 times a year. And my uncle would routinely give me and my brother $5 to go to the arcade on the boardwalk, which had EVERYTHING. It was a buffet of the greatest arcade games every made, but I think Tron was the one I kept coming back to.
There was an arcade inside Asbury Park as well which had some novel games you didn't see many other places, like Death Race, which was a really old B&W game where you drove over pedestrians and left gravestones in their place. Great for every 8 year old! 🤣
So many great games. If you miss that era of arcade games and haven't discovered MAME yet, I'd recommend looking into it 😀
cobrakai15@reddit
I still would.
UnableMycologist2240@reddit
Played relentlessly at Mazios Pizza.
tango421@reddit
Yes and then we got it in the Family Computer.
OldManOwl@reddit
Played this tons, along with tempest and scramble.
I just played Galaga on a cruise - they had one in the arcade. Not touching one for 40 years, the muscle memory was still there. I got to stage 15 or so.
Mulchpuppy@reddit
I really liked Galaga '88, where you could get a triple fighter by being abducted twice. But if you screwed up, it was a real short game.
naois009@reddit
Yes, but how do you pronounce it? My wife and I go back and forth on it.
Mulchpuppy@reddit
I went with GAL-UH-GUH
RevToy@reddit
I’m in the younger side of Gen X, so for me it was lining up quarters for Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter.
dogzeimers@reddit
Centipede was my absolute favorite video game. I can still hear it in my head even though I haven't played in decades.
keoie@reddit
Gauntlet was my jam. Warrior is about to die.
jenorama_CA@reddit
Wizard needs food badly!
WeirdPervyDude@reddit
Elf is about to die.
Kvenya@reddit
Don’t shoot food…
Impressive-Shame-525@reddit
I was so good at Galaga I looped it back to stage 1.
It's true.
WeirdPervyDude@reddit
Crazy Climber got a lot of my time, and quarters.
nfssmith@reddit
That and others, but only when I happened to be in one of the nearby towns that actually had an arcade AND I actually had some cash on me... I did sway more toward the shooters & driving games once those were available.
bamfsig45@reddit
My favorite game!
Chefy-chefferson@reddit
I still do! We have a pinball place and the Coin Op which is a bar with video games! So mix fun!
K2TY@reddit
Galaga was good but Defender was my game.
3blackcats_b-lake@reddit
Defender was my game, but most of my friends preferred Asteroids.
Starkville@reddit
Nope. I remember that game, but I was spending my allowance on Bonne Bell.
apple_pi_chart@reddit
I played a lot of Galaga, but preferred, Qix, Rally-X, Berzerk, Missle Command, Centipede, Pole Position, Moon Patrol, and Frogger
melty75@reddit
Doo doodle le dood! sound of quarter dropping in
Accomplished_Okra645@reddit
FULL POINT
melty75@reddit
Legendary. I also loved when he said BE-GIN like he was having a stroke
MiddleUnlucky8320@reddit
I have carpal tunnel syndrome because of this game
Spicercakes@reddit
There's a vintage arcade right down the street from me where you can play for free!
TheVioletEmpire@reddit
I still play this. I can take all of you.
Historical_Bath_9854@reddit
We own one 🤣😂🤣😂, no quarters required.
Umeyard@reddit
Some of us may have the mini version of this in our game room...umm posting for a friend... honest....
Novel_Willingness721@reddit
My quarters went into the Tempest machine.
JJQuantum@reddit
Tempest was the bomb. Bad Dudes as well.
thebiglerm@reddit
The tabletop one i can almost smell the pizza
xAlice_Liddell@reddit
Never actually played this in a proper arcade. Played it a lot on Namco collections though and enjoy it. Like Galaga 88 more though.
HarveyMushman72@reddit
That game was my go-to.
Ray_The_Engineer@reddit
Galaga was my game; I wasn't great at a lot of video games, but I could stand at a Galaga machine for 30 minutes with one quarter. And yeah...it was a metric ton of quarters to get there.
FoxPowerful4230@reddit
Lost a lot of quarters playing Galaga - I wasn’t good at it. Wasted even more on Dragon’s Lair.
I kicked ass at Q*bert though.
ChefMikeDFW@reddit
I always preferred Pac Man...that is until Street Fighter came out...then Mortal Kombat.
Bokononfoma@reddit
Wasting? Did you say WASTING?
LadyNorbert@reddit
For me it was pinball. Still is when I have the chance.
JimmyJohn_5150@reddit
Defender and Missile Command took every quarter that ever came to me
Oiggamed@reddit
The worlds largest collection of arcade games is on,y a couple hours away from me. Try to hit it up once or twice a year. They have everything! And you can bet your ass I played this bitch.
https://www.funspotnh.com
Standard-Cockroach64@reddit
Elevator Action was my go-to game
JuJu_Wirehead@reddit
Centipede.
Away-Equipment4869@reddit
For me it was dig dug
russschultz@reddit
Oh yeah, there was a miniature golf/arcade in my town. My dad called them quarter eaters.