More quarters please...

I was in high school when the first Space Invaders-type games hit big in the States. Of course, I had become well acquainted with them during my too-brief stay in Japan a couple years earlier. There was an arcade in my neighborhood, and it was usually empty. I passed many, many hours at the Space Invaders machine - and it was usually free, most of the time, thanks to the fact that I discovered that the coin slots tended to jam. By dislodging the visibly-stuck 50-yen coin, I could usually get another half-dozen or so coins to come tumbling out. When I think about this now, knowing how strict laws in Japan can be, I feel quite lucky to have not been caught!

Sigh. I miss Tokyo, even though I know it's not the same city that it was over twenty years ago. I'm sure the energy hasn't changed, though - the same frantic pace in business and entertainment districts contrasted with the weird antiquated mustiness of the older, more residential neighborhoods like Asakusa, where I lived.

As for my favorite game now - well, I can't pass a Galaga or Galaxian machine without stopping to try my hand. While I'm no longer the champ that I was in high school, I take satisfaction in being quite talented now at Tetris and similar pattern/grid based games - particularly this one.*

*Warning! Do not click that link unless you have time to waste.