Maine Public TV Air Time:
Thur., Oct. 24 at 10:00 pm
Sat., Oct. 26 at 11:00 am
Video game industry journalist and historian John Andersen profiles Arcadia National Bar, a Portland, Maine arcade bar that opened in 2014.
Arcadia co-owner Dave Aceto is interviewed about the challenges of operating Arcadia, accommodating patrons of all ages, and keeping old games in working order. The popularity of Arcadia led to a renovation and expansion of the bar space, which meant more room for patrons and games. This transformation is seen through the eyes of filmmaker Andersen, who returned to Arcadia the following year to document the expanded space and see new additions of classic games on the bar floor. It becomes clear that Arcadia National Bar is not only saving a style of gameplay but preserving the element of socializing and playing together in person that you can't find within traditional online gaming.
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Produced by John Anderson of Saving the Video Game.