Friday, February 27, 1998
Video arcade a flashback to glory days of childhood
By Carol McKay
Daily Bruin Staff
The population of UCLA students largely consists of
twentysomethings. The days of lunch boxes, legwarmers and pegged
jeans are gone. Images of the A-Team and Knight Rider no longer
dominate our television sets, and My Little Ponies and Legos have
long been forgotten.
Yet, despite the fact that we conquered Space Invaders, Miss
Pacman and Dr. Mario years ago, the arcades remain.
There’s one in Ackerman. There’s one in Westwood. And when the
one near Sunset Village was rumored to be shut down, student
hysteria ensued.
So what’s the deal? Why are the male-dominated arcades so
freaking popular? Haven’t we outgrown this? Or is the popularity of
arcades simply evidence of our tight-fisted, youthful
nostalgia?
"It’s a form of stress relief."
Doan Ha
Fifth-year
Physiological sciences
"They have nothing else to do. It’s a way to vent, to release.
It’s just so you can get kind of spaced out."
Alice Chen
Second-year
Undeclared
"It’s a form of distraction. It gives you time to get away.
Since you don’t have to talk to people while you’re doing it, it’s
a way of letting things out by yourself and having fun by
yourself."
Adriana Lopez
Third-year
History and Education
"That place is full of guys. Guys love video games. It’s the
thing to do, I guess. Girls like video games like Nintendo, but not
at the arcade. Guys are addicted. They want to show who’s
better."
Bethany Audriuzzo
Fourth-year
Sociology
"Some people do it in their spare time to have fun. But there
are others who do it because they have no life."
Lisa Kingery
First-year
Undeclared
"I’m personally not interested. But I know that for my friends,
it’s a break from school. It’s linked back to when we didn’t have
to worry so much. And it’s a good way to compete nonviolently. It
gives a way for people who aren’t as good at sports to compete with
their friends."
David Hill
Second-year
Political science