Arcade Music

What's your perfect arcade playlist? Not talking about music from arcade games, just the heavenly tunes that permeate those dark flashing smoke filled computer temples of the past.

I've got a few suggestions to get your personal Arcade playlist started, but to get an authentic feel we need to move beyond the obvious "Come On Eileen's" and "Billie Jeans's."

So let us build a list of the best sounds for your own personal arcade. Or for a 10 hours M.A.M.E. binge. No judgements.

1. The Clash - Death or Glory
2. The Police - Walking on the Moon
3. Flock of Seagulls - Space Age Love Song
4. Flock of Seagulls - I Ran (So Far Away)
5. The Alan Parson's Project - Games People Play
6. David Bowie - Ashes to Ashes
7. Blondie - Atomic
8. Paul Engemann - Scarface (Push it to the Limit)
9. R.E.M. - The One I Love
10. Talking Head - Psycho Killer

What else we got? Post your own additions, suggestions, etc.

Visit a Cold War Era Soviet Arcade

I read a great story at Anjel Van Slyke and Connal Hughes's blog, A Dangerous Business: The Museum of Soviet Video Games.It details their trip to an underground Russian arcade filled with strange games from the Cold War Era. Obviously, Russia had a hard time importing American arcade machines in the early '80s. You'll see strange arcade machines similar, but oddly different from the rest of the world.

They do commendable job of conveying the excitement and intensity of this opportunity. Slkye and Hughes write:

The air was filled with the sounds of games and it was exactly like walking into any bustling arcade. It made the whole experience even more fun as people weren’t visiting the museum with some sort of ironic detachment or casually looking around – everyone was there playing games and having a blast.

It's a fascinating story, and I recommend you read it at A Dangerous Business. They include over two dozen photos of arcade machines you'll never see in the Western Hemisphere.

Watch Driester Online: 1980s Dutch Arcade Documentary

With English subtitles of course. I'm watching it right now, and the video documents the rising popularity of Video Games (specifically classic arcade games) in the Netherlands. The video runs for just over 30 minutes.

It's fascinating to watch people react to Arcade Games when computers, for most people, existed only in Star Trek. You can feel the excitement in the video because everyone intuitively understands that the world is changing, forever, towards a more futuristic and electronic existence. The neon CRT monitors light up the arcade with every conceivable color and you can feel the electrons in the air. Suddenly, humans can create virtual space, time, and spaceships, and to be honest I don't think we've fully come to terms with the implications of computer software.

Arcades were the first step in integrating people and software on a global scale. Watching the phenomenon happen to another country proves doubly exciting. You can't go back to the '80s, but you can certainly watch a few arcade documentaries.

Click here to check out the documentary, entitled "Driester." Feel free to post your reaction to the film in the comments section!