The Abandoned Arcade

By Greg Meyer

If you are the type of thrill seeker who isn’t afraid to put more than money on the line, there is a place you can go that will change your life forever. In the downtown of Chicago, there is an arcade forgotten by time. You won’t see it during the day, as in its place is a large dirt field with chain-link fence. You can only see this place once the sun starts to set over the horizon. Graffiti and decades old posters for movies cover the dilapidated brick building. The chain on the doorway gives the illusion that it’s locked, but this is to prevent people who don’t belong from getting inside on accident. You should be able to slip in without any issues.

            Once inside, you must make your way to the front counter. The arcade will appear run down, with arcade games and pinball machines that all date before the mid 80’s. The smell of decay and stale smoke will hang over the place like fog. Go immediately to the front counter and wait, don’t go into the arcade floor just yet. You haven’t paid your entrance fee, and you’re not welcome until you do. As you wait, don’t stare too long in the blackness of the arcade, or you’ll start to see shadows moving. Ignore them, or they might take your courage to play.

Eventually, the Attendant will open the door of his office and shuffle to the counter. He’s an older gentleman, wearing a red striped shirt and bowtie. He will request payment for you to play in the arcade. You must bring with you an object that holds special meaning to you. This is a cherished item, like a photograph of a loved one or a favorite toy. You’ll know the right one, because the moment you think it you’ll try to pick something else, so you won’t have to give it up. Before you give The Attendant your payment, understand this: This is your last chance to escape the arcade without doing the task. Should you feel like you are unprepared, do not have the necessary skill, or care too much for your life to continue, leave the arcade without paying and don’t turn back. If you leave after giving your payment, you won’t make it to the entrance before the lurking shadows catch and drag you into the darkness, never to be seen again.

Hand The Attendant your prized possession and he will judge to see if the item is worthy. If you brought the wrong item, he will declare that your payment is insufficient and kick you out. You will find yourself back in the dirt field, never to see the arcade again.. If you brought the correct item, The Attendant will take the item and state that you are welcome to play. He will take the item for himself, and then hand you a brass token, good for one game in the arcade. Do not lose this token, as you’re literally holding your very life in your hands. He will then ask you to hold out your right hand. Do it, and he will stamp it with the number “3”.

At this point, you’ll faintly hear the bleeps and bloops of the arcade machines, and the rattling of pinballs hitting pop bumpers flippers. The Attendant will call you forward and tell you that you’re free to play.  Do as he says and walk into the dark arcade. As you enter, you’ll realize that the machines are lined up in the manner of a maze. Follow your instincts, and go reach the center of the maze of broken machines with flickering screens. If you come across a machine that’s working, but no one is playing it, do not put your token in the game. The game is not for you, and you’ve essentially thrown your very life away. Don’t be surprised if you hear whispers barely audible from behind you, or see a shadow in the corner of your eye. Just keep going forward no matter what you see or what the voices tell you.

If you travel the maze and find an arcade machine being played by a small boy with curly red hair, then breath a sigh of relief, for you’ve found the correct machine. Go up to the machine and observe the child as he plays the machine. No one knows what the game is called, as the machine has no name, and the title screen is bare. There will be a set of red and blue joysticks and buttons, and the boy will be playing the blue set. Watch the boy play to get an understanding on how the game works and observe his strategies.

When you are ready to play, place the token on the cabinet to queue your turn. The boy will turn to you, and you’ll see his pure white eyes. He will ask in a hopeful voice, “Will you play the game with me?” Say yes, or you will understand true hopelessness. The boy will stop playing, and will let you finish his turn. This allows you to get a feel for the controls and how the game plays. The boy will explain the rules to you as you finish out his turns. Listen to him, but don’t confuse his helpfulness as kindness or weakness. He wants a good challenge out of you; it’s more fun that way. Once the turns are over, the boy will tell you to place the token in the coin slot. Take a deep breath and prepare yourself, because you are literally playing for your life. Insert your token into the coin slot, and the boy will do likewise in the second player slot. The boy will then press the two-player game button and hit start.

As far as people have researched and guess, the arcade game does not exist in our world, so you can’t play it to prepare. From what former players have reported, it’s an early arcade game that plays something like Pac-Man and Pitfall. The player must navigate a large maze, while being pursued by a rival player and computer opponents. There are obstacles to avoid and holes to jump over in the maze, which will drain your lifebar. Falling down a hole, or getting caught by the player will cost you a life. Collecting the tools to escape the maze will both refill health and increase your points. If you collect enough points, you will earn extra lives. The amount of lives you have left are based on the number on the back of your right hand. Everyone starts off with three lives, and losing or gaining lives will change the number on your hand.

You must now escape the maze with at least one life left. I cannot give any other advice on the game other than this. Use the arcade skills you’ve developed in your life, in addition to any tricks the boy performed while you watched him play. He’s hunting you now, and he won’t hold back. Keep an eye on how many lives you have left on the back of your hand. Should you lose a round without a number left on your hand, you’ve lost the game. One word of warning: do not trash talk the boy during the game, or you will find the game impossible to win. Do your best to block out of your vision the shadows that have gathered behind you to watch you play the game. Don’t let the glowing red eyes reflecting from the screen cause your confidence to waver. Remember, this is the moment you’ve prepared for since the day you first held a game controller in your hands.

If you are able to escape the maze, then you’ve won the game. Do not gloat your victory over him, or you will be forced to play a rematch with whatever lives you have left. The Attendant will come and lead you out of the maze. The number on the back of your right hand will determine your reward for playing the game of the Abandoned Arcade. If there are no numbers on the back of your hand, then no reward is given other than the knowledge that you’ve left with your life and soul intact. While this might be a disappointment, I can tell you it’s much better than the alternative.

If you have won the game with a number on your hand, then you’ve earned a prize: extra life in the real world. The amount of extra life is based on the number on the back of your hand. The number will stay on your hand after you leave the arcade, but only you can see that number. When you have extra life, you will not age a day, and your body will never get sick. If you are killed in any fashion, you will wake up moments later with your wounds healed, but at the cost of one of your extra lives. Once the numbers are gone, you will age again, and you can be killed for good. 

Should you lose the game, your soul will be violently stripped from your body. Your body will rapidly decay and turn to dust, your soul robbed of its essence, and what’s left of you will be forced to remain at the abandoned arcade as a shadow for all eternity. It’s a harsh punishment for death, but where do you think the extra lives come from?