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Looking Back At 80s Arcades Will Make You Want To Time Travel Because Nothing Will Ever Be Better

Wanting to play a video game in the 80s meant that you had to physically leave your house and go somewhere dedicated to playing them. It wasn't anything like the way we play games now, where all we have to do is turn on the TV or even just look at our phones. Back then, we had to grab all the quarters we could find and bike down to the local arcade and then wait patiently for our turn.

Obviously times have changed, but the excitement of going to the arcade is something we still remember. Sure, there are still a few old-school arcades nowadays, but the experience will just never be the same.

Take a look at these old pictures of the arcades of the past that'll make you wish you could jump back in time!

1. Whether you wanted a driving game, a shooting game, or anything else, there was nothing that these simple buttons and joysticks couldn't help us do

National Archives

2. Sure, there might have been a bar next door, but who cares about that when you can play Pac-Man for three hours straight?

3. Even if you were trying to act like a professional businessman, you know you were spending your lunch breaks at the arcade

AP Photo/G. Paul Burnett

4. Going to the arcade was fun for the whole family

5. And was the ultimate hangout when you were sick of the mall

6. Dance Dance Revolution's predecessor used to look a little bit different, but man, was it ever fun!

AP Photo/Mark Elias

7. You always needed someone there to support you, because when you died there was no save points to just restart. It was all or nothing.

AP Photo/Andrew Savulich

We all had so many more memories from the arcade...

8. Space Invaders was such an important game at the time, and honestly, it holds up to this day

Eugene Adebari / REX / Shutterstock

9. Arcades were where you wanted to spend all your time no matter how old you were

AP Photo

10. It's such a good place to see all the latest fashions

AP Photo

11. The whole gang was there to make sure you could tackle that high score. Hey, do you see the little mustachioed-man on the machine to the right? Who does that look like to you?

Rich Dugas / AP

12. The amount of time it must have taken to make these machines is insane. Crazy to think that now you can just buy one little box and play hundreds of games on it

Shutterstock

13. Oh, what we would give to go back and hangout for just one afternoon

Estate of Keith Morris / Redferns

How many hours did you spend at your local arcade?