How long could you play on this bag of quarters?

[Omega-TI]

Okay, say you wanted to go to the local arcade and 'play all day'. How much money or how many quarters do you think you would need for a 9-5 (8 hour) mega-session?

 

Do you suck so bad you would need one of these US Mint $1,000 bags of quarters...

... or do you think you could get by with a couple of rolls?

[Nutsy Doodleheimer]

For me about $20-$30 worth of quarters. It would equal to about 2 or 3 rolls. Games like Vs. Super mario Bros, Missle Command, Galaga, Mario Bros, Moon Patrol, Track and Field, Ninja Turtles, Simpsons, Pole Position, Hard Drivin, Race Drivin. I will hog up the machine for a while.

[RodLightning]

I remember the rare occasions when I saved up a ten dollar roll of quarters as a kid. If I stuck with games I was good at, like Pacman, I could use the donut dazzler pattern up to the 3rd key on one quarter. My problems started when I would stray away to other machines like Zaxxon, Joust and Defender or Stargate. I never burned through much more than five dollars a trip, being content to watch friends and even strangers play. I think eight hours of play could have been accomplished on a single roll if I stuck to the various Pac games. I'm not sure I would willingly sit playing an arcade game for that many hours unless there was prize money involved! Oh, the back pain! As for skill, Williams games always kicked my ass, so I would steer clear of those for an eight hour session.

[Cynicaster]

You could almost go through that bag of quarters playing some of the crappy late 80s to early 90s games that used cheap tactics to suck the money out of your pocket.

 

GAME OVER

INSERT COIN TO CONTINUE

10

9

8

7

..

 

Take, for example, a game like Robocop; it's not uncommon to have a credit last about 3 seconds on some of the more hectic parts and boss fights. That's why, to me, the classics are more fun to play, even though I was too young to catch them in the arcade as a kid.

[NE146]

In the earliest days I used to scrounge up pennies, nickels and dimes so I could walk to the local mom & pop and play Space Invaders. And that lasted for near an hour of gameplay or when I got tired.

 

Later days I remember when I had one quarter left with plenty of time to spare (i.e. getting picked up).. I'd simply play Mr. Do, and do the 255 lives trick and bam. Hours of enjoyment.

Edited July 15, 2015 by NE146

[Omega-TI]

... and do the 255 lives trick and bam. Hours of enjoyment.

 

DO TELL! How is it done?

I've never heard of it... or the game actually, but if I ever see it, it might be fun!

[NE146]

lol back then we had to use word of mouth or just watch someone do it, but these days everything is on youtube.

 

Apparently it works only on the Taito versions?.. guess we had that

 

 

Basically get to your last life, and the last enemy. Then on the top apple, make it drop down on you after killing the last guy on stage 1.

 

This guy does it a little differently than I would. I would go all the way up to the apple on my last life and hold it.. then when the guy was semi-near MOVE DOWN A LITTLE (so the apple falls.. it's possible you won't move enough and the apple will stay and thus not work) then shoot the enemy.

Edited July 15, 2015 by NE146

[Opry99er]

Back at my home arcade BITD, one roll of quarters got me through an hour or two playing Missile Command, Pac Man, Galaga, Centipede, QBert, Outrun, etc.

 

When they brought in "Time Traveler" at a buck a play, I went broke in 20 minutes.

 

What a crazy game that was, and mind blowing...

[nshollingsworth]

If it was battlezone then I could do $8.00

[Chuck D. Head]

The last time I went to Pinball Hall of Fame I changed out two twenties and played for 6-7 hours then donated the last 7 or 8 bucks in quarters to his March of Dimes bucket, so $32?