26 Vintage Arcade Pics Worthy of An All-Time High Score

Carly Tennes Published 05/20/2024 in wow

Long before we called strangers various cuss words on our headsets while deep in the trenches of Fortnite, video games were a communal affair, defined by overpriced game tokens, extremely short shorts and doing your darndest to nab that high score. Throughout the latter half of the 20th century, arcades were the place to be for gamers everywhere, and looking back at photos, it's very clear why.

From a teenage Tony Hawk getting into the zone to a glimpse at pals duking it out with their controllers, here are 26 vintage arcade photos that are worthy of a spot on the leaderboard.

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1. “John Mellencamp posing with Q*Bert arcade game, early 1980s.”
2. “Hanging out at the arcade in 1981.”
3. “A crowded video arcade in 1980.”
4. “Steven Spielberg and some of his personal arcade games, early 1980s.”
5. “Teens hanging out at the arcade, 1976.”
6. “Arcade stance, 1980s.”
7. Pals kick it at an arcade in Chicago, 1987
8. “Pinball Arcade, 1970s.”
9. “Cool dudes at the arcade, 1983.”
10. “Woman playing pinball in an arcade, 1978.”
11. “1980s ‘Defender’ classic arcade game recognized as one of the best shoot-em-ups of all time.”
12. “Lesbians from the 80’s”
13. “Ready to hand out some quarters at a Time-Out arcade 1981.”
14. “Me and dad at the arcade, 1988.”
15. “This 80’s arcade.”
16. “My brother and I at the Arcade. This is either 1994 or 95.”
17. “Street Fighter 2 players, Family Arcade, Los Angeles, early 90s.”
18. “Tony Hawk, age 17, playing Atari's "720°" skateboarding arcade game (1986).”
19. “Tall guy playing an arcade game in the Bay Area in the late 1970s. Photo credit: Raymond Cooper.”
20. “Girl playing Pac-Man at the arcade in 1983.”
21. “Michael Jackson playing an arcade game, possibly Donkey Kong. Unknown location, circa early 1980’s.”
22. “George Lucas playing Star Wars arcade game, 1983.”
23. “Guy playing Karate Champ at the arcade, 1980s.”
24. “Melissa Joan Hart plays Sonic Adventure at Hollywood Video's launch party for the Sega Dreamcast, September 9, 1999.”
25. “Family at Unknown Arcade - 1957”
26. “I just found this photo of my dad in the 80's. Apparently he was quite the ladies man.”

1. “John Mellencamp posing with Q*Bert arcade game, early 1980s.”
2. “Hanging out at the arcade in 1981.”
3. “A crowded video arcade in 1980.”
4. “Steven Spielberg and some of his personal arcade games, early 1980s.”
5. “Teens hanging out at the arcade, 1976.”
6. “Arcade stance, 1980s.”
7. Pals kick it at an arcade in Chicago, 1987
8. “Pinball Arcade, 1970s.”
9. “Cool dudes at the arcade, 1983.”
10. “Woman playing pinball in an arcade, 1978.”
11. “1980s ‘Defender’ classic arcade game recognized as one of the best shoot-em-ups of all time.”
12. “Lesbians from the 80’s”
13. “Ready to hand out some quarters at a Time-Out arcade 1981.”
14. “Me and dad at the arcade, 1988.”
15. “This 80’s arcade.”
16. “My brother and I at the Arcade. This is either 1994 or 95.”
17. “Street Fighter 2 players, Family Arcade, Los Angeles, early 90s.”
18. “Tony Hawk, age 17, playing Atari's "720°" skateboarding arcade game (1986).”
19. “Tall guy playing an arcade game in the Bay Area in the late 1970s. Photo credit: Raymond Cooper.”
20. “Girl playing Pac-Man at the arcade in 1983.”
21. “Michael Jackson playing an arcade game, possibly Donkey Kong. Unknown location, circa early 1980’s.”
22. “George Lucas playing Star Wars arcade game, 1983.”
23. “Guy playing Karate Champ at the arcade, 1980s.”
24. “Melissa Joan Hart plays Sonic Adventure at Hollywood Video's launch party for the Sega Dreamcast, September 9, 1999.”
25. “Family at Unknown Arcade - 1957”
26. “I just found this photo of my dad in the 80's. Apparently he was quite the ladies man.”