The Decline of Chuck E. Cheese's...What Happened?

I grew up during it’s prime, back in the 80’s. When I was young / small enough to play in the whatever you call it with the tower, tubes, nets, etc. (giant indoor big toy), it was pretty sweet. Once I was too big, then it was video games, which was a slight plus from the local mall arcade as you got 5 tokens per dollar, thus one more game play on single token/quarter games.

By the time I was in 5th grade, I had an NES, so even the video games were getting tiresome. While there at a birthday party, one of the amusement rides for toddlers/ youngsters (a space ship that basically went up and down) was closed for repairs, and the coin slot panel was loose. A friend and I looted every token out of the sucker. We then posted up by the token vending machines offering folks 6 tokens for a dollar, as opposed to the usual 5. Half the people ignored our sweet offer, which was an interesting lesson to me. I ended up walking away that night with enough cash to buy the sweet Contra sequel.
Click to expand...

Oh my God, I used to play Contra for endless hours. God I loved that game. Forgot all about it.
 
Never been. Proudly.
Click to expand...

OK Boomer or old fuck Gen Xer.
Click to expand...

Except Gen X took their kids there. Not me. I’m above that pedestrian shit. My kids were at Izzys.
Click to expand...

Lazy kids. Mine cooked their own damned pizza.

And walked to the store to buy the ingredients. With their own money earned by delivering newspapers and collecting bottles.

Oh wait, that was my generation. My generation....

People try to put us d- d-down
Click to expand...

Hope you die before you get old and I gotta pay your Medicare.
 
Never been. Proudly.
Click to expand...

OK Boomer or old fuck Gen Xer.
Click to expand...

I think I'm an old fuck Gen Xer. I took my son there for his birthday. I'm neither proud nor ashamed, but I do still kick myself for stuff like that. I pissed away more money on shitty birthdays than just about any other wasteful thing I can think of from raising a kid. We tried some surprisingly expensive things that just weren't a lot of fun for the kids or adults. Should've saved all of that and put it toward his first car and everyone would've benefitted. Fucking birthdays.
 
Never been. Proudly.
Click to expand...

OK Boomer or old fuck Gen Xer.
Click to expand...

I think I'm an old fuck Gen Xer. I took my son there for his birthday. I'm neither proud nor ashamed, but I do still kick myself for stuff like that. I pissed away more money on shitty birthdays than just about any other wasteful thing I can think of from raising a kid. We tried some surprisingly expensive things that just weren't a lot of fun for the kids or adults. Should've saved all of that and put it toward his first car and everyone would've benefitted. Fucking birthdays.
Click to expand...

My wife is very artsy so our girls had at home themed parties. Did a Hunger Games with water balloons and squirt guns and a Walking Dead one that had a scavenger hunt with zombies. Don’t think I’ve ever been in a Chuck E Cheese.
 
I grew up during it’s prime, back in the 80’s. When I was young / small enough to play in the whatever you call it with the tower, tubes, nets, etc. (giant indoor big toy), it was pretty sweet. Once I was too big, then it was video games, which was a slight plus from the local mall arcade as you got 5 tokens per dollar, thus one more game play on single token/quarter games.

By the time I was in 5th grade, I had an NES, so even the video games were getting tiresome. While there at a birthday party, one of the amusement rides for toddlers/ youngsters (a space ship that basically went up and down) was closed for repairs, and the coin slot panel was loose. A friend and I looted every token out of the sucker. We then posted up by the token vending machines offering folks 6 tokens for a dollar, as opposed to the usual 5. Half the people ignored our sweet offer, which was an interesting lesson to me. I ended up walking away that night with enough cash to buy the sweet Contra sequel.
Click to expand...

Oh my God, I used to play Contra for endless hours. God I loved that game. Forgot all about it.
Click to expand...

Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, select, start.
 
I grew up during it’s prime, back in the 80’s. When I was young / small enough to play in the whatever you call it with the tower, tubes, nets, etc. (giant indoor big toy), it was pretty sweet. Once I was too big, then it was video games, which was a slight plus from the local mall arcade as you got 5 tokens per dollar, thus one more game play on single token/quarter games.

By the time I was in 5th grade, I had an NES, so even the video games were getting tiresome. While there at a birthday party, one of the amusement rides for toddlers/ youngsters (a space ship that basically went up and down) was closed for repairs, and the coin slot panel was loose. A friend and I looted every token out of the sucker. We then posted up by the token vending machines offering folks 6 tokens for a dollar, as opposed to the usual 5. Half the people ignored our sweet offer, which was an interesting lesson to me. I ended up walking away that night with enough cash to buy the sweet Contra sequel.
Click to expand...

My friends and I were nuts in those type of play places. Someone always got fucked up in the ball pit and/or the slides. Sometimes we would start shit with other kids around our age at a different birthday party. Fun times.

One place had laser tag and I remember at one party, these two college aged dorks played with us. The lights go off and one of the guys goes, “Who just grabbed my ass?” My buddy (we were 11 or 12) that grabbed said ass,without hesitation blurts out, “He grabbed my dick first.” It’s still funny to me, but 11 year old me couldn’t breathe from laughing so hard.
 
Last edited:
I grew up during it’s prime, back in the 80’s. When I was young / small enough to play in the whatever you call it with the tower, tubes, nets, etc. (giant indoor big toy), it was pretty sweet. Once I was too big, then it was video games, which was a slight plus from the local mall arcade as you got 5 tokens per dollar, thus one more game play on single token/quarter games.

By the time I was in 5th grade, I had an NES, so even the video games were getting tiresome. While there at a birthday party, one of the amusement rides for toddlers/ youngsters (a space ship that basically went up and down) was closed for repairs, and the coin slot panel was loose. A friend and I looted every token out of the sucker. We then posted up by the token vending machines offering folks 6 tokens for a dollar, as opposed to the usual 5. Half the people ignored our sweet offer, which was an interesting lesson to me. I ended up walking away that night with enough cash to buy the sweet Contra sequel.
Click to expand...

My friends and I were nuts in those type of play places. Someone always got fucked up in the ball pit and/or the slides. Sometimes we would start shit with other kids around our age at a different birthday party. Fun times.

One place had laser tag and I remember at one party, these two college aged dorks played with us. The lights go off and one of the guys goes, “Who just grabbed my ass?” My buddy (we were 11 or 12) that grabbed said ass,without hesitation blurts out, “He grabbed my dick first.” It’s still funny to me, but 11 year old me couldn’t breathe from laughing so hard.
Click to expand...

You were in training to be a Half Brain
 
In high school in the 80s we would skip school and jam up to the Chuck E Cheese in Lynnwood to ply that hockey game under a bubble with rods. Never ate the pizza ever.
 
Never went. My wife took the kids there a time or two for birthday parties and whatnot - but she knew that wasn't a place to take me. We have an understanding.
 
I grew up during it’s prime, back in the 80’s. When I was young / small enough to play in the whatever you call it with the tower, tubes, nets, etc. (giant indoor big toy), it was pretty sweet. Once I was too big, then it was video games, which was a slight plus from the local mall arcade as you got 5 tokens per dollar, thus one more game play on single token/quarter games.

By the time I was in 5th grade, I had an NES, so even the video games were getting tiresome. While there at a birthday party, one of the amusement rides for toddlers/ youngsters (a space ship that basically went up and down) was closed for repairs, and the coin slot panel was loose. A friend and I looted every token out of the sucker. We then posted up by the token vending machines offering folks 6 tokens for a dollar, as opposed to the usual 5. Half the people ignored our sweet offer, which was an interesting lesson to me. I ended up walking away that night with enough cash to buy the sweet Contra sequel.
Click to expand...

Oh my God, I used to play Contra for endless hours. God I loved that game. Forgot all about it.
Click to expand...

does this bored not have a video game thread?
 
I grew up during it’s prime, back in the 80’s. When I was young / small enough to play in the whatever you call it with the tower, tubes, nets, etc. (giant indoor big toy), it was pretty sweet. Once I was too big, then it was video games, which was a slight plus from the local mall arcade as you got 5 tokens per dollar, thus one more game play on single token/quarter games.

By the time I was in 5th grade, I had an NES, so even the video games were getting tiresome. While there at a birthday party, one of the amusement rides for toddlers/ youngsters (a space ship that basically went up and down) was closed for repairs, and the coin slot panel was loose. A friend and I looted every token out of the sucker. We then posted up by the token vending machines offering folks 6 tokens for a dollar, as opposed to the usual 5. Half the people ignored our sweet offer, which was an interesting lesson to me. I ended up walking away that night with enough cash to buy the sweet Contra sequel.
Click to expand...

Oh my God, I used to play Contra for endless hours. God I loved that game. Forgot all about it.
Click to expand...

Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, select, start.
Click to expand...

I can’t remember my passwords for shit but I still remember that cheat code. I think it gave you 30 lives instead of 4.
 
I grew up during it’s prime, back in the 80’s. When I was young / small enough to play in the whatever you call it with the tower, tubes, nets, etc. (giant indoor big toy), it was pretty sweet. Once I was too big, then it was video games, which was a slight plus from the local mall arcade as you got 5 tokens per dollar, thus one more game play on single token/quarter games.

By the time I was in 5th grade, I had an NES, so even the video games were getting tiresome. While there at a birthday party, one of the amusement rides for toddlers/ youngsters (a space ship that basically went up and down) was closed for repairs, and the coin slot panel was loose. A friend and I looted every token out of the sucker. We then posted up by the token vending machines offering folks 6 tokens for a dollar, as opposed to the usual 5. Half the people ignored our sweet offer, which was an interesting lesson to me. I ended up walking away that night with enough cash to buy the sweet Contra sequel.
Click to expand...

Oh my God, I used to play Contra for endless hours. God I loved that game. Forgot all about it.
Click to expand...

Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, select, start.
Click to expand...

I can’t remember my passwords for shit but I still remember that cheat code. I think it gave you 30 lives instead of 4.
Click to expand...

Justin_Bailey.png


Will never forget that one either.
 
Last edited:
Never went. My wife took the kids there a time or two for birthday parties and whatnot - but she knew that wasn't a place to take me.[/i][/b] We have an understanding.
Click to expand...

So you had to tell her about the restraining order, huh?

 
Never went. My wife took the kids there a time or two for birthday parties and whatnot - but she knew that wasn't a place to take me. We have an understanding.
Click to expand...

Tourette Syndrome is no joking matter
 
I grew up during it’s prime, back in the 80’s. When I was young / small enough to play in the whatever you call it with the tower, tubes, nets, etc. (giant indoor big toy), it was pretty sweet. Once I was too big, then it was video games, which was a slight plus from the local mall arcade as you got 5 tokens per dollar, thus one more game play on single token/quarter games.

By the time I was in 5th grade, I had an NES, so even the video games were getting tiresome. While there at a birthday party, one of the amusement rides for toddlers/ youngsters (a space ship that basically went up and down) was closed for repairs, and the coin slot panel was loose. A friend and I looted every token out of the sucker. We then posted up by the token vending machines offering folks 6 tokens for a dollar, as opposed to the usual 5. Half the people ignored our sweet offer, which was an interesting lesson to me. I ended up walking away that night with enough cash to buy the sweet Contra sequel.
Click to expand...

Oh my God, I used to play Contra for endless hours. God I loved that game. Forgot all about it.
Click to expand...

does this bored not have a video game thread?
Click to expand...

cosmo-kramer-uncomfortable.gif

 
Never went. My wife took the kids there a time or two for birthday parties and whatnot - but she knew that wasn't a place to take me. We have an understanding.
Click to expand...

Tourette Syndrome is no joking matter
Click to expand...

You're not wrong - me surrounded by a bunch of screaming kids is a powder keg just waiting to go off.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top