Arcade trick from 80s?

[B1GDeal]

Dating myself but does anyone else remember being able to take a speaker magnet and rubbing it on the side of 80s arcade games and getting unlimited free credits? From time I was in like 4th grade through 8th grade I recall using this trick to play games. I don’t recall if the arcade manufacturers figured out the trick and changed the design or if the prevalence of home gaming led to the end of this by early 90s. Anyone else remember this???

 

[The Tradition]

No, but I wish I knew about it back then. I probably put thousands of quarters into Defender machines back in the day.

 

[Moral]

This is why we don't have arcades anymore. Way to go OP.

 

[BGHAWK]

I remember guys lifting pinball machines and resting the two front legs on their feet to slow down the balls so they could get more free games. It worked until the owner caught them, ha ha

 

[seminole97]

Dating myself but does anyone else remember being able to take a speaker magnet and rubbing it on the side of 80s arcade games and getting unlimited free credits? From time I was in like 4th grade through 8th grade I recall using this trick to play games. I don’t recall if the arcade manufacturers figured out the trick and changed the design or if the prevalence of home gaming led to the end of this by early 90s. Anyone else remember this???

No, but I remember being able to play Mortal Kombat for as long as people would step up to PvP on a single quarter. Good times.

"GET OVER HERE!!!"

 

[BubsFinn]

I remember guys lifting pinball machines and resting the two back legs on their feet to slow down the balls so they could get more free games. It worked until the owner caught them, ha ha

Wouldn't lifting the back legs increase the slope and make the balls go faster?

 

[BGHAWK]

Wouldn't lifting the back legs increase the slope and make the balls go faster?

Thanks, I should have said the front legs where the player stands, not the back legs. I will edit that.

 

[LuciousBDragon]

You can play unlimited times with OP’s Mom and you don’t even have to rub her.

 

[ZachJump]

I could play Cabal to the finish on my first life.

You also had the infamous Galaga cheat of leaving one of the left/bottom blue guys and letting then shoot at you for 20 or so minutes until they stopped shooting.

 

[B1GDeal]

You can play unlimited times with OP’s Mom and you don’t even have to rub her.

She likes to play.

 

[PoopandBoogers]

Who else almost hulk smashed their Nintendo after staying up all night on Oboisie's and Ecto Cooler, with your friends cheering you on and finally beating ghosts n goblins on a single life, only to have the screen start at the beginning all over again?

 

[drew_hawk]

Who else almost hulk smashed their Nintendo after staying up all night on Oboisie's and Ecto Cooler, with your friends cheering you on and finally beating ghosts n goblins on a single life, only to have the screen start at the beginning all over again?

 

[artradley]

Wouldn't lifting the back legs increase the slope and make the balls go faster?

It would also tilt the machine.

 

[seminole97]

Who else almost hulk smashed their Nintendo after staying up all night on Oboisie's and Ecto Cooler, with your friends cheering you on and finally beating ghosts n goblins on a single life, only to have the screen start at the beginning all over again?

#658

 

[FAUlty Gator]

We would take nickels and hammer them out to flatten them and increase their diameter to that of a quarter. Even have a few out so others would get caught first to smoke screen us. Damn. We were pretty good little criminal minds when I think back.

 

[ICWestfan]

Up,down,up,down,left,right,left,rightA,B,start.

 

[Jimmy McGill]

The nerds designed these things on purpose so that they could be "cool". They also created games that could not be won (dicks), like Ikari Warriors.

Those fooks wasted lot of my time around the age of 11.

 

[stillh8unlv]

No, but I remember being able to play Mortal Kombat for as long as people would step up to PvP on a single quarter. Good times.

"GET OVER HERE!!!"

I could do the same thing with the wizard in Gauntlet - stick one quarter in and play all damn day.

https://talkingpulp.files.wordpress.com/2019/08/gauntlet.jpg

 

[The Tradition]

The nerds designed these things on purpose so that they could be "cool". They also created games that could not be won (dicks), like Ikari Warriors.

Those fooks wasted lot of my time around the age of 11.

I spent thousands upon thousands of hours playing this game. There is absolutely no way you could ever level-up enough to survive getting deep enough into the mines to even meet the Balrog, much less defeat it, and therefore win the game. I DID actually meet up with it once, and I was immediately incinerated.

Moria (1983 video game) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[seminole97]

I could do the same thing with the wizard in Gauntlet - stick one quarter in and play all damn day.

https://talkingpulp.files.wordpress.com/2019/08/gauntlet.jpg

Playing that game with four good players the way the table was arranged was a magical thing.

My favorite game in that vein though was a Alien Syndrome.
Smash TV also lots of fun.

Like with Tetris, sometimes you could feel yourself slip into a zone and just be unstoppable.

 

[DBQStarHawk]

 

[General Tso]

Wouldn't lifting the back legs increase the slope and make the balls go faster?

You said balls

 

[BelemNole]

I used to be able to play the arcade commando game until I flipped it a few times and got board. Always left lives on it.

 

[Jimmy McGill]

I can't get tbw to understand that I have a very fragile Nintendo, and more even fragile Tecmo Super Bowl game that probably has 40,000 hours logged on it..... So if I leave the power on and the station set just perfect....don't touch it and ruin my season stats

 

[GOHOX69]

I'll take any of you losers on in centipede, millipede or any other pedes.

 

[SI_NYC]

Dating myself but does anyone else remember being able to take a speaker magnet and rubbing it on the side of 80s arcade games and getting unlimited free credits? From time I was in like 4th grade through 8th grade I recall using this trick to play games. I don’t recall if the arcade manufacturers figured out the trick and changed the design or if the prevalence of home gaming led to the end of this by early 90s. Anyone else remember this???

We figured that if we smashed a penny flatter, many would work as Alaadin’s Castle tokens.

 

[Jimmy McGill]

I'll take any of you losers on in centipede, millipede or any other pedes.

I'm claiming I still have record fastest time at being Super Mario Brothers. I had that sucker memorized like OP's mom's toe fungus. I also claim that I have never seen anyone other than me and my neighbor beat the game Russian Attack. That was a tough one.

 

[SI_NYC]

This is why we don't have arcades anymore. Way to go OP.

They're still around. Being the good parent I am, I took my daughter this past Sunday. They charge by the hour these days.

Yestercade.

 

[PoopandBoogers]

They are still around.being the good parenting after I am, I took my daughter this past Sunday. They charge by the hour these days.

Yestercade.

There are a few of those around me as well. They are the types of businesses you never know existed until you find out about them and then constantly hear about them all of the sudden. They are pretty popular here supposedly.

 

[auntie_fah]

Who else almost hulk smashed their Nintendo after staying up all night on Oboisie's and Ecto Cooler, with your friends cheering you on and finally beating ghosts n goblins on a single life, only to have the screen start at the beginning all over again?

I was pissed when i got to (and completed) the 32nd race and it went to the next one. A quick google search said that after track 24, it starts repeating tracks

 

[drew_hawk]

They are still around.being the good parenting after I am, I took my daughter this past Sunday. They charge by the hour these days.

Yestercade.

TapTap in downtown IC ped mall is a pretty fun arcade spot these days (located in what used to be part of the bottom floor of the old Union bar)

 

[SI_NYC]

There are a few of those around me as well. They are the types of businesses you never know existed until you find out about them and then constantly hear about them all of the sudden. They are pretty popular here supposedly.

The first time we went there they were playing some 80s rock and found myself with a huge smile on my face. It time warped my brain back to 1985 at the OC mall in IC. Alladins Castle on one side, Center Amusements across the gap with the movie theater and Arby’s in the middle. It was heaven for this eleven year old.

 

[GOHOX69]

The first time we went there they were playing some 80s rock and found myself with a huge smile on my face. It time warped my brain back to 1985 at the OC mall in IC. Alladins Castle on one side, Center Amusements across the gap with the movie theater and Arby’s in the middle. It was heaven for this eleven year old.

You are an old townie like me. I remember those days.

 

[Urohawk]

No one can beat me in this....no one. My kids didn't believe I could be that good at any video game. I played for 20 min straight on 1 quarter before all three of them got tired of it.

 

[Moral]

No one can beat me in this....no one. My kids didn't believe I could be that good at any video game. I played for 20 min straight on 1 quarter before all three of them got tired of it.

Those hand/eye skills mastered on that game probably made you the urologist you are today.

 

[ihawk in FWB]

No, but I wish I knew about it back then. I probably put thousands of quarters into Defender machines back in the day.

That's probably a top five favorite of mine. I almost purchased one at a swap meet about 10 years ago.

Back to OP, there was a pinball machine at Grand Lanes in DSM in the 70s that you could hold a paper clip in your hand, shuffle your feet on the carpet then touch the metal panel in the front of the game and rack up free games.

 

[cfbfan23]

Bubble Bobble and Pitfall II were the two games where I could reach the end on one quarter. Of course, I spent hundreds practicing so I could get to that point.

 

[markfromj]

We would take nickels and hammer them out to flatten them and increase their diameter to that of a quarter. Even have a few out so others would get caught first to smoke screen us. Damn. We were pretty good little criminal minds when I think back.

Poors…

 

[hawkeye54545]

The Ole Arcade Trick was OP's mom's nickname during the 80's.

 

[tumorboy]

I can't get tbw to understand that I have a very fragile Nintendo, and more even fragile Tecmo Super Bowl game that probably has 40,000 hours logged on it..... So if I leave the power on and the station set just perfect....don't touch it and ruin my season stats

So who do u take as the Loins QB? Ware or Peete