FORT90

The following post originally appeared on attractmo.de, on September 11, 2012.
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Today marks the 11th anniversary of you know what in New York City. Which is why I decided to finally check out the brand new Chinatown Fair. Seem like a strange thing to do, and on a day like this, right? Not really.

For those unfamiliar with CF, it was long considered the “last arcade” in NYC, a mecca for diehard Street Fighter players in particular. The doors were closed last year, and the surrounding circumstances (plus how it stayed afloat in the first place) are a whirlpool of myth and mystery that still somewhat prevails.

For those interested: my attempt at information gathering when it went down, while helping a New York Times reporter, is detailed here.

Earlier this spring, word suddenly came that Chinatown Fair was set to make come back. Which took everyone by surprise, especially those who had migrated to Next Level, CT’s spiritual successor. But when the first pictures hit the scene, of the walls painted like  an Easter Egg, pretty much everyone with fond memories of the place cried bloody murder.

It wasn’t going to be a true blue arcade, catering to hardcore gamers, but an amusement center, geared towards families. A concept that I personally had no problem with. But still, had to see it for myself. And yes, it most definitely is not the Chinatown Fair of old…

In its previous incarnation, the place mostly catered towards fighting fanatics. Gone are the old school Neo Geo MVSs, and generic Japanese cabs that housed the latest imported boards from Japan. Melty Blood and Arcana Heart are no where to be found…

Instead you mostly have dancing games…

And sit-down racing titles. Which were present before; there’s simply more of them now, plus they’re in much better shape as well…

Thought the biggest change is the presence of redemption machines, the stuff you find at Dave & Busters. Which either spit out knickknacks or tickets…

The later of which, can be cashed in for other forms of knickknacks…

Such inventions are the bane of arcade aficionados, who believe them to be the primary reason why arcades have all but died out. There is some merit to such an attitude, but it’s not entirely true, plus one can’t ignore the simple fact: kids just love them to death.

Moving on, you’ll also find an air hockey table, and even a pinball machine. In this case, AC-DC…

As you can see, it’s a very different place, for different people. But the new operators have thrown a bone to the previous crowd, in the form of Third Strike and Marvel vs. Capcom 2…

And instead of tokens, you have to pay everything with a card. I too hate the system, but gotta say, I also dig the logo. If only for the reference of the tic-tac-toe playing chicken that was a staple of the old place, up until the mid 90s…

It most definitely is NOT your dad’s Chinatown Fair. But is that such a bad thing? True, much of the character and even charm of the old has been erased. But a lack of dinginess is actually a nice thing, generally speaking, It’s also, dare I say, more inviting? Call me weak-sauce, but inserting credits into a machine and enjoying yourself for a whole five seconds, before some pro steps out from the shadow, to mop the virtual floor with you in the blink of an eye, was not my idea of fun.

And guess what? Many people such as myself felt the same way, which might be a reason why Chinatown Fair 1.0 struggled in the first place. Ultimately, those who enjoyed such an atmosphere have the aforementioned place in Brooklyn to find comfort in. Yet many are still upset with Chinatown Fair 2.0′s very existence. Going as far as to say that it’s sacrilegious. And to them I say this…

Immediately following 9/11, NYC fell into deep economic hardship. Eleven years later and some neighborhoods have been able to bounce back, but not all. Including Chinatown. Local businesses have long struggled to keep afloat, and numerous attempts by civic leaders over the years to stimulate the local economy have proven to be mostly ineffective.

There are numerous other factors at play as well. Over a decade ago, Chinatown was not only the place to purchase games from Japan on US soil, but other foreign delights (it was heaven for fans of Hong Kong cinema). All of which is now easily attainable without stepping foot outside, thanks to the internet. I believe anyone who dares to open up shop, any kind of shop, in Chinatown these days should be commended.

Also consider the following: in this day and age, across all major cities, there simply aren’t many options for kids to go and be themselves. Whether it’s a place where mom or dad can have peace mind, knowing that their son or daughter is somewhere safe, or better yet, where parent and child can hang out together, the new CF fulfills a very vital need in the Chinatown community.

Though one must still ask if this new approach is profitable. I spoke with an employee, and she was informed me that they are doing very well, thank you very much. Even better than the prior incarnation, in her opinion. The clientele is supposedly a mix of kids and their parents (as expected), plus tourists and locals. Yes, even real deal gamers as well.

I inquired if the lack of a hardcore base, namely the lack of fighting fanatics, has been felt. The answer was no; surprisingly, dance game fanatics have filled that particular hole. Though the proof might be in how many people are employed. From what I understand, the old CF had 4 full time employees. The new CF has 7, mostly part time workers (all college students). That almost seems even, and is therefore not bad at all.

Still, it has been only been operational for less than a year. The true tale of the tape will only be apparent about 12-24 months, and even then it’ll never truly be out of the woods. Owning and operating an arcade, no matter how savvy or smart the business plan might be, is still a huge risk.

I hope the new Chinatown Fair thrives, or at least can stick around. The original is irreplaceable, for sure, and even I miss a bit of that familiar grime (but not so much the smell). Yet it still lives on in hearts and minds of those who frequented the place, even on a casual level. For reasons stated above: it may not be for you anymore, but it most certainly is there for someone else.

BTW, and for those interested in learning more about the NYC game scene: I cover the subject in great detail in my second installment of the FORT90ZINE. And for those of you who live elsewhere, specifically San Francisco, my good pal (and former boss) Simon Carless has posted what he calls a (semi)-definitive guide to arcades in the Bay Area. Which is sure to come handy, come GDC time.

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The following post originally appeared on attractmo.de, on September 5, 2012.
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The Metroid, one of the alcoholic beverages served this past Saturday night. Vodka & Midori, with 3 maraschino cherries, for those interested. Picture courtesy of Asif‘s Instagram.

Long story short, myself and the rest of the Fangamer crew are currently in recovery mode. But for those who didn’t know already: VERSUS was simply amazing, exceeding our wildest of expectations.

Will post a proper report once I’ve gotten the chance to catch my breath. But real quick like, just wanted to say thanks to every single person who helped make it all happen. Especially those who came out and lent their support.

Throughout the evening, was repeatedly told that it was something that PAX (plus Seattle as a whole) desperately needed. All we can say to that is… stay tuned?

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