Post your retro gaming story...Does anyone remember Zapper's?

[dcfjsj]

Zapper's
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8y7wZqYahQ
If I had a time machine I would make this one of my stops, there was a "special" kid who was there everyday, playing games like it was his personal arcade. Later in life when I was 17 I managed a EB Games. He came into my store and I let him play whatever he wanted he kept people from shoplifting and stopped someone robbing us, Chris where ever you are I have a copy of Mortal Kombat Trilogy I would give anything to see you do every Fatality again with every character, and it was amazing he did it all from memory. We watched him play games he beat every game we let him play. I mean anything and I never saw anyone beat him in a fighting game either. I to this day believe him to be an undiscovered savant the stories I have...
I told that story what your retro gamer story.

[libernullmal]

Never heard of Zapper's but I like the idea though I wonder why it didn't become a big thing in my area in Texas. I use to just go to FuncoLand and spent my time playing games on their machines because they would have games I didn't. as for the Chris dude I use to know a kid like that and it made for fun taking him places and watching other kids get pwned when your playing by ourself an they come in and start playing against you with no warning or anything. I would just turn over my controller to my friend and watch the fun.

[sin2beta]

I never knew of zappers. But I do have a lot of nostalgia for some old game stores.

My favorite and probably first game exchange was Mauck's game exchange (spelling is probably wrong) in Tulsa. It is still my favorite. He always had what seemed like odd prices for games. They would be like $4.62. And I always thought they were really weird and specific prices. But he made it to where after tax, you paid with a whole bill. It was the place I bought my power pad. It was where I saw my first ROB unit. They also sold old game magazines. Moreover, it was where I learned a lot about games. How to clean them, etc. The people who owned it were really nice.

It then changed to Hershels or something like that. It seemed nice enough, but I admit to not going there much. Now it is a tattoo parlor. :-(

I loved Funcoland.

In Boulder, I moved right across the street from a fantastic game exchange called game force. Reasonable prices. Plus, he had good stuff all the time. Most places in Tulsa are majorly picked over. Game Force in Boulder always made a point to seek out and keep good stock. Thus, the prices weren't mega cheap. But they were very reasonable. If you wanted a good game they would have one.

Game Dude in North Hollywood has a lot of good memories. As a kid (and sometimes even now), I would always look at their price printouts (kind of similar to the funcoland newspaper. I suspect they are from the same era and persuasion).

[thecollector0o7]

Well I just got back from my game collecting trip through the states and therefor this is my first post in awhile.
I used to go to a little shop called high score in Ontario and have gone there since I was little but it has closed down so now I use a internet site kinda like craigs list but its called kijiji and it is where i collect most of my systems along with flea markets but I do miss the old days of walking into a retro used video game stores

[jcalder8]

Well I just got back from my game collecting trip through the states and therefor this is my first post in awhile.
I used to go to a little shop called high score in Ontario and have gone there since I was little but it has closed down so now I use a internet site kinda like craigs list but its called kijiji and it is where i collect most of my systems along with flea markets but I do miss the old days of walking into a retro used video game stores

Welcome back, did you get some good stuff?

From the age of probably 10-16 I would rent games from Encore Video Games in Burnaby BC! It would take me about 30 minutes to decide on a game so my mom got to know the owner very well. They expanded to a second store but they were never able to drum up enough business to take off. I think they closed the last store around 2003 I bought some great games from them including some complete NES games that I still have. Unfortunately someone stole my copy of Contra  :'(

[thecollector0o7]

Yes I got a few good little things ill post a picture in Jan 2013 but my pikachu N64 is just and example I was pretty excited

[scott]

Back in elementary school, I believe it was 2nd grade, we had a candy drive. The prize for being the top seller was a NES Action Set! I sold my ass off trying to get as many of those candy bars sold as possible and I was doing amazing. I was certain that I had won that NES. When we got to the end of the sale, the teacher totaled the numbers for everyone and I LOST! I was nudged out of the top spot by another kid in my class, just barely.
Defeated, I went home w/ my folks.

A month or so went by and then Easter rolled around and I woke up that morning to find a large box in the living room. I was slightly confused and we all opened it up to find a NES Action Set in there plus Cobra Triangle and 1943: Battle of Midway! Sweet!

I talked to my folks about it years later and they said that I was so confident that I was going to win the NES in the contest. That when I didn't, the look of defeat was "heartbreaking". So they broke down and bought the NES as an Easter present for everyone.

[soera]

Mine is slightly different. I used to go to this local rental place called Gold video every weekend when the NES and SMS was new (it was the only place in town that actually rented SMS games). Would rent a game and return it in a few hours telling the owner that I beat it and see if he would swap me out for another game for the rest of the rental time. After doing it a dozen or so times, he would tell me that some of those games I beat people would rent them for days and bring them back frustrated cause they couldnt beat them. He said he would even get phone calls asking if he knew how to beat them. A small conversation later, he actually hired me to answer the phone and help people on games. I would sit in the back and, while waiting for the calls, would be the one that took care of the gaming section of the store. I would package the games for rentals and make the boxes (we were one of those places that actually cut up the boxes and fit them into the UGCs ... If I only knew then what I knew now). It was a great job and made me really excited to go there everyday knowing that people actually considered me the game master in my area even if only for a little while.

[jcalder8]

Mine is slightly different. I used to go to this local rental place called Gold video every weekend when the NES and SMS was new (it was the only place in town that actually rented SMS games). Would rent a game and return it in a few hours telling the owner that I beat it and see if he would swap me out for another game for the rest of the rental time. After doing it a dozen or so times, he would tell me that some of those games I beat people would rent them for days and bring them back frustrated cause they couldnt beat them. He said he would even get phone calls asking if he knew how to beat them. A small conversation later, he actually hired me to answer the phone and help people on games. I would sit in the back and, while waiting for the calls, would be the one that took care of the gaming section of the store. I would package the games for rentals and make the boxes (we were one of those places that actually cut up the boxes and fit them into the UGCs ... If I only knew then what I knew now). It was a great job and made me really excited to go there everyday knowing that people actually considered me the game master in my area even if only for a little while.

I wish I had this job now!

[libernullmal]

Mine is slightly different. I used to go to this local rental place called Gold video every weekend when the NES and SMS was new (it was the only place in town that actually rented SMS games). Would rent a game and return it in a few hours telling the owner that I beat it and see if he would swap me out for another game for the rest of the rental time. After doing it a dozen or so times, he would tell me that some of those games I beat people would rent them for days and bring them back frustrated cause they couldnt beat them. He said he would even get phone calls asking if he knew how to beat them. A small conversation later, he actually hired me to answer the phone and help people on games. I would sit in the back and, while waiting for the calls, would be the one that took care of the gaming section of the store. I would package the games for rentals and make the boxes (we were one of those places that actually cut up the boxes and fit them into the UGCs ... If I only knew then what I knew now). It was a great job and made me really excited to go there everyday knowing that people actually considered me the game master in my area even if only for a little while.

I wish I had this job now!

Not much business anymore since all your answers for beating games is online... I don't even think a 1800-GMaster in this time and day would work unless they don't have internet...