Independently operated arcades have become hard to find over the last 20 years, with Dave & Busters chain locations serving as the only major alternative in most cities. Operated by Family Amusement Company, Los Angeles’ neon-lit Family Arcade has been operating for nearly a half century, and today offers all-you-can-play access to some of history’s best arcade games – as well as some very obscure imported titles – for a flat fee.
In addition to a few musical instrument games, flight/space simulators, and multiple racing titles, Family Arcade has plenty of standup cabinets covering genres such as fighting, sports, puzzle, shooting, and action games. There’s also a small selection of pinball machines, and one Pandora’s Box MAME cabinet with tons of emulated titles and ROM hacks. There’s also a roller coaster motion simulator called Typhoon, with six seat-shaking videos to choose from. Free parking is available in an adjacent lot.
