Tour of Funspot, the largest arcade in the world!
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- Опубліковано 29 сер 2024
- Walking through all of Funspot in Laconia, New Hampshire. The original thumbnail picture was replaced when Mr. Lawton passed in 2021. I felt it was the right thing to do.
Check out my tour video of the Galloping Ghost Arcade in Chicago, IL:
• Tour of The Galloping ...
I miss the days of arcade machines in every gas station convenience store, and full on-arcades in every mall. It wasn't just the games themselves, it was the excitement of all the folks playing, it was absolutely infectious, and it brought together all ages to play together.
Back then you didn't care that your mom had to talk to everyone she met as long as you had some quarters. 😄
Yeah
Now they're all ticket machines and a random shooter or two.
@@Rusaarules it's like that now because Raw Thrills took over the north American arcade market when it was at its absolute lowest. That and older games are harder to maintain. Don't even get me started on repairing CRT monitors for cabinets.
@@groidcel I'd be happy if the arcade machines are just emulators that only play 1 game. To me, it doesn't have to be authentic 80/90 cabinets.
Just to get people together, join a stranger in playing a game, etc.
Mad respect to the technician who keeps those running. Old games can be painful to repair sometimes.
Totally agree!
I used to work on those over the summer at the shore when I was in High School/College. I loved it. It was like working on an old car. Unjamming coin hoppers was probably my least favorite and also the most common problem with arcade machines.
I was thinking of starting a small business placing arcade cabinets and pinball machines in local businesses until I looked into what maintenance looked like and NOPE
There are other opportunities in that area that involve a lot less work.
they probably charge what they want - lol
@@someguycalledCh0wdah if arcade and pinball machines were still viable then organised crime would still be forcing them upon small businesses. That was one of their rackets in some towns - certainly my city.
POV: you’re in this video and scrolling the comments because the thumbnail said someone died in 2021 but the video is 4 years old.
I don’t get it. It says the video was posted in 2017.
@@allamaraine8066The thumbnail for the video had a sign that said RIP Bob 1931-2021 and the video came out well before 2021.
POV: The video is listed as 6 years old now. That thumbnail is still bait.
I hope iconic spots like this never disappear. I spent my early years here with my pops. He'd play Galaga and I would be on TMNT. Wish for my 4 year old son to experience the same memories.
Its not the same...but can just spend an hour playing video games with your son at home nowadays (and even play old school games if u wish)..and go out for Mcdonalds or an ice cream afte...Can still make memorable times if you want...that being said..TMNT is a great game...Donatello was the best
@@gballs007 nah, I enjoy playing video games on my ps4 and PC. But there's just something special about an arcade. Walking up and playing some random game attracted solely based on the cabinet art. Or going over to the skeeball and trying to win as many tickets as possible.
Ultimately the decision of how many tokens you should spend on games v how many on winning tickets, is a sensation no video game console can replicate.
And then walking up to the counter and seeing what you can actually get and debating if you should keep them for the next visit, or blow the tickets then and there.
Wow this place is so awesome... Just imagining how awesome it would be to come here every weekend in the 90's as a kid bowling, eating pizza, winning pointless shit out of claw machines and playing games with your friends... these places were the best, then begging your mom if your friend can sleep over after or if she'll take you to their house, then continue to stay up all night playing more games and eating junk food
Don't forget the epic win of MULTIPLE NIGHT SLEEPOVERS lol
@@quadrga or Face Off!!
I've been going here for 20+ years lol I brought ng my kids here now
Asking your mom about the sleepover and hoping she says “we’ll see” because “we’ll see” is practically a guaranteed yes. I’m 40 and I’d rather go here than go to Vegas again, rather spend money on pizza and trying to remember how to play Killer Instinct lol.
@@axe2grind244 I'm 40 and I still ask my mom for permission for sleepovers and I can confirm that "we'll see" means yes almost all of the time!!!
omg I need to go there. Its literally like a place frozen in time from the 80s. I hope it never changes.
It definitely hasn’t, I go to the lakes region every year with me family for vacation, and I can tell you it never changes! Always a fun place to make fun memories!
@@austinboz it like an hour from where I live, gotta love NH! 👍
The only problem is they absolutely do not take care of the classic games like they should. All the pinball games have weak, wonky flippers. A good amount of the classic games have controllers that barely work. There are a huge amount of games out of order. And some time in the last 5 years they took out Dragon's Lair. I live 15 minutes away and it really feels like the place has gone downhill since the owner died. No disrespect to the kids, they do work hard, but that extra level of care for history is missing now.
@@mattmurphy8942 yes sir!
To anyone and everyone keeping this place alive, you deserve more tokens. What an amazing relic this place is. I still love and miss the 80s. Thank you!! :)
Wow! To keep all of those classics alive and running in tip top condition is incredible! I have to visit this gaming time capsule.
The power to keep all those stuff working at the same time must be killer
Oh yea, they have so much running all the time. In all the times I’ve been there the power has never gone out. And I’ve been there in the middle of big snow storms and summer thunderstorms. They must have some gold backup systems.
@@javatarsarcade does this have The Jay Jay The Jet Plane ride at Funspot in Laconia New Hampshire
I was just thinking the same thing regarding the electric bill. The cost of parts repair must add up too, for some of these machines no longer have replacement parts I bet.
@@MrSEA-ok2ll upkeep isnt that bad on the cabinets and they all pretty much work the same for alot of years there or have the same workings inside of alot of them. You can interchange some parts even or change the entore cabinets to another game if ya want. I worked for namco amusement from 95 to 2oo2 in the philly area malls
Solar panels would probably help pay the bills.
Unreal. As a kid, you didn’t even have to play the games to feel the nostalgia. The smells, the rolling demo screens of all the games running in the background were enough to land you in a carefree world. This is sadly a dying breed and it’s a shame.
The strange layout, the odd assortment of games, including many that I've never heard of, the odd jungle gym on the outside gives this video a dreamlike feel, especially considering I've had THOUSANDS of dreams set in massive arcades.
Crazy, I had the exact same feeling.
Very liminal feeling, or just dreamscape vibes. Not sure if I hate it or love it
Nostalgia
Some places still exist like this that are traditional.
@@JamesV1 I'm in the same boat. I find the spaces filmed in this video bring me an odd mix of nostalgia and apprehension. The inside of Funspot especially, is a very weird place.
I'm 5 years too late, but thanks for making this video. This is truly a wonder for a kid from the 80's/90's like me to hear about.
The sounds killed me. I felt all the noise. I hope I'm able to go their one day. Thank you and the fact it has multiple levels is incredible
There was just something special about being in a full arcade, with all the other games blaring away, waiting for your turn at your favourite machine which, for me at the time, was Galaxian and Star Wars. There was an arcade locally that only opened during school holidays. That was the last place I played Star Wars in the late 90s. I moved away for 10 years. By the time I came back, the old machines were gone.
I've actually been to this place. I was vacationing in Meredith, NH, and went here a couple times. I thought it was going to be the Funspot in Florida. I remember it being huge. I think that dome hockey game has been in the same spot for 25+ years.
It has
@@louisbilodeau8682 LOL. The dome hockey was one of my distinct memories of this place. I remember looking down at stairs while playing it. That's funny. They must repair it right where it is when it malfunctions.
I remember the Aladdin's Castle in my local mall. It was decent sized and jam packed with machines all with ashtrays attached to them. You had to have a machete to cut through all of the smoke! Great times!
Hate to spoil it but this isn’t the largest Arcade in the world, the largest is Galloping Ghost Arcade in Brookfield Illinois. Currently at 783 games.
What an arcade Mecca. I'll have to go on a pilgrimage one day. Those old rare electro mechanical and pinball machines are what we had before digital games really took off in the 80's. It's so good to see that some arcades still exist. This one in Laconia is like totally rad dude.
woah, i went to funspot this august. i am very young and wasn’t alive when these games came out, but I was glued to the old games instead of the new ones downstairs, Lol.
Same
It is astonishing to me that a town of 16-17k people can support a place like this. Really special!
So this place has tons of arcade games, ticket games and pinball games, a prize corner, air hockey, an indoor mini golf course, a bowling alley, a snack bar, a climbing course, a kid's area, their own ice cream shop and there's a go-kart course across the street from the whole place? The only thing missing is a laser tag arena. Other than that, this place sounds like a gamer's paradise! I hope it's still open, because I would love to go there someday!
It has a bar too. Candlepin and big ball bowling
That really takes me back, we had an arcade called FunWay Freeway , go in during summer into the darkness and cool air, whole different world. I can even smell the place, that cherry air freshener wow I miss those days late 70s early 80s . Thanks again
Glad you enjoyed it! Arcade nostalgia is the best.
I absolutely love seeing that places like this still exist 💖 💕 ❤
oh damn. thanks for bringing back a very dusty memory. I think I was here as a 6 year old in 1987. my grandma took me here a time or three. really appreciate you sharing this, as we just laid her to rest.
Thanks for the share! feeling nostalgic and blessed to have grown up from the beginning of the arcade scene.
The sounds these rooms made full. Miss those days.
Nice walk-through and commentary, thank you!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. I love Funspot and am happy to show it off. :)
@TheBigPayback - Slot Machine Videos, fancy seeing you here. I figured that most of you slot machine channels cared more about slot machines than arcade and video games. Thanks for being one of those slot machine channels that love arcade and video games as well.
When I was a kid (1980s) I used to race slot cars there on the weekends they had a large track. Loved the place along with weirs beach ! -
I live 2 hours away now. Haven’t been there in 30 years
Watching this makes me wanna move to this town. So cool I really love the nostalgia of it all. So wonderful to see something like this still exists. Just amazing
Same here. I thought the same thing, and then I thought: 'what if I end up as a janitor or something and while away the rest of my life as an old guy in an arcade'. Not saying you'd do that, but I reckon that's what'd happen to me... Space Invaders until I die alone 🤔
No you don't lol. I live here. Laconia sucks. Fun spots great tho
The lakes region. A great place in NH.
Its beautiful but it sucks. I live there to. Everyone there is on.. 'Stuff'
Im 66 years old and used to summer vacation in Laconia starting at 7 years old it is amazing that it is still there. Another place that has been there all my life is the Tamarack. Good food! Im an Arizona resident now and miss New Hampshire.
Nice place to hang out. Reminds me of an era when arcades were in every Wal-Mart and Pizza Hut.
Don't know why this got suggested 5 years later. But I had no idea how massive that place is! Seemed much more intimate in King of Kong.
The place is a treasure! went there today for my second time with the kids.
I learned about it from you indirectly, through our mutual pal VinmasterJ. We were there today for big Francisco’s birthday.
Afterward, I sent this video of yours to my brother just to tell him about it. Only much later did I realize that it was your video that I sent.
Thanks for shining us all on to this interactive time-capsule and literal fun spot. Much love.
I use to go there every week with my brother and nephew and was a very special place for me for at least two decades.. I miss it
One day i would like to visit this place, but i believe Galloping Ghost in Chicago, IL ( actually Brookfield, IL ) is the largest collection of classic arcade/cabinets games under one Roof.
Yea, largest arcade in the world. Idk.. japan has stories of arcades. This is more like an amusement center and since theyre counting the large land outside, etc
I live near Galloping Ghost and it is the largest arcade in the world, not funspot...Also Galloping Ghost just opened a new building for just pinball, and it makes this funspot look tiny.
WOW! They have CROSSBOW, CHILLER, and CLIFF HANGER. I loved those games.
I miss arcades like everyone else here. Kinda wish the mini golf was still outside. It's also a hard sell for me if they don't have any fighting games.
Gotta have fighting games, some kind of Time Crisis and a Dance Dance Revolution type game. Feel like those 3 are mandatory
They have Mortal Kombat. They don't have any Japanese fighting games, you'll have to go to Round 1 for that.
I miss the days of going to the arcades. I do a podcast where I interview actors and musicians and I have interviewed iconic 80s movie stars and musicians. I love videos like this that bring up memories of the past. Growing up I loved seeing an Aladdin's Castle in the malls and glad I was able to go to some locations.
Galloping ghost is the biggest arcade in the world....
True that..
I must say that this one is spread out better tho..
G. Ghost is crammed to the gills, but the largest amount of cabinets..
Biggest doesn't always mean best... Like this arcade says "largest in the world" but it's got giant space-fillers like skee-ball, minigolf and lots of ticket redemption machines. Some good classic cabinets but it looks really low-budget and very dated, barely any modern games, so its real appeal is to 40-50 year olds.
Wait I’m here right now
@@charadreemurr9
Wait... That's not fair...
Name the 1st game you play..
Thanks was going to ask that lol
i used to go here as a kid every summer. we also went to the drive in down the street. it was where i saw the original jurassic park when it first released. loved this place.
Loved this. Like how it's got a very back in the day atmosphere. I want to go there
Wow very cool place. I'm jealous I live so far away. A lot of good childhood memories playing arcades. Thanks for sharing!
I have been there for 3 full days (all the way from Australia) and it's awesome !
This place is dope bro, but I stay in Chicago so I go to galloping ghost like every 3 months with my son,,,, but damn the fact it's a bowling alley there makes it great plus a bar💯🎉😎
Amazing! The best arcade place I've ever seen!
Couldn't help but notice how clean all the machines are, it's like they just polished them all
honestly i would choose old games over new games because i get some good vibes from them
This takes me back to a golden era of arcade gaming; better days. Thank you.
This place looks amazing!! Just wish that they put the arcades together by genre. Like fighting games with each other and racing games etc. Would make it easier for people to switch to other arcades without having to search to see if they have a specific game.
Wouldn't be the same though it's setup like an arcade should be
@@spider3755 that was part of the experience, hunting for "your game" and the feeling of finally finding it.
Memories in the way,they were! Lost abandonment to the flashback of the good old days.
this looks like the greatest place on earth. Wish it was in my town
So cool to see this! My parents took us there on vacation when I was a kid in the late 80's.
This is pre covid and it's so sad to see these amazing places so empty. How times have changed. I'm surprised they didn't have any street fighters and they were missing MK3 (Not Ultimate) and MK4. You showed no love for Smash TV!!
That’s because kids don’t go out anymore! Also this kind of looks like it’s early
@@obthree2830 it's because retro games are boring and only fond to retro gamers who have nostalgic memories tied to them
It was missing Killer Instinct 1 and 2. That game was obscenely loud, we would have heard it from afar
@@ProWrestlingGamer you're high if you think those games are boring. So many of those games hold up so well. I mean you kids play games like Minecraft and Fortnite which are just ridiculously stupid hahaha
@@obthree2830 , why not go yell at a cloud somewhere, Abraham Simpson?
I have memories of this place burned in my brain. The stretch along that winding road had the Water Country closer to the lake, JB Scoops ice cream, BlackBeard's Cove mini-golf, Tamarack for fast food, and then the go-kart place across the road from Funspot. God I miss being a kid.
That’s so perfect vintage games and bowling nice! Thanks for the vid
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for the video i am taking my family there for the first time soon thanks!
I was there years ago with my wife while on a road trip. The outdoor mini golf was awesome.
The thumbnail says 2021, but the video was published 2017??
I miss it so much...I was the manager of a Fun-n-games arcade in Miami when I was 18.... So many good memories
Love the video!!! Great content. Only thing is this was 4 years ago and the sign says rip 1990- 2021 🤣 howww or am I just dumb
i seen that to. like huh she planned her death?
I happened to find this video while my gf and I already had a trip planned to MA/NH months ago and it made her remember going there as a kid.
We spent 6 hours there today :D
Is this really the largest arcade in the world still? I see it has 581 games in 2016. Galloping Ghost just outside of Chicago has over 690 arcade games and it continues to grow. Just added a pinball only arcade building 2 buildings down.
It's not how many games they got, but how large area there are I would guess. Just saw a vid of Galloping Ghost, the games are packed to the maximum in there. While Funspot got the biggest area for the games and such.
I mean, if I took over an old grocerystore and packed 1 000 machines in there, doesn't make that grocerystore the world's largest arcade.
But this was recorded 2017. Seems that Galloping Ghost took over the guiness world record. So meanwhile he recorded, Funspot was the world's largest still.
Yea it is, I go there every year on a vacay to New Hampshire, it is a huge arcade but probably not the biggest game wise, there is a whole bowling alley, mini golf, and bar so size wise it is the biggest
Galloping Ghost Is disgustingly cramped. Biggest arcade? Probably but it doesn’t have the same fun feeling ambience of this place. This one is so spaced out, when you are here, it’s like you are in a magical land of games and fun excitement. And it has literally everything for everyone. Bowling alley, kiddie area, food area. It’s like entertainment Paradise. The only thing missing was Go Karts which is across the street. Aside from that, it’s a more relaxed arcade that kiddies to grannies can enjoy.
@@canadasugardaddysugardaddy1797 Yeah, having the most games doesn't mean it is the biggest in area. :)
@@canadasugardaddysugardaddy1797 he expanded recently. It's still tight, but not quite as bad. Think he is up to 894. But still doesn't have excitebike, which is disappointing. Some of the cabs have monitor issues. Championship sprint's monitor needs a cap kit in the worst way. Barley playable. Tho the monitor on Arabian looks like it just came out of the box. Lotta work 2 keep that many games up.
So many Pinball Machines and Redemption games I Ever Saw at Funspot New Hampshire
I grew up going there and I have a lot of memories from the place!
I wonder if the Afterburner and Star Wars cockpits are the same one they've always had. If so, I put TONS of tokens in those things as a kid.
I live about 45 minutes away now, but haven't been in a very long time. I need to make it back there.
FYI, the Afterburner's monitor surround is a bit off place so it might interfere with the game a bit and the text is smeared on the top of the screen.
@@Retrogamingmaverick , a little tinkering could fix those problems.
Used to go there every summer as a kid. So many memories.
12:52 how do you skip past the best arcade game of all time? TMNT was my childhood.
💯
For real....and where's the x-men love? Anyone else hold the top of the joystick between your fingers and try to fool people that it was a gumball?
I just read on their website that FunSpot opened in 1952! and the owner is still around! God Bless! I would love to see how this place evolved from 1952 to it's present day! Great video walkthru as well Ren...Thanks for sharing.
I heard sounds on this video that I haven’t heard since I was a kid.
Buck Rogers had a sit down cab? I never knew! Also MAPPY is here, plus the very expensive and huge to own in your own home Space Invaders Frenzy is here! I wish I could travel to this place. Instant like!
Argghhh! You walked straight past Double dragon, Wonderboy, Rastan and Ikari Warriors!
Wonderboy gets no love. Cuz it's too hard to complete. U have to be a super-gamer to beat Wonderboy. I am currently piecing together a Wonderboy cabinet to add to my collection. Still cant beat it tho
We've got this small Japanese Arcade here. It's pretty neat. There isn't any pachinko machines, but the games are all unique and fun.
Galloping Ghost is the biggest arcade in world to me I went to it you only need to pay $15 to enter and play all the games for free no quarters or tokens the one I see here looks like you need to put tokens not interested anymore in arcades the Xbox and PlayStation don’t suck on games anymore.
I’ve never been to galloping ghost but it looks amazing. I love that there are arcades like the ghost and Funspot still around. Someday!
I'm sure most of you on here know about Batocera is a Linux build based around gaming and arcade and TV game and other platforms. You can't take a old computer and turn it into a arcade machine that you could play on your TV or where ever you want it.
Did they have the game “Final Fight”? That’s my all-time favorite beat’em up game!!
i played every one of those machines when i was a kid... awesome times. this pace looks like so much fun.. i hope its always packed and playing 80s music loud!
How is this video uploaded 4 years ago but the "RIP" sign says the person died in 2021? That's last year
That's what I'm wondering
I went to the comments to find out the same thing 🤷♂️
If you live in Colorado you guys have Mr.Biggs. Huge Arcade with Go Karts, Laser Tag, Restaurant and bar, rock climbing, mini golf etc.
How does the thumb nails ay 2021. If this was 4 years ago?
Love the Arcades; Been to many local ones when Arcades were a happening thing. Aladdin's Castle, Fun Place, Spider, Rabbits, Abracadabra and Pipes Dream Arcade.
My first job at 15 was fixing arcade machines at the local kids fun place "Seabase" in Greensburg PA, They had alot of older games that were very simple to fix, anything digital was above me lol but after two years I still never knew which key belonged to which game..
Love fun spot just went there yesterday 😁
Gacha_Wolf XD was the simpsons arcade there?
This place used to be in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Used to vacation there a lot when I was a kid. I was SUPER PISSED to find that the Fun Spot there had shut down when I went there on honeymoon! They also had one of the best go kart courses that I remember.
Punch Out says “Body blow” not “Mighty blow”. Great game. Good job with the video.
Lmao. I was thinking the same thing.
I think I might like to have my ashes scattered here. What an amazing arcade time capsule.
It’s such an amazing place, I go to the lakes region every year with me family for vacation, and I can tell you it never changes! Always a fun place to make fun memories! (I was just there last week)
Do they have Street Fighter?
I didn't see it, and it's one of my favorite arcade games.
They did at one point. Not sure if it’s there now. Some version of SF2 seems like a requirement for any arcade.
Yeah any respectable large Arcade needs Street Fighter 2 and Pac-Man at a minimum. Maybe a Donkey Kong or the original Mario Bros also.
Looks awesome. The only things I was surprised they were missing were pool tables and a roller rink.
Fun Spot dead now. It's all about the Ghost.
But I’m there as I write this! No ghosts here. Just lots of games.
@@javatarsarcade Do they have 700 retro video arcades?
So cool seeing this on my recommended. I grew up in Laconia, and went to Funspot tons of times. Talk about a trip down memory lane.
The thumbnail is lol I thought it was a vegas strip joint
Hah! Yea the sign is great. They change what’s on there frequently so it’s always fun to check out. I can confirm that Funspot is not a strip joint. :)
Javatar Ren amazing arcade all my fav machines under 1 roof, the machines look to be in excellent condition too, its like arcade museum
I'm going to visit first weekend of June! SO EXCITED!
I was born in 1970. I was at the perfect age for the arcade era. I would probably cry if I walked in there.
So many memories.. the arcade was my life in the 80s.
Sigh.
Lol I was just here
Awesome! A friend of mine was there Saturday and there was a rare HHH/Steph McMahon sighting.
So was so nostalgic for me. I used to live just up Rte 3 about 2 miles from Funspot in the 1980s. I had a membership there that allowed extra tokens and other perks. Weirs Beach is nearby with a whole bunch of arcades also.
Cool video. Thanks for the tour. Adding this to my list of reasons NH is awesome. Spun through like 15 years ago and been telling everyone who will listen how awesome the state is.
Visit chudders. A one mile candy counter. Also in NH
3:30 BK2000 is my absolute favorite machine too, it's such a fast and thrilling table. The music, the narration, the modes, every aspect is hype built on hype.
Growing up I mainly played the shooter cabinets, I saw Time Crisis 3 and Jurassic Park but I'm surprised they didn't more like Area 51/Maximum Force, House of the Dead, more of the Time Crisis cabinets (like 6 games I think), SWAT, and probably way more I'm missing lol. Also liked those hunting games with the orange shotguns, fun times.
I lived not far from there for 20 years. I also work with his, Bob Lawtons grandson on tugboats.
certainly remember arcades at the mall up to like 16 years ago or so, and it was struggling at the time. so miss the sights and sounds of an arcade as a kid, and playing laser tag too at around the turn of the millenium
The arcade in Missoula Mt. Southgate Mall was called Aladin's Castle. I miss it. Loved the Vid man. Thanks for the trip down memory lane
Aladdin's castle was a chain "store". They had them all over the country in malls. We had one in the fox valley mall in aurora, il. There is one still remaining at the quincy, il mall. Tho, mostly redemption games now
The tv above the Neo Geo machine was showing Keith Apicary videos who is a character obsessed with old gaming systems especially the Neo Geo. Keith (Nathan Barnatt) is a well known internet personality.
I strongly recommend this place it’s fantastic and if you want to step into a time machine going back to the 80s for video games this is the place
That is a huge place; you do not see these places where I live. I'd love to visit there one day and spend all day there. Thanks for the video man!