After all those years, Mario Kart is still king.
Camera IconAfter all those years, Mario Kart is still king. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Classic Video Games to take over 140 Perth next weekend

Greig JohnstonEastern Reporter

NOSTALGIA was a term originally coined to describe an illness – the acute homesickness felt by Swiss migrants in the 17th century.

But these days it’s big business, and nowhere more so than in the video game industry.

People love to be reminded of the warm glow they got playing the favourite titles of their youth.

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Retro Gamer magazine has been in print since 2004, letting fans of 8-bit computers and early consoles relive former glories.

Perth, meanwhile, is home to The Nostalgia Box – Australia’s first interactive video game museum.

Recognising this fondness for the games of yesteryear, 140 – at the corner of William Street and Murray Streets – is organising a weekend of arcade classics on October 28-29.

Among the games available to play will be Pac Man, Mortal Kombat III, NBA Jam, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Street Fighter and Mario Kart GP.

Angela Tripoli from Kids Just Wanna Have Fun, the company that hires out the arcade machines, said the classic titles were always a hit.

“I think they are more popular today than when we first started,” she said.

“The kids that played them back then have grown up now and when it’s their birthday, or bucks parties, we find that they are wanting to relive their childhood with their mates and just have fun.

“The Mario Kart driving game for us has been very popular.

“We had only acquired it in January this year and have found that this is the most popular driving game of all the drivers that we have.

“Even though technology is changing every day I feel the retro games will never die as you will always think about when you were younger and what you did back then.

“You just don’t see the original cabinets anywhere anymore like in the old days and people get a buzz when they see them in real life.”

The arcade will be on at 140 on Friday the 28th of October from 4pm until 10pm and Saturday the 29th of October from 10am until 2.30pm.

There will be retro beats from DJ Aslan, food and drinks, with free face painting on Saturday.