Let’s face it, date nights out with a romantic partner can sometimes get a bit…monotonous. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good movie and meal at our favorite Italian restaurant, but sometimes the same date routine can get a bit dull over time. That’s why my partner and I occasionally decide to ditch the ol’ dinner-and-a-movie for something a bit more exciting. That’s how we found ourselves bathed in the neon glow of arcade cabinets instead of a candlelit dinner, and our hands controlling joysticks instead of breadsticks. The nostalgic smell of metallic coins and the sounds of Pac-Man’s iconic “waka-waka” and it was almost like we were kids again, except with the chink of beer glasses in the background. That’s the magic of a barcade…part bar, part arcade, pure fun. A place where childhood memories meet alcoholic beverages, and where adult relationships can benefit from the joy of playing and being silly together.
Before barcades became a retro nostalgia filled hangout spot for the GenX and millennial generations, arcades were the iconic products of the 80’s and 90’s. They were the place where quarters vanished into machines and kids of all ages honed their reflexes and skills on games like Donkey Kong, Street Fighter, and Frogger (my personal favorite). However, as the gaming industry grew and home consoles became more affordable and convenient, arcades began to fade into obscurity, replaced by a more solitary gaming experience.
Until that is, the unexpected happened and retro gaming started to make a bit of a comeback. According to a 2024 article in The Guardian, younger generations, despite growing up with hyper-realistic modern games, have embraced these pixelated classics and flocked to the simplicity and stability of old-school gaming. In fact, on TikTok, there are well over 1.1 million videos using #retrogaming and variations of the hashtag. Barcades capitalized on this nostalgic resurgence and blended retro gaming with nightlife. Even through significant economic challenges (such as how they had to fight to remain in business during the COVID-19 pandemic as highlighted in this SF Examiner article), barcades like the one my partner and I visited (1-UP in Denver, Colorado) have endured which shows how timeless and needed this type of social gaming setting is.
The role of fun and play in relationships and human connection has long been studied by psychologists and the research is pretty clear that play has an important role in any relationship. One study published in the Social and Personality Compass suggests that play can build and strengthen social bonds by increasing positive emotions and reducing overall stress. So, the laughter, competition, and teamwork involved in social gaming all contribute to overall relationship health. An article from Utah State University emphasizes that play can also help partners to stay engaged and connected with each other and in fact can tell you a lot about how a person will react to certain life events or challenges. Barcades can help to facilitate this in an easy way with low consequences by turning a date into a shared adventure. Whether you and your partner are overcoming a difficult level in the arcade game, House of the Dead, or a real-life challenge like moving in together, the way you communicate and support each other in the game can reflect how you will tackle real-like obstacles together.
“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” -Plato
For my partner and I, our date night at 1-Up in Denver, Colorado started with a little competition in the form of Skee-Ball because nothing says love like a bit of competitive flirting! After a “best two out of three” riveting rounds of rolling balls into targets (Skee-Ball champ at your service!) we moved on to the huge selection of pinball machines. These games had a deal where if you buy two games at once, you get a third for free, so we played one game each and whoever had the higher score got to play the third round. Then came a few cooperative games like Mario Bros., and House of the Dead which had us shooting wildly (accidentally killing almost all the researchers along the way) and high-fiving as the first boss died and protected our character’s fiancé, Sophie. To end the evening, we played a round of Pac-Man Battle Royale which has turned a simple retro game into a hilarious head-to-head battle where the ghosts were the least of worries as we instead tried to eat each other and gobble up the other’s pellets.
Why do barcades make for a fantastic date spot? Barcades bring something different, something unique, to a date night that a traditional dinner-and-a-movie or fancy restaurant can’t beat.
- Low-Pressure Fun – gaming at a barcade provides built-in entertainment and a flexible experience.
- The Nostalgia Factor – even if you didn’t grow up playing in an arcade, the retro and silly charm of these games make them approachable and fun.
- Balance of Cooperation and Competition – some games will bring you together as a team, while others will result in a friendly rivalry, both of which are great for chemistry
- Permission to Be Silly – when was the last time you let loose and allowed yourself to just play and be goofy? This is a great opportunity to embrace a bit of silliness and not take yourself too seriously.
By the end of the night, the laughter, the silliness, the teamwork, and the flirty competition all reminded me just how important it is to let out your inner child every now and then and keep having fun together. If you’re looking for a date night that’s more than small talk over dinner, consider looking to see if there are any barcades in your area. Sometimes the best way to connect is over a few drinks, arcades games, and an endless number of laughs!