I usually got to go to the Family Fun Center once a month, it just happened to be in the neighborhood I grew up in so it was a pretty common spot for our parents to take/send us for entertainment. I do distinctly remember being scolded for playing Jurassic Park some evening because it cost like $1.50 to play and, if you've played it, you know how notoriously evil that game was.
My allowance tended to be $20-$40 depending on chores I did around the house. I mostly played Die Hard (which I've just learned was a totally original IP in its native Japan!), the X-Men, Simpsons and Avengers games and Cruisin' USA/World.
My most specific arcade memory, though, is the night I went out with my dad at Disney World while my mom stayed home with my suddenly sick younger sister and he proceeded to slam Crown Royal and waters at the bar while shoveling cash into my hand so I could beat a long-held nemesis back home, Sega's Title Fight, which was a hell of a work out for a young kid and really did not want you to advance past the fourth or fifth fighter without putting in some more coins. I think I (he) spent about $70 that night but I eventually came out on top!
As an adult and knowing what entertainment complexes charge for alcohol, I wonder if he almost immediately regretted spending all that money on virtual boxing and Crown Royal, though. I'm sure that was half a week's paycheck for him. I should ask.
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