As you step in through the door, you are greeted by dim lights, lit by LEDs that turn from a nice blue-green to a pinkish-blue and rotate in that order. The air feels charged with static and excitement and the smell of the room is that of sweaty teenagers and maybe a little burnt wires here and there. The machines buzz and flicker with lights that advertise the last game played on those large gaming boxes. Fighters, race cars and action shots of gunfights. The music in here is mostly provided by the machines as well, with the loudest being the music and dance booths at the back, mostly either cheery and upbeat J-Pop or Eurobeat or something along the lines of a synthwave Saturday morning cartoon vibe. The biggest area in the room is obvious. The towering conical pyramid (or Christmas tree shape) of prizes that rotate on a wheel. The prizes vary, from the very bottom being simple things like seasonal sweets and candies to the top prize, the coveted title of "Game Master", which is a mini-hologram of you at the very top in a pose of your choice. Once you step in far enough, a holographic assistant appears in the area marked "V.A.L.". If it's your first time here, it starts up with this:
This VAL has a few tips on how to operate Aaron's Arcade and a little bit of history on it. Select the options below to read them:
Spoiler: ABOUT & FAQShow
About Aaron's Arcade
A personal message from the creator: "Hey! This is Aaron Tanaka here. I figured audio would be good enough so I can save a little space on this. Welcome to my arcade! I based this off a very popular hangout spot I used to go with my friends back in Tokyo, back when I used to visit my grandparents. For those of you who wanna hang out and chill with friends while playing various games in here, you're more than welcome to use this place. Val here will set you up if you need anything. Go ahead and ask her. See you around! Oh and...don't you dare break my high-score on Initial-D. I will take that personally.
FAQ
1. How do I use the arcade?
You first need to choose a game you'd like to play at the main game and prize exchange counter. Val will dispense a token after you've chosen which sort of game you'd like to play. Once that's done, you can head over to a machine to put the token in. Don't worry if it's not displaying the game you're playing at first. Once you put the token in, the machine should switch to the game you've chosen. Of course, you'll need to put the token in the right type of gaming machine. If you picked Street-Fighter, you can't put it in a racing game machine. That's just...illogical. Also, for select games like the racing, shooting, river-rapids, rail shooter and certain dance and music games, there is an optional AR mode. You'll still be visible to your friends in the arcade, but a AR bubble will be formed around you so you can play the game as if...well...just imagine yourself playing Outrun but actually being in the car and feeling the wind in your hair...and the dust and dirt...and the noise. You know, all that jazz. The rest of it should be self-explained but just in case, you can always ask Val ((post a question below)) and she will gladly answer it.
2. How about the old school/carnival area?
Those are a little more for customisation. Say you want a good old basket ball toss game or a punching game or a carnival strength tester, you know, the one where you take a giant hammer and slam it on a button to see how strong you are? Just walk into the area and ask for it. It should pop up. Oh, earth games only for now, but if you have a good one, let me know. I'll try to program it for you.
3. How does the crane game work? How do we get the prizes?
So the crane game, in keeping with tradition, is insanely hard to get prizes out of. Some say it's rigged, but I can assure you, as its programmer, I didn't rig it. It's just programmed to be real wonky. Like, having to only audio command a tribble to move wonky. So try your best, but don't take it out on the machine. Remember, you're here to have fun. If you aren't, go find something else to play. You aren't losing money anyway. As for the prizes, once you get them they should register a replimat request. You can always go replicate that stuff toy or candy bar you've won and enjoy it. Recycle it if you want as well!
4. What is the point of this arcade?
My thanks to my vulcan officers for this question. The whole point is to have fun in a communal setting. These places were prominent in the early 20th and 21st century in multiple places on earth. Crowds of teens used to gather there and play the games and hang out with each other talking and laughing. It was always a lively place. In the 2200s, a project was started to restore these places in certain areas like Tokyo and I had the rare pleasure of being in one. Though sadly, the place had to close down as, due to the rise of holo-technology. the place became rarely used. So, I guess you can call this life's little irony, as here I am using a holodeck to save a place I loved. I had a lot of memories here. Very special ones.
5. Can I get a date with Val?
Really? *Sigh* Fine. Yes. But don't alter her. She's been a staple in all my programs. I'd hate to see her mistreated. If you want the full program and not just a help-desk clerk, ask for Valerie.
A personal message from the creator: "Hey! This is Aaron Tanaka here. I figured audio would be good enough so I can save a little space on this. Welcome to my arcade! I based this off a very popular hangout spot I used to go with my friends back in Tokyo, back when I used to visit my grandparents. For those of you who wanna hang out and chill with friends while playing various games in here, you're more than welcome to use this place. Val here will set you up if you need anything. Go ahead and ask her. See you around! Oh and...don't you dare break my high-score on Initial-D. I will take that personally.
FAQ
1. How do I use the arcade?
You first need to choose a game you'd like to play at the main game and prize exchange counter. Val will dispense a token after you've chosen which sort of game you'd like to play. Once that's done, you can head over to a machine to put the token in. Don't worry if it's not displaying the game you're playing at first. Once you put the token in, the machine should switch to the game you've chosen. Of course, you'll need to put the token in the right type of gaming machine. If you picked Street-Fighter, you can't put it in a racing game machine. That's just...illogical. Also, for select games like the racing, shooting, river-rapids, rail shooter and certain dance and music games, there is an optional AR mode. You'll still be visible to your friends in the arcade, but a AR bubble will be formed around you so you can play the game as if...well...just imagine yourself playing Outrun but actually being in the car and feeling the wind in your hair...and the dust and dirt...and the noise. You know, all that jazz. The rest of it should be self-explained but just in case, you can always ask Val ((post a question below)) and she will gladly answer it.
2. How about the old school/carnival area?
Those are a little more for customisation. Say you want a good old basket ball toss game or a punching game or a carnival strength tester, you know, the one where you take a giant hammer and slam it on a button to see how strong you are? Just walk into the area and ask for it. It should pop up. Oh, earth games only for now, but if you have a good one, let me know. I'll try to program it for you.
3. How does the crane game work? How do we get the prizes?
So the crane game, in keeping with tradition, is insanely hard to get prizes out of. Some say it's rigged, but I can assure you, as its programmer, I didn't rig it. It's just programmed to be real wonky. Like, having to only audio command a tribble to move wonky. So try your best, but don't take it out on the machine. Remember, you're here to have fun. If you aren't, go find something else to play. You aren't losing money anyway. As for the prizes, once you get them they should register a replimat request. You can always go replicate that stuff toy or candy bar you've won and enjoy it. Recycle it if you want as well!
4. What is the point of this arcade?
My thanks to my vulcan officers for this question. The whole point is to have fun in a communal setting. These places were prominent in the early 20th and 21st century in multiple places on earth. Crowds of teens used to gather there and play the games and hang out with each other talking and laughing. It was always a lively place. In the 2200s, a project was started to restore these places in certain areas like Tokyo and I had the rare pleasure of being in one. Though sadly, the place had to close down as, due to the rise of holo-technology. the place became rarely used. So, I guess you can call this life's little irony, as here I am using a holodeck to save a place I loved. I had a lot of memories here. Very special ones.
5. Can I get a date with Val?
Really? *Sigh* Fine. Yes. But don't alter her. She's been a staple in all my programs. I'd hate to see her mistreated. If you want the full program and not just a help-desk clerk, ask for Valerie.
OOC: Hey this is Aaron on my first holo-program setting! I welcome all feedbacks and crits so please let me know! More importantly this is a setting for RP so that you can put yourself and others in a space that is fun and better than just Risa beaches. Not that there's anything wrong with that! Enjoy the arcade! ;)