The fall of the Metreon itself, a shining example of the results of Sony's corporate mentality at the turn of the century, is better understood from this article:Į. The arcade was relaunched again as a Tilt." Sunday was Portal One arcade's last day of operation.
#Hyperbowl be home by myself full#
"The Airtight Garage's games proved unpopular, with the exception of HyperBowl, a 3D obstacle course bowling game featuring air-supported bowling balls used as trackballs, and they eventually were gradually replaced by other, better-known games, until the arcade was finally closed, then reopened as "Portal One," which preserved the decor, full bar, and Hyperbowl but was otherwise a more typical arcade. One floor was an arcade full of original games called Airtight Garage, based on the graphic novel by French comic artist and graphic designer Jean "Moebius" Giraud. It was to be Sony's public hub for everything from Playstation to Anime. Located in downtown San Francisco, the 85 million dollar project was to enforce Sony's hip image by offering gaming, food, exhibitions, shopping, music, and movies, as well as to showcase new technology. More than likely, we just forgot and let the dream die a slow, silent whimper.Įnter the Metreon, a 350,000 square foot 'urban entertainment destination' built in 1999 by Sony. More than likely, consoles overtook our attention once the graphics on home systems deflated the wonder out of the darkened, noisy, expensive dreamlands. Maybe we did the math and realized what little profit is seen from such an industry. Maybe we got wind of the actual costs of running a business. Like many of you, I grew older and the reality of that grand arcade dream just faded away. I would also keep a refrigerator stocked with those little plastic barrel 'Hugs' drinks because I only got one or two at a time and I was always thirstier than that.
I would succeed where others failed because I would take my sense of what kids want and bring it into the adult world where no-one understood what kids really want, and therefore what would be profitable. By golly, once I got a real job, made some decent money, and convinced a bank that I was going to make a fortune off of this, I would build the ultimate arcade, have my dream job, unlimited play time, and live like I always wanted. I had visions as to what an arcade should be, how it would look, what it would contain, and how it should be run. My occasional exploits in various mall and theater arcades ballooned my tweeny-bopper imagination into what I could, would do as an adult flush with money, time, and ambition.
Like many fellow gamers, as a child I once had a dream.
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