By Faten Omar

Recently, a videogame arcade opened in the basement of Symphony Mall in Salmiya. Going to this place brought back memories from my childhood. Every game I played resulted in happy moments that I could not resist. It was like a time machine that took me back to my childhood to enjoy the fun moments I had when I was a happy child.

When I was a kid, arcades were a magical place to go to. I remember the first arcade I went to when I was nine. I entered the place by mistake, but the owner let me play for free. My love for gaming started in the arcades. The joystick was my weapon to fight the villains. Bad people should die to save the day and free the princess! What about being a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle? I was Raphael by the way - I loved the color red. Raphael wields a pair of sai, fights bad guys, eats pizza all the time and helps his brothers, who refuse to be such a character. I think April O'Neil was the reason I became a journalist.

To be honest, pinball machines frustrated me. I have never been able to get them right, and they still make me giddy. The flashbacks were very powerful from just being able to play Street Fighter again. I think we all had a crush on one of the game's main characters.

Many arcade games got converted to home formats, but you could never relive the experience you got playing in an arcade. The graphics, sound and overall experience could not be topped. The tragic replacement of arcades since the '90s was a shame. Home games will never replicate the feeling and experience you get playing in arcades with your friends.

So it felt great when I entered an arcade again, seeing the machines lined up, hearing the sounds and the engines revving. People were trying to win the NBA Jam Tournament and to get the highest score in Pac-Man while eating all the dots, as well as playing Crash Team Racing and Tekken. The place is a haven for old-style gamers.