ARCADE

a film by Kurt Vincent and Irene Chin
Pictures from our movie making adventure.

Pictures from our movie making adventure.

This is a still frame from footage we shot on March 14, 2012.  Owen Strock and I were shooting b-roll for the movie around Chinatown Fair when we noticed the security gate at 8 Mott Street raised.  Earlier in the week, Sam, the previous owner of Chinatown Fair, told me someone was re-opening the arcade.  But you hear a lot of things.  I wasn’t sure how likely it was happening.  Now we know.  A group of men were moving some of the old games back inside.  One of the men introduced himself as Lonnie.  He told me they were hired to move in the games and empty the trash that remained inside.  I spoke with Henry Cen, co-owner of Next Level and integral part of the old Chinatown Fair, and he told me a guy named Lonnie was reopening the arcade at 8 Mott Street.  I am guessing the Lonnie I met is the Lonnie reopening the arcade.  It’s interesting to note that if this is the same Lonnie, it isn’t the first time he has been involved with a beloved NYC institution.  Lonnie told me he used to bartend at his uncle’s place, Max’s Kansas City. I love how the story of Chinatown Fair keeps going.  I suspect it will never truly end.   -Kurt www.facebook.com/arcademovie

This is a still frame from footage we shot on March 14, 2012.  Owen Strock and I were shooting b-roll for the movie around Chinatown Fair when we noticed the security gate at 8 Mott Street raised.  Earlier in the week, Sam, the previous owner of Chinatown Fair, told me someone was re-opening the arcade.  But you hear a lot of things.  I wasn’t sure how likely it was happening.  Now we know.  A group of men were moving some of the old games back inside.  One of the men introduced himself as Lonnie.  He told me they were hired to move in the games and empty the trash that remained inside.  I spoke with Henry Cen, co-owner of Next Level and integral part of the old Chinatown Fair, and he told me a guy named Lonnie was reopening the arcade at 8 Mott Street.  I am guessing the Lonnie I met is the Lonnie reopening the arcade.  It’s interesting to note that if this is the same Lonnie, it isn’t the first time he has been involved with a beloved NYC institution.  Lonnie told me he used to bartend at his uncle’s place, Max’s Kansas City.

I love how the story of Chinatown Fair keeps going.  I suspect it will never truly end.  

-Kurt

www.facebook.com/arcademovie

Last Friday I was a part of a panel discussion about arcades at NY Comic Con.  It was an amazing time.  Somehow, at 11 am on a Friday, we filled the room with people eager to hear a talk about arcades.  Leaves me feeling hopeful that the movie will receive a lot of attention when it is finished!  The panel was moderated by Tal Blevins who has been at IGN since the early days, 13 years and counting!  He was the perfect host.  Seth Killian was there providing an incredibly unique perspective (As far as I can tell he has one of the coolest jobs in the world).  Jamin Warren was beyond articulate, as always.  And let me state this here: In 20 years, Kill Screen will be the Rolling Stone of video games.   The Harlem Hero, Norman Burgess, was there waxing poetic about Chinatown Fair. And the star of the panel, Henry Cen, “Golden Cen” aka 50 Cen, was wonderfully cynical and cracking up the audience with his musings.    

Thank you all for coming and saying hi.  I met some new friends and look forward to continuing this discussion! 

-Kurt

My first visit to Next Level was originally for work rather than play. I went to help document a 3rd Strike tournament, but ended up being completely entranced by its siren-song of gaming. The venue itself lies just off the D train, tucked away amongst residential houses and small shops. The neighborhood is pleasantly quiet, although compared to Chinatown, pretty much everything seems quiet. I enjoyed a shoulder-check-free walk through the neighborhood and upon entering Next Level I was immediately greeted with sweet, glorious, air-conditioning.  For those unfamiliar, Chinatown Fair did not have air-conditioning, and believe you me, that place got hot in the summer. I was greeted by a helpful staff member (he said his name was Kuma, sick) who explained how the arcade worked, which was great, because I’ve never been to an arcade that worked like Next Level (which is not at all a bad thing). I worked my way through the Arcade Edition machines and sat down next to a guy playing Marvel vs. Capcom 3. I pulled out my trusty Hori stick, and instantly remembered why I love arcades so much: I felt that nervousness that you don’t get playing online, or with your friends.  That pit in your stomach, your heart-rate eclipsing that of a mid-jump skydiver who also happened to be on fire and taped to a bear, feeling the need to beseech the Marvel gods so they might be kind in your upcoming match. The match starts, and I immediately went into autopilot. I started strong, hit my combos, got my DHC’s, and ended up winning pretty decisively. And then, I was totally fine. No more nerves, just Marvel. I ended up putting a 30-winstreak on that station, and had other people challenging me left and right. I played some other games, played some money matches, and before I knew it, just like CF, it was 5 hours later and dark outside. As I left, I was greeted by a familiar sight: people hanging out outside, smoking cigarettes, laughing, and talking about games, just like CF. And walking away, I felt that sting of community, and couldn’t wait to go back, just like CF. -Reed

My first visit to Next Level was originally for work rather than play. I went to help document a 3rd Strike tournament, but ended up being completely entranced by its siren-song of gaming. The venue itself lies just off the D train, tucked away amongst residential houses and small shops. The neighborhood is pleasantly quiet, although compared to Chinatown, pretty much everything seems quiet. I enjoyed a shoulder-check-free walk through the neighborhood and upon entering Next Level I was immediately greeted with sweet, glorious, air-conditioning.  For those unfamiliar, Chinatown Fair did not have air-conditioning, and believe you me, that place got hot in the summer.

I was greeted by a helpful staff member (he said his name was Kuma, sick) who explained how the arcade worked, which was great, because I’ve never been to an arcade that worked like Next Level (which is not at all a bad thing). I worked my way through the Arcade Edition machines and sat down next to a guy playing Marvel vs. Capcom 3. I pulled out my trusty Hori stick, and instantly remembered why I love arcades so much: I felt that nervousness that you don’t get playing online, or with your friends.  That pit in your stomach, your heart-rate eclipsing that of a mid-jump skydiver who also happened to be on fire and taped to a bear, feeling the need to beseech the Marvel gods so they might be kind in your upcoming match. The match starts, and I immediately went into autopilot. I started strong, hit my combos, got my DHC’s, and ended up winning pretty decisively. And then, I was totally fine. No more nerves, just Marvel. I ended up putting a 30-winstreak on that station, and had other people challenging me left and right. I played some other games, played some money matches, and before I knew it, just like CF, it was 5 hours later and dark outside. As I left, I was greeted by a familiar sight: people hanging out outside, smoking cigarettes, laughing, and talking about games, just like CF. And walking away, I felt that sting of community, and couldn’t wait to go back, just like CF.

-Reed

Homage has the Chinatown Fair shirt for Kickstarter backers on their page! I have known Ryan and Shawn (the dudes at Homage) since grade school.  Well, I first met Ryan in the 7th grade at a bat mitzah, but Shawn and I go even further back.  The three of us rolled in the Main Lanes Under 15 bowling league back in the day.  We were the Gutter Punks.   So grab the shirt by supporting the movie at Kickstarter.  Every donation at and above $30 gets you the shirt!  

Homage has the Chinatown Fair shirt for Kickstarter backers on their page! I have known Ryan and Shawn (the dudes at Homage) since grade school.  Well, I first met Ryan in the 7th grade at a bat mitzah, but Shawn and I go even further back.  The three of us rolled in the Main Lanes Under 15 bowling league back in the day.  We were the Gutter Punks.  

So grab the shirt by supporting the movie at Kickstarter.  Every donation at and above $30 gets you the shirt!