Boston Logan Airport Installs Free Classic Arcade Cabinets
Boston Logan Airport has installed 20 free-to-play classic arcade cabinets across three terminals, allowing travellers to enjoy legendary 1980s titles like Donkey Kong, Galaga, and Centipede.
Travellers passing through Boston's Logan International Airport can now enjoy a slice of arcade history, courtesy of 20 free-to-play classic cabinets. According to a report by Boston.com, the machines have been installed across Terminals A, B, and C, allowing anyone to play titles like Centipede, Frogger, and Donkey Kong without needing a single coin. The initiative is provided by Hometown Arcade, a company specialising in restoring and maintaining these vintage games.
📊 The Golden Age of Arcades, By The NumbersThe early 1980s arcade boom was a massive cultural and economic phenomenon. In 1982 alone, the U.S. arcade video game industry generated an estimated $8 billion in revenue. That same year, the best-selling arcade cabinet, Pac-Man, had over 400,000 units sold worldwide.
This installation offers a direct link to the golden age of arcades, a period roughly spanning from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s. The selection is a veritable who's who of that era. Galaga, released by Namco in 1981, refined the fixed shooter formula set by its predecessor, Galaxian. Donkey Kong, Nintendo's 1981 breakout hit, not only introduced Mario but also helped establish the platformer genre. Meanwhile, Frogger (1981) and Centipede (1980) became cultural touchstones, their simple yet punishing gameplay defining the quarter-munching appeal of the arcade.
For the retro gaming community, the significance lies in accessibility and preservation. Finding well-maintained, original cabinets of these calibre in public spaces-let alone set to free play-has become increasingly rare. It transforms a mundane airport wait into an impromptu history lesson, letting a new generation experience these games as they were originally intended: on a dedicated cabinet with proper controls. The inclusion of Burgertime (1982), with its unique multi-platform strategy, is a particularly nice deep-cut for enthusiasts.
While modern gaming is often a solitary or online experience, this airport arcade recalls a different social dynamic. These cabinets were designed for public spaces, fostering moments of shared frustration and triumph among strangers. The next time you're rushing through Logan, you might just spot someone trying to beat that elusive first screen of Donkey Kong or navigating Frogger across a pixelated highway, proving that great game design from 1981 can still command a crowd in 2024.
