Reliving the '80s gaming culture at Chattanooga Billiard Club East
DeLoreans, Miami Vice, and video arcades. I blame two seasons of Stranger Things for my overwhelming desire to seek out reminders of the ‘80s for better or worse. When I heard about Chattanooga Billiard Club’s newish game room at their Jordan Drive location, I suited up and headed out with Michael Jackson’s Thriller stuck in my head for some reason.
I weaved among rows of pool tables going through double doors leading to the Tropicana room finding myself in the open air foyer with a few game cabinets posted up like sentries before a sacred temple. Anticipation welled as games like Galaga, Pac-man, and Aliens gleamed underneath radiating orange of space heaters mounted on the ceiling, then on towards another set of doors.
Gamer Shangri-La exists on the other side with walls lined with arcade glory, shooters, fighters, and racers all danced in pixelated silence. The air was abuzz with electric possibilities as I became bludgeoned silly with the sweet stick of nostalgia. Super Mario 3 in a game cabinet? Classic Contra? What decade am I living in?
Love and attention to detail is evident upon stepping into this classy beercade from the custom stamped tokens to the vinyl print tables and promiscuous neon shimmer reflecting off glossy floors. The tokens are stamped with a frothy mug toting Pac-man beckoning you to drop in, drop coin, and drink up. Oh how could I refuse?
A flat screen with geek icon Max Headroom lurks around in the back spasmodically twitching as he did over 30 years ago. You may need to ask your parents who Max Headroom was or give it a Google to bone up on your ‘80s trivia if you fancy. The walls are elegantly covered in ‘80s pop goodness with custom artwork by Suze the artist and wife of I’m Game’s owner Jeremy Reese.
Jeremy is the technical master behind putting together the iconic imagery and custom flare for I’m Game making it a memorable place to hang out.
Phil Windham owner of CBC and co-owner of I’m Game played with the concept after checking out Pints and Pixels in Huntsville Alabama. Phil is a business savvy gentleman who has a mighty fine tale to tell attributing his lifelong love of billiards to his misspent youth growing up in pool halls.
To Phil, hosting a beercade in his beloved Billiard Club was a thoughtful prospect that had all the feel of being offered high stakes over a pool match. Something which he admits never backing away from. His hope is that I’m Game will have a sister beercade open on the third floor of CBC downtown with all the same style and flare of the Jordan Drive location.
I’m Game is also home to a fierce Foosball community. Players with nicknames like Ninja, jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none, have found a home here every week to practice for and play in Foosball tournaments every Saturday. Although I never took to the sport there exists a hardcore following as with all things gaming and the folks who enjoy knocking rods over some drinks have discovered an amazing space to do it in.
Beercades, game bars, arcade bars or whatever we will start calling them are not new concepts but are things growing in prominence across the country as aging ‘80s babies long for the taste of adult beverages mixed with their fond memories childhood. Roller rinks and arcades where the places to be before home consoles and mobile gaming believe it or not.
Back then the days of huddling over game cabinets trying to beat someone’s high score wasn’t just fodder for amazing Netflix it was a way of life. So if you have that itch for some nostalgic fun I’m Game just may be your new home away from home, especially if that triple A game is not living up to the hype or its $80 price tag.
I’m Game BeerCaid also offers party reservations from birthdays to office events for a flat rate for food and tokens or whatever the heart desires. But for any night between 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. the relaxed vibe and ’80s decorum will take you back to the glory days of arcades for a chill date with the significant-O or a competitive throw-down with your best buds for bragging rights and rounds of beer.
With plenty of elbow room and game mounted cup holders this is THE arcade by arcade lovers for arcade lovers and is definitely worth checking out. You just have to ask yourself one question: are you game?
When not vaporizing zombies or leading space marines as a mousepad Mattis, Brandon Watson is making gourmet pancakes and promoting local artists.