A Little Piece of Heaven…

I remember the first time I went to Walt Disney World. I was five years old, but I can recall many moments. From Mr. Toad's Wild Ride to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, to Spaceship Earth to The Living Sea, it all kicked major ass. Of course, you realize in a couple of years it's pretty damn expensive for all that fun, but it's still worth it. Well, I'm now nineteen, and Disney World doesn't have that appeal to me. Thing is, Steven Spielberg has created the video game equivalent of Disney World, called Gameworks. I was fortunate enough to live 10 minutes away from their newest location in South Florida. As soon as I got there, I felt like I was 5 again…
Let me start with a quick overview of Gameworks. Calling it a mere "arcade" would be erroneous. As they say, it is "the premier entertainment destination where people of all ages can eat, drink and gather together for a unique social experience around games." Spielberg thought he could build a place where people would not only play games, but have a great time socially as if they were in a night club. Aside from the normal fare of arcade hits, Gameworks has created some games of their own that are of near-Biblical proportions. If you get tired, you can grab a drink at the bar (21 or over for alcohol of course) and chill by the pool tables. Hunger can be eliminated at their game-theme restaurant. Now, let me probe deeper into the heart of this grand place…

When you first enter, the staff there will great you and tell you how the whole thing works. You are issued a car in which you are given credits. Each dollar you pay gives you five credits of play good to playing the games. There are several types of games you'll find at Gameworks. There are, of course, your standard popular arcade games scattered throughout the place. This includes your Tekkens , Street Fighters, and whatever people are into at the moment. In large clusters, you'll find six or seven machines for each simulation game they have for those who enjoy racing or blowing away companions. If you want to race your friends in style, then there's one huge Sega Rally game with eight machines which look like formula one racers and have huge screens. The announcer there gives the play by play as you try to make your way to first place by passing, ramming and cutting off other players. Another cool game at Gameworks is Vertical Reality. In this game, you play as a police officer who scales an office building to fight of terrorists. Thing is, you're strapped to a chair that actually moves up a floor every time you go up a level. If you die, you're take a plunge at whatever floor you're on, which can be up to 50 feet! The only flaw I see with this game is that you use a joystick to shoot and not a light gun, but hey, the place is only in the early stages. One game I really enjoyed playing was the Virtual Arena. In this, you play a popular fighting game from a different perspective. Instead of using a joystick and buttons to control the action, you use your hands and feet to throw the punches and kicks. I'd played Tekken 3 in this arena, and although I probably looked like an idiot, I had a lot of fun doing all the moves and combos with my body. Finally, there's the Jurassic Park ride. It's actually a big pod that people get into and the screen and machine work together to make it seem your in Jurassic Park, kind of like Back to the Future in Universal Studios. It's pretty much the same thing as most other rides of this form, but they're always good for a couple of runs.
If you start to get tired of playing games, then there are other things to do there as well. The Gameworks Grille offers your standard variety of theme restaurant foods, like hamburgers, salads, pastas, pizzas, deserts, what have you. At the Gameworks web site (www.gameworks.com), you can input your meal and game of choice into a calorie converter to see how much you have to play that game in order to burn off your meal. For example, if I have a burger and fries, then I'd have to play 14 hours and 37 minutes of House of the Dead 2 to burn it off. I like that game, but not THAT much. Scattered around Gameworks, there are bars that serve all kinds of drinks. Since this place is meant to be more of a playground for adults, they have all kinds of alcoholic beverages available. So if you're 21 or above, you have the chance of trying your luck at playing games, how should I put this, while you're "not at your best." Feel like shooting a little pool? Gameworks has a spot with several billiard tables where you could satisfy your pool needs. If you're really tired, you can find a lounge with comfy chairs for you to just chill for a while.

I really only have two gripes about this place. One is the cost of playing there. Sure it takes a lot of money to set up the nice environment, but it still pisses me off that I have to pay something around $2.50 cents for a game that normally costs $1.00. But the big offender in my book is the age limit. Since this place is meant to be for adults, there are certain age restrictions for entering the place. For certain hours, only people 18 and over can enter without the accompaniment of an adult. After a certain time, only people 21 and older are let into Gameworks. I think that's a load of crap. I like it that they're expanding the game market to include more adults, but this is insane! There are a lot of kids that play video games, and restricting them like this is a pain in the ass. The very thought of being carded to get into a game parlor wigs me out. Hopefully, this will be changed in the future.

Although I've mentioned a lot of stuff about Gameworks, you may not find all of it when you go to one. There may be more, less or different items in the Gameworks near you, so don't take this commentary as a definitive guide to the place. I've heard of other features such as a coffee bar with computers that have internet access attached to the tables. There are currently locations in Grapevine, Detroit, Tempe, Orange County, Ontario, Las Vegas, Miami (that's me!) and the main one in Seattle. If you're lucky enough to have one near you, I'd definitely check it out. Making it your main arcade may be a pain, seeing as how it's pretty expensive to play there (there are specials where you can get unlimited credits for a couple of hours. Great for group play). Despite the financial issue, anybody who's serious about gaming should visit at least once. For anyone who's causal about gaming, a non gamer or new to the scene will still have a lot of fun going. Spielberg delivers yet again.