Imagine opening a door and walking into a space, a space that spans 7500+ square feet and contains 885+ arcade games… now imagine spending a day in this same space, playing these arcade games as many times as you want.
That is exactly what you get when you visit Galloping Ghost Arcade, located in Brookfield, Illinois, about 15 miles from downtown Chicago. Featuring arcade classics such as Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Galaga, Galaxian, Zaxxon (year, remember Zaxxon?), X-Men, Street Fighter, X-Men vs Street Fighter, Defender, Karate Champ, Mario Bros., Tecmo Bowl, they even have the Three Stooges!
Now I could list all 885+ arcade games here (and I did think about doing it), but instead I’ll include a link to the Galloping Ghost Arcade’s website and the page that lists all their games. You can thank me later! [Click here.]
The place is a series of connected rooms that are filled with rows and rows of arcade games. Just when you think you’ve reached the end, NOPE, you come across another room. And no quarters are needed either! You pay $25 to play for the day, but weekly, monthly, yearly, and lifetime memberships are also available.
Owner Doc Mack opened the doors on August 13, 2010. In 2020, Mack received a Community Action Award from the International Video Game Hall of Fame.
You also never know who you may come across when visiting the Galloping Ghost Arcade. In a recent interview with Jonathan Goodman, a Features Reporter from St. Xavier University Student Media, Doc Mack said the following:
“We’ve had legends of the industry come in. Jeff Lee, the creator of Q*bert. Ed Boon and Jon Tobias who made ‘Mortal Kombat’. Even Toru Iwatani, the creator of ‘Pac-Man’. He stopped here when he was over from Japan.”
To learn more about Doc Mack and the Galloping Ghost arcade (including what “The Vault” is), I recommend reading the rest of Goodman’s A Conversation with Doc Mack of Galloping Ghost Arcade.
Having been to this arcade three times myself, I can tell you that time FLIES BY when you’re in this “secret” treasure cove. Whether you live in the area or are taking a road trip thru, if you like playing video games then you MUST stop by 9415 Ogden Ave in Brookfield, Illinois. You will have fun, you will be shocked by the number of games, and you will want to come again.
[Featured Image taken by Erick Sosa]