These days, what can a shilling get you aside from a few candies?
Well, it can also buy you a round of games at Retro Zone Arcade.
It appears that the game shop era may be making a comeback and we spoke to the owner and designer of the gaming machines today. Jomarie Lanza has this story.
Before the Playstations, XBoxes and Nintendo switches took over the TV in your house, there were arcade zones, or as we call them "Game shops" a meet up point for all the kids after school and during summer, but thanks to one man who gave into his nostalgia for the "good old days" he's turned those memories into a business venture of bringing the old game shops back to life.
Joel Westby, Owner of Retro Zone Arcade
"Growing up in the 90s and early 2000 I used to always be at Munchies or Lion King, my mom used to come for me at game shop back then it used to be really nice so I said what are these kids are doing today let me give them an opportunity so they have something to do because nowadays kids don't really have anything to do but being idle on the street but now we have a game shop and you see them in here everyday during lunch, after school the place is always packed."
Joel Westby, the owner of Retro Zone Arcade located on Central American Boulevard spent the last month constructing and programming these 4 arcade machines. He says after building the first one he saw the potential for opening a game shop.
Joel Westby, Owner of Retro Zone Arcade
"Well I was watching a YouTube video about how you build arcade cabinets and I decided to build one. Me and my dad we built the first one and then after that I said let me open a little game shop and I built all 4 of them after that."
Jo-
"So you did the programming and everything?"
Joel Westby, Owner of Retro Zone Arcade
"Yeah everything I did I built the whole cabinet put on all the edges that you see on the arcade, program the buttons everything I did."
And like the old arcade games all it takes is a few shillings to stay occupied for hours. Westby says it was a favored pastime back then for children and still is now. The kids keep coming in - and so do their dads!
Joel Westby, Owner of Retro Zone Arcade
"Well like the arcade games the old school arcades, if you put in a shilling you get to play until you die but the newer games like off a play station and so they go by times so its shining for 5 minutes. Yes so if you want to beat one of them you have to bring a whole lot of shillings."
"When it comes to the community like parents that come in here and so they say it is really something nice I did they like it because they know where to find their sons now once we don't see them, its the game shop we are coming so I usually give them my number to call incase they want to know if their kid is here then I can find out if there kid is here and tell them that he is here."
Sounds familiar doesn't it? A mother looking all over the neighborhood for her child only to find them at the game shop with all the other kids. One resident says that the environment Westby has created is one that will keep many children safe and off the streets out of harm's way after school. It's a magical thing that many old retired gamers can relate to.
Elvis Bevans, Resident
"It might look like small arcade shop for now but this is a big look for this neighborhood because when we grew up we grew up in game shop as well and it was missing for a while so when my brother said he wanted to bring back a gameshow in the neighborhood I told him it was an excellent idea because all the kids love gaming you know and by having this game shop it will help kids who don't have an after school program to have safe environment to spend time in so I would like to invite out all the kids at port Loyola and this whole Southside of Belize that let their parents know this is a safe and nice neighborhood for the kids to spend time after school."
Jo-
"You remember your days coming to a game shop to play?"
Elvis Bevans, Resident
"Of course I remember my days perfectly but the only thing I am not seeing is a little pacman for now but we will l get that very soon it is just the first day and the opening you know but we will have all the games that the kids will like."
The Retro Zone is located right across from 88 Shopping Center.
