Hi there!

Name's Chris and I'm an arcade builder/replicator...

Yeah, I know: "what the hell is he talking about???"

Well, remember those Pac-man, Donkey Kong and other classics from the eighties? I building them.

In order for my actual trade to make more sense, let me here shortly explain where I was and what I was doing only two years ago.

I was born in Belgium. Small country, nothing really interesting to see or do, from that generation who had and always has so much trouble finding some long term job, etc, etc...

So, as you can see, to tell it as simply as possible, the absolute boredom.

My only happy exit for the last 2 decades was an accessory activity as a used/second hand video games seller on flea and public markets.

Helped to pay the bills, gave me the cash to go on holidays a bit more often or for some more exotic destinations.

Long story short, finally found that special place where I wanted so bad to belong and worked my ass out to expatriate myself.

But of course, packing your stuffs and hoping on a plane is the easy part. Once where you wanted to be, you need to find a way to buy yourself a decent life. and when you are the foreigner, you better come with an idea that none else can nor is yet doing.

I decided then to go for something totally off the main road and, let's be honest, almost forgotten (at least from the mainstream market): the Arcade industry.

More specifically, the old classics. Those for which we have a so deep crush due to the nostalgia of our own youth spent throwing quarters down the coin mechs.

So here I am today. I'm living in Thailand, under the sun. Quite a change from my original low grey sky.

I'm the only one in my trade nationwide, some nice customers, slowly but surely growing in numbers and I build my machines on my terrasse.

Oh and yeah, everything is build from scratch. I shape and assemble everything myself. The only manufactured pieces used are the electronic ones ordered from their respective sources.

My plans for the future?

Keeping up as long as I can and maybe one day running my own arcade room/bar?

A guy can dream, right?

Anyway, I'll finish this post with a few pics of previous completed projects and with just this advice:

If you have a dream project of your own, just jump both feet on it. Better to try and fail than to live with regrets.

Cheers!

Chris.

arcadeparadise