the fever that has lasted 45 years

Near my computer, I have a little mini Ms. Pac-Man game. Mine is the one that looks like a little arcade cabinet. I remember many years ago back in the '80s when those things were at Toys 'R' Us and I wanted one so bad. Back then, I wanted a set of three. A Pac-Man, a Donkey Kong and a Frogger. The set I want now has changed. I have the Ms. Pac-Man, but I also want a Q*Bert and a Galaga.

There is another one however that's much bigger to truly satisfy my Pac-Man fever.

A cocktail table arcade version of Ms. Pac-Man. This is the only full sized arcade machine I'd even consider buying, and only because it can serve as furniture when not in use. It is, after all, an actual table that you can put stuff on.

The first time I looked up the price of a cocktail table Ms. Pac-Man was close to 20 years ago. The price back then for a newly constructed full system with all-new parts was four grand. And you did not order this online. You called a shop, arranged an order, made a down payment, waited a while (anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks), the shop called when the build was complete and said the machine was ready, you paid the rest, and picked it up.

And that was your only choice other than buying vintage and restoring it yourself. You had no other choices.

Today, there are both consumer and commercial grade options made new. The four grand version is still available, and that's obviously for something commercial grade. But there are also home versions priced well south of a thousand. True, home versions may not have the wood grain paneling or the real glass top, but the fact it's even available is fantastic. No need to call a shop and wait six weeks anymore.

Pac-Man is middle aged

The original Pac-Man is from 1980, and Ms. Pac-Man from 1982. That makes Pac-Man 45 years old and Ms. Pac-Man 43.

Pac and Ms. Pac are old enough to have decent credit scores.

It's not the age of the video games that bothers me. What's amazing is how the '80s continues to live on. Just when you think the '80s are finally put to rest, you find something still keeping it alive.

A cocktail table arcade version of Ms. Pac-Man made new even existing is weird. I can understand miniature arcade and handheld versions of the game existing. Small and cheap to make. Totally understandable. I can also understand new-retro versions for modern gaming consoles existing. Again, easy to make and sell. But the cocktail table version?

If there wasn't demand for that very specific version of the game, even to only a moderate degree, nobody would even bother making it. It's made because it sells.

The more you think about it, the more crazy it gets, because a cocktail table arcade game isn't just a game. It's a physically big thing. It's a table. This isn't some little box you put on a shelf. Owning one of these takes up legitimate space.

ONLY games like Ms. Pac-Man can sell in a new cocktail table version today. And by that I mean popular arcade games made in the '80s, and just from that decade alone. Nobody is buying games made new as actual furniture from any other decade. That's just amazing.

Will I ever buy a cocktail table Ms. Pac-Man?

Part of of me says no, don't ever buy that...

...but another part of me wants it. And I don't have a single good reason to own one other than just to have it.

This doesn't mean I'll be buying one any time soon, but it also doesn't mean I won't buy it at some point.

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Published 2025 Oct 15