Chuck E. Cheese is all adult. Some.
Brea Mall is now the home of a Chuck arcade, the first location in California and the tenth in the United States when the company presented the concept earlier this year, the headlines described it as an “adult” Chuck E. Cheese. There is something really in that, but it is not the complete story.
Combine the word “adult” and “arcade” and recognizable spaces, for example, Dave & Buster, instantly come to mind. Here in Socal, we also have two bit circus in Santa Monica, who marries retro and modern games with beer and cocktails. The Chuck game room is not so similar to either.
Chuck's Arcade has a merchandise cabin with vintage looks.
(Gabriella Angotti-Jones / for the times)
But he intrigued his promise of retro games and his attempts to attract an audience less focused on children. For example, you will not find a pizza party full of 7 -year -old children here.
So what will you find? And will the vibes of Vintage Arcade possess that many of us are craving? With the company and its now 48 -year -old mouse pet, we were not sure what to expect. So we made a visit to Chuck's Arcade looking for answers.
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Where an adult can be a 'kidult'
It is not surprising to find an adult with good memories of Chuck E. Cheese. For me, I got hooked on the robotic actions that extend, but in the hut of their animatronic bands once ubiquitous, in which melodies were delivered in the middle of the click-click of machinery. However, a Chuck E. cheese today is a fully made video game video game recreation room, one in which digital floors encourage a more active form of play. David McKillips, president and executive director of the company, says that the main locations of the company direct to those between 3 and 8 years.
And so, Chuck's aracade, says McKillips, will fill a void. Wait for you to take advantage of the marketing segment known as the “Kidult”: adults, perhaps, who were raised in games and still appreciate the idea of crowding around a console of “Mrs. Pac-Man”. The Kidult sector is booming, which covers everyone, from the so -called “Disney adult” to those who wear a Labubu doll as a fashion accessory. Think of anyone who believes that a childhood opening to play and nonsense does not have to be eradicated by maturity.
David McKillips, president and executive director of Chuck E. Cheese, poses for a portrait with a figure withdrawn from Mr. Munch.
(Gabriella Angotti-Jones / for the times)
So how does Chuck's Arcade plan to get to the Kidult? Its 3,600 square feet space has 70 games, including a small emphasis on a small retro section where you will find “tron” coins cabinets, “Centipede”, “Mortal Kombat” and an arcade table from head to head “Ms. Pac-Man”. And although a modern Chuck E. cheese is bright, Chuck's arcade is dark, its black walls and its low lighting remember the arcades of the 80s and 90s.
McKillips says that Chuck Arcade “is attractive to the collectible market,” betting adults who are attracted to their large number of claw machines. There are also award devices largely dedicated to Funko's plastic figures.
It is close to the food court of the mall, which is part of the commercial strategy
The Chuck E. Cheese company has had the view at the Brea Shopping Center.
At a time when shopping centers are being renamed to serve an economy more based on experience, see, for example, the escape halls of Westfield Century City, or Meow Wolf, finally took care of a part of what is currently the cinematographic complex of Howard Hughes La-Chuck E. Cheese saw an opportunity in Orange's county.
A game in Chuck's Arcade can drop stuffed animals.
(Gabriella Angotti-Jones / for the times)
“We have been trying to get here for a year and a half,” says McKillips. “Pedestrian traffic is phenomenal. The anchors are strong. They have a really solid food court.”
The food court was a massive point of sale.
“That's where teenagers congregate,” he says. “That's where parents and children are together. They will have some dining room and some games will come and play.”
There is no alcohol … or even pizza
Here is a way of thinking about Chuck's arcade: imagine a Chuck E. cheese, but subtract the pizza and subtract the drinks. In a corner of Chuck's Arcade a giant skittles machine rests, and there are sweeter available at the counter. But the company decided to go without an adequate food and drink program for Chuck's Arcade, which means that these adult children will not drink alcohol or cocktails.
I told McKillips that I was surprised. At home, I have more than 40 hours in “Donkey Kong Baniza”, but I finish playing the game and enjoying a beer, one of the main benefits, I think, of being a certified child.
McKillips argues that this is actually an advantage for Chuck's arcade, which allows him to reach an adult audience but still feels friendly to the family. Just a Chuck arcade, he says, is equipped to serve beer, wings and pizza, and is in Kansas City, Mo.
“This is an arcade destination,” he adds. “We are not organizing birthday parties. We don't do it [food & beverage] here. You will come here and play games. “
Where is nostalgia?
Chuck's Arcade Sabrina Hernadez employee checks the games in the new breakdown location hours before opening it.
(Gabriella Angotti-Jones / for the times)
It should be the audience for the Chuck Game Room. I have good memories of the brand.
Chuck E. Cheese, the character and the pizza chain, was a creation of Nolan Bushnell, better known as the founder of Atari. The franchise was launched in 1977 in San José, the first brand as Chuck E. Cheese Pizza Time Theater. As Chuck E. cheese flourished in the early 80s, the original animatronic figures were a little more obscene (Chuck was a smoker). Bushnell imagined the initial robotic characters of Chuck E. Cheese as entertainment that attracted adults while the children played in the neighboring room.
When I heard Chuck's Arcade for the first time, I expected the company to return to its roots. And there is a nostalgic touch here and there. In addition to the aforementioned selection of old games, there is also a figure of Mr. Munch, which is shown in a clear case and does not turn on. Munch, a ball of friendly and abode hair of a creature, was once the anchor of the Chuck E. Cheese belief band.
Seeing that figure treated as a museum piece felt like a half wave for fans who grew up with Chuck. And although the claw gadgets and plastic figures are not my thing, I understand their popularity and I would not mind their presence if there was a greater supply of old school games, and perhaps some pinball machines.
With a digital key card for Chuck's Arcade that starts at $ 10, acceptance to test space is not large, but this felt as an tentative step in adulthood. After all, Chuck is far beyond the age to drink. The mouse deserves a cocktail.
