Over the summer we were busy getting my son Joshua prepped for college, including any dorm room items he may need. One of those items was a mini-fridge, with an average price tag of $150 for a nice one. We did have a good mini-fridge down in the arcade, and it occurred to me that why would I want to purchase another of the same? I always wanted a branded mini-fridge with a lighted see through door instead but the cost for a new one was astronomical. So the search was on for many months, trying to find a Rockstar, Monster or Red Bull mini-fridge in a manageable price range. I finally found one close by but with a catch, they were selling it for $50 because after an hour it started to get really, really loud. That means either it has bad fans, or the compressor was going out. For $50 I took a chance. I get it home, and it starts screaming after an hour of being plugged in. I stuck my head inside the door for a listen. Yep, thats bad fans! For another $25 I ordered new fans, installed them, and now have a beautiful Red Bull mini-fridge in the arcade. Cold drinks, caffeine and videogames go hand in hand.

Todd and I were fresh off of the Great Sega Rally road trip from Troy's MTZArcade warehouse. You can read about that trip here.

While at the arcade warehouse the first time, we spied a lot of various games that commanded us to come back for a second pickup. This trip also brings to the Vintage Vault Arcade my first collectable slot machine which I have been looking for quite some time. Most that I saw were never the right style, artwork or theme. So what did I get? A Speed Racer slot machine, which happens to be one of my childhood all-time favorite cartoons! In total, we came back with 7 different coin-op arcade pieces. This was another fun road trip for the books.

To find out everything about the road trip back to the arcade warehouse, click here.

The Reach Church Youth group was out in the community helping people out and doing various jobs, helping those in need right in middle of the summer heat. After lunchtime, they were told that they were taking a short trip somewhere for a break and cooldown. Little did they know that it was to the basement arcade, with the exception of the youth pastor of course!

It was a pleasant surprise and fun filled afternoon for all those who came. Favorites with the teens were the air hockey and bumper pool, the competition aspect of it kept them busy. That's why the Vintage Vault Arcade has a little bit of everything. Enjoy the pictures!

Thanks to Troy at MTZArcade, I had the pleasure of my next road trip. This was a second massive Sega Rally Deluxe driving game. To find out everything about this road trip including browsing an arcade warehouse, click here.

Ah yes, summer time. Summer time is when you send your kids off to summer camp, right? Well what happens when a bus load of summer camp kids comes to YOUR house? A great time, thats what. This year saw a record 50 kids come to the Vintage Vault Arcade for a field trip.

My wife heads the field trips for summer camp, and 2 of my kids are in the program. So among their field trips to water parks, baseball games, and museums they get on the schedule a fun filled time at a FREE arcade.

If you want to see some video of this great time, watch Arcade Bytes - Power 101 For The Basement Arcade. The video talks about power in the basement arcade, but I include several snippets of video from this summer camp visit. Enjoy!

I get asked this alot about how I power my home arcade. This short minisode explains it all, in a fun way.

Have you ever wondered how the choices you made in life could have shaped an entirely different
future, a different "you"? Rock Dad finds himself face to face with an alternate version of himself.
Includes bonus outtakes after the credits so make sure you watch it until the end!

A short minisode directly from the basement arcade. This arcade byte highlights gamedays and other visitors to the arcade. What does a loaded arcade back in the day look like? Watch and find out!