NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Search the word "restoration," and you'll come up with home restoration and classic car restoration results in Nashville. Another form of restoration also has its share of experts in town, bringing back some very familiar sights and sounds from the past.
"I haven't played this one in a while, but I'm usually pretty good at it," smiled Cameron McCasland, looking up from a game of Ms. Pac-Man.
Cameron's like a lot of us. Certain sounds, like those of 1981 arcade game Galaga, just take us back to good memories at old pizza places, using up pockets of quarters. Cameron wasn't speaking to us from an arcade. It was his home.
"I have a very loving wife," he laughed, sitting in the middle of dozens of arcade machines.
"This is Atari's Battlezone from 1980," Cameron said before turning his attention to a Mario Bros. arcade machine. "This is the first video game to have Luigi if you can believe it."
How many of these does Cameron have in the house?
"Somewhere between 35 and 40 on any given day," he said.
That's inside and out in the garage. A lot of the machines, decades ago, were in something like a pizza place, bowling alley or skating rink.
"The bulk of these things really did get tossed out over the years," Cameron said. "A lot of times when you find them, they're in pretty bad shape. They weren't meant to be played for 40 years."
Today, Cameron's part of a growing community, watching spaces like the Facebook marketplace, and then buying and restoring arcades and pinball machines.
"Indiana Jones, one of my favorites," said Chris Royalty, showing a pinball machine in his Hot Rod Arcade in Joelton. "Addams Family. That happens to be the most produced pinball of all time."
A pastor, Chris started collecting a few machines 20 years ago to make a hangout spot for church youth. His collection grew into his Hot Rod Arcade business.
"We buy and fix and sell arcade and pinball machines," Chris said. "This is our shop. This is where we primarily work on machines."
Chris's warehouse is practically a salvage yard of arcade and pinball machine parts.
"We can pull switches and other parts we may need," Chris said.
How many machines have come through here?
"I'm gonna guess a few thousand," he said. "There have been times we've bought a hundred or two hundred at a time."
After all, there's no shortage of people who love this stuff. Every third Thursday night of the month, Chris runs the pinball tournament at Eastside Bowl. Some who compete were around for the great era of these machines. Some are newer to it. If the love of arcade and pinball machines is tied up in great old pizza place memories, the tournaments are just making new memories.
"There's something about standing next to someone, whether it be a friend or a total stranger, and just challenging them to a game," said Cameron. "It's a place where people come together."
"As a pastor, I love the community," said Chris. "I love things that bring people together."
All you gotta do to fit in is push start.
