The South Side’s newest attraction joining the bars, clubs and restaurants that line East Carson Street is Victory Pointe, a gaming cafe where patrons can walk in, grab a bite and take a turn with their favorite arcade game, pinball machine or video game console.
Victory Pointe’s grand opening was held last weekend. Formerly the Ukrainian Home in the 1100 block of East Carson, the attraction brings flashbacks to the ‘80s and ‘90s, when arcades were commonplace. A wave of nostalgia hits immediately at the sight of flickering lights from game screens, and the clicks and pings from pinball machines.
Its walls are lined with games of the old-school variety such as “NBA Jam” and “Pac-Man,” but more current machines such as “Mario Kart” and “Dance Dance Revolution” share the space. The bar area that usually would be reserved for ordering beer and cocktails has been transformed into a “console bar” that consists of game consoles ranging from the original Nintendo to PlayStation 4.
Arcade and electronic games make up the bottom floor and main entrance of Victory Pointe. The quieter, open-area upper floor is devoted to tabletop board games. Its high ceilings turn the space into an echo chamber of board game banter.
The grand opening marks the start of Victory Pointe’s kitchen, which offers bar fare with a geeky twist. Food selections are an homage to game culture, with burger names such as “The Orc,” “The Elf” and “The Dwarf.”
The idea behind this game-centric establishment is to provide a local haven where game players can come together for a social experience. Owner Joe Dukovich said the idea has been 12 years in the making.
“A lot of gaming today is online gaming. Newer console games don’t even have split screen anymore, because [developers] don’t take into consideration that two people next to each other might want to play a game together,” Mr. Dukovich said. “That’s what I wanted this to be about: two people next to each other and playing a game together.”
Gathering enough machines to open a successful arcade can be a tall task on its own. The machines inside Victory Pointe have been acquired over several years through online marketplaces such as Craigslist. Many of the machines have been acquired locally but their origin story is difficult to track. For example, Mr. Dukovich said the “X-Men” cabinet has Coney Island tickets inside and rust is evidence of time spent on the shore. The consoles found at the console bar are owned by Mr. Dukovich; a collection that has been growing for more than 20 years.
As video games have evolved, so has the business model of arcades. It’s still possible to walk in, pay money for tokens and play the coin-operated game lineup at Victory Pointe. You also can pay $10 for an all-you-can-play wristband that allows patrons to play at the console bar and other machines that don’t accept tokens.
Barcades, or places that serve alcohol and feature arcade games, have been popping up in Philadelphia, New York and on the West Coast. Mr. Dukovich said he’s trying to separate Victory Pointe from that crowd. Since barcades traditionally serve alcohol, patrons have to be 21 and older to enter. Victory Pointe is BYOB, which makes it accessible for all ages.
By being a BYOB establishment, Victory Pointe has avoided the red tape involved with obtaining a liquor license. That doesn’t mean its journey has been free from legal battles. The city of Pittsburgh requires anyone who owns a place of amusement with six or more coin-operated machines to have an arcade license. Victory Pointe was originally opened in January, but was forced to close while Mr. Dukovich went through the process to obtain a license.
Zoning fees that come with opening an arcade in Pittsburgh are part of the reason arcades are rare finds. Under the city’s 2015 permit and licence fee schedule, arcades must pay a quarterly fee of $824, plus an annual fee of $323 per coin-operated machine. Victory Pointe has 10 coin-operated machines, while the other arcade machines can be played with the wristband program.
Local game enthusiast Lewis Bevans, 23, came from the North Shore via the T to attend Friday’s pinball tournament.
“When I saw Victory Pointe, I noticed you can play a lot of the classics and see some of the oddities of the past,” Mr. Bevans said. “You can play them all in one place and play all you want.”
Other gamers had a controller in their hands at the console bar, like patrons Josh Boston, 29, and Victor Santiago, 24.
“The all-you-can-play aspect of it is really awesome,” Mr. Boston said. “They have a really great selection, as well.”
During the opening celebration, competitors gathered around the pinball machines for the ongoing tournament and pairs of players huddled at the console bar and arcade cabinets.
“I think people miss the social aspect of gaming,” Mr. Dukovich said. “We wanted all our games to have that aspect of social interaction while you play.”
Max Parker writes as The Game Guy at communityvoices.post-gazette.com. Twitter: @GameGuyPGH.
First Published: September 29, 2015, 4:00 a.m.