Crazy Arcade Score! Still in box from the 70's! Also Computer Space: the 1st ever arcade game!

TL;DR

Vintage arcade haul includes ultra-rare Alaska and Computer Space machines from 1970s storage discovery.

Summary

Key Claims

• Computer Space from 1973 is the first arcade game ever made commercially

  high confidence · Mike and crew acknowledge Computer Space as 'basically the first arcade game ever made' and 'started the whole commercial arcade.' Nolan Bushnell created it; first placement in a bar resulted in machine overflowing with quarters within 24 hours.

• Only 3 people on Pinside own the Interflip Alaska EM version; zero people own the Recreativos Franco single-player wedge-head Alaska variant

  high confidence · Kevin states he checked Pinside and found three owners of the Interflip four-player EM version and zero for the Franco single-player version, making both extremely rare.

• About 1,300-1,500 Computer Space units were sold in total

  medium confidence · Mike cites reading that total production was approximately 1,300-1,500 units.

• The two-player Computer Space with joysticks is rarer than single-player button versions

  medium confidence · Mike notes joystick version is more rare; only four different color options existed in single-player, but only one color for two-player model.

• Allied Leisure Getaway is a solid-state game from 1975, predating Steve Richey's design work by about 15 years

  high confidence · Confirmed as one of the first solid-state games, from 1975.

• There are approximately 16 people on Pinside who own an Allied Leisure Getaway

  high confidence · Kevin checked Pinside and found approximately 16 owners of the Getaway.

• Computer Space monitor was originally a standard GE TV, with internal components gutted by previous owner

  high confidence · Cabinet contains a GE TV model; wiring and internal monitor parts have been removed, requiring sourcing a replacement.

Notable Quotes

• “Computer Space. This is basically the first arcade game ever made. This what started the whole commercial arcade you know, the whole history of it. This is This is the OG.”

  Mike Dismus @ ~47:50 — Emphasizes historical significance of Computer Space as the origin point of the commercial arcade industry.

• “They got a call, you know, next day or something like that and your machine's broken. And so they went down to see what was going on and it was so full of quarters that it couldn't accept any more.”

  Kevin (Grazley Garage) @ ~45:30 — Legendary origin story of Computer Space's commercial success — first location machine overflowed with coins within 24 hours.

• “So, on pin side, I did check and there are somewhere in the neighborhood of I think 16 people that own a getaway. So, not very many.”

  Mike Dismus @ ~38:20 — Establishes rarity of Allied Leisure Getaway in modern collector community.

• “This particular copy of Alaska in their collection. Something neat to note though is I can't tell which is which, but the aprons are different colors. Yeah, I noticed that. We got a green and blue versus blue and orange.”

  Kevin and Mike @ ~27:00 — Documents subtle cosmetic variations between the two rare Alaska variants.

• “The inner flip um dragon as well as I think anything that Inner Flip made has like a 8 inch plexi on top of the playfield. So that's why these playfields are in like perfect shape.”

  Kevin @ ~24:30 — Explains why Interflip machines' playfields have remained pristine — protective plexi covering prevented wear and damage.

• “So, the idea is that I might be um ending up with uh Getaway and or Getaways andor Alaskas. And I if so I will do like a full series on uh these machines trying to feel like a full series is definitely warranted these things.”

  Mike Dismus @ ~39:45 — Announces planned documentation series for the rare machines acquired.

Entities

Signals

• ~

  sentiment_shift: Strong collector interest and validation in rarity documentation through Pinside database cross-referencing; community considers these machines historically significant and restoration-worthy.

  high · Kevin and Mike systematically checked Pinside for ownership numbers; announced multi-part documentation series indicating community interest in preservation.

• ?

  design_philosophy: Early arcade cabinet design philosophy reflected in Computer Space: non-intuitive controls and instruction cards required for gameplay; early machines prioritized novelty over user experience.

  medium · Computer Space instruction card required pressing two-player before start button; player one/two positioning unintuitive by modern standards. Machine didn't do well on location initially despite eventual success.

• ?

  event_signal: Major acquisition event: Grazley Garage conducted large-scale vintage arcade/pinball pickup from operator storage on Saturday, transporting multiple rare machines via truck and trailer.

  high · Left at 7:30 AM, returned same day with full load. Multiple sessions documented; planned future detailed restoration video series announced.

• ?

  technology_signal: Discovery and documentation of previously unknown variant of Alaska pinball machine (Recreativos Franco single-player EM version with zero Pinside entries), suggesting gaps in arcade history documentation.

  high · Kevin states: 'I checked this this morning on Pinside and it says there are zero people that own this on Pinside. Now it doesn't mean this is the only one in existence, but nobody on Pinside has this particular copy.'

Topics

Sentiment

positive(0.92)— Hosts express genuine excitement and wonder throughout, particularly regarding Computer Space discovery and rarity of Alaska variants. Collaborative, educational tone. Enthusiasm for restoration documentation is clear.