MELBOURNE, Fla. — For Emily McLaughlin, it's all fun and games at Arcade Monsters in Melbourne.
What You Need To Know
- Arcade Monsters will combine the old with the new video games
- A location opening soon in Melbourne will be Florida's largest
- Owner Adrian Ravelo even restores some of the classics
- The arcade can be a place to unwind, meet others, have a good time
As director of operations, it's her place of passion for something old and something new in the video gaming world, a good time steeped in nostalgia.
Once the Arcade Monsters in Melbourne opens in a few weeks, it will be the largest one in the state of Florida. Arcade Masters already has a location in Oviedo.
"This is going to be an outlet for anybody to go to — all ages, kids, families," McLaughlin says.
The classic arcade games are part of it.
"It's the golden era of gaming," McLaughlin says. "We are bringing it back now and incorporating new and modern games, so I think it's a good mixture."
The classics are also restored.
Owner Adrian Ravelo comes from a family of game repairmen. He along with business partner Andy Rodriguez make sure all the machines are updated and ready to play.
"We are going through this now,” Ravelo says. “We have to do this for every game."
The arcade also is a spot where relationships are formed.
"You see a lot of people that meet at the arcade, come back and hang out together," Ravelo says. "And certain cliques gravitate to certain games."
"Escape from reality, come here, have a good time," McLaughlin says.