When I was a kid I was definitely more the “stay inside and play video games” kid compared to the “go outside and play” kid.

My journey with video games started with the Atari 2600. They were very simple games and fun for the whole family. The best games you played with two or four people. I remember really enjoying Warlords, which you played with up to four people using the paddles. Each person had a corner and needed to guard against a ball chipping away at his or her castle. 

I have a distinct memory of the day my dad bought me the original Nintendo Entertainment System - NES. The sophistication of the directional pad and two buttons instead of one created a barrier of entry causing fewer family members to partake in the fun. Still, I found plenty of games to play by myself.

I also had both the Sega Genesis and the Super Nintendo game systems. When I went to college, I upgraded to the first Playstation. Today I have an XBOX One, and a Nintendo Switch but don’t spend much time playing games anymore.

In high school, there was one arcade game my friends and I were absolutely obsessed with. It was called NBA JAM. It was the only video game officially licensed by the NBA and featured two-on-two basketball with no fouls, crazy dunks, and fast-paced action. We played the original NBA JAM and the sequel called Tournament Edition ALL the time. I’d like a tally of hours and money spent playing those games. We couldn’t WAIT to speed out of the school parking lot as soon as the bell rang and race off to a place called Tokens ‘N’ Tickets, which had a giant-screen version of the game. When four people played a full game, the winning team got to play a free game.

We played NBA JAM on the Genesis and Super Nintendo at home, but it didn’t have the same magic as the arcade. Years ago, I even considered buying an NBA JAM arcade machine to rekindle the magic, but what I really wanted was a custom machine that included all the games.

Fast forward to two months ago when a friend of mine from high school sent me a text with what can only be described as a dream come true. The link was for a preorder of an Arcade 1UP arcade machine that includes NBA JAM, Tournament Edition, and the third game in the series Hang Time, which I also played in the arcade at the end of the era. This was the dream! All three games on one machine, AND it’s internet-enabled to play online. I couldn’t get my credit card out fast enough.

After a long two-month wait, today finally arrived. The FedEx driver dropped off the dream at my doorstep this morning. I could barely concentrate at work and signed off promptly at three (ostensibly for an “appointment”). It took me just under two hours to put the whole thing together. 

Now, this isn’t the original arcade machine. It’s a smaller version, but still suitable for playing. Although, I think it would be tough to get four adults squeezed together to play. The size appears to be geared toward kiddies. 

Everything appears faithful to the original arcade versions. The graphics look so pixelated and primitive by today’s standards, but these games were cutting edge 25 years ago. 

I played for a solid 2.5 hours, and I feel like I was playing actual basketball. 

Let me just say, the magic is still there. I was transported back to high school again, minus my friends. Hopefully, I can convince one or two to convince one or two of their wives to “let” them buy a game so we can play online.