After Pac-Chase started printing money, I knew I needed a second cabinet fast. Space Defenders was the obvious choice — every kid in the Valley was talking about it. I bought it from a legitimate distributor this time, which felt strange after Vinny. The delivery guy even gave me a real receipt. I almost didn't know what to do with it.
Two weeks. That's how long it took to pay itself off. Kids would come in after school and dump their lunch money into that coin slot like it was a savings account. I felt a little guilty about that, honestly. But then I'd watch them play and see the focus on their faces — the way they'd lean into the cabinet when the aliens sped up, the way they'd slap the fire button like their life depended on it — and I figured there were worse things to spend lunch money on.
A kid named Marcus held the high score for an entire summer. June through August, nobody could touch him. He had this technique where he'd pick off the outside columns first, slowing down the march pattern, then clean up the middle. Other kids would crowd around and watch him play like it was a spectator sport. Marcus's mom called me once to complain. I told her he was investing in hand-eye coordination. She didn't call back.
The cabinet's still got a scorch mark on the right side panel. Some kid decided the wiring needed "fixing" and went at it with a lighter. I never found out who did it. The machine kept working fine, which tells you something about how they built things in the early '80s. That scorch mark became part of the cabinet's identity. The regulars called it the battle scar.
SPACE DEFENDERS — WEEKLY REVENUE
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Week 1 (Jul 5-11) $387.25
Week 2 (Jul 12-18) $412.50
Week 3 (Jul 19-25) $358.75
Week 4 (Jul 26-31) $401.00
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MONTH TOTAL: $1,559.50
Cabinet Cost: $1,850.00
Break-Even: Week 5
Status: PROFITABLE
Note: Marcus alone accounts
for approx. $47/week.
Kid is an investment.
"Marcus's mom called me once to complain her son was spending his lunch money here. I told her he was investing in hand-eye coordination." — Sal "Pixel" Martinez
_____ | _ | | |_| | - Sal "Pixel" Martinez | _ / Galaxy Zone Arcade |_| \_\ Est. 1982