ABOUT THE TRIBUTE

GOOD OLD ARCADE

A Tribute to the Coin-Op Era

Good Old Arcade is an independent, non-commercial digital catalogue, technical database, and historical tribute celebrating the golden era of coin-operated arcade machines. From the late 1970s vector breakthroughs to the 1990s 2D sprite marvels, our mission is to preserve the hardware legacy, cabinet art, and memories of classic coin-op gaming.

Each game entry includes historical release years, original hardware specifications, display refresh rates, manufacturer documentation, authentic promotional flyer artwork, and curated gameplay longplay videos.

Bring Your Own ROM (BYOR)

Good Old Arcade strictly respects creator and publisher copyrights. We do not supply, host, or distribute game ROMs, BIOS binaries, or commercial software.

Instead, the site features a private, client-side WebAssembly emulator core (MAME 2003 / 2003-Plus via Libretro and Nostalgist.js). Through our “Insert Coin” feature, you can mount your own lawfully owned ROM files directly from your computer or phone. Files are read exclusively into your browser's private local IndexedDB cache on your device — they are never uploaded to our servers or shared anywhere.

Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to common questions about our archive, emulation architecture, and controller support:

What is Good Old Arcade?

Good Old Arcade is a digital tribute and comprehensive library dedicated to preserving classic coin-operated arcade game history. It features an extensive searchable catalogue of legendary arcade titles with hardware specifications, cabinet artwork, release timelines, and gameplay videos.

What information is included in the arcade catalogue?

Each game entry in the catalogue includes historical release details, developer and publisher info, genre and hardware architecture specifications, high-resolution arcade cabinet art, and gameplay video recordings.

Can I play games on Good Old Arcade?

Yes! As a bonus feature, Good Old Arcade includes a built-in WebAssembly MAME emulator. Users can use the "Insert Coin" (Bring-Your-Own-ROM / BYOR) feature to mount their own legally owned arcade ROM files and play directly in the browser with CRT scanlines and gamepad support.

How does the Bring-Your-Own-ROM (BYOR) bonus feature work?

Through the "Insert Coin" button on the arcade floor, you can connect a local folder of ROMs or drag-and-drop compatible MAME zip files. The browser parses your local files client-side without uploading any copyrighted ROM data to a server.

Can I connect a gamepad or arcade stick?

Yes, standard USB and Bluetooth gamepads (including Xbox, PlayStation, and 8BitDo controllers) are detected automatically with full Retropad button mapping for bonus emulation.

Does Good Old Arcade work on mobile phones?

Yes, Good Old Arcade is fully responsive and includes on-screen virtual joysticks and action buttons optimized for touchscreens in portrait and landscape modes.

Documentation & Policies

The legal and technical details of the site are organized into the following specialized pages:

Privacy Policy Cookieless telemetry, zero third-party advertising cookies, and local client-side storage for ROMs. Terms of Use Acceptable use guidelines, lawful BYOR requirements, disclaimer of warranties, and limitation of liability. Legal Notice & Disclaimer Independent non-affiliation notice, nominative trademark fair use, and copyright takedown contacts. Licenses & Attributions Open source software licenses for MAME, Libretro, RetroArch, Nostalgist.js, and typography attributions.

Creator & Inquiries

Good Old Arcade is crafted with nostalgia and care by FrogMonkeyBird.

For questions, copyright inquiries, feedback, or archive corrections, please contact: frogmonkeybird@gmail.com.