For some youth, the arcades were a place to waste time after school. For others, like Christian Rios, 25, the arcades were a safe haven from the neighborhood gangs. As a way of giving back to his community, Rios started his own arcade called Dreamonoid’s.
Located at 1711 Guadalupe St., where the West Side of San Antonio begins, Rios filled his own arcade with arcade cabinets he collected over the years. He wants his arcade to be a safe place for neighborhood kids, just like they were a safe place for him.
“When I was younger, I used to hang out at this arcade called Diversions on the South Side,” Rios said. “The place was a way to stay out of trouble and a way for the tough kids to not make fun of you. My dream is to provide a safe haven for the community.”
Rios graduated in 2012 from the University of the Incarnate Word with a degree in convergent media. Before opening Dreamonoid’s in June, he worked for Apple as a technical support specialist. He purchased the building that would become his arcade in July, 2014.
Although the game selection at Dreamonoid’s can’t compare to a Dave and Buster’s, Rios wants his arcade to be a place to play games, but also enjoy art and public events. His penchant for art is obvious when looking at the mural painted by a local artist that adorns the outside of the arcade. Inside the arcade are paintings of iconic scenes from movies like Leon: The Professional and SLC Punk hanging on the walls.
One of the things I feel arcades suffer from are negative stereotypes,” he said. “When you think of an arcade, you think of a dark, dingy, male-dominated space with a bad odor. I wanted the arcade to have a more art gallery feel and I wanted women and girls to feel invited.”
In the arcade are several classic games like Galaga, Ms. Pac-Man and The Simpsons along with a modified cabinet to play console fighting games like Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Ultra Street Fighter IV and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Dreamonoid’s also hosts tournaments for less popular fighting games like Skullgirls and BlazBlue. Rios also hosts non-gaming events such as the upcoming “Convergent Media Collective Talk Series“ on Oct. 21.
Gamers can play all day for $5, but some will receive more than an adrenalin rush from playing arcade games. Rios takes a bit of his time to talk with his younger patrons who aren’t sure what their future entails.
“I have young people who are on the fence about things like college and what they want to do in life,” he said. “I’m proud to say that we’ve inspired multiple kids to enroll in college. I tell them that by going to college, it allowed me to do something like this (Dreamonoid’s), and I never thought going to college would be my gateway to opening my own arcade.”
One young customer, Catherine Gonzales, 20, said she appreciates a place like Dreamonoid’s. A fighting game fan, she said having an arcade closer to her home lets her improve her skills without a long drive.
“I think it’s kind of good that something like this could be on the West Side since I feel the West Side is underdeveloped,” she said. “It could use more places like this.”
The U.S. arcade industry reached its peak in 1982 with $7.3 billion in revenue. Since then, the industry declined sharply over the years due to a growing home console market. Revenue for the arcades dropped to $866 million in 2004.
Even with a business that’s part of a dying industry and a location on a poor side of San Antonio, Rios has no plans on going away anytime soon.
“We deserve this and this is ours,” he said. “And I’m not going anywhere.”
