So you've been a collector for a bit and you'd like to meet a few more
fellow collectors, put faces to names and generally talk arcade for a
day - it's time for a meet! You might have read or heard about meets
in the past and been confused by the different types, generally meets
can be split into the
following types;
Regular Meet - is where a member
decides to open up their home and/or game room to fellow ukvac collectors.
This can be for just a single day or an entire weekend depending on
location and availability of accommodation. A lot of people bring
things to trade at a meet so there's always the possibility of picking
up a bargain!
Tech Meet - is a meet that often
precedes a regular meeting, the aim being to fix and get working as many
broken machines for the main meet. Often taking place on a Friday
before a weekend meet.
Pub Meet - does exactly what
is says on the tin, members gather in a pub (usually in central London
or Brighton) to have a jar and arcade chin wag. These were the staple
meets during the UKVAC dark ages.
Event Meet - These are
meets that are combined with another event like the Honiton Star Wars
charity event or full on Retro shows like CGEUK.
Trade Meet - There are usually several trade meets a year where members usually
gather to try out the latest/greatest new games and grab handfuls of
freebies.
Meet etiquette
There's very
little to adhere to when attending one of these gatherings. If it's a regular meet it's
nice if you can bring your own weight in beer and snacks. Generally
treating other peoples cabs as nicely as you would your own is a good
way to go
If there is a machine you'd love to play and it's not currently
switched on, most people wouldn't be offended if you ask. It could be
the machine is dead, or just not expected to be popular so give it a
try!
If you'd like to bring your partner or a friend, just ask
ahead of time and most people will be happy to extend the invitation,
as long as they can stand arcade game playing and chat for the duration
they'll be fine
fellow collectors, put faces to names and generally talk arcade for a
day - it's time for a meet! You might have read or heard about meets
in the past and been confused by the different types, generally meets
can be split into the
following types;
Regular Meet - is where a member
decides to open up their home and/or game room to fellow ukvac collectors.
This can be for just a single day or an entire weekend depending on
location and availability of accommodation. A lot of people bring
things to trade at a meet so there's always the possibility of picking
up a bargain!
Tech Meet - is a meet that often
precedes a regular meeting, the aim being to fix and get working as many
broken machines for the main meet. Often taking place on a Friday
before a weekend meet.
Pub Meet - does exactly what
is says on the tin, members gather in a pub (usually in central London
or Brighton) to have a jar and arcade chin wag. These were the staple
meets during the UKVAC dark ages.
Event Meet - These are
meets that are combined with another event like the Honiton Star Wars
charity event or full on Retro shows like CGEUK.
Trade Meet - There are usually several trade meets a year where members usually
gather to try out the latest/greatest new games and grab handfuls of
freebies.
Meet etiquette
There's very
little to adhere to when attending one of these gatherings. If it's a regular meet it's
nice if you can bring your own weight in beer and snacks. Generally
treating other peoples cabs as nicely as you would your own is a good
way to go
If there is a machine you'd love to play and it's not currently
switched on, most people wouldn't be offended if you ask. It could be
the machine is dead, or just not expected to be popular so give it a
try!
If you'd like to bring your partner or a friend, just ask
ahead of time and most people will be happy to extend the invitation,
as long as they can stand arcade game playing and chat for the duration
they'll be fine