In the late 1980s and early 1990s when I was a young teen growing up in far North Austin, it was a popular custom for many boys in the neighborhood to assemble at the local Stop-N-Go after school on a regular basis for some Grand Champion level tournaments in Street Fighter 2 and Mortal Kombat. The collective insistence of our mothers and fathers to get out of the house, get some exercise, and refrain from playing NES or Sega on the television only led us to seek out more video games at the convenience store down the road. Much allowance and lunch money was spent as well as hours that should have been devoted to homework among the 8 or 9 regular boys in attendance, often challenging each other to 'Best of 5' matches. I myself played Dhalsim and SubZero, and not very well, so I rarely ever made it to the 5th match. The store workers frequently kicked us out for the day only to have us return when they weren't working the counter anymore if not the next day.
There is something about that which has been lost in the present day. While people can today download the latest games on Steam or PSN or in the app store on your smartphone, you can't just find arcade games in stores and restaurants like you used to be able to. And so the fun of a spontaneous 8 or 10 person multiplayer video game tournament has been confined to places like bars, pool halls, Pinballz or Dave&Busters.
But in truth it was that ubiquity of arcade video games, how you could find them in any old 7-11 or Laundromat, which is what killed the original arcades of the early 1980s before the Great Crash of 1983 when home video game consoles started to catch up to what you saw in the arcade.
I was born in the mid 1970s so I missed out on Pong. I was kindergarten age when the Golden Age of Arcade Games took place in the early 1980s. There used to be a place called Skateworld on Anderson Mill Road that was primarily for roller skating but had a respectable arcade in its own right. It was there that I honed my skills on the original Tron, Pac Man, Galaga, Pole Position, Defender, and so many others. In the 1980s I remember visiting all the same mall arcades as others in my age group. There was Aladdin's Castle in Barton Creek Mall, The Gold Mine in Highland, and another Gold Mine in Northcross which was eventually renamed Tilt. Westgate Mall also had an arcade but being a north austin kid I never went there until later in the mid 1990s. There were also places like Malibu Grand Prix and Showbiz Pizza and Chuck-E-Cheeze, all of which had fairly large arcades for kids which were the secondary attraction.
If you're of a certain age you will remember Einsteins and LeFun on the Drag. They were there for a few decades going back way before the Slacker era. Lesser known is that the UT Student Union basement used to have an arcade that was comparable to either or both of those places. Back in the pre-9/11 days it was much easier to sneak in if you even vaguely looked like you could be a UT student.
But there was another place I was too young to have experienced called Smitty's up further north on 183 at Lake Creek in the early 1980s. I never got to go there but I always heard about it from older kids at the time. It was supposed to have been two stories of wall to wall games with a small snack bar. I guess at the time it served a mostly older teen crowd from Westwood High School and for that reason younger kids my age weren't having birthday parties there. It wasn't around very long, just a few years during the Golden Age of Arcades.
It is with almost-forgotten early arcades like that in mind that I wanted to share with y'all some examples of places from The Golden Age of the Video Arcade in Austin using some old Statesman articles I've found. Maybe someone of a certain age on here will remember them. I was curious what they were like, having missed out by being slightly too young to have experienced most of them first hand. I also wanted to see the original reaction to them in the press. I had a feeling there was some pushback from school/parent/civic groups on these facilities showing up in neighborhood strip malls or next to schools, and I was right to suspect. But I'm getting ahead of myself. First let's list off some places of interest. Be sure to speak up if you remember going to any of these, even if it was just for some other kid's birthday party. Unfortunately some of the only mentions about a place are reports of a crime being committed there, such as our first few examples.
Forgotten Arcade #1
Fun House/Play Time Arcade - 2820 Guadalupe
June 15, 1975

ARCADE ENTHUSIASM
A gang fight involving 20 30 people erupted early Saturday morning in front of an arcade on Guadalupe Street. The owner of the Fun House Arcade at 282J Guadalupe told police pool cues, lug wrenches, fists and a shotgun were displayed during the flurry. Police are unsure what started the fisticuffs, but one witness at the scene said it pitted Chicanos against Anglos. During the fight the owner of the arcade said a green car stopped at the side of the arcade and witnesses reported the barrel of a shotgun sticking out. The crowd wisely scattered and only a 23-year-old man was left lying on the ground. He told police he doesn't know what happened.

March 3, 1976

ARCADE ROBBED
A former employee of Play Time Arcade, 2820 Guadalupe, was charged Tuesday in connection with the Tuesday afternoon robbery of his former business. Police have issued a warrant for the arrest of Ronnie Magee, 22, of 1009 Aggie Lane, Apt. 306. Arcade attendant Sam Garner said he had played pool with the suspect an hour before the robbery. He told police the man had been fired from the business two weeks earlier. Police said a man walked in the arcade about 2:45 p m. with a blue steel pistol and took $180. Magee is charged with first degree aggravated robbery. Bond was set on the charge at $15,000.

First it was called Fun House and then renamed Play Time a year later. I'm not sure what kind of arcade games beyond Pong and maybe Asteroids they could have had at this place. The peak of the Pinball craze was supposed to be around 1979, so they might have had a few pinball machines as well. A quick search of youtube will show you a few examples of 1976 video games like Death Race. The location is next to Ken's Donuts where PokeBowl is today where the old Baskin Robbins location was for many years.
Forgotten Arcade #2
Green Goth - 1121 Springdale Road
May 15, 1984

A 23-year-old man pleaded guilty Monday to a January 1983 murder in East Austin and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Jim Crowell Jr. of Austin admitted shooting 17-year-old Anthony Rodriguez in the chest with a shotgun after the two argued outside the Green Goth, a games arcade at 1121 Springdale Road, on Jan. 23, 1983. Crowell had argued with Rodriguez and a friend of Rodriguez at the arcade, police said. Crowell then went to his house, got a shotgun and returned to the arcade, witnesses said. When the two friends left the arcade, Rodriguez was shot Several weeks ago Crowell had reached a plea bargain with prosecutors for an eight-year prison term, but District Judge Bob Perkins would not accept the sentence, saying it was shorter than sentences in similar cases. After further plea bargaining, Crowell accepted the 15-year prison sentence.

I can't find anything else on Green Goth except reports about this incident with a murder there. There is at least one other report from 1983 around the time of Crowell's arrest that also refer to it as an arcade but reports the manager said the argument started over a game of pool. It's possible this place might have been more known for pool.
Forgotten Arcades #3 & #4
Games, Etc. - 1302 S. First St
Muther's Arcade - 2532 Guadalupe St
August 23, 1983

Losing the magic touch - Video Arcades have trouble winning the money game
It was going to be so easy for Lawrence Villegas, a video game junkie who thought he could make a fast buck by opening up an arcade where kids could plunk down an endless supply of quarters to play Pac-Man, Space Invaders and Asteroids. Villegas got together with a few friends, purchased about 30 video games and opened Games, Etc. at 1302 S. First St in 1980. .,--.... For a while, things, went great Kids waited in line to spend their money to drive race cars, slay dragons and save the universe.
AT THE BEGINNING of 1982, however, the bottom fell out, and Villegas' revenues fell from $400 a week to $25. Today, Games, Etc. is vacant Villegas, 30, who is now working for his parents at Tony's Tortilla Factory, hasn't decided what he'll do with the building. "I was hooked on Asteroids, and I opened the business to get other people hooked, too," Villegas said. "But people started getting bored, and it wasn't worth keeping the place open. In the end, I sold some machines for so little it made me sick."
VILLEGAS ISNT the only video game operator to experience hard times, video game manufacturers and distributors 'It used to be fairly common to get $300 a week from a machine. Now we rarely get more than $100 .
Pac-Man's a lost cause. Six months ago, you could resell a Pac-Man machine for $1,600. Now, you're lucky to get $950 if you can find a buyer." Ronnie Roark says. In the past year, business has dropped 25 percent to 65 percent throughout the country, they say. Most predict business will get even worse before the market stabilizes. Video game manufacturers and operators say there are several reasons for the sharp and rapid decline: Many video games can now be played at home on television, so there's no reason to go to an arcade. The novelty of video games has worn off. It has been more than a decade since the first ones hit the market The decline can be traced directly to oversaturation or the market arcade owners say. The number of games in Austin has quadrupled since 1981, and it's not uncommon to see them in coin-operated laundries, convenience stores and restaurants.
WITH SO MANY games to choose from, local operators say, Austinites be came bored. Arcades still take in thousands of dollars each week, but managers and owners say most of the money is going to a select group of newer games, while dozens of others sit idle.
"After awhile, they all seem the same," said Dan Moyed, 22, as he relaxed at Muther's Arcade at 2532 Guadalupe St "You get to know what the game is going to do before it does. You can play without even thinking about it" Arcade owners say that that, in a nutshell, is why the market is stagnating.
IN THE PAST 18 months, Ronnie Roark, owner of the Back Room at 2015 E. Riverside Drive, said his video business has dropped 65 to 75 percent Roark, . who supplied about 160 video games to several Austin bars and arcades, said the instant success of the games is what led to their demise. "The technology is not keeping up with people's demand for change," said Roark, who bought his first video game in 1972. "The average game is popular for two or three months. We're sending back games that are less than five months old."
Roark said the market began dropping in March 1982 and has been declining steadily ever since. "The drop started before University of Texas students left for the summer in 1982," Roark said. "We expected a 25 percent drop in business, and we got that, and more. It's never really picked up since then. - "It used to be fairly common to get $300 a week from a machine. Now we rarely get more than $100. 1 was shocked when I looked over my books and saw how much things had dropped."
TO COMBAT THE slump, Roark said, he and some arcade owners last year cut the price of playing. Even that didn't help, he said. Old favorites, such as Pac-Man, which once took in hundreds of dollars each week, he said, now make less than $3 each. "Pac-Man's a lost cause," he said. "Six months ago, you could resell a Pac-Man machine for $1,600. Now, you're lucky to get $950 if you can find a buyer." Hardest hit by the slump are the owners of the machines, who pay $3,500 to $5,000 for new products and split the proceeds with the businesses that house them.
SALEM JOSEPH, owner of Austin Amusement and Vending Co., said his business is off 40 percent in the past year. Worse yet, some of his customers began returning their machines, and he's having a hard time putting them back in service. "Two years ago, a machine would generate enough money to pay for itself in six months,' said Joseph, who supplies about 250 games to arcades. "Now that same machine takes 18 months to pay for itself." As a result, Joseph said, he'll buy fewer than 15 new machines this year, down from the 30 to 50 he used to buy. And about 50 machines are sitting idle in his warehouse.
"I get calls every day from people who want to sell me their machines," Joseph said. "But I can't buy them. The manufacturers won't buy them from me." ARCADE OWNERS and game manufacturers hope the advent of laser disc video games will buoy the market Don Osborne, vice president of marketing for Atari, one of the largest manufacturers of video games, said he expects laser disc games to bring a 25 percent increase in revenues next year. The new games are programmed to give players choices that may affect the outcome of the game, Os borne said. "Like the record and movie industries, the video game industry is dependent on products that stimulate the imagination," Osborne said "One of the reasons we're in a valley is that we weren't coming up with those kinds of products."
THE FIRST of the laser dis games, Dragonslayer and Star Wan hit the market about two months ago. Noel Kerns, assistant manager of The Gold Mine Arcade in Northcross Mall, says the new games are responsible for a $l,000-a-week increase in revenues. Still, Kerns said, the Gold Mine' total sales are down 20 percent iron last summer. However, he remain optimistic about the future of the video game industry. "Where else can you come out of the rain and drive a Formula One race car or save the universe?" hi asked.
Others aren't so optimistic. Roark predicted the slump will force half of all operators out of business and will last two more years. "Right now, we've got a great sup ply and almost no demand," Roark said. "That's going to have to change before things get- significantly better."

Well there is a lot to take from that long article, among other things, that the author confused "Dragonslayer" with "Dragon's Lair". I lol'd.
Anyone who has been to Emo's East, formerly known as The Back Room, knows they have arcade games and pool, but it's mostly closed when there isn't a show. That shouldn't count as an arcade, even though the former owner Ronnie Roark was apparently one of the top suppliers of cabinet games to the area during the Golden Era. Any pool hall probably had a few arcade games at the time, too, but that's not the same as being an arcade.
We also learn from the same article of two forgotten arcades: Muthers at 2522 Guadalupe where today there is a Mediterranean food restaurant, and another called Games, Etc. at 1302 S.First that today is the site of an El Mercado restaurant. But the article is mostly about showing us how bad the effects were from the crash at the end of the Golden Era. It was very hard for the early arcades to survive with increasing competition from home game consoles and personal computers, and the proliferation of the games into stores and restaurants.
Forgotten Arcades #5 #6 & #7
Computer Madness - 2414 S. Lamar Blvd.
Electronic Encounters - 1701 W Ben White Blvd (Southwood Mall)
The Outer Limits Amusements Center - 1409 W. Oltorf
March 4, 1982

'Quartermania' stalks South Austin
School officials, parents worried about effects of video games
A fear Is haunting the video game business. "We call it 'quartermania.' That's fear of running out of quarters," said Steve Stackable, co-owner of Computer Madness, a video game and foosball arcade at 2414 S. Lamar Blvd. The "quartermania" fear extends to South Austin households and schools, as well. There it's a fear of students running out of lunch money and classes to play the games. Local school officials and Austin police are monitoring the craze. They're concerned that computer hotspots could become undesirable "hangouts" for students, or that truancy could increase because students (high-school age and younger) will skip school to defend their galaxies against The Tempest.
So far police fears have not been substantiated. Department spokesmen say that although more than half the burglaries in the city are committed by juveniles during the daytime, they know of no connection between the break-ins and kids trying to feed their video habit But school and parental worries about misspent time and money continue. The public outcry in September 1980 against proposals to put electronic game arcades near two South Austin schools helped persuade city officials to reject the applications. One proposed location was near Barton Hills Elementary School. The other was South Ridge Plaza at William Cannon Drive and South First Street across from Bedlchek Junior High School.
Bedichek principal B.G. Henry said he spoke against the arcade because "of the potential attraction it had for our kids. I personally feel kids are so drawn to these things, that It might encourage them to leave the school building and play hookey. Those things have so much compulsion, kids are drawn to them like a magnet Kids can get addicted to them and throw away money, maybe their lunch money. I'm not against the video games. They may be beneficial with eye-hand coordination or even with mathematics, but when you mix the video games during school hours and near school buildings, you might be asking for problems you don't need."
A contingent from nearby Pleasant Hill Elementary School joined Bedichek in the fight back in 1980, although principal Kay Beyer said she received her first formal call about the games last Week from a mother complaining that her child was spending lunch money on them. Beyer added that no truancy problems have been related to video game-playing at a nearby 7-11 store. Allen Poehl, amusement game coordinator for Austin's 7-11 stores, said company policy rules out any game-playing by school-age youth during school hours. Fulmore Junior High principal Bill Armentrout said he is working closely with operators of a nearby 7-1 1 store to make sure their policy is enforced.
The convenience store itself, and not necessarily the video games, is a drawing card for older students and drop-outs, Armentrout said. Porter Junior High principal Marjorie Ball said that while video games aren't a big cause of truancy, "the money (spent on the games) is a big factor." Ball said she has made arrangements with nearby businesses to call the school it students are playing the games during school hours. "My concern is that kids are basically unsupervised, especially at the 24-hour grocery stores. That's a late hour for kids to be out. I would like to see them (games) unplugged at 10 p.m.," adds Joslin Elementary principal Wayne Rider.
Several proprietors of video game hot-spots say they sympathize with the concerns of parents and school officials. No one under 18 is admitted without a parent to Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre at 4211 S. Lamar. That rule, says night manager David Dunagan, "keeps it from being a high school hangout. This is a family place." Jerry Zollar, owner of J.J. Subs in West Wood Shopping Center on Bee Cave Road, rewards the A's on the report cards of Eanes school district students with free video games. "It's kind of a community thing we do in a different way. I've heard from both teachers and parents . . . they thought this was a good idea," said Zollar.
Electronic Encounters in Southwood Mall last year was renovated into a brightly lit arcade. "We're trying to get away from the dark, barroom-type place. We want this to be a place for family entertainment We won't let kids stay here during school hours without a written note from their parents, and we're pretty strict about that," said manager Kelly Roberts. Joyce Houston, who manages The Outer Limits amusements center at 1409 W. Oltorf St. along with her husband, said, "I wouldn't let my children go into some of the arcades I've visited. I'm a concerned parent, too. We wanted a place where the whole family could come and enjoy themselves."

Well you can see which way the tone of all these articles is going. There were some crimes committed at some arcades but all of them tended to have a negative reputation for various reasons. Parents and teachers were very skeptical of the arcades being in the neighborhoods to the point of petitioning the City Government to restrict them. Three arcades are mentioned besides Chuck-E-Cheese. Electronic Encounters in Southwood Mall, The Outer Limits amusements center at 1409 W. Oltorf, and Computer Madness, a "video game and foosball arcade" at 2414 S. Lamar Blvd.
Forgotten Arcade #8
Smitty's Galaxy of Games - Lake Creek Parkway
February 25, 1982

Arcades fighting negative image
Video games have swept across America, and Williamson and Travis counties have not been immune. In a two-part series, Neighbor examines the effects the coin-operated machines have had on suburban and small-town life.
Cities have outlawed them, religious leaders have denounced them and distraught mothers have lost countless children to their voracious appetites. And still they march on, stronger and more numerous than before. A new disease? Maybe. A wave of invading aliens from outer space? On occasion. A new type of addiction? Certainly. The culprit? Video games. Although the electronic game explosion has been mushrooming throughout the nation's urban areas for the past few years, its rippling effects have just recently been felt in the suburban fringes of North Austin and Williamson County.
In the past year, at least seven arcades armed with dozens of neon quarter-snatchers have sprung up to lure teens with thundering noises and thousands of flashing seek-and-destroy commands. Critics say arcades are dens of iniquity where children fall prey to the evils of gambling. But arcade owners say something entirely different. "Everybody fights them (arcades), they think they are a haven for drug addicts. It's just not true," said Larry Grant of Austin, who opened Eagle's Nest Fun and Games on North Austin Avenue in Georgetown last September. "These kids are great" Grant said the gameroom "gives teenagers a place to come. Some only play the games and some only talk.
In Georgetown, if you're from the high school, this is it." He said he's had very few disturbances, and asks "undesirables" to leave. "We've had a couple of rowdies. That's why I don't have any pool tables they tend to attract that type of crowd," Grant said.
Providing a place for teens to congregate was also the reason behind Ron and Carol Smith's decision to open Smitty's Galaxy of Games on Lake Creek Parkway at the entrance to Anderson Mill. "We have three teenage sons, and as soon as the oldest could drive, it became immediately apparent that there was no place to go around here," said Ron, an IBM employee who lives in Spicewood at Balcones. "This prompted us to want to open something." The business, which opened in August, has been a huge success with both parents and youngsters. "Hundreds of parents have come to check out our establishment before allowing their children to come, and what they see is a clean, safe environment managed by adults and parents," Ron said. "We've developed an outstanding rapport with the community." Video arcades "have a reputation that we have to fight," said Carol.
Kathy McCoy of Georgetown, who last October opened Krazy Korner on Willis Street in Leander, agrees. "We've got a real good group of kids," she said. "There's no violence, no nothing. Parents can always find their kids at Krazy Korner."
While all the arcade owners contacted reported that business is healthy, if not necessarily lucrative, it's not as easy for video entrepreneurs to turn a profit as one might imagine. A sizeable investment is required. Ron Smith paid between $2,800 and $5,000 for each of the 30 electronic diversions at his gameroom.
Grant said his average video game grosses about $50 a week, and his "absolute worst" game, Armor Attack, only $20 a week. The top machines (Defender and Pac-Man) can suck in an easy $125 a week. That's a lot of quarters, 500 to be exact but the Eagle's Nest and Krazy Korner pass half of them on to Neelley Vending Company of Austin which rents them their machines. "At 25 cents a shot, it takes an awful lot of people to pay the bills," said Tom Hatfield, district manager for Neelley.
He added that an owner's personality and the arcade's location can make or break the venture. The game parlor must be run "by an understanding person, someone with patience," Hatfield said. "They cannot be too demanding on the kids, yet they can't let them run all over them." And they must be located in a spot "with lots of foot traffic," such as a shopping center or near a good restaurant, he said. "And being close to a school really helps." "Video games are going to be here permanently, but we're going to see some operations not going because of the competition," which includes machines in virtually every convenience store and supermarket, Hatfield said.

This article talks about three arcades. One in Georgetown called Eagles Nest, another in Leander called Krazy Korner, and a third called Smitty's Galaxy of Games on Lake Creek Parkway "on the fringes of North Austin". This is the one I remember the older kids talking about when I was a little kid. There was once a movie theater across the street from the Westwood High School football stadium and behind that was Smitty's. Today I think the building was bulldozed long ago and the space is part of the expanded onramp to 183 today. Eventually another unrelated arcade was built next to the theater that became Alamo Lakeline. It was another site of some unrecorded epic Street Fighter 2 and Mortal Kombat tournaments in the 90s.
But the article written before the end of the Golden Era tell us much about the pushback I was talking about earlier. Early arcades were seen as "dirty" places in some circles, and the owners of the arcades in Williamson County had to stress how "clean" their establishments were. This other article from a couple of weeks later tells of how area school officials weren't worried about video games and tells us more arcades in Round Rock and Cedar Park. Apparently the end of the golden age lasted a bit longer than usual in this area.
At some point in the next few years the bubble burst, and places like Smitty's were gone by the late 80s. But the distributors quoted earlier were right that arcade games weren't going completely away. In the mid 1980s LeFun opened up next in the Scientology building at 2200 Guadalupe on the drag. Down a few doors past what used be a coffee shop and a CVS was Einsteins Arcade. Both of those survived into the 21st century. I remember the last time I was at Einsteins I got my ass beat in Tekken by a kid half my age. heheh
That's all for today. There were no Bonus Pics in the UT archive of arcades (other than the classical architectural definition). I wanted to pass on some Bonus newspaper articles (remember to click and zoom in with the buttons on the right to read) about Austin arcades anyway but first a small story.
I mentioned earlier the secret of the UT Student Union. I have no idea what it looks like now but in the 90s there was a sizable arcade in with the bowling alley in the basement. Back in 1994 when I used to sneak in, they featured this bizarre early attempt at virtual reality games. I found an old Michael Barnes Statesman article about it dated February 11, 1994. Some highlights:

Hundreds of students and curiosity-seekers lined up at the University of Texas Union to play three to five minutes of Dactyl Nightmare, Flying Aces or V-Tol, three-dimensional games from Kramer Entertainment. Nasty weather delayed the unloading of four huge trunks containing the machines, which resemble low pulpits. Still, players waited intently for a chance to shoot down a fighter jet, operate a tilt-wing Harrier or tangle with a pterodactyl. Today, tickets will go on sale in the Texas Union lobby at 11:30 a.m. for playing slots between noon and 6 p.m.
Players, fitted with full helmets, throttles and power packs, stood on shiny gray and yellow platforms surrounded by a circular guard rail. Seen behind the helmet's goggles were computer simulated landscapes, not unlike the most sophisticated video games, with controls and enemies viewed in deep space. "You're on a platform waiting to fight a human figure," said Jeff Vaughn, 19, of Dactyl Nightmare. "A pterodactyl swoops down and tries to pick you up. You have to fight it off. You are in the space and can see your own body and all around you. But if you try to walk, you have to use that joy stick to get around."
"I let the pterodactyl carry me away so I could look down and scan the board," said Tom Bowen of the same game. "That was the way I found out where the other player was." "Yeah, it's cool just to stand there and not do anything," Vaughn said. The mostly young, mostly male crowd included the usual gaming fanatics, looking haggard and tense behind glasses and beards. A smattering of women and children also pressed forward in a line that snaked past the lobby and into the Union's retail shops.
"I don't know why more women don't play. Maybe because the games are so violent," said Jennifer Webb, 24, a psychology major whose poor eyesight kept her from becoming a fighter pilot in real life. "If the Air Force won't take me, virtual reality will." "They use stereo optics moving at something like 60 frames a second," said computer science major Alex Aquila, 19. "The images are still pretty blocky. But once you play it, you'll want to play it again and again." With such demand for virtual reality, some gamesters wondered why an Austin video arcade has not invested in at least one machine.

The gameplay looked like this.
Bonus Article #1 - "Video fans play for own reasons" (Malibu Grand Prix) - March 11, 1982
Bonus Article #2 - "Pac-Man Cartridge Piques Interest" - April 13, 1982
Bonus Article #3 - "Video Games Fail Consumer" - January 29, 1984
Bonus Article #4 - "Nintendoholics/Modems Unite" - January 25, 1989
Bonus Article #5 and pt 2 "Two girls missing for a night found at arcade" (truly dedicated young gamers) - August 7, 2003

https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-settlements/consumer-products/mobile-apps/huuuge-casino-agrees-to-6-5m-gambling-class-action-settlement/
Huuuge Casino along with other games under its parent company, Playtika, Ltd. was sued in Washington State for illegal gambling and has to pay a $6.5 million settlement to players.
Google sent me an email that they might use my info for a subpoena related to the lawsuit. Relevant part:
Specifically, Google may produce the contact information associated with your Google account used to make purchases for the gaming apps entitled Vegas Downtown Slots, Slotomania, House of Fun, and Caesars Casino.
Just thought that was interesting since I definitely bought more coins to complete the offer on time.
Update: Google sent another email saying they inadvertently notified me. No info was requested or will be released. 🤨

EDIT - one week after i posted this, Britain's most successful hedge fund manager Michael Platt has taken a 6.5% stake
tl;dr
At-NAV new SPAC with world-leading expertise in online gambling. Worth a bet on potential to be next DKNG on the hype train
   
+++++++
Hi all - have had a lot of great tips from this sub. Hopefully this pays some of you back. I have been watching and researching this since 23 December when it first filed S1, awaiting the units to be listed - they are available today trading as ADERU
Positions - 500 units @ 10.42 to start. Will be monitoring and building position below $15, especially if attention starts to build ahead of units and warrants splitting and shares coming available to Robinhood.
(My other SPAC positions are OPEN, IPO-E-F, PSTH, FUSE, PIPP, ACTC, CCIV and DMYD, 100 to 1000 shares each mostly around NAV and numerous warrants and options around these.)
As ever, this is not investment advice and do your own research
+++++++
   
26 Capital Acquisition Corp or ADER
is a 240m SPAC with usual terms - 10$ units, 1/2 warrants. Seeking a merger in "gaming and gaming technology, branded consumer, lodging and entertainment, and Internet commerce sectors".
I think this is highly worth a play on the online gambling hype if you can get in at near NAV, based entirely on the management which is unbeatable in its knowledge of the gambling industry
   
CEO Jason Ader
has held director level positions at Las Vegas Sands Corp. ($42bn one of biggest casino groups in world), IGT (£3.72bn multinational gambling firm specialised in software and slot machines) and Playtech (£1.4bn multinational gambling software firm)
Before starting his own fund in 2013 he was regularly ranked Wall Street's top analyst on the gambling and leisure sector
His fund, Spring Owl Capital, is a small activist fund focused on gambling and leisure. They are probably most famous for ousting the CEO of Viacom in 2016 and a crusade against Yahoo CEO Marissa Meyer in 2015.
Ader knows the gambling - and online gambling - industry inside out. He drove bWin to a £1.1bn takeover by gambling giant GVC (now Entain) in 2016, and has been driving similar change and demands for improvement at board level at Playtech
The fund mostly manages money for a select group of wealthy families, which could be a positive sign for the SPAC (although I don't know how much skin in the SPAC the fund has, if any)
Here is a video of Ader from November talking about how he's excited about SPACs. He talks about how he has been advising certain States about legalising sports betting and how to maximise value and liquidity by linking up with European companies in the space (Playtech e.g.??).
Ader is extremely bullish on US legalising online casino and more sports betting options, accelerated by need for revenue because of pandemic
   
Rafi Ashkenazi
One of the most highly respected names in the online gambling world, including COO and CEO positions at major online gambling firms such as Playtech and Stars Group (a world leader in online poker and casino). At Stars he led the $4.7bn takeover of Sky Betting to create the world's largest publicly listed online betting firm in 2018. Most recently he led the £10bn merger between Flutter (biggest gambling company in world by revenue, market cap £26bn), and Stars Group (Ader also involved). Also has connections into the booming Israel tech space which is interesting
   
Joseph Kaminkow
Special Advisor to the Chief Product Officer at Aristocrat, a leading gambling software provider and games publisher, previously Vice President of Game Design at Zynga Inc. This guy is a former video game / pinball designer who is credited with revolutionising the slots industry after moving into gambling software from video games in 1999. Regarded as a "legend" and "hall of famer" in this niche. At Zynga he designed so-called 'social casino games' which don't involve real-money gambling but are otherwise basically gambling apps (revenue from microtransactions etc). 130 patents on gambling/gaming design inventions
   
Greg Lyss
This is a very interesting but extremely low profile person. He was Bill Ackman a.k.a SPACman's right hand man at Gotham Capital. Ackman respected him so much that when Ackman set up a personal hedge fund to invest the Ackman family's money, he put Lyss in charge of it. To repeat - Bill Ackman thinks this guy is such a good investor and trustworthy that he put him in charge of investing his family's money. Don't know anything more about him, but I like this association with Ackman, which suggests to me some integrity around management of this SPAC, especially as the gambling world can be very murky.
The other member of the team is the CFO of SpringOwl with 20+ years' hedge fund experience and not notable (although clearly competent)
   
Thesis / potential targets
Based on the above experience and many public comments by Ader over the past year, I would be very surprised if ADER is not looking to merge with an online gambling technology provider / existing online betting website / social casino app / possibly a supporting technology provider
They are activist inventors, and specifically say in the IPO prospectus that they could look for businesses that can benefit from turnaround or are not being run well. I speculate that their deep knowledge of the European / global online gambling industry means they have a target in mind that they think would benefit from their expertise and US liberalisation of gambling legislation.
   
1) Ader believes the listing of UK-listed gambling companies in US is immediately big in terms of market cap because of the premium on online gambling stocks in US. He has pitched DraftKings to takeover Playtech and called on Playtech to spin off non-core business. This makes me wonder if he would spin off some element of Playtech to list in US to cash in on gambling hype.
This might be Finalto.com / TradeTech which is an online financial platform owned by Playtech. Playtech has been trying to sell this for 200 - 240m since August so it fits. This company provides liquidity and trading to brokerages and runs markets.com a trading site. I wouldn't be that excited although apparently the business has been booming during COVID and there could be a decent pop just on fintech hype.
   
2) This could be a 'picks and shovel' type data/B2B betting software play a la DMYD, or something like e.g. Israel based CRM software Optimove which works with some of biggest online gambling cos and has links to Ashkenazi. This would be interesting but probably not a huge pop
   
3) Possibly - given Ader's links to Sands - an online gambling tie-up with one of the big Vegas casinos who are desperate to get into the online betting space (see MGM's attempt to buy Entain for $8bn last week). Interestingly, Sands' owner Sheldon Adelson, previously a major opponent of online betting, has just died. Ader predicted a few months ago that Sands would be moving in this direction.

“There’s no stopping online gaming,” Ader said [before Adelson's death]. “(Las Vegas Sands’) initiatives to stop online gaming, at this stage, are largely historic. There hasn’t been a lot of spending recently to do that, especially post-pandemic.”
“I think the company will see the value created by DraftKings and FanDuel and Penn (National) Gaming and others. They’re not foolish,” Ader added. source

   
4) Ader is very confident that Macau will legalise online gambling in next year or two. Sands is big in Macau, the biggest gambling market in the world. A SaaS-type product positioned to capitalise on Asian gambling would be MASSIVE - at present however, China's attitude to gambling and local regulations mean this is unlikely
   
5) I also wonder if they might try to take legitimate one of the offshore bookmakers with big customer databases and brand recognition but which have been grey-area/illegal under US gaming legislation. For example, Five Dimes recently announced a settlement with the FBI to attempt to transition into newly legalised US markets. This might have the most hype potential
   
Potential upside
This is entirely a play on management experience and the meme factor / hype around online gambling in the US. I think if they pick a good target - which given their experience and connections seems likely - and get the right publicity and attention from retail investors looking for the next DKNG this could easily 3x and maybe 5-6x if on DKNG-type hype levels.
There is currently little spotlight on this and it is a good time to get in at NAV
   
Potential Downside

• Ader has been vocal that he thinks US online betting is overvalued and in a bubble - why is he starting his own SPAC in the space then? Does he just want to cash in while the hype is at all-time high or does he have a legitimate business goal?
  
• If he just wants to dump a part of Playtech which he does not like onto retail investors, this is a bad deal.
  
• Other targets could be e.g. hotel industry or other leisure sector which would be zero sexiness to retail. Given Ashkenazi and Kaminkow's background this seems unlikely though
  
• Usual SPAC caveats apply about potential difficulty finding a target, locking up your money for unspecified period of time, and the fact I may have completely misread the potential and my above thesis might be totally wrong
  

So I've been a fan of roguelikes for over a decade. Starting with Spelunky and the Binding of Isaac, I've likely spent half of my gaming time over the last decade just playing roguelikes.
Before we move on, I'd like to set a definition for "roguelike". The genre broadly describes games that are "like Rogue", with Rogue being an ASCII-based game from 1980. The definition has changed a lot over the years, but yeah. Here's my definition:
Roguelikes are games that prominently feature procedural generation, permadeath and player progression.
Although I'm sure a lot of roguelike purists won't agree with this definition, I'd argue that it's the definition most people are using these days. Consider Steam's list of roguelikes. Essentially none of the top selling roguelikes are "classic roguelikes". Same if you just Google "top roguelikes".
Anyway, this genre is very, very varied. From twin stick shooters, like the Binding of Isaac or Enter the Gungeon, to platformers, like Spelunky, to deck builders, like Slay the Spire. There are roguelike first person shooters, there are roguelike rhythm games. I'm sure if you look enough you'll find a roguelike carting game or fighting game
So, what makes a roguelike, a roguelike? It's not the moment to moment gameplay, that's for sure. The moment to moment gameplay of a game like BPM: BULLETS PER MINUTE couldn't be more different from that of a game like Slay the Spire.
Allow me to introduce Luck be a Landlord. It's a game I stumbled on a couple of days ago. I consider it a distilled roguelike. In my opinion, it has everything that makes a roguelike a roguelike, without much of the gameplay of other roguelikes.
What is Luck be a Landlord? It is essentially a roguelike slot machine. The gameplay consists of essentially 3 things: You spin the slot machine, after every spin you get to choose a symbol to add to the slot machine, and every few spins (if you've got enough money to survive), you get to choose an item that (usually) gives you passive bonuses.
It's worth noting that, unlike normal slot machines, you don't get money for having several of the same symbols in a row. Instead, symbols give you money every spin, as long as they are visible on the slot machine.
Most symbols react to certain specific other symbols, if they happen to be adjacent on the slot machine. So, instead of going for multiple of the same symbol in a row (which usually doesn't actually do anything), you want to be going for synergies between symbols. For example, one of the symbols is a chef, which gives adjacent food symbols 2x their value.
The ultimate goal is to get a lot of synergies between your symbols, as well as with your items. If you get a good synergy going, you'll likely breeze to the end, but if you don't, you don't really have a chance to make it
This game isn't fair. Because you don't know what symbols you'll be offered in the future, you have no idea if the symbols offered to you at the start will be any good. Despite this, I really enjoy it.
It's interesting to think that this simple slot machine setup is so similar to other roguelikes. It has a lot of the same risk/reward systems in place... Which brings me to the ultimate question of this long post: if you're a fan of roguelikes, do you just like gambling?
There really is something so thrilling about picking an item that might pay off later instead of one that will pay off a tiny amount immediately. In many roguelikes, you often get given choices where you can make your life harder in the short term to hopefully make your life easier in the long term. It's about risk management, about knowing when to risk it all or when to walk away. It's about counting your losses when they happen, or celebrating when your risks pay off.
I think, to me, that is a big part of the appeal of roguelikes.
Of course, there is also a lot of joy in mastering the systems of each roguelike. Unlike Luck be a Landlord, most roguelikes have constant skill checks, which are often extremely enjoyable as well. It's not all gambling. However, in every roguelike I've played, a large factor is the risks involved throughout the game. Decisions between going a hard route for more money or an easy route for less money. Decisions about buying health or saving money for upgrades.
What are your thoughts on this? Please let me know
P.S I don't ever gamble in real life. If roguelikes have taught me anything, it's that I suck at gambling. In real life, you can't just restart if your gambles don't pay out.

The playoffs continue to rage on, but there are 26 teams sitting at home with nothing to do but twiddle their thumbs, watch the Conference Finals, and wait for next season to start.
For their sake, we wanted to look ahead with the next edition of the OFFSEASON BLUEPRINT series. In each, we'll preview some big decisions and make some recommendations for plans of attack along the way. Today, we're looking at the Detroit Pistons.
step one: weave a new narrative
Some teams are good, some teams are bad -- but almost all of them have a general direction. Are you a young team on the rise? Or a veteran team trying to squeeze out as many wins as possible?
Right now, the Detroit Pistons are in a wonky grey area. They're missing an identity. When they tried to make the playoffs, they were fairly mediocre (records of 37-45, 39-43, 41-41). When injuries hit this past season, they plummeted down to 20-46. While that generally suggests a young and rebuilding team, the roster doesn't reflect that yet. Their marquee players are Blake Griffin (age 31) and Derrick Rose (age 31.) They also have a veteran coach in Dwane Casey who's more accustomed to competing than rebuilding. All in all, they feel like a confused, forgotten franchise.
Fortunately, there's a new sheriff in town. The team hired a new GM in Troy Weaver, who had been Sam Presti's right-hand man in Oklahoma City. Weaver's been on the verge of a GM job for several years now, and his hire represents something of a coup for this embattled organization.
Going forward, the franchise needs to hold the keys over to Weaver and allow him free reign to do whatever he wants. Back in OKC, he had experience with a variety of makeups: with a rebuilding team, with a contending team, with a rebuilding-wait-whoops-we're-accidentally-pretty-darn-good team. It's up to him to look at this roster and this payroll and determine the best path forward from here.
step two: hold a garage sale for your old homeowner's property
Presumably, Troy Weaver will treat this project as more of a teardown than a remodel. Mainstay center Andre Drummond is already out of the door, and the other veterans may join him on the bus out of Detroit.
Unfortunately, that may be easier said than done. It makes a lot of sense to trade star PF Blake Griffin to a veteran team, but his injuries and his contract ($37M + $39M player option) would make that difficult from a logistical perspective.
There's a chance that a desperate team may be willing to roll the dice on Griffin. Throughout his career, he's been one of the more misunderstood players in the league. People want to treat him as an athlete-dunker only, but he's actually a skilled ballhandler and passer. In his last healthy season in 2018-19, he averaged 24.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.4 assists, and even showcased an improved three-point shot (36.2% on 7.0 attempts per game.) If healthy, he'd be a major difference maker to a team like Portland.
Still, teams aren't going to give up major assets for Blake Griffin until he proves that he is healthy. From Detroit's perspective, it makes more sense to wait to trade him. They need him to come back, put up some good stats, and then float him in offers. Right now, you'd be trading Griffin for 20 cents on the dollar.
In contrast, Derrick Rose's stock may be at a high. He put up good raw numbers this year (18.1 points, 5.6 assists), and he's on a reasonable $7.5M expiring contract. He'd be a positive addition to a playoff team, best served as a Sixth Man scorer. The Pistons and their fans like Rose (and he likes playing here), but it'd be irresponsible for them to not consider trade options. If they get any decent offers, they have to pull the trigger. If the offers are weak -- R2 picks or so -- then the team can keep him around as a veteran leader and placeholder starter.
step three: don't let your breakout break out
As bad as the Pistons were, they had a few bright spots. Derrick Rose played better than expected. Luke Kennard looks on track to be a rising starter. And, most surprising of all, rando Christian Wood broke out as a legitimate NBA player. As a starter, Wood averaged 21.9 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. Wood is a springy, energetic player who also has an improving range (40% from three as a starter.)
You can read a longer deep dive about Christian Wood here, but to sum it up. A) His production looks legitimate, as he's been putting up numbers in virtually every stop as a pro. But B) His breakout may be poorly timed for the Pistons, because he's slated for free agency and about to get more expensive. He's a 24 year old whose best days should be ahead of him.
Based purely on his stats and scouting profile, you could talk yourself into a contract closing in on $15M a year for Wood. However, players with his "pedigree" (undrafted, limited sample size) rarely get that type of contract right away. To me, paying him somewhere in the range of 3 years, $36M would be a fair deal on both sides. There's too much uncertainty to justify much more of a commitment.
Of course, the Pistons should know better than any of us whether to trust Wood. Prior to this year, he had a mixed reputation in terms of his basketball IQ and work habits. If Coach Casey can sign off on Wood's character, then the team can feel more comfortable with him as a building block. If there are still red flags, perhaps it's better not to get too attached. The Pistons have more cap room than most teams this offseason, so the money shouldn't be a major deterrent to this decision. It should be entirely about Wood as a person and a player. If you believe that he's the real deal, then you keep him around.
step four: find your next field general
Christian Wood is a solid young player -- Luke Kennard is a solid young player -- but these aren't franchise players. They're secondary scorers and members of a supporting cast. To truly advance to the promised land, the Detroit Pistons are going to need to find transcendent talent, somehow and some way.
Unfortunately, the NBA Draft Lottery didn't help. The Pistons slipped down from the # 5 slot to the # 7 pick, making it unlikely that they'll land a future star.
On the bright side, the "supply and demand" may be on their side. This draft class happens to be heavy with point guards. There's LaMelo Ball (the # 1 prospect on ESPN), Killian Hayes (the # 1 prospect on The Ringer), and Tyrese Haliburton (one of the safer picks in the class.) If any of them slip down to # 7, the Pistons should strongly consider them. It usually takes a point guard a year or two to find their footing, but they can sit behind Derrick Rose for a year and then get unleashed in 2021. From a personality standpoint, Rose isn't going to mentor and educate like Aristotle, but he's capable of soaking up 25 minutes and allowing the next PG some time to develop.
If those top guards are not available (and they are unlikely to be), the Pistons may have to take some chances. One name I'm intrigued by is R.J. Hampton.
On face value, that'd be a "reach." Like LaMelo Ball, Hampton was a top high school prospect who went off to play in the Australian league. Unlike Ball, his NBA stock suffered as a result. While Ball put up numbers (17-8-7), Hampton put up weak stats -- 8.8 points, 2.4 assists on 41-30-68 shooting splits. As a result, Ball is now locked into top 3 pick status, and Hampton is seeing his name ranked around the 10-20 range in mock drafts.
However, I'd defend Hampton to some degree. We have to consider the context here. LaMelo Ball joined a struggling team called Illawarra. With Ball, the team went 3-9 (and finished 5-23.) When you're playing on a bad team like that, you can be the "star" and jack up as many shots as you want. In contrast, Hampton joined the New Zealand Breakers, a better team that relegated him to 20.6 minutes a night and a more limited role. His raw stats may not do him justice.
No doubt, Hampton has a long way to go, especially as a shooter. At the same time, he's a big lead guard (6'4" with a 6'7" wingspan) who flashes a lot of explosive scoring ability when he's getting downhill to the hoop. He's also a smart kid and allegedly a good worker. There's some legitimate "star" potential here, even if it's a narrow bull's eye. Hampton doesn't have the same athleticism as Russell Westbrook (hardly anyone does) but maybe there's a parallel here. After all, Weaver and OKC selected Westbrook after he'd been a little under the radar after playing off the ball at UCLA.
To be clear, I'm not urging Detroit to take R.J. Hampton at # 7. I'm not endorsing him as a future star like Westbrook. I don't know enough to do that; I don't sit around and splice up tape of New Zealand basketball. Still, the point is, the Pistons should be looking at upside players in that vein, knowing that they're going to need to hit a home run in the future.
step five: keep one hand on the detonator
The Detroit Pistons only have $68M committed on the books for next season, which means they could be players in free agency even if they re-sign Christian Wood.
If the team decided to go "all in" in a desperate attempt to compete, then you could maybe talk yourself into retaining Blake Griffin, handing out a big contract for Fred VanVleet, and shooting for the playoffs. That may work. But to what end...? The 7th seed? The 8th seed? Is that the end goal here?
More realistically, the team should (as discussed) try to get Blake Griffin back and fully healthy in order to showcase him for a trade. After that, they'd then dive into a full rebuild.
Presuming that's going to be the ultimate destination, then the Pistons may as well get a jump on that with free agency. With their remaining cap space, they can take on a toxic asset that comes attached with future picks, or take some fliers on young and promising players. Among my favorite gamblers of this offseason may include PG Kris Dunn (CHI), SG Denzel Valentine (CHI), SF Josh Jackson (MEM), and C Harry Giles (SAC.) None of them should draw huge money offers, making them reasonable purchases and lottery tickets.
If the Pistons end up blowing it up, then they should play their younger players over the course of the season. That should mean a lot of Sekou Doumbouya (entering Year 2) and even some Thon Maker (entering Year 42). If that means you only win 25-30 games, that's all right. It'll only help your odds for next year's lottery.
I've mentioned this before with some potential tankers (CLE, CHA, etc), but next year's draft could be quite strong. The group is headlined by point forward Cade Cunningham (heading to Oklahoma State) and scoring swingman Jalen Green (heading to the G-League), but there are about 4-5 other players who have the potential to join the # 1 pick conversation in time. The Detroit Pistons aren't likely to be bad enough to get a top 3 pick on their own, but the flattened lottery odds make it possible for the 7th or 8th worst team to leapfrog into that territory.
Of course, before Weaver and the Pistons officially press the detonator and go into full-blown rebuild/tank mode, they need to have a heart to heart with Coach Casey. He's 63 years old already, and entering the third year of a five-year deal. Is he going to embrace the rebuild? Is he going to be the scapegoat if they rack up losses? They need to get on the same page, out of fairness to Casey and out of fairness to this franchise. A reasonable solution would be to promise Casey that, if he does tank like a good soldier, he'll still be retained for next season. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither will chrome.
previous offseason blueprints
ATL, CHA, CHI, CLE, DAL, IND, GS, LAC, MIL, MIN, NYK, POR, SA, SAC, UTA

I'm obviously not the right marked as I just don't get it. How are the Slot machine games on the play store constantly number 1 2 3 and 4 on the top grossing games? Do you make real money? I get Barbie dolls, I'm a male but I can see the interest how they're popular. I can't see how a slot machine game that Dispences no money as fun. What am I missing? Edit: spelling

“Are you absolutely sure about this, sir?” Aida, the Fluffy Mart attendant, paused for an answer. One click of a button would be all it took to bring an end to this mess.
I looked down at the crate in my hands. A pair of large, light-green orbs peeked from within the shadows. Eyes welled with tears, brought on by fear, shame, regret. My brow furrowed, and I buried my face in my hand.
“You know what? I’m--”
Five years, Three months, and One week ago…
I walked my usual route. A chill wind froze all moisture in my nose. The hairs became stiff, and created an uncomfortable sensation. Like, wanting to sneeze, or an itch that couldn’t be scratched. I inhaled deeply to distract myself from the irritation.
Life felt lonelier now that I was away from home. I’d moved out a half a year back, got a place of my own. Paid for by a job that sucked all the cheer and motivation out of me. I thought becoming independent would be easier than living with mom and dad.
Instead I was in a stranger’s basement, feeling alone and unloved.
Maybe that’s why I found myself drawn to that place, that machine. I stared hard at the refurbished vending machine in front of me. It was neatly placed right outside a local variety shop. The thing dimly glowed with colourful lights. Each button nestled below a thick plastic window.
Inside the machine were dozens of little, fuzzy critters. No bigger than a hamster, with teeny tiny little tubes in their butts. Some slept on a warm pad, others suckled from a rubber nipple. And others peeped and cheeped as they crawled along their tiny compartment.
My eyes settled on one with deep black fluff. The microscopic, equine-like baby was sleeping softly. With every breath his little body inflated. Slowly, he deflated as he exhaled. He looked like a fuzzy black bean.
I chuckled at the thought.
His button read $15 dollars. A bit high for a Foal-In-A-Can, but not out of the ordinary. Black foals were a rare find, and though their kind found them to be repugnant, humans adored their shades. In the wild, they would never live a very good life amongst the herd but they had a natural advantage that their pastel and neon coloured companions lacked. By the virtue of their very fluff, brown, dark and grey foals had an easier time of remaining hidden.
I debated with buying the little guy for a moment. There was no rule against pets set by my landlord. And as far as I could tell, he didn’t detest fluffies. Actually, he had a mated pair of his own. Still, a fluffy, if not properly trained, could be a hassle. If I pressed this button, I was taking a gamble for my future, based on the fluffy’s personality. Could I handle this?
The machine dinged and beeped when I tapped my debit card to the payment module. I reached for, and pressed on the black foal’s button. With nary a sound, the machine transferred the foal to the delivery slot. The Foal didn’t hear, or feel, a thing until I plucked out his can.
He began to squirm as I carried him home. The sudden movement scared him, he began to cheep loudly.
“Hey, now. It’s OK buddy. Daddy’s going to take you home.” Those magic words instantly calmed the foal. Suddenly, the most terrifying moment of his little life- after being delivered to the machine for the first time, had become his happiest.
I set the Foal’s can on the table. My only table. At times the place I ate dinner, other times my work desk. I was careful to draw out the can’s built-in legs. With them in place the Foal’s capsule would not roll away. Instead it remained stationary, effectively transforming the can into a cradle with minimal effort.
I’d been smiling the entire time since returning home. The foal hadn’t cheeped or peeped since the previous incident. Something about bringing him home, and the formative developments to come brought out a side of me I’d never known was there.
The next four days were spent closely monitoring the foal, and ordering all the items and tools we’d need when he was out. I did some research into Fluffy growth and development. Canned Foals were easier to train in comparison to previous generations of fluffies. As his owner, the foal would recognize me as his parent. No competing with Mummahs or siblings.
And without any predisposition to other fluffies, I was effectively his whole world. The only authoritative figure in his life. In any other situation, that would be predatory or even abusive. But in this case it meant that training would be easier.
Introducing him to new stimuli, people, and stressors could be done at my discretion. Maybe it’s because I had such a controlling personality that this felt so easy. I had always been like that. I needed to control everything. Maybe that’s why I was always so lonely. I couldn’t let anyone else take the reins of control.
By the second day, the foal had doubled in size, and by the third, he was about ready to exit his Can. On the fourth day, the long awaited event came. A small, red light on the can flicked to life. The Milk was fully depleted, and the foal was ready for extraction.
I followed the release instructions to the letter, and gently encouraged the foal to slide out of the Can. He wiggled and squirmed as he vacated his home. The Tube in his butt hole naturally slid out, while a small catheter remained attached. A pseudo-umbilical cord.
The Foal crawled into my hand. He let out precious cheeps and peeps, happy to finally feel daddy’s warmth for himself. I sang to him, nuzzled him, and caressed him. All the while my other hand gently massaged the remaining tube out of his penis. He barely felt a thing, just barely.
Caught up in all the excitement, he would have cried if he wasn’t feeling happy to be held by daddy. If only he could know more about his daddy. If only he could see his daddy. And that’s exactly when it happened.
The black foal’s eyes fluttered open. He blinked, blinded by the sudden introduction of light, and colour, and shapes, and blurs. In one magical moment, everything came into being. The miracle blinded him, but only momentarily.
I felt my own heart begin to race, just as the foal’s did. Our heartbeats synchronized, this was the real moment I’d been waiting for. Almost immediately, the foal, who had known only my voice, looked up at my face and imprinted upon me. The vision of his father would be forever recorded into his mind.
“Hey there, little guy. It’s me! I’m your daddy.” The Foal’s green eyes grew wide for the first time. It was expected, Fluffies were made to love humans.
“Daddeh! Babbeh wub daddeh!” The foal squeezed my nearest finger, hugging me with all the love he could give.
We were both so happy in that moment. And in the months, years to come, we’d continue to be happy.
We’d be happy together for 5 years, 2 months, and 3 weeks. Jack, as I would eventually name him, would see me through my happiest, saddest, and darkest moments. With every anniversary, new partner, and countless jobs, Jack would be my rock. My dearest companion, best friend, and treasured confidant. Jack was, and continues to be, the keystone in the foundations of my adult life.
So, last week, when the doctor told us there were unusual growths within his legs, it nearly broke us. Jack had grown tired, unable to stay standing for longer than ten minutes, at most. Which is to say nothing of walking.
My current job required me to be out of the house for most daylight hours. Hours which Jack would spend alone, suffering without complaint. He’d lay next to the litter box, passively watching his favourite TV shows until it was time to poop or pee.
The Kibble bowl and a fluffy-safe water bottle had been uprooted from their place, next to the dining table, to Jack’s new spot. His basic needs were met and accounted for.
In the mornings, I’d place Jack in his “nest” and fill his food & water for the day. I’d feed him a sketti treat as I left for work, and turned the TV on.
When I got home, I would always find Jack resting, eyes puffy from crying. But he’d always tell me he was happy to see me. He’d lie, and say he wasn’t sad. The signs were obvious.
We’d spend the rest of the evening eating dinner together, and then putting a movie on, or reading a story together. Jack loved action movies. He said he liked how the people in them were always running to save the day.
I’d clean out his litter box, always taking time to praise Jack for being such a good boy and brave little fluffy. Finally, we’d go to bed together, sleeping until the alarm rang.
Today was a little different though. Today was a Saturday. No work, no obligations.
I set Jack in his nest, he assumed the usual position, and waved me off.
“I’ll be back soon buddy. I’m going to the store to get you something.”
“Otay Daddeh. Pwease be safe!”
I drove to the local fluffy mart. It had been a long time since I’d been to one. The last time I was here, it was to pick up a special order of Sketti-flavoured kibble. That was almost a year ago now. Jack had begged me for some when he heard about it from my Ex.
He’d always been a good boy, so I made him a deal. If he could find the six things I hid around the apartment, I’d buy him the sketti kibble. It was a long hunt for those things. I can’t even remember what they were now. Painted rocks, maybe?
I do know that it took Jack about three days to find them all. I’d hidden them all over, and in out-of-the-way places. It was a routine of ours, a test to keep his mind sharp. For an Earthy fluffy, Jack had become fairly smart.
He could read a little, at a first grade level. And I’d taught him how to read the clock. It was digital, so that was easy. He even learned the basics of addition and subtraction. Though any numbers bigger than nine always made his brain melt.
Jack was my everything. He was my son. To see him suffer, alone, and in silence, cut deeper than a knife.
I walked with purpose, my eyes scanning the aisle numbers, looking for exactly the right place. Four, Five, Six… All things a fluffy could need or want. Toys, leashes, collars, food, fixtures, etc.
At last, my eyes found the aisle I sought. The In-Store Adoption Centre.
It was a large area, filled with Fluffies in cages and pens. Newborns were kept with their mothers, in special shelves. Seeing Foals and Talky foals were kept in conjoined pens, fed by rubber milking nipples that aligned the walls. Walking foals all played in their own specialized pen. It was larger than the others.
Inside, the parade of technicolor fluffy foals played games like Huggy Tag, or Hide and Hug. Others pushed balls around, and some were stacking blocks. The bad eggs, the bullies and misbehaving foals would be forcibly removed and placed into a sorry box. Said box would be placed on a special “Bad Baby” shelf. Eventually, they’d either behave well enough to be reunited with the others, left up there permanently, or bought by someone who had bigger things in mind for them.
But Mummahs and Foals weren’t what I was looking for. Jack had a special friend once, I’d introduced him to a friend who had a mare that desperately wanted babies. She’d taken to Jack quickly, eagerly courting, and seducing him. Jack, who had seen all the men, women, and other folk I’d brought home had learned a very important lesson from all my mistakes. If someone came on too strongly, they were either desperate, or in desperate need of a visit to a therapist.
It was only after he and I had a long talk about his “special friend” that we all agreed it was safe for him to breed with her. He was actually really mature about it. He knew what he wanted, recognized the warning signs, and expressed his wants and fears to me.
When he learned the full scope of the relationship, to give my friend’s mare some foals, he happily agreed to give her special huggies. They actually sired around three broods in all their time together. Every time it was a transactional exchange. She’d want his babies, He’d impregnate her, and then he’d help her raise them for a while until they were weaned.
After Jack’s last brood, I asked him if he wanted any more kids. He said to me, “Nu, Daddeh, das enuff. Jak nu wan mowe babbehs.”
With that, I explained to Jack the concept of neutering. At first he thought I was punishing him by taking away his “speshul wumps”, but after the fourth time, he began to understand. I wasn’t punishing him. I wanted to make sure he wouldn’t have to suffer after choosing to stop making babies. Without them, he’d still be able to be a regular fluffy, it just meant no more babies. And for me, it meant not having him suffer from possible testicular cancer.
I wandered toward the stallion pens. They were organized by Breeders, and Steers, and further sub-categorized by Fluffy type, colour, and “smarty potential”. The sheer number of unicorns in that last column was staggering. Out of the six “smarties” five were unicorns. The last was a Pegasus.
The one and only Alicorn in the store was in the Breeders pen, and had a price tag to match. He was beautiful. A light blue coat, with a white mane. When I approached, he was as eager to play as the rest of them, but he had this tempered calmness to him. Like he’d learned to hold back, just enough to stand out amongst his peers. If I was looking to breed some fluffies, I would have bought him right then and there.
I settled on another Earthy, like Jack. This one was a steer. Chemically castrated, so that he’d retain his testes, but would never be able to use them. He’d probably been too old to safely neuter before coming here. Maybe he’d been a poor quality breeder, or was a feral taken in and cared for by the store.
“Roger” read his name tag. The stallion wasn’t very impressive in the looks department. A very basic yellow, with jade-coloured eyes. His mane was orange, making him stand out just enough. When I picked him up, he examined my face. It was like being evaluated for a job interview. Cold, distant, and full of judgment. I had half a mind to drop him then and there.
Eventually, a smile grew across Roger’s muzzle.
“Nyu daddeh? Take Wogew tu nyu housie, an gib nummies? An toysies, an wub?” The stallion machine-gunned me with all the usual questions. If I’d ever adopted a fluffy before, maybe I would have developed a sense for this sort of thing. But all I could think about was Jack, and how happy he’d be to have a new friend.
I brought Roger to the checkout register, along with a new bag of kibble. The cashier went through the whole checklist with me. Did I have the right amount of food? And bowls? And Toys, and a safe room, and this and that? Was I ready to take a fluffy at home?
I squinted at her name tag. She was about my height, short dark hair, with tattoos on her arms. One of them looked like a Spider, another had a big heart with the word “Fluffies” in the middle.
“I have it all. Thanks for the help, uhh, Aida.”
The drive home was with filled with scared cries from Roger. He was in a carrier box, probably for the first time in his life. The movement of the car, combined with the unfamiliar sound of the engine spooked him mightily.
“Wogew nu wike sowwy boxie! Nu wike meanie munstah tingy! Daddeh, hewp fwuffy! Wan out.”
I did my best to reassure him, to calm him down. The effort fell on deaf ears. He was scared, and that’s all that mattered. Apparently, he was so scared he shat and pissed in the carrier. I groaned. That was going to take a while to clean up, and the smell would linger in the car if I didn’t perform an adequate job of it.
The eventual arrival home felt like an eternity had passed. I swore it must have taken half the day to get back. In truth, it was only Noon.
Jack nearly leapt out of his nest to greet me, if he could have. Instead he stood on his hooves, and slowly waddled over to me. Each step was carefully taken to minimize pain from the growths.
“Daddeh came back! Su happies. Jak was gud fwuffy, daddeh!”
I knelt down and stroked Jack’s fluff. He nuzzled his head into my hand almost immediately. He let out a satisfied coo when I started to scritch behind his ears.
“I have something for you, Jack. Or, should I say, someone!” I set the crate down next to Jack. I’d taken the time to clean up while I was outside, using some wet-wipes on Roger, and some handy emergency towels to get rid of his mess.
Roger felt the carrier set down on the floor. He could smell his new daddy’s scent all over his new housie. But he also smelled another fluffy! Unfortunately, it didn’t smell like a mare, but another stallion. Well, at least he wouldn’t be too bored.
The gate to the carrier opened, and Roger surged forth, escaping its confines. He took in the sight around him. He was finally in a human housie! It had a couch, where his new daddy would watch TV with him, and a table where his daddy would feed him sketties every day, and even another fluffy for Roger to play with. Except, the fluffy looked older, tired.
“Hewwo, nyu fwend,” Jack waddled over to the young, yellow stallion. “Fwuffy namsie am Jak, wut ‘ou namsies?”
“Fwuffy am Wogew! ‘Ou be nyu fwend? Wan pway? Wets pway!” Almost immediately, Jack’s face lit up. Roger hopped and skipped around him, eager to start playing.
I stood back up and watched the two fluffies take off. Jack moved cautiously, with practised steps. Roger, meanwhile, galloped across the room, and back again in the time it took Jack to catch up.
Jack gave Roger a tour of the apartment. The older fluffy showed Roger where it was safe to play, and which places to avoid. Jack had the wisdom of five years on his side, and an authoritative tone to match. But as Roger took in every word, he began to question Jack.
“Wai nu can go dewe?” Roger pointed to a closet.
“Coz, Daddeh keep shuuz dewe.” Jack replied.
“Wai nu can pway in dewe?” Roger pointed to the washroom this time.
“Baffwoom onwy for baff times, Wogew. Daddeh say nu pway in dere. Onwy when baff time.” Jack stated.
I backed him up every time he answered correctly, and offered an explanation when Jack fell short. Roger began to understand how things worked in this housie.
And he didn’t like it.
Daddeh was daddeh, so he made the rules. But Jack is only a little, itty bitty, teeny tiny, bit older than Roger. He couldn’t know better than him, right? They were both fluffies, and Roger wasn’t going to let another fluffy boss him around. Not anymore, never again.
// AN: This came out a lot longer than intended, so I split it into two chapters. Translating "Roger" into Fluffy Speak was more annoying than expected. To be honest, I'm not fully satisfied with it either.
See you in Part 2!

(Credit for the below list has to be given to u/BurritoFueled, who created the original list in 2014 and updated it a year later. Almost two-thirds of the items below are still from that original list. All I’ve done with the list is revive it a little bit by updating dead links and making little tweaks when necessary. Also, thanks to those that submitted new additions to the list last week. Over a third of the below items are new and a lot of the original items have had newer information added onto them.)
People are always looking for something to do around here. Maybe you’re a transplant, unaware of what this area has to offer, or maybe you’re a lifelong resident, tired of the same old thing. Well friend, if you fall into the latter category, do not despair. There’s actually plenty of things to do in the Sacramento area – things of interest to almost any lifestyle, personality, or budget.
So, whether you’re an athlete, geek, eccentric, hipster, weirdo, sexual deviant or just a normal person looking for a new activity, below is a list of activities for you to try. Please note that it includes only activities that take place at least a few times a year – no one-off events or festivals here.
Enjoy this list. If you have any suggestions of your own to add, comment below in this thread. I'll try to keep this as up to date as possible.
Away we go.
UPDATED 10-6-20
(Note: Due to the current pandemic, some of these activities may be curtailed or not offered at all.)

• Cast you some spells and slang them multi-sided dice at Great Escape Games and/or A1 Comics in Sacramento.
• Paintball it up at Capital Edge or Davis Paintball,
• Take a walk among the tree tops at Tree Top Sac.
• Visit the California State Capitol Museum. Or just the Capitol building. They are one and the same. The tour is free!
• Rekindle your dreams of being a pilot or astronaut at the Aerospace Museum of California.
• Take a ride through automotive history at the California Automobile Museum.
• Like to Knit? Enjoy a good chat? Join a Knit and Chat at Knitique: A yarn boutique in Elk Grove.
• Play disc golf at one of several courses in the area.
• Become the next Tiger Woods (the golf part, not the cheating, getting your windshield smashed by your wife with one of your golf clubs part). Start by hitting up a driving range at Top Golf or Haggin Oaks.
• Can't get enough 2nd Saturday? Try 3rd Saturday in Roseville, 3rd Saturday in Placerville, or 2nd Friday in Davis.
• Get your culture on at the Crocker Art Museum.
• If you prefer culture that keeps you on your toes, check out the Sacramento Ballet. Want to become a ballet dancer? They offer classes as well.
• More into theater? Check out the Broadway shows that come to the Music Circus annually. If your tastes align with smaller productions, check out the B Street Theater calendar.
• Go Geocaching for one of the thousands of great hides in the area.
• Join an intergalactic war for local landmarks and public art in the Google-produced, GPS-Dependent MMORPG, Ingress.
• Tour the live-work spaces of Sacramento artists, and buy some art, during First Friday at Warehouse Artist’s Lofts. They often put on performances during First Friday as well.
• Everyone knows about the Kings, Republic and the River Cats. Check out some of Sacramento's other sports teams: The Sacramento Sirens (women's tackle football), Sacramento Gold (men's soccer), or California Storm (women's soccer).
• Enjoy the fast-paced, bone crushing action of roller derby with Sacramento roller derby.
• Preserve and explore the area's unique history and heritage by joining or supporting groups such as the Sacramento County Historical Society, Preservation Sacramento, and Sacramento Modern.
• Watch people drive really fast at Sacramento Raceway (drags), All American Speedway (short track), and Placerville Speedway (dirt).
• Drive your own car really fast at Sacramento Raceway's Wednesday Night Street Legal Drags.
• Purchase the sweetest sweet corn in all the land at the Davis Ranch in Sloughhouse.
• When you're done in Sloughhouse, head a little further up the Jackson Highway (just past Rancho Murieta), hang a left on Michigan Bar Road, and cross the bridge (it's safe, trust me!) for one of the most historic, beautiful, and adventurous road trips in the entire area. Make sure you bring a hearty vehicle and avoid during winter and spring.
• Play bocce ball at East Portal Park or Sutter’s Landing Park. When Sutter’s Landing skate park is open, you can borrow free bocce balls at the front desk if you give them your ID.
• Get your party on at THIS, a free concert series every second Saturday at 20th and K during the warm months of the year.
• Grind some rails at Sacramento, Elk Grove, Folsom, Rocklin, and Citrus Heights skate parks.
• Catch some air at Elk Grove, Oak Creek, and Elkhorn BMX parks.
• Learn to dominate obstacles with parkour training at Free Flow Academy.
• Dominate the boulders at Putah Creek. If indoor rock climbing suits you better, try Pipeworks, The Boulder Field, or Granite Arch.
• Spend a day at Sacramento’s only “extreme air sport park”, Defy. Or just spend hours jumping in a trampoline park at Rebounderz in Arden-Arcade, Urban Air Trampoline & Adventure Park also in Arden-Arcade, or at Rockin' Jump in Elk Grove or Roseville.
• Become a confident public speaker with the Toastmasters.
• Learn about some of Sacramento’s history at Sutter’s Fort. (Or you can just follow u/sacramentohistorian).
• For a different view of Sacramento history, check out the State Indian Museum. (You can still follow u/sacramentohistorian though).
• Of course there’s the “official” Sacramento History Museum. A visit there can include an underground tour of Old Sacramento if that interests you.
• After taking the underground tour, take a stroll across this sub’s favorite bridge – the Tower Bridge). Make sure to take a picture and post it. This sub can’t get enough bridge pics.
• Beat the summer heat by getting soaked at Raging Waters, getting towed by a cable (wakeboarding) at Wake Island Water Park, or playing on floating inflatable climbing structures at Velocity Island Park. If you prefer to dip your toes in the sand and just lay out in the sun, try Sand Cove Park.
• Show off your moves at the downtown outdoor ice skating rink during the winter months. If you need to show them off year round, you can do so indoors at Skatetown in Roseville.
• Take a short drive to Rancho Seco Lake for picnics, swimming, fishing, and hiking. Watch out for three-headed frogs.
• Attend an event with the cool kids at Sacramento’s DIY artist event space, The Red Museum.
• Take a trip out of the city and go visit one of our many state parks in the region.
• Or stay in the city and visit one of those state parks – the Leland Stanford Mansion – if 19th century Victorian architecture floats your boat.
• Watch some slobberknockers live with Total Wrestling Federation and Supreme Pro Wrestling events. If you'd rather lay the smack down on some jabroni yourself, both promotions offer training.
• Join a fraternal organization like the Elks or Odd Fellows for cheap drinks/meals, camaraderie, and old school cool – all for a good cause.
• Explore the amazing Vernal Pools of Mather Field – an endangered habitat.
• Check out – or offer your services – at the Oak Park Fix-it Café, a community-powered gathering for repairing and maintaining bicycles, clothing, household items, and the ties that bind a healthy community.
• Buy some tricks, attend magic workshops, and become the next David Blaine at Grand Illusions.
• Go watch some horseracing at Cal Expo. It’s harness racing from November through April and then traditional horseracing during the state fair. Want to end up with small fortune at the end of your day at the track? It’s easy. Just start your day there with a large fortune.
• Take in a sultry and sexy burlesque show from these local troupes: Midtown Moxies, Siren Academy, The Darling Clementines.
• Learn about wild edibles in the area with the Sacramento Foragers.
• Live your Hunger Games fantasies at the Discovery Park Archery Range and Wilderness Archery in Rocklin.
• Watch some high school football! The Sacramento region boasts some of the best high school programs in the state. Check out top notch teams like Grant, Elk Grove, Folsom, and Del Oro to see potential NCAA Division 1 and NFL players of the future.
• Watch some college football! Sac State had a huge resurgence in 2019 and UC Davis has always had a solid program. You can also check out the JC teams such as ARC and Sac City.
• Learn about bizarre and fascinating surgical implements of the past at the Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical History Museum. Entry is free.
• Partake in Mike Tyson's favorite hobby with the Fort Sutter Pigeon Racing Club.
• If Live-Action Role Play (LARP) floats your boat, Sacramento Valley Amtgard has the battles, weapons workshops, and skills classes you've been looking for.
• Take a ride on the Sacramento River Train. You can ride the train or power along the tracks yourself with railbikes. They have different train excursions, including beer tasting and wine tasting trips. If you want to book a trip on a weekend, book early.
• Want to learn how to fish? Try Fishing in the City from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. After you’ve learned, check out the blog from FishingBooker on where and when to go fishing and what to expect. For some recent local recommendations, check here, here, here or here.
• If fishing tours are more your style, catch your lunch on a guided fishing tour of local waterways.
• Take in a play at one of Sacramento's smaller, edgier, more contemporary community theatre companies, like the Big Idea Theatre.
• Take acting classes from acting coach to the Sacramento stars, Ed Claudio. If comedy is more your thing, try taking a class at Sacramento Comedy Spot or STAB! Comedy Theater.
• Of course, if you just want to drink and watch comedy, there are several clubs in the area, offering both local and national touring comedians.
• If movies are your thing, check out the only drive-in theater in the area.
• Enjoy some dirt cheap entertainment with one man band Winko Ljizz at the Acoustic Sanctuary.
• Party down and help kids with the Women's Active 20-30 social club.
• Take a tour or attend an event put on by the Old City Cemetery Committee.
• Do you like beer and visiting breweries, but don’t like driving between them? Midtown Sacramento has got you covered! Make a day of it by visiting these breweries, all within easy walking distance of each other: At Ease, Sacrament, Big Stump, Golden Road, Fieldwork, and Alaro. If you don’t mind walking a few extra blocks, you can add Device and Urban Roots to the list.
• Visit a cidery at Two Rivers Cider in Land Park or a meadery (honey wine) at Strad Meadery in Rancho Cordova.
• I don't know any chess puns to make here, but if you're into chess, you should join the Sacramento Chess Club.
• Join a pickup basketball game at one of Sactown's best streetball courts.
• Join a running club. Sloppy Moose Running Club does a three-mile fun run at New Helvetia Brewing on Thursdays. Fleet Feet Sacramento Run Crew meets every Tuesday at Sac Yard Tap House for a three-mile walk or run.
• Attend Wonk Wednesday, where policy wonks, planners, developers, urban designers and concerned citizens partake in an ongoing conversation about smart growth, urban planning, and climate change.
• Enjoy your favorite horror flicks in a whole new way with Amber's Sweets – one of the nation's premier shadow casting troupes.
• Attend a conversation hosted by California Groundbreakers – you’ll hear interesting people talking about interesting things.
• Do you need a heavy dose of tranquility? Stroll around the UC Davis Arboretum for an afternoon and take in all the flora and fauna. If you really love flowers, you can also visit Horton Iris Garden in Loomis (open April and May only) or Amador Flower Farm in Plymouth.
• Ever wanted to learn to sail, kayak or row? You’re in luck! The Sac State Aquatic Center offers lessons for those activities and more.
• Antiquing never gets old, right? Visit Midway Antique Mall in Citrus Heights (focusing almost solely on midcentury wares), Antique Trove in Roseville, or the Antique Fair that happens every second Sunday on X Street, under the freeway.
• Take butchering classes at Taylor's Market and become the master of meats.
• Learn to prepare fabulous meals at home with cooking classes at Good Eats or Sac Food Coop.
• See 1500-4000 year old petroglyphs, rock art, and grinding holes at the Maidu Museum and Historic Site in Roseville.
• Take the plunge at SkyDance Skydiving in Davis. If you want the skydiving experience without actually jumping out of an airplane, try iFly in Roseville.
• If you'd rather fly the plane than jump out of it, take pilot lessons at Sacramento Executive Airport.
• Produce and broadcast your own TV and radio programs at Access Sacramento.
• Play that weird sport you always watch when nothing else is on during the Winter Olympics with the Wine Country Curling Club at Skatetown in Roseville.
• If playing weird sports on ice isn’t your thing, partake in a weird sport on dirt and grass with the Sacramento Cricket Association.
• For more normal sports, with a big time social emphasis as well, join one of the sports leagues at XOSO and make some new friends.
• Scratch that adrenaline itch by going bungee jumping.
• Join a local car or motorcycle club.
• Take a walk along the Sacramento River Deep Water Ship Channel after parking at the Barge Canal Access near the port.
• Become a kingpin…of the lanes! There are plenty of places in the area to go bowling: Capitol Bowl in West Sacramento, AMF Land Park Lanes in Land Park, Punch Bowl Social Sacramento next to the Golden 1 Arena downtown, Country Club Lanes in Arden-Arcade, Bowlero North Sacramento in North Sac, Steve Cook's Fireside Lanes in Citrus Heights, Strikes Unlimited in Rocklin, or Foothills Bowl in Auburn.
• Be amazed or creeped out by more than seven million living and dead insect specimens at the Bohart Museum of Entomology in Davis.
• Take your 4x4, dirtbike, or ATV off-road at Prairie City SVRA
• If motorcross is your bag, hit the track at Prairie City MX (private track) or Riverfront MX Park in Marysville. Rental bikes and lessons are available at both.
• Programmers, coders, entrepreneurs, makers, inventors, and those who aspire to be one of these: find workspace, resources, meet-ups, and classes at the Hacker Lab..
• Pub crawls are the past, The Brew Bike is the present. Just ask anyone here. This sub loves the Brew Bike!
• If you would rather pedal over water than on land, try The Brew Boat.
• Get into a duel at Sacramento Sword School or the Sacramento Fencing Club.
• Exercise your 2nd amendment rights on the ranges at The Gun Room in Elk Grove or The Gun Range. Rent one of their hand cannons or bring your own.
• Build superior intelligence (or some sort of contraption to feed your cat for you) with the Sacramento Area Robotics Group.
• Play a round of Citizens of Catan and enjoy a tasty brew with the Beer and Board Game group.
• Go see the cool animals at the Sacramento Zoo. Bring the kids and make it a full day out with a visit to Fairytale Town or Funderland Amusement Park as well.
• Go on a walking food tour with Local Roots Food Tours.
• Buy some gold pans or a sluice box and head for the hills to pan for gold, just like those that first came to the area.
• Join a cryptocurrency group.
• If you don't wanna work and just wanna bang on your drum all day, Sacramento Taiko Dan can help.
• Want to become the next Picasso? You gotta start somewhere, so take a paint and sip class at The Painted Cork in Midtown Sacramento or Historic Folsom.
• It’s well known that you can play miniature golf at Scandia, but did you know that there are indoor mini golf courses in the area as well? Try SacMiniGolf in Old Sacramento, Flatstick Pub in DoCo downtown, or even glow-in-the-dark indoor mini golf at Monster Mini Golf in Rancho Cordova or at CaliGlo in Elk Grove.
• Learn how to manage your mind with Sacramento Insight Meditation.
• Play some poker at any one of several local card rooms.
• Race your RC cars (or rent one) at LSR Speedway in Sacramento or Speedworld in Roseville. Slot cars run at Fast Track Hobbies in Rocklin.
• Find cool stuff that other people lost with the Sacramento Metal Detecting Buffs. Or learn to dive and see if you can meet up with u/Merman_Mike and find stuff at the bottom of rivers or lakes.
• Visit tribal-owned Seka Hills Olive Mill in the Capay Valley to taste local olive oils and honeys as well as getting a tour of the mill itself. Check to see if there is an active Groupon before going.
• (NSFW) Take it all off and strut your stuff at Gold Club Centerfolds Amateur night for a chance to win $450. Sorry guys...this is for ladies only.
• (NSFW) Men and women, if you just like walking around naked in general, let it all hang out at Laguna del Sol nudist resort in Wilton.
• (NSFW) Find someone to get freaky with at an Allures Lifestyle swinger party.
• Make Mr. Miyagi proud by joining the Sacramento Bonsai Club – the oldest bonsai club in the United States.
• Make something quaint and take a selfie next to that giant needle flagpole thing at the Meissner Sewing & Learning Center
• Grab your binoculars and admire the hundreds of native bird species in the area – as well as those passing through via the Pacific Flyway – at several recommended locations.
• Find true love, or just someone to do all these activities with, at a local singles event.
• Rent a raft with River Rat or American River Raft Rentals, or grab some crap from the pool, and participate in a favorite Sacramento pastime by floating on the American River.
• For a more invigorating river experience try a whitewater tour
• Do a free, self-guided tour of Sacramento history via Anytime Tours, an app and project of the Center for Sacramento History, City of Sacramento and Sacramento History Museum.
• Take a coffee-tasting class or brewing/barista class at Chocolate Fish Coffee Roasters.
• Explore the fascinating world of orchid collecting (seriously, this hobby and the people who pursue it are crazy interesting) with the Sacramento Orchid Society.
• Race go-karts at K1 Speed in Sacramento.
• The Sacramento Cactus and Succulent Society meets, and hosts a talk, at the Shepard Garden and Arts Center in McKinley Park monthly and welcomes guests. They also do field trips and their Annual Show and Sale is a must-see event for plant lovers.
• Take a relaxing cruise on the Sacramento River aboard the Hornblower Yacht.
• Go on a scavenger hunt with Urban Adventures Quest, Sacramento Scavenger Hunt, or Let’s Roam. For a cool, unique hunt using your bike and finding stickers around town, follow Sacramento Bike and Seek on Instagram and be on the lookout for their free adventures.
• Blow something long and hot in the glory hole at Sacramento Art Glass.. Classes are available.
• Shoot your dinner on a guided hunting tour. Potential targets include ducks, geese, turkey, quail, and deer.
• Check out some of Sacramento’s murals or see muralists in action during Wide Open Walls, a yearly event.
• Take a guided tree tour with the Sacramento Tree Foundation.
• Admire the heavens above with the Sacramento Valley Astronomy Society. You can also take a drive up to Placerville and visit the Community Observatory for free (although they do charge $2 for parking).
• Explore the history of pharmacy in California at the Don and June Salvatori California Pharmacy Museum.
• Did you know an "extreme sport" was invented in Sacramento? While the Z-Boys were taking skateboarding to the next level down in Dogtown, Launie Porteous and Mark Robinson were pioneering flatland (or "inland") skimboarding right here in the River City. Buy yourself a board or make one and give it a try pretty much anywhere you can find shallow water. Paradise and Discovery beaches along the American are this sports' ancestral home.
• Mellow out at a kava kava bar with locations in Rancho Cordova and Davis.
• Get the willies watching one of the largest Mexican Bat colonies on the west coast take to the skies at a Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area Bat Talk and Walk.
• View some famous bikes and learn about their riders at the US Bicycling Hall of Fame in Davis.
• See Sacramento's drag queen scene at Faces or Badlands.
• Take a scenic horseback ride around Lake Natoma led by Shadow Glen Family Stables.
• Hang out with feral chickens (yes, chickens!) at Fair Oaks Village Park. In the summer, you can watch live music with said chickens at their summer concerts in the park series.
• Not to diminish the concert series at Fair Oaks Village Park, but when you hear "concerts in the park", everyone knows that is the Concerts in the Park series in downtown Sacramento. Live local and national acts perform on Friday evenings in the summer, and it’s totally free. If you’re not good with crowds you may want to give this a miss because it is packed!
• Vacation or day trip so close, yet feel so far away, along the Delta. Rent a boat, jet skis, a cabin or camping spot, buy some bait and tackle, and/or eat out at various locations on the river.
• See model railroaders in action once a month at the Sacramento Model Railroad Historical Society. For the real thing, check out the California State Railroad Museum. Both are great for kids or your inner child.
• Get into the sweetly rewarding hobby of beekeeping with a starter kit and guidance from Sacramento Beekeeping Supplies. Once you’ve got your kit, take a beekeeping class in Davis.
• Brew yourself a batch of beer goodness with classes and supplies from various home brewing stores in the area.
• Go wine tasting at a couple of the closest wineries to Sacramento: Frasinetti and Old Sugar Mill.
• Think you’re good at solving puzzles and mysteries? Try one of the many escape rooms in the area.
• If you’re one of those folks that thinks you know everything, see how you stack up in one of the various pub trivia games.
• Go see the highest freestanding bridge in California. Bonus: there’s some good hiking in the area as well.
• Take a drive around the world’s smallest mountain range: the Sutter Buttes. You can actually drive around and hike the Sutter Buttes in the same day, however hiking is not free, you must do it as part of a guided group and you have to reserve a spot in advance.
• Walk or mountain bike Sacramento Valley Conservancy’s Deer Creek Hills Preserve. All visits must be part of a pre-scheduled outing so plan in advance.
• Drive to Rio Vista via the only two ferries that are actually part of the state highway system.
• Catch a free lunchtime concert every Wednesday at Westminster Presbyterian Church downtown. You can bring a bag lunch!
• Go to the top of the Memorial Garage on the corner of 14th and H for some nice views. Watch the sunset or visit on a nice clear night.
• Explore some of Sacramento’s nature preserves. Start with Effie Yeaw and Cosumnes River. Camp Pollock is another one, but unfortunately, it is not in the best of areas.
• VOLUNTEER!