Unfortunately it takes way more than a quarter to get in on the action.
The early 1980’s was the golden age of video games, especially those of the arcade variety, which could suck quarters out of a player’s pocket faster than a vacuum cleaner. Space Invaders , Pac-Man and Donkey Kong units were ubiquitous in bars and shopping mall arcades, with hard-core gamers competing for top score bragging rights, which were posted at what became the nation’s video-game hub, the Twin Galaxies arcade in Ottumwa, Iowa.
Home video games were likewise emerging, with the Atari 2600 and Mattel Intellivision consoles leading the eight-bit charge into U.S. family rooms. And now, more than four decades later, Rolls-Royce celebrates classic video game culture with its latest bespoke variant, the Black Badge Ghost Gamer. It’s a shrewd move considering 1980’s mallrats who may have followed a successful career path are now of the age and possibly the income to recall those halcyon days in a super-premium luxury sedan that costs as much as a single-family dwelling. The automaker says the Ghost Gamer is influenced by a burgeoning interest in high-end collectibles from the 1970’s and 1980’s, with Rolls-Royce clients perceived as possible trendsetters in this regard. One would obviously need to maintain a deep passion to invest an enormous wad of cash on an otherwise conservative vehicle that’s adorned with whimsical graphic touches and Easter eggs inspired by eight-bit gaming graphics. What’s more, the company hints that the Ghost Gamer could well be the first in a series of Bespoke models inspired by vintage gaming culture.For starters, it comes in an exclusive two-tone exterior paint treatment – Salamanca Blue with a deep-shimmer Crystal-Over-Diamond Black upper section that Rolls-Royce says recalls the metallic, neon-lit design language of those breakthrough arcade machines. It’s punctuated with green hand-painted “Cheeky Alien” figures with an eight-bit explosion in pink on one side and yellow and blue on the other. There’s also an illuminated “Spirit of Ecstasy” hood ornament and an also-illuminated Pantheon Grille up front with black painted brake calipers and seven-spoke 22-inch forged Black Badge wheels. Inside, the Black Badge Ghost Gamer’s richly finished two-tone leather seats with bright monitor-style hues are designated “Player 1” and “Player 2” up front and “Player 3” and “Player 4” in the back, with all cast in 8-bit-style lettering. Spoiler alert: Hidden Easter egg touches are incorporated in the rear picnic table and the otherwise concealed side of the front air vent.The otherwise astronomical Starlight headliner displays laser bases and an 85-star gunship made from hand-formed fiber optic lights that’s integrated among the stars, Space Invaders style, with simulated laser blasts enlivening the canopy. Lighted treadplates at all four doors keep up the homage, labeled with “Press Start,” “Loading,” “Level UP” and “Insert Coin” arcade-derived prompts. No word on price, but if one has to ask one cannot afford the Ghost Gamer upgrade over the standard $420,000 Black Badge Ghost. Licensing obstacles likely prevented the Black Badge Ghost Gamer from using actual game characters, say with side stripes of Pac-Man gobbling up a line of dots and running from – appropriately – the arcade game’s four ghosts, “Blinky,” “Pinky,” “Inky” and “Clyde.” We could have also had Mario dodging barrels being thrown by Donkey Kong and synchronized with the vehicle’s speed on the dashboard display. And what about a couple of classic games integrated into the vehicle’s infotainment system to pass the time when the vehicle is parked?
Black Badge Ghose Vintage Video Games Pac Man Donkey Kong Space Invaders Mario Arcade Video Games Video Game Consoles
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