the new gaming lounge at sea-tac airport is a neon retro retreat
It's not time travel in the way sci-fi books and movies present jumping back and forth through generations, but the new airside lounge at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA-TAC) — an airport considered to be the best in North America — is most definitely a blast from the past. Located in the airport's North Concourse, Sky Gamerz is a vintage video game aficionado's dream come true. And yes, we are talking golden oldies, as in classic 1970s and 1980s games like Ms. Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, and Dig Dug. Even better, the games are free to play. Atlanta-based entrepreneur H. Lamar Willis and business partner Jonathan Ford are the brains behind the retro concept. Willis, who grew up playing the games featured at Sky Gamerz, was inspired by people-watching during his frequent business travels.
His aha moment? Noticing how many fellow airport patrons — including business travelers who appeared to be about his age — were playing video games on their phones to while away time between flights. That's one of the reasons he decided to go retro. "Retro is always a safe bet because what we find is that even children like retro video games. Donkey Kong, Ms. Pacman, and Frogger are all games kids are not familiar with but are excited by," Willis said in a blog posted by the Port of Seattle.
Revisit The Glory Days Of Video Games At Seattle Airport's Sky Gamerz
H. Lamar Willis and Jonathan Ford teamed up with SSP America, a design firm that specializes in bringing local flavor to airport dining. The result is a stylish, 21st-century airport restaurant and bar with an attached gaming room designed to resemble the vintage style of a mid-century video parlor in the days before most people had even heard of the internet. Nostalgic features include Atari consoles along with a library of cartridges loaded with classic games, in addition to Nintendo games and golf simulators.
The initial inventory of retro video games at the SEA-TAC Sky Gamerz lounge was curated to appeal to business travelers who came of age during the glory days of early video games, mastering their skills while playing classics like Pong and Space Invaders. We're not sure if the video game "ET: The Extra-Terrestrial" from 1982 made it into the mix. Widely panned as the worst Atari game ever, hundreds of ET cartridges were found buried in Alamogordo, New Mexico, home to a national park with epic white sand dunes, in 2013. Willis, however, did not rule out eventually expanding the inventory to include options more familiar to younger gamers.
While the gaming parlor is the unique draw, Sky Gamerz is also a full-service bar and restaurant. The menu — served in both the bar/restaurant and the gaming parlor — features light bites like poke nachos and pulled pork sliders, along with a classic Seattle Dog. A hot dog served on a split-top bun with cream cheese and grilled onions, a Seattle Dog is considered one of the most overlooked attractions in Seattle. There's also a creative roster of craft cocktails with throwback names like Invisible Cloak (Casamigos Cristalino tequila, orange bitters, and simple syrup) and Energy Potion (Tito's handmade vodka, peach schnapps, and lime juice topped with watermelon Red Bull).