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Wadhams House of Pizza

Just off the main drag of Wadhams Michigan exists “Wadhams House of Pizza,” a pizza and ice cream joint with a 50′s look and feel. The ice cream is certainly enjoyable and they do make a good pizza, but that’s not what I go there for, and it’s certainly not why I’m writing about it.

Past the pizza counter and ice cream stand, just beyond the dining area, there exists a small but satisfying game room just waiting to claim the quarters from your wallet. Having grown up the the heyday of arcades, I consider it one of the last safe-havens from arcade extinction.

Wadhams House of Pizza Interior

The first thing you’ll notice when you enter is the retro-50′s decor. In a lot of restaurants this can get overdone and tacky. Here, it seems to work nicely.

Coca-Cola signs adorn the walls and tables at every turn, with a small corner containing a handful of Pepsi decorations. The place has both Coke in bottles and Pepsi on tap, so it works.

They have the usual assortment of scoop ice creams (my personal favorite being Superman) and a good selection of pizza toppings and side dishes. They even host birthday parties for children, just like a pizza joint should.

Wadhams House of Pizza Game Room

And then there’s the game room. There’s a scene in “Clerks II” where Randall says he enjoys riding the Go-Karts because it “centers” him. I feel the same way about arcades. Just knowing there’s something like this within driving distance is a comforting thought. Call it “twenty-five cen

Wadhams House of Pizza Arcade Games

therapy.”

The game room is lit by a few florescent lights and one black light each side of the room, causing a nice glow to take over the place. This is also where I discovered that the yellow parts in Superman ice cream glow under black light – almost as if it had real Kryptonite in it. Shooting games seem to dominate the place, but there are a few nice surprises to be had.

Air Hockey

Of course, no arcade would be complete without an air hockey table.  The one at Wadhams House of Pizza is in great condition. If it wasn’t for the light above that air hockey table, that arcade would be much darker inside.

Neo-Geo

The game room also features a two-slot Neo-Geo arcade machine running “Samurai Shodown” and “Bust a Move.” Maybe one day I can convince them to put in some other Neo-Geo games like “Magician Lord” or “Blue’s Journey.” But it’s always good to know that I can throw down with some “Samurai Shodown” on a moment’s notice.

CarnEvil

The real star attraction for me is a fully-functioning “CarnEvil” machine. I remember when this game was new.  Something about blasting my way through a circus just appeals to me. Back in the day, this game must have sucked away a small fortune worth of arcade tokens. Now it’s back to claim all of my quarters, and it’s welcome to them.

Today my fiancée and I blasted our way through the entire game, stopping only so I could run to the change machine and get four more quarters to continue our assault. It felt good. It felt better than good. As I pointed my plastic shotgun at the screen, my belly full of pizza, I felt a strange calm wash over me.

For that little bit of time, however brief, I felt like I was “home.” The withering away of American arcades has been a sad thing to experience. But it doesn’t have to be. If you can find a place around you that has a game room – or if you have access to an arcade – then get over there. Drop a few bucks in quarters. It can be the cure for what ails you.

CarnEvil High Score

Getting the to the top of the high score list is also a good feeling.