So cel’s finally gotten tired of hanging out on the sidelines and is now taking the fight directly to the source, arcade-style! For those too young to have set foot in an arcade (writing that sentence just made me feel very old), putting your quarter (or token) up on the headboard of a video game cabinet was done to save your place in line and challenge the winner. I remember the first time I did that on a Yie Ar Kung-Fu cabinet being a seminal moment in the video game training days of my youth. Nowadays, challenging someone via XBOX Live or the Playstation Network is easier, but much less personal.
Wow. I remember when you called next game by plinking your quarter on the cabinet… And didn’t have it immediately stolen or disregarded.
Purr… I miss old arcade culture…
i miss it too, Tanya! i never once had my quarter stolen so never worried about it. that would not be the case these days, sadly.
oh, and these are yours: 😎
Yay Shades! 😀
I remember the day I knew arcade culture was dead… it was 1991, I’d just rolled in on my bike to the local slowly dying mall that still had an arcade. It was the GoldMine Arcade in Northglenn Mall Colorado. There was a new machine, can’t remember which one now, but walked over, watched the two guys playing it, decided it looked cool so plinked next game. I got distracted for a moment by another regular customer, and when I turned back around my quarter was gone. So I asked, and was rebuffed with a “what quarter where? We didn’t see you plink the game.” And… well that was that. A few weeks later the arcade had for sale signs on all the cabinets (wish I had the money….) and the arcade was gone about a month after that…
And truly, these days it’s nothing but swipe cards and you’d never want to leave a loaded one of those up…
I also remember about the same time period was when 7-11s started pulling arcade cabinets out of their stores around the local area. And Truly, the old nintendo and sega games from the time period, didn’t have the quality of the arcade cabinets.
*Sigh*
ugh. can’t believe someone would steal your quarter, Tanya! that’s just wrong. and yeah, i could understand why that event would seal the “death of the arcade” forever in your mind.
man! i *wish* i could buy some arcade cabinets but i’d really have nowhere to put them. i’ve always thought if i could just get *one* really cool cocktail arcade machine (like maybe Joust, Ms. Pac-Man or Donkey Kong)i’d be happy. at least until i can afford to buy a large house with a basement or room big enough to hold about ten arcade cabinets in. 🙂
i totally remember when the 7-11 near me pulled its machines out, too. was a very sad day.
*sigh*
I suspect Tanya is a lot younger than me, so maybe that kind of quarter etiquette went away.
the basement in My Uncle’s house has some arcade games in it, like the Star Wars one Cel has (if it’s the one where you aim using the wheel and shoot with triggers on the wheel), and he also has paperboy, a Pac-Man, and amongst other things, a Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots that plays ‘Gonna Fly Now’ as its theme.
Ha! Cel’s thrown down the gauntlet!
YES! We need to see that row of quarters queued up on the console — a barrier to repel any and all of those who might dare to want to cut in and play that game!
it’s amazing how well that system worked and how much the line of quarters was respected (Tanya’s experience notwithstanding) back in the day, Stan! i think some of these young XBOX Live and PSN whippersnappers could learn a thing or two about manners from the old school arcade culture!
Those were the good old days . . .
where have the days gone?
I can’t wait to see what becomes of
this competition!
Surely we shall see whether Cel emerges
the victor.
not sure where those days went, Prof_Kraven, but here’s hoping there’s more of ’em around the corner!
and re: the competition – indeed we shall!
wow. 2nd. been long time
hooray for 2nd! 🙂
let the game begins. i expect someone to get hurt. come on jb. hurt someone. lolz.
‘why do i hear shao khan’s voice in my head?
heh. i have a feeling jefbot will be an innocent bystander to any “hurting” going on, jf#300. 😉
3rd. Somehow, it doesn’t feel as rewarding. haha.
Mmmm, never tried that. of course, where I am, it’s liable to get stolen. It’s better to just watch until the players leave, and jump in immediately.
Besides, no tokens anymore, only swipe cards in lieu of tokens – and nobody would ever DARE to leave a full (or, honestly, even empty) swipe card on top of a game.
That said, idk who’ll I root for, Cel or… the other girl. xD
or even merely tap it. seriously. it’s like announcing you have one and having it magically disappear. shame.
3rd place still gets the bronze, Jaeh!
yeah, it’s probably not even necessary to “quarter up” anymore, since coin op games aren’t nearly as popular as they once were. i don’t think i’ve had to wait to play an arcade game in years! heheh. but then, i’ve rarely been to any modern arcades. i think it’s been at least 2 or 3 years since i’ve been to something like a Gameworks or D&B.
if the “other girl” wins, it’ll be the biggest upset in the history of this webcomic! 😉
I saw that quarter in the second panel and immediately heard the intro tune to a Clint Eastwood showdown . . .
perfect sound fx for this strip, Sarah W! 😀
Round 1.
FIGHT!
This may be the most excited I’ve been for Tuesday to get here so I can see the next strip, if not ever, then at least since the aliens on the beach arc. hmm, both stories that involved cel…
ha! i love the “Round 1. FIGHT!” Jed. heheh.
and this storyline still has a ways to go before it wraps up, so i’m happy to hear you’re a cel fan and excited for the next strip! 😀
Awesome. Cel is too cool for words. Now I don’t want to just LOOK like cel, I want to be cool enough to ACT like cel!
I love how obvious it is in the first panel that the girl is flirting with JB. And he looks like he is having a great time. The question is – is it because of the game or is he enjoying the flirtation. Probably both. Who doesn’t enjoy when someone (non-repulsive, of course) flirts with them?
And cel is all cool aggression. This strip is so awesome. You constantly amaze me with how good you are at portraying emotions with posture and expressions. 😀
oh yeah. this girl is obviously flirting but if I know men, and being one, we’ll just assume…knowing men I’m gonna guess the Bot is entirely oblivious.
you pretty much hit the nail on the head, Jed. 🙂
ha! be careful what you wish for, shanna – there’s still a lot we don’t know about our favorite blue-haired gamer girl! but yeah, she’s pretty cool. heheh.
and yep, bot’s probably enjoying the game and the attention, but probably more the game. most likely he’s oblivious that he’s being flirted with at all!
huge thanks for that last compliment. hearing that you can feel the emotions of the characters through their posture and expressions makes me feel good. it’s something i put a lot of time into and work at getting better at with each strip. THANKS! 😀
FINISH HER!
FATALITY!
Go cel! Kick the arse of The Pink Usurper!
Bless ‘bot! The Cornfather’s going to have to explain this one to him, I think; he’s completely oblivious! He just wants to game. But he -is- trying to be responsible and help cel… ‘though there are times when the call of the Arcade is simply too strong to deny…
Great strip. Very fitting that you chose Joust, I think.
A wild USURPER appears!
You choose CEL.
USURPER uses FLIRT-WITH-YOUR-POTENTIAL-BOYFRIEND.
It’s not very effective.
CEL uses INTIMIDATE…
hahaha. now i know where that voice came.
let’s hope cel doesn’t use any Fatalities on her customer, AdM! or maybe she doesn’t care at this point. heheh.
and yeah, seeing what’s going on from a distance, maybe the Cornfather has more perspective on what’s going on – especially since he has inside info from both bot and cel!
and YES! sometimes the call of the arcade is too strong to deny! i feel that pull all the time; just wish there was an arcade around to quiet that calling. 😛
ha! yeah, “The Pink Usurper” is going to have to use something Super Effective to get bot to stray from cel, methinks. a couple of arcade games just ain’t gonna do it.
We do that with the DDR cabinet. <3 Now I really want to play. Thanks a lot Bot
sorry, DJ. i see the “call of the arcade” has put its siren song on you, too! 😉
The problem is that the closest decent arcade is like 25 minutes away on a good day.
Firstly, I have to question Little Miss Arcade’s motives…there I go looking at the looks on those faces again! She has “flirty eyes”… Heavy lidded, looking up coyly…oh I know how it’s done…and I do believe ‘bot is oblivious to it….HAHAHA….In any other venue, Cel might just have whupped that other girl’s bum, but she’s going to do it “gaming style” You can almost hear the music from “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly” playing hehehe (Yes, I do get lost in my own head, sometimes. Why do you ask??)
P.S. LOOOOVE Cel’s blue nail polish!!!! 😀
once again, you’ve read the body language rightly, ESQ! “Little Miss Arcade” has definitely stepped up her game by giving bot those flirty eyes, but yep, he’s not even aware she’s making any moves at all.
and yeah, cel’s too classy for just hair-pulling or cat-scratching – especially with a young girl involved – so she’ll settle this the old-fashioned way: head-to-head JOUST! heheh.
music from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, you say? nice choice! i think you and Sarah W. (above) might be tapped into the same cinema soundtrack frequencies! 😀
Oh snap!! Cel is bringing on her game!!!
that’s right, TCG! in fact, it’s already been brought’n!
Game on then! This I gotta see!! B)
Hmm… Looks like JB is in serious trouble!
On an unrelated note, to everyone who knew that Van Von Hunter exists as a webcomic, there is a feature length, live action movie based on its manga adaptation. I am currently watching it on Hulu at the time of this post. Here’s the link: http://www.hulu.com/watch/166674/van-von-hunter
although bot might be in trouble, i certainly wouldn’t want to be in “Pink Gamer Girl’s” shoes either, NeoDarklight!
We had an arcade that actually installed a coin rack on there competitive games. If you stole a coin or disregarded the queue you got banned.
i seem to remember a couple machines with coin racks on ’em too, CheddarMan! and what a great punishment – i would’ve supported this rule 100%. 🙂
Given cel’s, er, somewhat aggressive nature, I’m honestly surprised it took her this long to intervene.
maybe she is a bit slow. lolz
well, we’ll see if she’s “fast” or “slow” when she’s clicking the “flap” buttons during her Joust duel, jf#300!
i think the delay was caused by her rational mind competing with that aggressive nature, Sharra! i guess in the end, her aggressiveness won out. 🙂
I love the contrast in the flirty first frame and the seductive last frame! I think I know who’s gonna win! …my coin bag is on Cel!
This is a great story line Jefbot!
that’s a wise bet, Funnyshaffer. 🙂
and, thanks! i’m glad you’re enjoying the storyline.
is it just me or did i just noticed the pink girl is blushing?
yep! it seems she’s a pro at flirting, jf#300! :”)
Yie Ar Kung-Fu !!! AWESOME game. I loved when you kicked the fat guy with the puffy pants in the groin and his eyes went wide as he doubled over.
Hmmm…now I feel old too.
ha! i can totally see his eyes buggin’ out, Jeff! when he does that high kick and leaves his, uh, “valuables” unprotected. 🙂
sheh sheh!
I remember the first time I “Coined-up” on an arcade game. DDR at my local arcade.
By the time the place closed down, it wasn’t uncommon to see 3-4 coins waiting. Per side.
My favorite “coin up” item ever though, was when someone didn’t have a coin (we used cards), so they ripped a button off their shirt and used that.
wow! DDR must’ve been pretty huge in your arcade, Thamios! going back, i remember seeing at least 10 quarters on the Tron coin op when the original game came out. same with Dragon’s Lair!
a button from their shirt to hold their place in line!? now that’s dedication! 😀
Oh shit, here we go. Someone get the montage-majigger ready, cuz this one looks like it’ll be a doozy.
montage-majigger powered up, Anime fan! 😉
clearly I never spent much time in the arcades then… I’m 22 and this is the first time I’ve heard of that. granted I think I knew what was coming next, but still!
Don’t recall ever challenging anyone much…
I’m 20 so me neither.
aagh! aging… fast…
okay, now you’re makin’ me feel really old, Steve! 😉
but yeah, i can totally understand why you’ve never heard of that practice since the days of the arcade are long gone. although – i know the recent Street Fighter IV used the “quarter up” convention when playing one of its online modes. i wonder how many kids playing that game had no idea what that meant?
GAHHHHH I can feel the wrinkles and liverspots expolding on my body!
FML! GD kids.
you ‘n me both, Pix! 😉
But…I’m older than you are!
*Is gonna cry!*
I notice how Cel said “when” she wins. She seems pretty confident there.
ha! nice catch, Dudewise. “when” just felt way more appropriate for her to say than “if.” 😉
now let’s hope she wins or that’ll be pretty embarrassing.
That girl is definitely eyeing Jefbot. Will she get the reference, tough?
Sure thing Cel is going to kick a55 but Jefbot had not agreed to the bet yet…
but can that gamer girl’s flirty eyes compete with cel’s smoky eyes, Maryz? 🙂
and it’s true that bot didn’t agree to the bet – i’m sure he’s mostly just shocked that cel came over to issue a challenge!
You tell me, she is eyeing you…
Though thinkig about it, there is something seriously wrong about drawing girls to eye you up. How is your love life lately? (Just kidding. Mostly.)
totally the reason i have jefbot completely oblivious to the gamer girl’s intentions, Maryz; i didn’t want this to become a “let’s stroke my ego” type of storyline. (that’s for another time.*) just needed a catalyst to bring out cel’s feelings.
*i kid! mostly.
See Cel. See Cel pisssed. See bot cringe. See new flirting friend die. Die friend Die.
Would not want to be bot in that situation lol. Wait have been. Still have the scars. Good strip as always good sir.
while i’m sure cel could easily dispatch the young gamer girl with bodily injury, i’m sure she understands that course of action would be bad for business, Will B. as such, there will be no deaths by cel’s hand during the course of this storyline. 😉
sorry to hear ’bout those scars but, you live ‘n learn, right?
Whu HA. I just heard the sound of the mail glove hitting the (tastefully) sawdusted floor. Bring it, Ms Cel.
Game ON.
the game is indeed on, SamuraiArtGuy! and it’ll be game over come next tuesday. 🙂
Looks like Cel’s jealousy has gotten the best of her. I predict ludicrous bets being made, and fun times (for us at least) being had.
yep, the bets are in (at least between cel and the gamer girl – jefbot didn’t even realize there were chips at stake) and the winner of the “fun times” will be revealed soon, Fijiman! 🙂
CEL VS YOUNG GAMER!
Prize : Jefbot.
Time: ??:?? – ??:??
Location: The Last Arcade
Date: October ??, 2010
BE THERE AND WATCH THE PIXELS FLY!
XD
I’m game. No pun intended.
aww, i should’ve made fliers, rinthia! heheh. maybe the Cornfather can xerox some up, if he’s quick. 😉
Daaaammmnnnn!!! Cel is in the mix now. Wow, that last panel is so powerful, bot. I really wish Cel was a real person so I could meet her. Love, love, love this strip, bot!!!! It’s amazing. I cannot wait to see what happens next! 😀
Shhhh! Don’t ruin the illusion!
There might be people out there who don’t want to live in a world without cel in it!
Wait, Cel’s not real?
Awww 🙁
like me….shhhhhhhh
just like almost all the characters in the JEFbot Webcomic Universe – cel’s an amalgam of different people i know. so she’s pretty much as “real” as say, the Cornfather!
He said it! Don’t blame me!
*pouts*
wait…The Cornfather better be real because him and I Tweet back and forth…LOL
Yeah! Good point!
Totally entered that into the wrong field by mistake. Plank!
if i were to get the Cornfather’s reaction to cel throwing the gauntlet down in that last panel, he’d say exactly what you did, MC: “Daaaammmnnnn!!!” heheh. glad you liked the strip!
Man, we used to coin up on Street Fighter II all the time. The only good arcade in my town back in the day was the one at the bowling alley. It died before arcades in general though, because they got new management and made a rule that you HAD to pay for a round of bowling or you couldn’t use the arcade. I never understood that, because I always thought it was just retarded to tell people “Sorry, you aren’t allowed to spend your money here.”
Once the one in the bowling alley went stupid, they opened up an arcade at the mall. It’s still there, but I honestly never see anyone in there but the occasional 5 or 6 year old and a bored parent or two. It’s a pretty big arcade with some good games, but it’s kind of pointless when there are no opponents. I’m honestly not even sure how they can afford to stay open…
Street Fighter II was another game that always had a line of quarters at my arcade too, Rizban. and yeah, turning people away from spending money on your video games seems a bad business practice. lame.
years ago, there was an arcade that opened up in a mall near me that was exactly like the one you described – they had some decent games but at most i’d see maybe one or two people tinkering with the “claw” machine or skee ball – so i couldn’t understand how they stayed around as long as they did, either. maybe they were drug fronts. 😉
Dayum – new reader here, luved what you did with this comic mate, read through it all today (rainin like hell outside o0) keep it up, cheers from Portugal!
welcome, Edit, and thanks for taking the time to read through the archives! i’m always surprised and delighted to hear from people outside the U.S. so it’s great to see you’re checking the site out from Portugal! did the rain let up, yet? 😀
yeah it’s out of here for the time bein’!! Good thing 2, since we got some cool winds comin’ in which are sure to bring up an interesting Surf World Tour Event during the next few days hehe!!I traced back my steps to figure out how I found the site but truth is I got no idea xD…luved the expression on Cel and the artwork is just great, wish ya luck on your auditions mate o/
there’s a few arcades here, and this art of challenge is still practiced for Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 and Mortal Kombat.
nice! i know the “spirit” of arcade competition still happens online (via PC, XBLA, PSN, etc.) Bard, but i’m happy to know that real, arcade fighting is still going on somewhere in the world! 🙂
Whoa. I just realized they’re back on JOUST.
Avantage Cel.
We older gamers have the advantage on classic old school (and weird as s**t) games.
Of course I say that since I get SPANKED in Halo Multiplayer all the time by 13 year olds without regular jobs zoned out on Mountain Dew, Dortitos and their own testosterone. There should be a playlist for over-30 casual gamers. LOL.
true dat, SamuraiArtGuy – the advantage definitely goes to cel, since she’s versed in “old school gaming.” but never underestimate the powers of youth! i bet “pink” here will give cel a run for her money. 🙂
and YES! i concur – there definitely needs to be a category for older, casual gamers, that want to play games like Halo, Modern Warfare and Gears of War without being subjected to the enraged 13 year olds that hone their FPS skills 24/7!
*puts on her best bookie outfit* Ok the odds on favorite is Cel. Little Gamer Girl pays 10 to 1 and jefbot getting another black eye pays even!
Me thinks Cel is going to school EVERYONE!
Oh and Just in case *hands jefbot a helmet and cup* Women are evil.
Soooo sleepy! miss you guys on Fridays but I am catching up on sleep from the night before.
thanks for laying out the odds, Pixie! maybe jefbot should go find a pair of goggles to save himself from another black eye from cel, at this point. 😉
oh, and thanks for the cup! very considerate. heheh.
missing you on fridays too, but sleep is VERY important! believe me, i cherish every sleeping moment i can get.
well played Cel well Played. Kay I’m lost how do I make an avatar?
yep! and we’ll see just how well she “plays” in the next strip, Prophet! 😉
and to get an avatar, surf on over to Gravatar.com. after you sign up for an account and upload an image, your avatar will appear whenever you enter your email address into the “email field” when writing a comment here. if you have any problems, let me know.
Testing…
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<<< See that girl? She's me! Hi me!
Awwwww You really are adorkable! So nice to put a face with the name!
Suspeeeeeeeeense. It’s killing me. For realz.
I’m so sad, I’m too young for this to bring me any sort of nostalgia. 🙁
i miss the old arcade scene, even with the arcades that are still around, the quarter etiquette is non existent anymore, except with some of the other old schoolers that still respect that, the closet thing ive seen to an arcade these days is the game machines that hey have in the front of walmart, the arcade i used to went to when i was younger, had a life size borg queen statue in the front window, and when you were dueling someone when they trashed talked you could see there face, and now if you play an online game half the time your being trashed talked ten year olds that dont even know how to play the game
101st comment :Y
you counted?
aaand back again…
i seriously gotta keep my priorities straight
anyhow: yay Cel’s gonna kick some!
Cel’s eye shadow color seems a bit off; it looks more like rings around her eyes from lack of sleep or something. but other than that, her face is really cute. i like the nose.