Fantasy World in Abilene, Jones and Taylor, United States | Fun Park

Welcome to Fantasy World Arcade, Abilene, Texas, United States. Fantasy World Arcade was first envisioned in the Summer and Fall of 2002. Originally it was planned as a 'Traditional Arcade'--i.e. one without any redemption (ticket) games whatsoever. The lease on the building at 4033 N 1st was secured in January 2003 and the Grand Opening was on March 1, 2003. The location had been one of Abilene's most popular arcades/teen hangouts in the 80s and early 90s. After the original Fantasy World went out of business a martial arts studio briefly occupied the building and then it sat empty for years. Doug Berry, the owner of the new Fantasy World Arcade, had fond memories of playing games there as a teen and wanted to restore it to its former glory. As luck would have it, the martial arts studio had not changed things much and the walls were still covered in the original Pac Man carpet:

Part of Doug's dream was also that his games be affordable. Every one - even Doug :-) - remembers what it's like to be a broke kid with nothing to do. And so the nickel arcade was born...

... that's right: nickels. All of the games ran on nickels for several years after we opened (we have since changed to tokens).

Along the way we figured out that most people really don't play video games anymore. Rule of thumb: if it doesn't give tickets, your kid won't like it. The two exceptions seem to be 1) games where you drive something and; 2) games where you shoot stuff. When they get older you can add: 3) games where you beat stuff up. When you get really old, like Doug, add: 4) games where little guys eat dots or you shoot little ships. We've tried all sorts of games in the arcade, from Asteroids and Dance Dance Revolution to X-Men Vs. Street Fighter and Zaxxon. Our arcade is truly a democracy - you vote with your tokens. If people like a game and play it, we keep it. If it doesn't catch on, we move it out. Thus our games are constantly changing. We actually hear people say, "Wow, they changed everything, " fairly often. So if you haven't been to see us in a few months, be prepared for some surprises.