Flash back to the '70s and '80s with games such as Centipede, Asteroids, Tron and Mortal Kombat.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — If you feel a twinge of nostalgia for the old-school video arcades of the '70s and '80s, complete with music, neon, noise and the seductive aroma of sweat and warm electronics, then The Arcade Revival is for you.

Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 20 through Oct. 22, the Colosseum at 180 Pine St. in Providence will become a retro arcade, with more than 50 vintage games such as Asteroids, Street Fighter, Tron, Centipede, Galaga, Mortal Kombat and more.

Grant Garvin, owner of Temple Games in Pawtucket, said he and fellow enthusiasts Scott Langlais and Jay Leone have been collecting vintage games for years, and they've been looking for an opportunity to show them off.

"We pick them up from dark basements, backyards, basically swamps," Garvin said. "I find them very interesting pieces of American culture, part of a phenomenon that was very big for a time, and then, suddenly, it was gone."

Garvin, 35, said there was a time when every shopping mall in America had an arcade. They are not completely extinct, but a combination of high-end game consoles on one side, and game apps for mobile devices on the other, has made the video arcade increasingly obsolete.

Garvin said he was "an electronics nerd" as a kid, and his father was a cabinet-maker. So restoring the old games comes naturally.

Often the electronic guts of the games are no longer manufactured, and Garvin credits a "dedicated community" of enthusiasts who help track down parts, swap with those in need, and sometimes even make their own.

He said his rarest game might be Darius, a three-screen product that was mostly played in Japan.

A special guest will be Lonnie McDonald, also known as The Joust Master. McDonald has made the high score on the video game Joust in every state in the country — except Rhode Island. So McDonald will be on hand in Providence this weekend to play Joust, and fill that gap in his résumé.

There will be a few changes from the classic video arcades at the Arcade Revival. For one, alcohol will be available, including craft beer from Revival Brewing Company. And the $10 cover gets you unlimited game play, so there's no need to be searching for quarters.

The Arcade Revival will be at the Colosseum Club, 180 Pine St., Providence, Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 20-22, from 7 p.m. to midnight. $10 cover, over 21 only.

— asmith@providencejournal.com

(401) 277-7485

On Twitter: @asmith651