So yesterday I decided to finally check out that Sala Museo Games place everyone’s been talking about. Grabbed my wallet and took the bus downtown, figuring I’d just walk in and play some retro games. Boy, was I wrong about how this whole thing works.
The entrance shocker
First thing I see when I walk in is this giant sign saying “ENTRY FEE: 5€ PER PERSON”. Like, what? I thought you just paid per game! The guy at the counter explained that no, this is like a museum cover charge just to get near the machines. Had to cough up those five euros before I even touched a joystick.
Token trouble
After paying entrance, I went to this token machine thinking I’d load up. Big mistake. Each token costs €1.50! I’m standing there like: “Dude, arcades used to be 25 cents!” The staff told me some premium cabinets require two tokens per play. Ended up putting €20 into that hungry machine just to feel like I could actually play for a while.
The actual game costs
- Tried Street Fighter 2 first – 1 token (€1.50) per match
- Pinball machines are 2 tokens (€3!) per ball
- The giant Mario Kart cab? 3 tokens per race (€4.50!)
- Even Pac-Man was 1 token for basic play
My gameplay reality
Burned through tokens crazy fast. That €20 bought me:
- Four Street Fighter matches (got wrecked every time)
- Three Mario Kart races (worth every token honestly)
- Two pinball rounds (drained so fast)
- One Pac-Man game (died at the third ghost)
Total playtime? Maybe 45 minutes tops. Did the math walking out – €25 total counting entry fee for less than an hour of actual gaming. Felt like robbery but honestly? Seeing those mint-condition 90s cabinets was kinda magical. Probably a once-a-year treat though at these prices!