The Search for Arcade Boy

Editor’s note: We’re a little late to the party on this post, considering it’s already been picked up by Kotaku, but just in case you missed it…. -Demian

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Some of you may remember a post I wrote on Bitmob recently about a makeshift ‘arcade’ in the Himilayan hill station of Darjeeling. Called The Highest Arcade in the World, the story recounted a Street Fighter Alpha 3 battering I received at the hands of the arcade’s Indian owner, referred to in the story only as ‘Arcade Boy’.

As a result of that post a mysterious benefactor contacted the editors at Bitmob and offered to send a Dreamcast and a box of games to the arcade. They in turn contacted me and asked if I could arrange it. I would love to, I replied, but there was just one problem….

Unfortunately, the anonymous reader didn’t notice that I was in Darjeeling 10 years ago, so the arcade and the boy (now a man) may no longer be around. Despite this, when I passed the information on, the generous Bitmobber said that if the arcade does still exist, he (or she) is more than willing to send the goodies to add to the arcade’s library. What a nice gesture!

So I found myself on a hunt to track down somebody I played at Street Fighter Alpha 3, 10 years ago, half way up a mountain range in India!

Despite the clearly bonkers task ahead of me, I was intent on at least trying. If only to satisfy my curiosity as to what became of Arcade Boy.

Thanks to the miracle of Google maps, just minutes after accepting my mission I had tracked down the hotel we stayed at in 1999. Perhaps the management at the Snow Lion could help.

A quick email later and I was informed that this Snow Lion only opened in 2003, 4 years after I visited. I couldn’t have stayed there. Another hotel called the Snow Lion was open at the time apparently, but it closed it’s doors a few years ago.

Regardless, I asked if they remembered an ‘arcade’ in Darjeeling in ‘99. The reply came back from Mr Gailly, the Snow Lion’s manager, that unfortunately there are many what they call “game parlours” in Darjeeling, could I be more specific? I was amazed. I still am. I don’t remember there being many of these arcades, in fact I barely remember the one I am searching for.

And that is the biggest problem. Despite the thousands of miles separating us, it isn’t geography holding me back from completing my task, but my memory. Other than the details disclosed in the original story, I don’t remember a thing. How am I supposed to single out Arcade Boy’s parlour?

My quest looked like being over before it had begun. But I had one more trick up my sleeve.

As a last throw of the dice, I attempted to get in touch with Barun Roy, respected journalist, author, creator of the Himalayan Beacon and resident of Darjeeling. Surely he remembered the videogame parlour in the clouds?

Reaching out to Barun through his ‘contact me’ comments section at the Beacon, I appealed for help. As a resident of the area, did he remember the game parlours in Darjeeling at the turn of the century? Would he be able to put me in touch with the owners? I sat and waited for a reply.

Assistance was to come, but not from Barun. Instead, a helpful member of the Himalayan Beacon community stepped up to lend a hand. Noticing my plea for help, Darjeeling resident and nostalgic gamer ‘Mr. Nepali’ replied:

“1999, a decade ago… A great era for games…

According to my personal knowledge and experience, there was a game parlour in ‘Orient Ko Ukallo’. That shop had couple of PlayStations and also a pool/snooker board.

If thats not the one then, there was one more at Fancy Market… again that’s ‘Orient Ko Ukallo’.

If the above two are not the ones then, definitely it has to be my fave haunt, the game parlour in J.P Sharma Road (Faspan Hatta).

After 2004, a number of game parlour opened. But back in 1999 – only 3 were there…”

Perfect. What a helpful man! Though I remember very little, there definitely wasn’t a pool table in Arcade Boy’s parlour. So we’ve now narrowed it down to two. Who would have thought when I started this that I would have to ‘narrow down’ the selection? I’m still amazed that so many exist.

As I write I am currently awaiting another reply from Mr. Nepali. Worryingly, this final hurdle may yet be prove to be the biggest obstacle. I have asked him if he would go to those two parlours and take some pictures for me. If one of those pictures is of the parlour that lingers so strongly, yet so clouded, in my mind, if one of those pictures is of Arcade Boy, then we will be able to send him the Dreamcast and the games.

I wonder if Arcade Boy remembers beating the cocky British boy at Street Fighter so long ago? Perhaps – and this has just occurred to me – perhaps he’s now on Xbox LIVE! Is that so unreasonable to think? If he is, then a rematch is definitely in order. I intend to ask.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Before any of this can happen I am utterly reliant on the generosity of Mr. Nepali. Will he be willing to do this for me? Does he even have a digital camera? When he replies, if he replies, then all will be revealed.

Now we just have to wait.