#arcademachines — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #arcademachines, aggregated by home.social.
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Urban explorers reveal hidden interior of Swansea’s long-abandoned Elysium Theatre
Beth and Robbie, who run the page B&R Urban Explorers UK, documented their visit with over 170 photographs and a series of short video clips. Their footage reveals the faded grandeur of a building that once entertained thousands — and has now stood silent for decades.
“We were taken away by what we were seeing — an old gem kept away for decades,” said Beth. “The rows of chairs still standing, covered in dust… old arcade machines left behind… it’s so sad to see a huge part of history go to waste and be forgotten.”
The Elysium opened in April 1914 as a cinema and social club for working men. Designed by Messrs. Ward and Ward and built by Fred Pitcher Ltd, the building once housed shops, showrooms, a ballroom, reading rooms, and offices for the Dockers’ Union. Its main hall, run by the Anima Company, could seat around 1,400 people.
The cinema is thought to have closed in 1960, with the building later used as a bingo hall before falling into disuse in the 1990s. Since then, it has remained sealed off — its interior largely unseen by the public.
Partially opened red doors lead into a debris-filled corridor — a glimpse into the Elysium’s decaying interior.A curved control panel with coloured buttons overlooks rows of dusty seats — remnants of the Elysium’s operational past.Beth and Robbie described the building as “incredibly unsafe,” with crumbling floors and collapsed sections that prevented them from accessing all areas. But what they did capture offers a haunting and powerful glimpse into Swansea’s entertainment past.
“Up on walking into the property, everything was decayed,” said Robbie. “Slowly making our way through the mess, we came up to the old wall of tiles and then the doors to the theatre.”
“The bingo hall had been converted into the theatre,” added Beth. “We found the stairs to the old theatre above it — the rows of chairs still standing, once seated thousands of guests, families and friends.”
“Old machines were still left behind from the arcade — a few retro arcade machines,” said Robbie. “The place is falling apart. It’s so dangerous, so we didn’t manage to explore all the floors, but we still managed to get many of its main features.”
Their images show tiled walls, projection equipment, retro arcade machines, and the decaying remains of the auditorium. A caption video is being prepared to showcase the highlights, and a full gallery will follow once the archive is curated.
The Elysium from the outside: faded grandeur and forgotten purpose
“It’s so sad to see a huge part of history go to waste and be forgotten.” — Beth
First steps into decay: the silence, the dust, the danger
A narrow stairwell descends into darkness — one of the building’s most deteriorated areas.A glowing “EXIT” sign above battered doors — a stark reminder of the building’s decline and the dangers within.A 1980 calendar found inside the building — a quiet marker of time passed.“Up on walking into the property, everything was decayed… slowly making our way through the mess.” — Robbie
Where thousands once gathered: the heart of the Elysium
The main auditorium lies in ruin — broken seats, collapsed ceiling, and remnants of the stage. Rows of red chairs and tables sit beneath a crumbling ceiling in a forgotten lounge. A forgotten dining room with red chairs, graffiti-marked tables, and a wall-mounted clock frozen in time. The main auditorium lies in ruin — broken seats, collapsed ceiling, and remnants of the stage.“The rows of chairs still standing, once seated thousands of guests, families and friends.” — Beth
Built for the people: the Dockers’ Union and civic life
“The building had a ballroom, a ladies reading room, and offices used by the Dockers’ Union.” — Historical record
Echoes of entertainment: machines, memories, and retro relics
A retro arcade panel lies among debris — one of several machines left behind. A classic Space Invaders arcade cabinet stands as a nostalgic relic of the past. A faded soft drink dispenser offers a glimpse into the building’s bingo hall era. A corroded payout display from a vending or gaming machine, frozen in time. A dusty prize board labeled “ELYSIUM” and “FOOLS’ SATZ” lies among the wreckage“Old machines still left behind from the arcade — a few retro arcade machines.” — Robbie
Time stands still: the artefacts left behind
“We didn’t manage to explore all the floors, but we still captured many of its main features.” — Beth
#arcadeMachines #brUrbanExplorersUk #bingoHall #cinema #derelictBuilding #elysiumTheatre #formerCinema #highStreet #history #homepage #socialClub #swansea #urbanDecay #urbanExplorers
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I used to love wasting 10 pences to this as a kid in 1985. Commando was the finest thing in Bourtreehill at the time.
The theme tune still goes round my head as well 😮😎
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Jean-François Fabre has been working on another blockbuster Amiga game transcoded from the 1988 Atari Tetris arcade machine! #amiga #tetris #arcademachines #retrogames
https://amiga.abime.net/games/view/tetris-1200
https://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=116414
https://jotd666.itch.io/tetris1200 -
At one of my happy places yesterday, Tappers Arcade Bar in Indy. The arcades are free to play. You do have to pay for pinball though.
My wife and I fell in love with this new Foo Fighters pinball machine. We looked into buying one. Only $7k-10k if you can find one 😱
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Zool The Ninja From The Nth Dimension Is Back https://blog.amigaguru.com/zool-the-ninja-from-the-9th-dimension-zoom-onto-a-console-near-you/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon #Amiga #AmigaCD32 #ArcadeMachines
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If you’re interested in the history of arcade video games and the stories of the people behind them, The Ted Dabney Experience podcast is superb. Really fascinating interviews, with intelligent, insightful questions from the TDE team.