Business
BY CASSANDRA JENKINS
Rusty Key originally opened The Game Preserve, a retro arcade and pinball hall, in January 2013 as a co-op he and four friends lled with machines they had collected over the years. However, after more people started showing interest in playing the games, it found a perma- nent home at 473 Sawdust Road in 2015 after moving twice, Key said. The full story The Game Preserve hosts over 120 games at The Woodlands area location, including old-school arcade games, such as Pac-Man, Dig Dug and Centipede, as well as a variety of pinball machines from the 1950s to 2000s. “For us, it’s all about the old, original arcades,” Key said. “That’s what we are trying to keep alive. All the games here are the original games, original boards. We don’t switch anything over.” James Austin, a repair technician for The Game Preserve, said a lot of work goes into keeping the machines functioning—a daunting but important task he said is well worth the eort. “We will see a whole generation of families come in here,” he said. “We’ll see a grandfather with his son and his grandson, so you have three generations all playing the games together.” Looking ahead The Game Preserve opened a second location near NASA in 2019. Key said that location is more of an immersive experience, a concept that he is working on translating to The Woodlands location with future renovations that include: • Creating more space in the main arcade room • Repainting the area like a drive-in movie theater • Adding a small museum Also of note In 2023, Austin and Key patented a device called Adaptive Flipper Controls, a handheld controller that allows those with physical disabilities to be able to play pinball. Austin suered a stroke in 2022 that left half of his body without motor skills, and after returning to work he said he found it impossible to test the machines with only one hand. He created a handheld device that can control both ippers with just two ngers. The pair spent a year testing the prototype before receiving a provisional patent in August. The Game Preserve creates classic arcade fun
Pinball machines at The Game Preserve range from the 1950s to 2000s, including many newer games.
Making games accessible
James Austin suers a stroke. Sept. 8, 2020
Austin realizes he cannot test the machines. January 2022 Austin gets the idea to build a device that can be used in one hand. December 2022 The rst handheld controller is built. Jan. 26, 2023 The device is installed on ve machines. March 2023 A prototype is shown at Texas Pinball Festival. March 24, 2023
Rusty Key (left) and James Austin patented a device to make games more accessible.
A provisional patent is approved. Aug. 8, 2023
SAWDUST RD.
45
N
O
473 Sawdust Road, Spring www.gamepreservehouston.com
The Adaptive Flipper Control plugs into the pinball machines so they can be played with one hand.
45
THE WOODLANDS EDITION
Powered by FlippingBook