Rare and Unique Arcade Games at Free Play Florida

I had the chance to attend Free Play Florida in Lakeland, FL. So many great games and fun vendors! Here's a tour of what I saw.
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[@JohnRiggs]

Buy my games, cereal book and air fresheners with more stuff added often johnriggs.myshopify.com/

[@Jkoziol72577]

Well if you're down here by Lakeland there is a dinosaur exhibit not too far from you.

[@chestyvulva]

You should have given Adam The Woo some pointers on how to have a great youtube channel. 😂

[@Superbad22]

This guy has such a cool life, gets to go to all of these gaming expos around the country. Hope you’ve been enjoying life John

[@jaydaniel2145]

John is my Favourite KZbinr!

[@Superbad22]

@@jaydaniel2145 yeah I’ve met John at a few expos, very nice guy

[@KingCastle15]

I bet his wife is thrilled 😂

[@sidneyvandykeii3169]

This is actually a very smart layout for the convention. If you are just there to play the games you have to walk past vendors over and over which has to help with sales.

[@cariscaptures1395]

8:51 Thanks for stopping by the Astro Crow booth to play arcade exclusive “Throwback! Jai-Alai Heroes”! We’re glad you had fun and it looks like you got stomped by one of our top players. 😄♥️ Thanks for coming to Free Play Florida!! Hope to see you again.

[@JohnRiggs]

It was super fun!

[@mattm7798]

As a kid, you would have had to blast me out of that place with dynamite...so many arcade games and toys!!!!!!!

[@dire51]

Good meeting you yesterday, John! Going to sit down and give Yeah Yeah Bebiss II a good go today.

[@GregsGameRoom]

It's been good hangin' with you this year at FPF!

[@JohnRiggs]

Hell yeah! Hope we can do it again.

[@timsalmons1982]

There are several of those Mold-a-Matics at the San Antonio Zoo, and they all still function. I usually get one every time I'm there. :)

[@joseph_b319]

Cool BurnCycle!!! Man i would love a Phillips CDi

[@streetmagik3105]

I'm jealous of that Air Zonk. I'd love to collect TG16.

[@JohnRiggs]

Collecting tg16 is a rich man's sport

[@streetmagik3105]

@@JohnRiggs after selling my Saturn collection to help pay medical bills, I've learned to stay in my lane, ha.

[@NinjaRunningWild]

I have Air Zonk. The key to TG16 collecting is to have bought them before they be able valuable. 😋

[@PastBlaster]

I'm glad you liked my Lil' Neo Geo cab :). It's originally a Sega Dino King I converted to a 1 Slot Neo-Geo. Thanks for checking out our show!

[@HECTORMONTALVO-le9cn]

Man where's that in heaven?🙏 Bro those old pinball machines from a century ago...awesome! I read in a book that in a novel from the old west they mention an inclined Baggett and by all acounts it sounds like a pinball machine. A pinball machine in the old west! Pal thanks for sharing your adventures for us that can't go!👉🙂👈

[@crazedlink]

@16:32 It looks like Robonik got hit by his own De-Aging machine. Love the long sleeves with short arms.

[@TheDrisk]

ooh wow what a great place... Loved seeing the arcade Wizard of Wor and Congo Bongo as neven ever seen the arcade cabinets for these.

[@rileyhall9320]

that ash tray reminds me of when a coin op vendor was telling me how the indoor smoking ban really did a number on the industry. before the ban, people would post up on a machine drinking, chain smoking, and drop quarter after quarter in a game

[@courtneyjensen]

The antique games are fascinating. From an academic perspective. But I'd start with Bubble Bobble. Adorable kid: "Can I challenge you?" Anachronism in 2023. That moment feels like 80s footage.

[@gamesnotover1576]

A great time was had for sure. Seems like I kept running into you through every doorway of the Event. Fun seeing our Bubble arcade it a favorite in our collection

[@cjallday1130plays]

Was a fun weekend! Glad to have met you during it. Hope we get to see you again next year. I was the guy asking you what your favorite game in the show was

[@EmceeIV]

Hey John! I am the Arcade Tech at Pin Chasers locations in FL (Zephyrhills, Tampa) - if you are in the area you should stop in! I'm a huge fan ✌💯

[@retrospectrum]

Probably one of my favorite guests to work with! Thanks John!

[@MattyIcecubes]

OMG memory unlocked! I forgot all about the arcade cabinets with ashtrays. I didn't start going to arcades until the mid 80s and they were phased out by then; but I do vaguely remember them from the early 80s.

[@selbyjohnson5986]

This was a pretty nice little convention! Thanks for coming to Florida! I will enjoy my Yeah Yeah Beebiss II on Dreamcast!

[@tweekers83]

I had a great time yesterday at the event and it was sooo cool meeting you there. Thank you

[@krisbeckwith7105]

Awesome 👍🏼 nostalgic ✨😎

[@CarlDelinden]

I love these vlogs and live vicariously through them. Keep the good work coming, Lord Johnicus of the Riggs!

[@onedrrgames]

Was excited to hear you were going to be at Free Play this year! We were also there hosting the Little Monster booth next to Astro Crow/Throwback! Great video as always!

[@thesegaguru]

Ok this looked awesome :) I've had to try and line up my next visit to Florida to coincide :) Love it!

[@geeqshuq]

Awesome video and pretty cool convention. Also, really cool meeting you as well.

[@ravenstarretro4445]

It was so great to finally meet you!!

[@tylertheretophiliac]

Really cool meeting u man! Love your content!!! Btw hopefully next year you can come back if ur up to seeing some filming locations Edward scissor hands (South Gate shopping center) was filmed a few miles away from the Lakeland convention center!

[@jojobuggs1980]

So Freakin Kool ! ! ! . Thank You Sir For Sharing This With Us !

[@Shannonbarnesdr1]

dude these arcade games and old school pinball machines bring back so many memories !

[@zacholdgames]

Great Videos John! Keep em' Coming :)

[@tw3nz0r]

I have one of those Taito bartops. Actually bought it from Free Play Florida last year. I absolutely love playing Zoo Keeper on it!

[@erneststackhouse1133]

Love the Video Game Cartridge Wall, might have to do one for my home! Maybe one that looks like a tombstone & fill it up with all my broken cartridge games! Maybe throw a Ghosts N Goblins logo on the wooden tombstone that holds all my broken Cartridges! Thanks for the idea Riggs except being a Grandpa & building a wooden tombstone might scare the family a bit. Ha-Ha! (Now I definitely have to do it.)

[@temporalce1684]

It was nice meeting you at the event (I may have reached my social limitby that time), think tapper was the best I tried.

[@mcorleonep]

I remember those ‘mechanical’ games in the 70’s; shooting galleries and such. They all but disappeared after Space Invaders came out…

[@psychochicken9535]

I love those old, pre pinball, pachinko style machines.

[@alexisjohnson]

Wow, 2 hrs south of me, had i known you was gonna be there I woulda made the trip! Hope you had a good time =)

[@GrocerGames]

My son was too focused on Toxic Avenger but when he saw this video he was like “Oh! The Cereal Book Guy!”

[@Shannonbarnesdr1]

i am in vero beach, i never knew this arcade existed in Lakeland, but o b e fair i have always lived on the east coast ( palm beach gardens, Jupiter, vero,)

[@nates.6464]

Wow! That place looks awesome!

[@andremackey3129]

Looks like you had a great time and I need to start making me some conventions

[@RetroRizer]

John riggs vlog style videos are the best 🎉

[@fatbikearcticnomad2122]

Wow! That’s cool man!

[@tylerpemberton3134]

The famous Larry bird game hook 🥃

[@mjdf122]

John Riggs at the arcade taking it back to the 80s and 90s

[@clintonlewis1261]

Looks like a cool place!

[@bryank47]

Wow Jeremy from Scottsquatch all grown up lol

[@JohnRiggs]

He was born grown up.

[@WhatHoSnorkers]

Awesome games sir!

[@PixelatedTravelR]

You should checkout Bragging Rights in Gainesville, FL.

[@YakkoWarnerTower]

I would totally love going to a "Free Play" in Florida or California honestly with family.

[@JohnRiggs]

Next time!

[@ultramaximusreviews]

I totally forgot about ash trays on arcade games... I put my quarters in them while playing LOL

[@snbks4ever]

Very cool video!!!

[@bradbla]

My friend had Star Castle. And I had that Chewbacca. I miss my Chewie.

[@mattm7798]

So, what would make this really nostalgic is if you actually had to have quarters to play these. Something about getting unlimited free games takes a little away from the fun of arcades :)

[@JohnRiggs]

Then it wouldn't be "free play" :)

[@xvx5872]

Good times.

[@Trainy2]

I love those old Japanese gaming PC's. The most powerful home gaming computers on the planet back then.

[@88lamborghini]

Your awesome man

[@papayaboat1780]

I had a lot of fun here, can’t wait to come back next year! PS, did you catch the name of the vendor selling the arcade cabinet marquees and, of course, the Couch Potato? I wanted to see if I could buy stuff from them any time of year rather than just November 18th.

[@papayaboat1780]

Btw, if you’re looking for Flintstones 2 on the NES, my local used game store has it for $85 😉

[@JohnRiggs]

It was Jeremy @jerps93 he's on social media. Maybe he can ship.

[@selbyjohnson5986]

I somehow missed his booth when I was there

[@papayaboat1780]

UPDATE: Had.

[@NinjaRunningWild]

@8:33 Billy Mitchell. Oh man... 😂

[@temporalce1684]

Florida has two awesome chicken tender chains called PDQ and Huey Magoo's

[@JohnRiggs]

Next time! I do love chicken.

[@Jkoziol72577]

Oh so you're down here in Florida you know not too far from you there is some dinosaur exhibit it's mostly fiberglass dinosaurs for the most part out in the woods but it's still a fun experience for the kids adult kids .

[@JohnRiggs]

I saw on my way to Tampa. Maybe next time.

[@lunarmodule6419]

I wanna goooo!

[@tylerpemberton3134]

Why didn't they put out a juke box where you can hit the side ..maybe a button...???

[@UDraft4]

See ya next time at the PSC airport John 😀

[@JohnRiggs]

I'll be there tonight! But arriving, not drparting

[@generalkilbabathemadmansch3602]

How much are those old school pinball, bagatelle game worth? My dad used to have one when I was a kid in the 80s but I think we binned it in the end.

[@tylerpemberton3134]

World cup nes is the best 😊

[@Phoenix_is_god]

Console players no PC players hell no arcade players brilliant

[@ianhowe338]

Do they have Sega’s Time Traveler? I would give my brother’s left testicle to play that game again. (Don’t tell him it was my idea). So, in 1990 or 1991 (I can’t remember), my family met up with my Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin at Disney World for Christmas. My Aunt and Uncle were pretty well off, so they were staying at the Disney Yacht Club or one of the higher end resorts. We were staying at the Caribbean Beach resort, which is for upper lower-middle class folks. Of all the lower-middle class people… My family was comfortably in the upper portion of that group. I actually always liked the Caribbean Beach resort. I now stay there by choice. Instead of necessity. Anyway, it was one of the 270 days out of the year that there was rain in Orlando (great planning , Walt). So, we went over to visit my cousin at his hotel, because it had more to do. There was a pretty decent arcade with all the newest, most expensive cabinets. And that’s where I saw it for the first and only time in my life. My white whale: Time Traveler. For the 99.8% of people that have never played or even heard of the greatest/worst arcade game ever conceived, Time Traveler was a holographic video game that basically functioned like Dragon’s Lair (or Night Trap or Road Avenger. Basically, every FMV game). The gimmick was that instead of a screen, you looked down into a little arena where a little “holographic” cowboy was projected onto a piece of glass. It’s hard to explain if you’ve never seen it, but it really looked (at least to my 9 year old brain) like there was a tiny translucent man having a gunfight in a big white bowl. As I recall, the game itself (like Dragon’s Lair) actually kind of sucked. But I must have spent $30 in quarters playing that dumb game, one rainy day in Disney World.

[@JohnRiggs]

They really should. Video game history!

[@selbyjohnson5986]

they used to have that at fun machine in orlando

[@michaelproctor8824]

The Seattle Butt-Kraken. You will understand when you see some versions of their flag.

[@JohnRiggs]

Clutch my pearls!

[@lunarmodule6419]

11:14 I don't get it... What game is this gem pouch from?

[@JohnRiggs]

It's just a rupee

[@JoeHusosky]

Saw you on Saturday night at FPF but kept loosing you 😅

[@michaeladams9807]

👍👍™️

[@Shannonbarnesdr1]

do they do this trade show every year in Lakeland?

[@papayaboat1780]

It’s usually in Orlando, but they moved it further south for this year.

[@Shannonbarnesdr1]

@@papayaboat1780 ooh okay, im going to see if they have a mailing list so hopefully i can make arrangements to go to it the next year, this looks way too fun to pass up.

[@gamesnotover1576]

First year in Lakeland the Event center was very accommodating to the FPF so the Board is going to discuss on keeping it there or moving it back to Orlando. both locations had their Pro and Cons.

[@selbyjohnson5986]

Orlando is a better spot I think but it seemed to be fine in Lakeland

[@lo1bo2]

I'm glad it was in Lakeland this year. Shorter drive for me, and I had fun Saturday.

[@tylerpemberton3134]

Who is Justin 😢😢😢😢john is great

[@JohnRiggs]

Justin rules!

[@tylerpemberton3134]

@@JohnRiggs I agree 💯

[@FatherJoeSaintjosephsmission]

Investing now should be in every wise individuals list, in some months time you'll be ecstatic with the decision you made today. The Inflation is killing me prices is killing us all. The money made is not enough to sort everything out and the family. What we need is a lucrative business or investment. And I just did and very proud I did!!