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Insert Coin(s) to Continue – Nightlife in Downtown Las Vegas Levels Up

Written by Taryn Beach

Downtown Las Vegas has gone through a transition over the past ten to fifteen years. It has experienced a renaissance and become a hot spot for locals and tourists alike. One of the main draws in Downtown is the Fremont Experience, a closed street where pedestrians can venture back and forth between casinos, bars and restaurants. At the end of the Fremont Experience is a bar, not just any bar, a ‘barcade.’

Insert Coins is a mecca for gamers, nestled in Downtown Las Vegas. Inside there is a lot going on. On one side, there is an impressive collection of arcade cabinets. There is plenty of nostalgia on tap with fighting games, top down shooters, light gun shooters, and brawlers. They have games like Killer Instinct, Karate Champ, House of the Dead, Raiden and many, many more. On the opposite side there are private tables that can be reserved. Each table has a nice flat panel as its center piece and with a table reservation gamers have access to a myriad of console experiences. Games like Mario Kart, FIFA 13, Madden, Street Fighter x Tekken are on tap for your own personal party.

Smack dab in the middle is the bar. The bar features more than 12 large flat panels mounted high for easy visibility. Anyone seated at the bar can request a controller and partake in the games out for the night. They have a solid mix of Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles available so you can game on the system you’re most comfortable on. No bar is complete without a dance floor and DJ. Insert Coins features resident DJ’s that have their own unique style. Dubstep, hip hop, and a variety of other dance friendly genres are played depending on which DJ is spinning the beats. They also throw special events. Next Tuesday, they are holding an “Arcadia Halloween Party and Costume Contest” with cash prizes up for grabs.

I’ve gone down to Insert Coins on multiple occasions. Barry and I often rendesvous and have a great time there. Last time we met up, Barry and his friend Cesar had already commandeered a couple seats at the bar. I strolled up to a back and forth battle in Ultimate Marvel v. Capcom 3. Someone came up and asked for “next game”, and over my second Stella, I watched this dude lay the wood down on my two friends. It’s always pretty hilarious and humbling to fight someone that’s on another level when it comes to fighting games.

If you find yourself in Las Vegas, you owe it to yourself to make the pilgremage to Downtown Las Vegas and check out Insert Coins. Insert Coins always boasts a diverse crowd, good drinks, good service and good vibes. If you won’t be visiting Vegas anytime soon they have a brand new location in Minneapolis. Insert Coins is a great bar/club injected with gaming culture and that makes it even better.

About the author

Taryn Beach

I play a lot of video games. I'm a fan of most genres but have an affinity towards racing, rpg, shooter and fighting games.

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