A few weeks ago word came out (courtesy of Toronto tech-god Marc Saltzman and the Toronto Star) that Funland, Toronto's oldest and final arcade, would be closing it's doors one last time. Growing up in Southern Ontario there was many a trip to the big city in my childhood. To a 6 year-old kid, it was a hell of an intimidating place. Miles and miles of cabinets screaming with sounds and lights, all tucked away in a dingy building with a dangerous crowd.

Sure it had a reputation as a den of drug dealers and derelicts, but what arcade didn't? That reputation has stuck with Funland through the years, which is probably why it didn't get the send off it deserved. Last summer, Toronto's landmark Sam the Record Man closed it's doors amidst much protest and hoopla. Now, only a year later (and directly across the street), the Funland Arcade leaves this city with only a whimper. Funland stood it's ground as long as Sam's -- 46 years -- and in the end closed for much of the same reason. Changing times don't leave much room for older mediums. Casualties of progress, the two of them.

But unlike Sam's, Funland has always had that stigma of scummy clientele regardless of the history the building represents. When I had mentioned on the blog SmartCanucks that I was planning on making one last pilgrimage, I was shocked at the reactions it generated; "I am so glad that this place is being closed down. It was such a dingy run down place that was frequented by the worst of Toronto’s characters." "Now where will all the drug dealers go??? This place was a disgusting, filthy hole. I would do anything to avoid going in there to protect my health and well-being." "People that go there are the scum of society."

Maybe they were right. Maybe in a certain light it is good for the city to lose another hangout for it's seedy underbelly. The Disneyfication of Younge/Dundas (not unlike what happened in Times Square in the 90's) has been underway for years now. Funland was one of the last remaining pock marks on the area.

But no matter what the downside was, Funland was a mecca for gaming. In recent years, they were one of the only places (if not the only place) in Canada to feature the rare F-Zero AX cabinet. Historically speaking they hold the distinction of having the most profitable Gauntlet machine in the world. For gamers, it was one of the few places in Canada where you could go and check out the newest and greatest games out there. Of course, in the past few years that became less and less true. Smaller profit margins meant fewer new machines. Fewer new machines meant fewer customers. It was a downward spiral, and like the death of all arcades, it's tied inextricably to the success of the home console market. Never before have I seen one product so feverishly cannibalize it's own parents. It's not unlike a Shakespearean tragedy.

I made my pilgrimage on July 24th, the day Marc Saltzman claimed would be the last day of operation for the Funland Arcade. As I quickly discovered, they had ceased operations 2 days earlier. When I arrived the doors were wide open. Inside looked like an arcade grave yard. The grave diggers, complete with gallows humor, took the form of the removal company. I quickly asked the foreman if I could come in and take some pictures. He said it wouldn't be a problem.

As I walked passed the pit at the entrance where the employees once sat, making change and making trouble, I heard a familiar voice. "See? I told you people were going to miss this place." It was the owner. His voice couldn't hide how he felt about the situation. It wasn't angry. It wasn't depressed, disillusioned or disinterested. It was defeated. "I grew up in this place," I proceeded to tell him, snapping away with my camera. "I would come here all the time as a kid."

"Maybe if you still did, we wouldn't be closing."

Check out some related posts: Lamentation of My Youth: The Sad Death of the Arcade, Video Arcade's Last Gasp.

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