In January, I had a chance to go to two entertainment centers here in California. The first one was Punch Bowl Social and the other was Round One. Both entertainment centers are family-friendly, and can be found in multiple states across the US, but Round one is originally based in Japan. Punch Bowl Social has a bigger emphasis on dining than Round One does, but both places include an arcade, karaoke, a bowling alley, and various games. Both places start checking ID after 10pm, with Round One allowing chaperoned minors and Punch Bowl Social going to 21+, so if you want to deal with few to no children, that would be the time to go. If you are trying to take children, go before that.
I went to Punch Bowl Social because it was recommended to me for karaoke. There is a wide selection of songs to choose from, including rock, rap, country and pop. At the location I went to, groups get two microphones to use. Karaoke prices start at $35 per hour for 1-4 people and $45 for 5-10 (it’s cheaper at Round One, but I have never done karaoke there). You can extend your hour if there is no one signed up to go after you, but on a weekend, you probably won’t get that chance. People will be waitlisted for hours to do karaoke, and if your wait is long enough, you will have time to eat at the restaurant, or go to the bar. If you have a shorter wait, or would rather do something else, you have a chance to play darts, ping-pong (table tennis, if you’re fancy), giant jenga, or even giant connect-four. There are a few arcade games to play as well. As the name suggests, socializing is the main focus of the location, so the games are few in number. Round One has a much wider selection of games.
While Punch Bowl Social’s focus is to provide a socializing and dining experience, Round One’s main focus is the arcade. Round One has fighting games, like Street Fighter, and shooting games where you can kill zombies or aliens. For those who are not into violent games, there are racing games, dancing games, and the standard play-for-tickets games, like skee-ball and basketball hoops. All these games are played using credits loaded onto a gaming card, and if you are not careful, you will use up all your credits before you realize, and have to buy more to continue.
The prize grabbers are a trap that will drain you of all your credits, if you get too obsessed. I know because I fell victim to them. It looks easy and makes you think you are just one chance away from winning, but I watched the workers purposely place the plushies at an angle that makes it impossible for the weak, two pronged arm to grab. If you think the—suspiciously well-stocked—small prize grabber is easy, it will just make you mad. I had a small prize firmly grasped and on its way to the drop section, only for the arm to swing with the strength of a wrecking ball and throw the prize across the machine to the back, so watch out. (There are certain people however, who seemed to have it all figured out. These special ones often walk out with multiple prizes).
Now remember that selection of games that give you “tickets”? Well these “tickets” are recorded digitally on your game card and you can trade for prizes, like plushies, POP! Figures, t-shirts, or various knickknacks and small snacks. Most of the interesting prizes have ticket costs in the thousands, which means spending a lot of time and money playing a small selection of games. I know this because I have been there twice. Most of the prizes could be bought online for way less money, and cost you less time and energy than you would spend trying to get them from the prize counter.
I enjoyed myself at both places once I stopped trying to win rigged prizes, and I learned that I am surprisingly dangerous when it comes to ping-pong. Depending on what you are doing, both places can get pretty pricey, but they are good for a night of fun.
Credit:
Round One Bowling and Amusement, Photo of Arcade Machines, https://www.round1usa.com/real-estate-information/
Simoneph, Photo of a Microphone, via Pixabay, https://pixabay.com/en/sound-music-microphone-voice-3284770/
Zhan Zhang, Photo of and Arcade, via Unsplash, https://unsplash.com/photos/6gS4AwmKKDg
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