24 hour stream-a-thon and 1 last battle at FFA december 15th!

watson

for those of you who tuned into the broadcast of Wednesday Night Fights on 9/19 you know i announced the sad news of another arcade closing shop. this is going to be a very lengthy post and hopefully i can put down in words what my heart feels. but first i want to post a statement ralph himself wrote :

Hi I'm Ralph I own Family fun Arcade


For the past 38 years I have owned and run this place you know as Family Fun Arcade. It has been my pleasure ,my pain ,my nights, my days, my frustration, my satisfaction, and everything in between. I have lived and breathed this business every day of those years. In short Family Fun Arcade has has been my "Family"

I have watched the video game phenomenon from it's humble beginnings to the worldwide explosion.
I have seen little kids grow into adults who now bring their kids to Family Fun.
I have made many lifelong friends and take great pride that I have been able to provide countless hours of fond memories to the people of Family Fun

I have kept this place alive long after most real arcades have disappeared
Sadly 38 years of hard work has taken a heavy toll on me. Now due to health and financial considerations I have been forced to step away from my role here As a result Family Fun will no longer be able to operate after approximately Jan 2013.

It has been a great long run and I hope to see many of my friends in the remaining time here
Family Fun is a second home to many and I hope you can all visit and support us now
Watch for announcements of going away events and we are planning for a big gathering at Family Fun for our final "Family Portrait".
Tell your friends and we can all celebrate the end of an era.

Huge thanks and respect to all the employees who helped to make it possible,and thanks to you the customers
All a big part of "The Family"

there you have it guys. 38 years of history, entertainment, and countless moments of fun, excitement, and drama. FFA will soon be gone but never forgotten. this place was always considered to the fgc as a "players" arcade and ralph was always very accommodating to the requests of all his customers. things were always done from a players perspective and no other place provided more access to the fighting game scene than FFA. hell, this dude even bought 3 boards for Capcom Fighting Jam. that in itself shows he was a diehard capcom supporter, stupid maybe at times, but definitely a huge supporter :P

over the years ffa was always innovative and i believe was the first arcade in america to have head to head cabinets, big screen cabinets, and maintained to keep multiple cabinets of every popular version of each fighting game to please the crowd. even way back when i first started going to FFA i was amazed that ralph had a projector for SF2 which was shot on the wall so people were playing on what seemed to be a 100ft screen (obv exaggerating cause i was like 14-15 at the time, but it was HUGE!) many of the people regarded as legends frequented FFA and throughout the years many more great players and people that are still involved in the FGC came out of this arcade. i can go on and on about how big a landmark this place became ever since the dawn of Street Fighter but i wont bore you anymore.

you guys know why im writing this and i really want to emphasize that this place has been kept open way after if was profitable. ralph basically kept this arcade open to in his own words "provide a playground for the FGC." i have known ralph for over 20 years and he might not exactly be everyones cup of tea, but i'll be damned if he wasnt almost like a second father to me and one of the hardest working bastards ive ever met. he literally works 7 days a week, long hours, and obviously doesnt get paid overtime. he tries his best to maintain 3 arcades, FFA/Japan Arcade/Super Arcade, and that has streched him real thin. most do not know this but just keeping 1 arcade in good functioning order is a tough job, try doing 3! ralph was injured a while back while on the job and completely jacked up his shoulder. did that stop him? with his arm in a sling and a broken finger he came to Super Arcade before we took over and help to build the current SF4 set up that is still being played on today. keep in mind this was the first arcade in the USA to have SF4 and that was all made possible by ralph. then more bad news hit and Super Arcade was going to close, this is when ralph stepped in and saved it from closing down then called me to the scene and gave me an opportunity to show my worth. he has worked tirelessly for the scene way beyond the money making days of arcades and a sad yet proud moment came when we did the first WNF here at super last year. ralph was literally 5 days out of City of Hope for his cancer removal surgery. he knew i was overwhelmed as a newbie in the arcade scene so he came down to help. with stitches and a catheter this dude was playing the roll of superman. he was so passionate about the scene he failed to let his body slow him down, but unfortunately the thin line of bravery and stupidity was crossed and some of his stitching burst and he was forced to stop helping. even at that point the man sat outside in his car in front of super just admiring the work we had accomplished together and i will never forget that night. 300 people, G4 TV, levelup streaming, the entire socal FGC was there and some! he had that ronald mcdonald smile going from ear to ear and it was the happiest i can imagine an older gentlemen being (aside from the day viagra was released)

i believe not only us fighting game players, but all gamers in general have benefited from the existence of ralph and we are very lucky to have someone that offered all his support, dedication, passion, and just outright love for games and gaming. i ask everyone please to rally and support him after all hes done. 38 years of dedication and respect is not something you come by everyday and it will be almost impossible to match. many of you in so cal know ralph and im sure you can agree when i say he is one of the most friendly, humorous, not very handsome, but thats overlooked by his great generosity and his loyalty to his friends, family, and customers in which became his friends. like i was saying, hes tougher than almost anyone i know, but also has the heart of a lion and im very honored to be his friend and hope everyone else that has come across him feels the same.

unfortunately though, he is now facing health issues and huge medical bills which is the reason he can no longer keep the doors open to the places we have grown up in and grown to love and hopefully appreciate. so if you appreciate what we in socal have taken for granted for so long please free to help this man move on. i highly suggest words of encouragement if nothing else and i will be providing an email specifically for this matter so he can hear from you, the people he loved and provided for his whole life.

all of us here at super arcade, levelup, and the so cal fgc are doing what we can to keep the scene alive and trying to give back to someone whos given so much. long live arcades and much thanks to ralph for being everything any fan of arcades could ever wish for.

(WARNING : there is already a bogus twitter account trying to ask for donations. that account has no affiliation with FFA or myself. please do not attempt to help or donate to these fraudulent accounts as we will be setting up our own fundraiser through the website www.arcaderelief.com which is currently under construction.)

watson

UPDATE : 24hr Stream-a-thon will take place starting December 15th.

website : www.arcaderelief.com (currently under construction but will be operational within the next day or so)

we are also opening up the donation drive asap to deter other unauthorized people from using the FFA name for their own self gain.

email to send ralph warm wishes : ralph@arcaderelief.com
email to send photos : admin@arcaderelief.com
paypal donation email : donate@arcaderelief.com
facebook page : http://www.facebook.com/ArcadeRelief

WARNING : there is already a bogus twitter account trying to ask for donations. that account has no affiliation with FFA or myself. please do not attempt to help or donate to these fraudulent accounts as we will be setting up our own fundraiser through the website www.arcaderelief.com which is currently under construction.

bkfst_sausage

<3

pherai

much respect to FFA and ralph. this was the mecha of US 3s, and also the place for all us valley players to play.

Mizuki

Man, if it wasn't for FFA, og socal melty wouldn't have probably been a thing. I hope the best for Ralph and his family.

Duralath

Much respect to a pioneer who has been a giant mainstay for the fighting game community since before a huge majority of us could remember. I will always remember wanting to come back and learn 3rd Strike alongside the best and how hype every Ranking Battle got.

We salute you, Ralph!

Tweleve

R.I.P.

Thanks for the funniest 3s commentaries I've ever heard in my life

Oathkeeper89

Whatever I drink tonight, I will think of FFA.

d3f1anc3

While I have never met Ralph, I have a deep admiration and respect for all he has done over the last 3, nearly 4 decades. I also know what it's like to have friends/family battling serious health afflictions and dealing with said financial fallout.

Much love man. My thoughts and prayers will be with you and your family through this trial you must endure. But endure you shall.

Teen*Idol

Family Fun Arcade is sadly closing it's doors. I remember going there every Sunday as a kid with my two older brothers with a slurpee in my left, and a gang of quarters in my right. I would mash my little chubby, mullet sporting heart out in Marvel vs Capcom 2, and Capcom vs SNK. I never would've thought a few years later I would spend countless hours of my young adult years studying these games religiously. Even though I've been gone from my beloved fighters for over a year now because of school, I will still hold FFA and those cherished memories close to my heart. Coming from some pretty tough years in High School, it is because of FFA that I made close friendships with my 4 best friends that I'm sure will last me my entire life. Thanks "Family", you were EXACTLY what I needed to clear my head during some tough times. In a sense, you actually saved my life..

SugaFree

Ralph is owner of Japan Arcade as well right? The WNF stream announced the closing of that location.

I only been to FFA a few times, but I been to Japan Arcade hundreds of times. Third Strike matches at Japan Arcade are the best. I will continue going whenever I can. Sucks that now there won't be any arcades close to my place :(.

pyrolee

FAMILY FUN ARCADE


Truly, a golden era.

NickRocks

first dogface, now FFA? :(

R.I.P. this is sad, and Im on the EC (the best coast ever). good luck guys.

what happens to the cabs when an arcade closes down? I always wonder about stuff like this

Spoiler:

L_A_Akira

Ralph,

All I can say is thank you for all that you have done for us throughout the years. I have been a regular at FFA from 91 when the first street fighter 2 machine showed up and probably went to your arcade more than I went to school. I cherish all the great battles on a myriad of street fighter games, mortal kombat, KI, shit, we even fucking played fighters history when you got it. More than the games though, the real treasure was all the great friends I have today because of your arcade. You, of course, Frenchie, Big Jer, James Cha, Mike Darling, Mike Malone, Isaiah, Mike Dimambro, JoAnn... The list goes on and on. I even met my first girlfriend because Andy told JoAnn she sucks at street fighter and Jeremy corby got punched in the face for it. lol
Surely, my life wouldn't be the same as it is now if it wasn't for FFA and for that you will always be my hero. Thanks for everything and I just want you to know I will and always appreciated all the shit you have done for all of us. Getting new games, keeping the place open late, letting us run SF2 tourneys, setting up head to head cabinets cuz we said it was cool. etc... Thanks for everything

ReNiC

Damn... so many fun times.

The Phantomnaut

Family got me interested in playing and loving 3rd Strike. Long live FFA.

JaHa

My best to Ralph and his family he has truly been a laborer of love for the FGC from the very start. SHGL closed a decade ago and FFA and Super Arcade have been holding it down for southern Cali. Not everyone knew Ralph personally but you can see how much he cared about the community

Kobe Bryant 24

Have not logged onto SRK for like 2 years but Yi here. I'm going to write a nice long article about FFA, I've been going here since I was in 6th grade.

FFA truly has been the greatest arcade in American history.

gootecks

Truly a sad day for the entire community. Were it not for FFA, there would certainly be no gootecks and no Cross Counter.

Ralph has always been a huge supporter of the FGC and always open to trying new ideas and it's truly a shame that things have to come to an end.

I'll be putting together a video to talk about some of the history of FFA and the good times/bad times.

[Rip]

I almost never log in here anymore, but I just wanted to drop off a huge thanks to Ralph for keeping the arcade scene alive as long as he has. I started visiting FFA in 2005 for Tekken 5 and if not for FFA I wouldn't have met the other half of Socal's Tekken community (which 90% has since dropped off to becoming online warriors now after FFA couldn't justify the cost of getting the expensive Tekken 6 cabinet). Tons of great memories/tournaments there.

bellreisa

Hi, this is bellreisa, and I'm going to talk about how FFA shaped my fighting game life.

My initialization into the anime fighting game scene got started with Melty Blood and the West Toast tourney series around 2007. Quite honestly, I really disliked the game back then and didn't consider myself a part of the scene in any serious fashion. However, there was large support for the game in SoCal back then, particularly at FFA where a few of the local 3S players picked it up, such as Arlieth, Scott, hdphnz, etc. Nobody took Melty seriously back then (even less than they do nowadays I suppose), but it was because of the efforts of the arcades in that area, FFA and Interface, that the scene thrived and the game received a good run.

Even given my reservations for the game, the people in the scene were fun and the competition was exciting. Some of the most memorable moments in the early days of West Coast Melty were made at FFA. Sp00ky flew in just to compete at West Toast X. We had rivalries with multiple regions and everyone looked forward to the next tournament to prove their worth. If not for the efforts of everyone involved, there is no doubt in my mind that the Melty scene would have faded away before it even got started. Instead, the West Toast series was an entryway for many players from different regions into the competitive fighting game scene.

When Interface closed down, that was a seemingly minor blip in the radar. We had many more places to go back then so naturally it didn't seem like a big deal. But years later, with this announcement, I think we are finally beginning to see the end of an age that we will all look back upon with fondness and nostalgia. I implore everyone in SoCal to try and support the remaining arcades and to show up strong for not just your games, but the culture that an arcade represents. For many of us, the arcade is more than a place to play games; it defined a large part of our social experience as we grew up and opened up doors to good friends we never would have found otherwise.

There is no way for me to properly return the favor for what FFA has brought into my life. All I can do to express my gratitude is to thank Ralph for his years of hard work and to wish him the best in the future.

factory9

Of all the arcades that have closed down, hearing about this one makes me want to cry the most.

Mike_Z

I basically moved to CA for the competition FFA provided. It was an amazing place to go, busy ALL the time with top-level players. SoCal MvC2 and 3s would have been NOTHING without this place...I'll never forget fighting SooMighty first round in my first ten MvC2 weeklies. It's a piece of fighting game history, a BIG piece, and Ralph constantly did his best for the community. I want him to know that we appreciated it - I certainly did.

d3v

I've never played at FFA and now, thanks to this sad news, I'll never be able to. That said, I gotta thank FFA and the players for all the vids they took, especially of 3rd Strike. It was always nice to know that, despite the 3S scene being dead where I was, there was still someplace where there was an active, passionate community playing the game.

Next time I get tore, I'm going to be doing it for FFA.

eltrouble

d3v, post: 7531857, member: 9887 wrote:

I've never played at FFA and now, thanks to this sad news, I'll never be able to. That said, I gotta thank FFA and the players for all the vids they took, especially of 3rd Strike. It was always nice to know that, despite the 3S scene being dead where I was, there was still someplace where there was an active, passionate community playing the game.

Next time I get tore, I'm going to be doing it for FFA.

You still have a few more months to visit before it closes.

d3v

eltrouble, post: 7533047, member: 50728 wrote:

You still have a few more months to visit before it closes.

Living across the Pacific doesn't help. :(

kro

I pretty much grew up going to FFA. Long before I got interested in fighting games, it was the place where I could spend a few bucks and have a ton of fun playing things like The Simpsons, Turtles in Time, and Air Hockey as a kid.

After I got older and developed an appreciation for fighting games, I went whenever I got the chance. With multiple copies of 3s, Marvel, CvS2, ST, GGXXAC, and MBAC there was always somebody to play. They even got vanilla SF4 and BBCT way before console release.

Then, tolerable online play came about for console releases and developers released new versions of games every 6-12 months. There was no way for an arcade in the US to keep updating game versions without losing money.

FFA was a player's arcade. Everyone knew there was no way it could be profitable to run a business like this. But somehow they sacrificed and managed to keep it afloat for the players. I really appreciate what Ralph has done for us local players as well as the rest of SoCal. I also want to thank Nate for setting up all those GG and BB tourneys and keeping it going even when interest started to wane. That series of tournaments sparked my interest in FGs again.

Gonna try and make it a point to visit at least once a week whether or not the place closes in January.

Inoki

This is unfortunate, and I'm really sorry to see FFA close.

I first went to FFA with co-workers after work to play Marvel 3 for the first time. This was probably my first real experience with fighting games, and since then I've kept trying to improve, though I still very much in the beginner stage. Occasionally I'd stop in at FFA to play a few games, or join a casuals group to try to improve even the slightest bit,

I'm embarrassed to admit that I've only gone to FFA infrequently, but each time I felt like I was at home. Or at least my friend's home. I'd be quite, play a few games, and take off, but seeing the scene there always made me regret not going more.

So thank you, Ralph. Along with the staff and players at FFA, for bringing me into the Fighting Game Experience, even if I'm always still training.

Hanzo_Hasashi

L.A Akira those are some of the BEST pics of the USA OG I have ever seen, thanks for sharing.

watson

i will be releasing a schedule that is going to be updated periodically so you guys can keep track of whos going to be on at what time and what events are going on. our tentative list of commentators will include :

joey cuellar - aka mr wizard!
seth killian
alex valle
mike watson
ryan gutierrez - gootecks
mike ross
john d - dr sub zero
david graham - ultra david
james chen
aris

with many more to come.

we will also be scheduling events such as various tournaments with your favorite players as well. we are setting up a 3s tourney currently since FFA was the home to the best 3s player in the USA and a breeding ground for many others that 3s fans are familiar with. more events and planning to come soon so stay tuned. thanks again to everyone and hopefully we can reach our goal and help Ralph out as much as possible.

www.arcaderelief.com has now launched and donations are currently being accepted through paypal at donate@arcaderelief.com

thank you all once again and much appreciation for your time.

Edma

I moved up to Moorpark about 8 years ago and was lucky enough to have FFA near me having never heard of the place. This arcade was the place to be and I'm really sorry to hear you have to close Ralph. All the best to you and I'll be making it out to events whenever I get the chance.

Be good to see all you guys again. :)

NickRocks

is there any way to lure dogface back for a commentary session :(

aznpikachu215

So is it going to be 3S stream only?

Rockefeller

Family Fun Arcade has given me so much to be thankful for.

I am proud to say that this is where Yi & I became the first English-speaking Street Fighter commentators / announcers. This idea was borrowed from the Japanese after visiting some of their tournaments and experiencing how much more awesome it can be with commentary.

The Dr. Sub-Zero show was also born here. With help from Shogs, Gootecks, Arlieth, Amir & special guests, the first Street Fighter podcast was created. It is an honor that the show has continued interest still.

All the 3S hype that FFA generated eventually got the attention of the EVO staff and they added 3S to the 2003 lineup. We were really proud of that. I really think the world would never know the Daigo parry without FFA.

So many great nights were spent at FFA; so many awesome people were met there.

Everyone please visit and support FFA while you still can. It isn't too late! Don't hang out in the parking lot and do drugs, either. Go inside and get some games in!

All my best thoughts & wishes go out to Ralph! He's such a great guy, always telling me his favorite joke: What's the difference between paying for sex and getting sex for free? Answer: Sex for free costs more. Haha it's funny the first time. Ralph also hooked me up with a slice of Costco pizza when he bought a bunch, that dude always made everyone feel so welcome. It's such a shame that he got cancer, but I know he will beat it, that dude's a fighter!

I am going to do a segment during the 24-hour stream, please tune in! It'll be like old times.

FFA for life,
John

raging_goose

It is so sad to hear that FFA is closing down, but what really gets me is walking in to FFA and seeing people just sitting there doing nothing, not playing a single game in over an hour. This is the first semester in a few years that I actually have time to drop by and play again, I am the scrubbiest of scrubs and it pains me to see this historic place shut down, hopefully when I finally get my thesis started it will have a section entitled FFA. I never had the chance to meet Ralph but I know he is an awesome person for keeping FFA going for so long.

Clonedpickle

I live in the midwest(Iowa)..so I haven't been to FFA or even know or meet Ralph but it really sucks to hear about a arcade closing it doors no matter where it's at.

WTF-AKUMA-HAX

raging_goose, post: 7546992, member: 66007 wrote:

It is so sad to hear that FFA is closing down, but what really gets me is walking in to FFA and seeing people just sitting there doing nothing, not playing a single game in over an hour.

All businesses have dull, not busy times, and an Arcade is just like any otherbusiness in that respect,

but take a note from the poster right above you & inform twitter (including his account @AskDrSubZero) when you are heading there as this will undoubtedly gather other players to come on down too. Its like a beacon to follow in this day and age, being just that much faster than "word of mouth" or more structured meetups like a Tournament or this future charity stream.

Thanks for the stories and website link to all the information.
Please post more!

MegamanDS

I have been going year for 11 years, a little less than half my LIFE. I got my curfew ticket here my first year discovering this place. This was a second home and family to me. I would go to FFA about 3-4 times a week with friends that drove me when I was 15 (Jaminis, Andre, Jared...) and after years of attending, I drove my younger friends there and continued the tradition of this gem of an arcade.

I can't express how much this place meant to me. The top players that spawned from here, the competition at its prime, the rivalries and fights that broke out here, all part of my memories. This is where I met and got to be friends with the best of the best in mvc2 and 3s (Fanatiq, Soo, Amir, Rockefellar, DOGFACE!!!). Hell, even my nickname grew out of here.

I will be supporting this 24 hour stream and donating. I will see if I can connect with dogface to show up.

vandarkholme

Never been to FFA but i've always been a big fan ever since, unfortunately I'm from europe so I never had the chance to visit the place.
Always have been a big fanboy of FFA, every thing that got tagged as it always made me smile, because I know content would delivered. Ralph was a man that delivered for us people, and I seriously hope he will make it out of this situation or at least that he doesnt regret anything and will feel accomplishment.
The times when most media stuff came out of FFA was in my opinion the best period of time for the fgc, as people said in this thread, without Ralph and FFA I probabbly wouldnt even be here. Even I felt like Family fun Arcade was really a family, where I got to know most of the players that went there and hearing all those stories about this place.

Wish you everything best Ralph
Tom, your fan from poland

watson

watson, post: 7543316, member: 1593 wrote:

i will be releasing a schedule that is going to be updated periodically so you guys can keep track of whos going to be on at what time and what events are going on. our tentative list of commentators will include :

joey cuellar - aka mr wizard!
seth killian
alex valle
mike watson
ryan gutierrez - gootecks
mike ross
john d - dr sub zero
david graham - ultra david
james chen
aris

so adding to the list we have jaha and laakira. clockwork expressed some interest and if you are interested drop me a line. really trying to get dogface here since this is where he started his commentary i believe. who knows, but what i do know is it will be a great night with alot of stuff going on including matches and hopefully i can get ralph to agree to a dunk tank! who doesnt wanna see people get owned up!?!?

aznpikachu215

Arcades are slowly dying because right now the economy is kind of bad, and opening any business is like baseball, it's either a Home Run or an out.

I remember there was about 400 arcades in California alone, now it's probably just down to the last 50s or less. And of course, there's always online console, and gaming at home now, so people don't really want to go out that much as often as they like to.

KaiSing

FFA was one of the arcades that stepped up big time in attempt to fill the hole left by the closing of SHGL. And man, did it deliver. Everyone knows about the 3s scene there as it speaks for itself. But it was also the training ground of some of the best MvC2 players to come out after the post SHGL generation. Guys like Chris Schmidt, Finesse, Fanatiq, and Illan were regulars there each week trying to knock Soo off the throne. There were times when Nor cal guys like Chunk and Cableguy would come down just to play. Those were some good times. If you wanted to get better, FFA had the competition to do it.

watson

watson, post: 7543316, member: 1593 wrote:

i will be releasing a schedule that is going to be updated periodically so you guys can keep track of whos going to be on at what time and what events are going on. our tentative list of commentators will include :

joey cuellar - aka mr wizard!
seth killian
alex valle
mike watson
ryan gutierrez - gootecks
mike ross
john d - dr sub zero
david graham - ultra david
james chen
aris

with many more to come.

we will also be scheduling events such as various tournaments with your favorite players as well. we are setting up a 3s tourney currently since FFA was the home to the best 3s player in the USA and a breeding ground for many others that 3s fans are familiar with. more events and planning to come soon so stay tuned. thanks again to everyone and hopefully we can reach our goal and help Ralph out as much as possible.

www.arcaderelief.com has now launched and donations are currently being accepted through paypal at donate@arcaderelief.com

thank you all once again and much appreciation for your time.

adding to the list we will be including the legends of Tomo Ohira and Jeff Schaefer to be filling in a time slot and giving us some history on the game of Street Fighter! might have some casual matches to entertain people and hopefully this event will continue to get bigger and better and the time nears!

did someone say "DUNK TANK?" hopefully this pans out and we will be having some people taking a plunge for donations! sherryjenix and chrissyfoofykins will be donating their eye candy for you guys and we will also be forcing everyones love em or hate em tekken personality Aris getting drenched in this event!

more commentators to include our USA SBO rep for UMvC3, killer kai and hopefully we can pair him up with another one of your favorite marvel players Clockwork(pending work schedule)

trying to get a Super Turbo tourney set up for a 6pm start time run by @iebattlegrounds who brought you the most recent stream of ST revival at EVO!

this event is just gonna get bigger and badder and all for a good cause. come help us out just by being here or tuning in, and if you have any services you might want to offer feel free to drop me a msg and lets do this!

Alpod

hey everyone,
i'm doing an article on the Family Fun Arcade for The Daily Sundial and am looking for some sources that can talk about the arcade's importance.
Unfortunately, i have not been able to talk to Ralph as he is a busy man and hasn't returned my calls. I have talked to some employees and a couple of gamers but am looking to get someone's perspective that was around the FFA prior to 2008.
Please email me at Albot310@yahoo.com if you're interested in a phone interview or an in-person interview, if you live in the LA area.
Thanks,
Alex

Keithgranada

This message is for Ralph...I have not seen you in almost 30 years. I am one of the original "hangouts" from when you first opened, when the movie theatre was still a few doors down. I realise you may not remember me, or John Doyle, Jim Cormier, Steve Laybourn, Steve Bogna, and many others though I dont know how you couldnt as you chased us out for various things over the years including "partying" on the roof. I would like to fess up and let you know that it was me who placed the Miller beer bottles on top of the sign, which remained there for quite a while. I also would just like to say that not many things make me sad, but hearing about the closing really struck a nerve. I have many MANY fond memories of Family Fun, including you putting "Feliz Navidad" in the numbered place of a Led Zeppelin song on the juke box as a joke. I do not live in SFV anymore but am going to try my best to make it by to see the place one last time. I hope this message finds you well and I wish you all the best in your future endeavours. Thanks for all of the wonderful memories. Sincerely, Keith Mullins

watson

thats a pretty cool story if real hahah! im sure ralph would smile when i direct him to read it.

anyways, as the time is getting closer i need to make somewhat of a more solid schedule as to who and what is to be going on during the stream so we can put it out there and have people spread the word. if you are commentating or interested in doing so please contact me here or via twitter @SuperDojo and i will do my best to reply asap. also we have tentatively scheduled a 3s tourney and a ST tourney. would love to have more games scheduled and grudge matches are always fun so if you guys have any suggestions feel free to post up!

Keithgranada

Watson > The story is all true. I have so many memeories of FFA and the surrounding area that I could fill this blog for hours. All about places around there that no longer exist like McDonalds (got my first tattoo at age 15 by John on the outside benches), The Wherehouse record store, FB Waterbeds, the movie theatre (that was now medical offices the last time I was there), The Akron (later a Circuit City), and Donut shop next door to it. I remember FFA from before video games even existed. When it had pinball, air hockey, foosball, and other types of mechanical games. That "one girl" that is mentioned in the story as occasionally visiting FFA now, I probably dated (or atleast knew) her Mom...hahaha. The last time I remember seeing Ralph was when he picked Jim & I up hitch hiking on Devonshire (in his brown? van) and he gave us a ride all the way to Chatsworth park.
I do have a question that maybe Ralph can answer... in the early 1970's there used to be another pinball arcade cadycorner from FFA in the same shopping center where Sav-On drugs was. If the El Queso Grande mexican restaurant is still there, that is where it was before the restaurant existed. What was the name of it ? Also, I know of a group called "San Fernando Valley Relics" that is currently acquiring objects from some of the places that are vanishing (like FFA) for a planned museum and I am sure they would be interested in possibly acquiring the FFA sign for thier collection.
I am planning to make it by FFA sometime over the holidays to see it one last time, as are many of my old friends that I have spread the word to about its closing. At this time I just dont know what exact date that will be. I highly doubt it, but I am very curious to see if my initials are still where I carved them years ago.

Arz2003!

Sucks that a great place has to shut its doors down due to economy. I was a weekly mvc2 player there from south central l.a. going up there 24 miles just for better mvc2 comp 2003-2008. Enjoyed every moment i was there and would always give it my all in every mvc2 battle. Thanks FFA for providing great figthing game competition :)

neiman

much respect to ralph and the best to him in his ongoing struggles and future endeavors.

i have many memories at this place from my 3rd strike beginnings. this place is truly a mecca for fighting games period.

Black Convoy

Having moved to Los Angeles 2 years ago, this was one of the places I wanted to go to. I've had the opportunity to go to Japan Arcade in Little Tokyo but everyone told me that this is the place to go to for a great experience. Hopefully, I can make it before the doors close.

watson

just released the 1st trailer for this event thanks to red rapper! incase you didnt tune into WNF on levelup's stream we will be showing it tonight on TRB stream and also have the link to youtube up shortly. this event is gonna be great imo. gonna have tons of action while trying to run tourneys non-stop for 24 hours along with a lot of history and background to street fighter and the FGC scene starting from the very beginning of it all. please tune in for a good cause and help with anything you can. just being at the event is a huge plus and joining us for "1 last fight" at FFA arcade to show ralph we truly appreciate what he has done with his life to make ours that much better.

more scheduling to be posted asap so stay tuned and try to come out and be a part of this! thanks.