If you grew up in the age of quarter rolls in your pocket and a rampaging case of Galaga Forearm, you’ll appreciate the Arcade History database, a crazy-detailed source of information on over 35000 pinball games, arcade games, casino games, etc. There are also sections on this site for manufacturers (over 3600) and a detailed video game timeline (that goes back to 1108!) The database is available at http://www.arcade-history.com/ (thanks @Mattit_TOFY!)

But I’m into more recent history so I searched the machine database for Galaga. I got nine results, from Galaga in 1981 to Super Galaga 2, with an uncertain date. Cool: hold your mouse over the name of the game and you’ll get a thumbnail of the cabinet. “Oooh! That’s what it looks like.”

I clicked on the 1981 arcade name. I got a page with a crazy amount of information, including a screenshot of the game, history, technical information, trivia, game play tips, and consoles to which the game has been ported. Even better, that’s just one tab of the page; another tab shows what looks like electronics for the game, while a couple of comments give more gameplay tips and reminisce about playing Galaga back in the day.

I did a search for a somewhat lesser-known game, Omega Race, and still got a page of information with history, playing tips, and pictures of electronics, though it wasn’t as extensive as Galaga.

Hey, try going way back in your searches to see what you can find. I found some great games from the 50s and 60s. The information available for the older games is spotty, but there’s still some great trivia and images.

If you grew up around console video games, will happily argue Millipede vs. Centipede, or if you’ve ever made yourself dizzy playing Tempest, this site will give you a surfeit of nostalgia. Serious timesink.