Andy Hunt

The Final Day at Westfield Arcade Andy Hunt

In 1982, there were 13,000 video game arcades in North America that generated over $8 billion in quarters, a figure higher than the combined revenue of the music ($4 billion) and film ($3 billion) industries that year. By 2002, fewer than 500 arcades remained, and total revenue had dropped to less than $100 million. THE FINAL DAY AT WESTFIELD ARCADE is a coming-of-age novel set against the backdrop of the astronomic rise and fall of the video game arcade industry. It's the final day of business at Westfield Arcade, the video game arcade where middle-aged Mike Mayberry has worked since he was a teenager. Mike spends his final day at Westfield Arcade taking a nostalgia-fueled journey back through the arcade's glory years of the 1980s, the era when Pac Man ruled the world and every night at the arcade was an adventure. He reflects on the endless memories he's made and chronicles the ups and downs in his relationship with an unforgettable girl over those years. As the final day of business at his beloved video game arcade comes to an emotional end, Mike contemplates a major decision for his post-arcade life, a decision that he hopes will once and for all answer the question of whether the girl who got away so many years ago truly did get away for good.