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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2024
- UPDATE: In 2019, the Fascination Parlor was hit by storms, and the building didn't survive. The games have been stored, and hopefully it'll reopen somewhere at some point! • On Nantasket Beach in the seaside town of Hull, Massachusetts, sits the last play-for-cash Fascination Parlor in the world. It's a century-old arcade game, made of relays that click and buzz. There are a few other parlors left in the world: but this is the only one where you're playing for actual money.
More about the Paragon Boardwalk: www.paragonboa...
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UPDATE: In 2019, the Fascination Parlor was hit by storms, and the building didn't survive. The games have been stored, and hopefully it'll reopen somewhere at some point!
ok that a turn
RIP
ah, massive shame, hope everyone is ok
A day ago update! Shame about the parlor though...
nah, the storms didn't wreck the building, that was actually just construction. They've been remodeling that area for a while now. Now there's an outdoor restaurant and New Zealand ice cream there. ( I know because I live here)
The problem with Fascination is that you eventually run out of Tom’s money
You deserve way more likes for this comment, Maxwell! :D
you made me laugh i thank you
That’s gold right there
It's like you almost can't be a carnival operator without being a bit cheeky. Lovely manoeuvre taking both bills there. Wonder if Tom would have noticed if it was a 20 or 100 note. Could be a scene from Hustle
@BLAIR M Schirmer state laws are responsible for that not the US Congress
That is really interesting. I live a few miles from Hull and have gone to this beach many times and have walked past this place on a few occasions. I might make a stop next time I am over.
I'd love to see the Tech Diff crew play something like this
Touring the world playing various traditional arcade and pub games seems a bit higher budget than sitting in a kitchen (or studio, these days) and doing a panel show...
...But it would be such a good watch...
Tom Scott in metro Boston!!!! Wicked awesome!
In Boston, absolutely gonna check this out. Thanks, Tom!
also a perfect visual metaphor for the software term of 'simulated annealing'
That looks extremely fun
Your videos are always fun and interesting to watch!
Boston and Hull are over 110 km apart.
BTW, I have never heard of this game before.
110km is like a block away in the US
That looks like a lot of fun. I kinda want to build a machine now.
It's for prize tickets and not cash but I play Fascination at Knoebels Amusement Resort every year.
British equivalents of Hull like, for example, Hull
And of Boston like, for example... not Boston.
@@TamzinHadasa Or Boston, Lincolnshire. Not quite coastal though
But hull in the UK is somewhere no one wants to go 😂 I've been there I know lmao
Hull bois represent
Spent a week there one afternoon...
Damn $2, your production value getting a bit too high
2:39 I thought the goal was to light up the whole board, not to make space invaders pixel art.
Well spotted
pixel art of space invaders? holy cow...
BAAAA HA HA HA that is too perfect!
That is always the real goal actually
Tom: "I'm in Hull. A small seaside town near Boston..."
Me: "What? No it's not"
Tom: "...in the United States"
Me: "Doh!"
Looks just as depressing as the real Hull.
@@Jono1982 "..the real Hull"
I love it. Like the one near Boston is an audio-animatronic facsimile of the one in England.
On the nerd front, isn't Hull (the English one) where Kathy Nightingale ended up in 1920 in the Doctor Who episode, "Blink"?
Just saying hello from Hull, Quebec, Canada! ;)
@@christalbot210 Well technically it is the real Hull since it was named that hundreds of years before the US one was even founded.
You can tell it isn't the UK Hull
No rubbish
64-player before computers.
Battle royale 100 years ago
Not liking the comment just so it keeps 64 likes
Like Bingo, the easiest way to get your grandmother to swear
@@harveyh9034 Currently the comment has 256 likes
@@ThatSilentGuy Curently the comment has 436 likes
I love that. So technically simple and the gambling element will add so much to it. I also noticed that unlike the British Kentucky Derby style game the balls can't roll back, so if one sticks somewhere you have to whack it with another ball. That's almost an accidental feature, since you have to get that ball back into play to remain competitive.
The biggest electrical issue those machines will have is dirty contacts. That will affect things like latching or registering a win properly. It would be so easy to renovate a machine with new relays or even make an electronic version with extra features and sounds.
bigclivedotcom Clive 🙌
Having worked on lifts with similar relays another, but related, problem would be getting spare parts for the relays. They’re probably not made anymore for the most part or there’s maybe a small manufacturer doing limited production.
But, but... The old hardware and nostalgia that comes from it. That's why I don't like the idea of modernization of these games.
@@AssassinAgent If the technical issues with worn contacts affect the game adversely, like failing to register a win then it could damage the popularity of the game. The players don't care about the vintage relays in the back. Just that the game is playable and fun.
@@bigclivedotcom I wonder if one could build in a backup system of detection, so that the false negative problem gets sorted, but done in a way that the old hardware remains in operation for historical/coolness purposes. I do think there's always bound to be some people who care about the technical or historical aspects, and they might even help drive traffic, but I imagine a few false negatives or a quite inopportune one could really put a bad taste in a person's mouth.
This genuinely looks really fun! It's almost like a skill version of bingo?
Extreme bingo connect five
They are a lot of fun, even when playing them for stuffed animals instead of cash. I have fond memories of playing this game on machines like this at Circus Circus in Reno.
@@FryGuy1013 It's Bingo 99, they made Bingo into a battle royale before video games existed
OrangeC7 *Bingo 64
This was exactly my thought!
Huh. I guess hull does freeze over after all.
+
I've seen freezing similar to that on the Nantucket side of Yarmouth
It sure does! (It also gets badly flooded in a Nor'easter)
@@burdizdawurd1516Official And I've seen it frozen like that up near Revere. Frozen ocean water is really cool to see.
😆
When I was in high school, I used to work in an arcade that had a couple of machines just like this, and unlike the other games, no one knew quite what to call them, as they had no name plate anywhere on the machine. They were so old they would break down constantly and I would be the one to fix them. In spite of their constant issues, I developed a certain fondness for them the same way you might develop a fondness for a piece of junk car you have to work on constantly just to keep running. One day the owner got tired of them and had them taken outside and set by the dumpster, where they promptly got rained on and damaged beyond repair. Kind of broke my heart when I drove into work that day and saw these 40-50 year old machines sitting out there, so out of place in the parking lot next to these mid-2000s cars. Anyways, thanks for the video, at least now I know what they were called.
Sir, this is an Arby's
Damn! Should've replaced the relays with more modern circuits to improve reliability! Either use modern relays or just replace the whole shebang with transistor circuits.
You could call Tom's channel a "Fascination Parlor" of sorts
Medium D Speaks *fascinaton
@@EssOneFive No, it's fascination.
Parlour 😜
Did you get one dollar back?
the people need to know
@Agent J If you are playing against the house, the house cut becomes, well, let's say potentially more than the normal cut.
Doesn't seem like it. Classic masshole move.
Masshole probably stole his identity too. 🤣
You have 999 likes. I’m not gonna like.
Tom was scammed out of a dollar
Out of $2, actually
hustled, bamboozled if you will.
That's the house cut
@@moooseman3 50%. Nice cut
200 pence*
Tom: “Argue about parlour/parlor”
Comments: “Why the hell are you in Hull-ooooohhhhhhh”
“I’m in Hull...”
Why on earth would you go there
“...in the united states”
Oh okay that is significantly far away from the bad Hull.
great comment bradley
@@garret1317 Good reply Garret.
@@LetsGoGetThem Adequate response, Devix.
What’s bad about Hull? :(
@@oz_jones Splendid retort, Jones.
Oh what memories... I grew up in this tiny town from 1988 to 1994. Your video brought back so many good memories. Thanks, Tom! Keep up the great work!
That really looks like a lot of fun to play in large groups
I’m in hull... more bitter words were never spoken in England
It's never dull in 'ull, as they say.
I had heard that Slough was just as bad. I think I recall Tom doing a video there.
Hull's been renovated a bit now though. You have to cross the water to Grimsby or Scunthorpe these days if you want to experience abject depression.
I'm in Blackpool
"I'm not in Hull! Stop sayin' Hull!"
I live in Boston and have never heard of this. definitely checking it out this summer
same (but not 18 yet :( can't go for another 2 years)
I wish I knew when Tom was in Mass.
@@chriskraus Are you a nutjob?
SAME dude, I'm totally going this summer
@@burdizdawurd1516Official well you really couldn't have predicted what the summer would look like in 2020 but I'm curious, were you able to go?
"It is so bitterly cold here that the ocean foam has frozen"
Yep, sounds about right. Welcome to the Northeast in winter. It's even worse if you go inland.
So you also understand the -11 degree mornings when school somehow wasn't cancelled but the bus wasn't warm yet.
It's like an internet cafe but without internet.
So a café?
Dont think people outside of america know what those are. It's a quasi legal gambling in states that strictly regulate gambling. You play on a computer and win a cash equivalent. All 3 in my town got busted. Also there were three in my 2.5 square mile town.
@@SassyP17 What what are? If you're referring to Internet Cafe --- That's just a place that generally has internet (duh), and usually computers where people can come in and use the internet. Sometimes food and drink I guess but not necessarily. Gambling is certainly not a given. Much less common these days with cellphones and such. As for gambling. MA doesn't have as strict laws as some other places for gambling, but it's different still if you have an entertainment license such as this place does.
@@SassyP17Café is very commonly used outside of America. I have never heard of it used for a gambling site. It is similar to a coffee shop, although usually fancier, typically serving cappuccino etc., instead of just coffee. Starbucks is a well-known example.
What the hell are you talkin about weeb?
"do you have 3 balls"... a bit personal
Butt-head: "Testes, testes... one, two... three?"
Tom: "I'm in Hull."
Me: "Oh no you poor soul whatever did you do wrong to end up there?"
This looks like a lot a of fun. So much that I've added it onto my list of places to visit on my (currently entirely hypothetical) road trip in the USA.
parking during the summer is at least $10 or more, depending how many spots are left
I bought an arcade game from the arcade next door to this fascination parlor, small world. As soon as I saw "last play for cash fascination" I immediately knew where this was.
How do you find all these places?
I think they email him and tell him hey if you are ever near my town come over to my business and I'll give you a tour you can film.
If I had to guess...Atlas Obscura.
@@TheGoodWario Great website
so tom lost $2 there
It looked like Tom had some genuine fun with this one. I also really liked the bets were so low so it keeps that competiveness and good sportsmanship alive together.
This and the old Bar Billiards video have to be two of my all-time favorite Tom Scott videos
So you have a singular fascination with Tom Scott putting balls in holes. Good to know!
Tom has been to Hull and back, more than once
Audie Murphy.... RIP
Fascinating story about playing with balls.
And borrowing money to gamble and not repaying it
Now you've said that, I keep hearing Eddie Waring's voice in my head saying "It's an up and under."
Where's the mind bleach? The visual image accompanying Eddie saying that, about Tom's three balls that he's playing with, is very disconcerting.
Did Chas pay back the dollar?
This is an important question
House needs it's cut :)
Thanks for visiting my small corner of the globe, Tom. I grew up south of Boston, probably half an hour from Nantasket. And yet I had no idea this existed! I'm definitely checking it out!
Same! Moved 5 minutes down the road and never had a clue
I know who Tom reminds me of. James May. And that’s a good thing.
The city of Seaside in Oregon has the same one
Tom, you should look into Knoebels. It is a park in Pennsylvania that is free to get into, and they have a lot of these machines. -A friendly Pennsylvanian
I do believe that you play for money at this place.
yes, you do pay to play, but you get tickets that can be redeemed for prizes now.
Every time I've done gambling I was just bored, but I must admit, that game looks like it might actually be fun. Sort of like skee-ball.
I play this when I go to the arcade in Seaside Oregon. Classic
What?! There's one in Seaside? Sweet!!
There’s one like this in Knoebles in Pennsylvania.
Theassassin kLng good to know! I’ve been meaning to schlep out to Knoeble’s for forever, never seem to get ‘round to it, this will give me incentive (only 2 hour drive, vs 5.5 for Hull). It’s still free admission to the park, right?
pinned by Tom Scott 2 weeks ago...
Someone has been keeping ahead of schedule.
Grew up going to Nantasket with the family. I've sat in that exact parlor. Brings back some great memories from back when Paragon Park was still a going concern.
This looks depressingly like a lot of British seaside towns.
@Arthur Embleton
If have to stay there all day, every day, especially in the winter, then maybe not fun.
However, Swansea is a hop-skip-jump away.
It’s a short drive to the Braintree station, where the train goes into Boston.
Coastal living is not for everyone in New England, but if you enjoy quiet, want to be relatively close to some urban life, and don’t mind the stingy winters, then doesn’t look too bad.
Couldn't tell you why: I read this title 4 times in a row and every time it was Fornication Parlor. And needless to say, I wanted to find out what the hell that was.
But it sure wouldn't be the last one where you play for cash.
I never thought I needed to visit a seaside town that looked like a British one on the other side of the world, in a place called "Hull" no less, but my god that looks like a lot of fun.
It looks nicer in the summer.
If bingo and connect-five had a child
i read the title and I really hope its Tim Hunkin!!! its not.. but really, you should go to tim hunkin's place, i dont even know if its still open
Hold on a second, there's a quirky arcade about an hour's drive from my house? I know what I'm doing this summer!
If you're an hour from Hull and you are a fan of quirky arcades, you should also go up to the Funspot Arcade in New Hampshire (at Weirs Beach). It is a heaven of retro cabinets.
I can walk there 8)
MMORBG - Massively Multiplayer Offline Roll-ball Game
So does the place serve beer?
Who needs cash when you have chuck E cheese coins
That's like saying who needs actual food when you can have recycled pizza
@@An_Actual_Ditto it's a joke
Eric Silver so is w1ndy's comment
You here...!
Chuck e cheese coins? I thought it was a bitcoin I got sold...
They have this is Seaside, OR (but not for cash, as said) and I love playing it.
I feel like this guy needs a couple of Bar Billiards machines tucked into a corner of that parlour :)
Rebrand: Bingo Battle Royale Ultra High Definition VR (no VR goggles required). Problem solved.
Good ol Hull, whatever country
This arcade is a 5 min walk down the street from me! didnt even know there was so much history right there. Thanks for visiting this humble seaside town!
I wonder where that place got it’s name from?🤔
Kingston.
@@bdf2718
Plymouth?
so this is basically the oldest Battle Royale arcade game?
This game looks fun as hell!!! I could see this making a comeback at arcades; I'd certainly try it.
No microcontrollers, no WiFi and it still works.
Me: well, but I could recreate it with microcontrollers and WiFi. 😂
damn you are rolling out quality videos after quality videos close together lately
That guy still owes him a dollar.
From Massachusetts. Never heard of it. Unreal. I want to go!
I grew up going to Nantasket beach in Hull. They also have a 100+ year old carousel complete with calliope music. Rides are like $2 or so. Had a friend that worked there years ago so I got to go "back stage " and see the amazing mechanical works making it all go
Very 19th century jules Verne feel to it
A schematic for the wiring of this would be amazing
It would be fairly simple. It's mostly the same diagram repeated for each playing position.
Oh no! This place is listed as permanently closed now...
It might be nice to do a post-pandemic check-in for some of the places you have visited to give them renewed visibility.
God I can’t believe you came to Massachusetts, and I missed it completely
ikr
omg i didnt even know this video existed unlikely this'll be seen
1. my grandparent's house is somewhere in the background of the intro
2. ive been on this exact strip, played at the arcade before it was destroyed too (i think)
1:02 you're*
You can use either form
At least be correct if you wish to a grammar nazi
@@tact1calbanana388 no you can't, ignorant. I'm not even a native speaker and even i know the difference between your and you're.
Also, *you can use both forms
*if you wish to be
1900s fortnite
Looks great! Did you get to any more places in Massachusetts while you were around here? The Glass Flowers at the Harvard Museum of Natural History would be such a great fit for this show.
Colin Killick yes! Tom doing a video on the Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models of Plants would be *epic!*
They are simply the most amazing bits of glass I’ve ever seen, and have to be seen to be believed. Unbelievable detail and artistry.
Tom, I hope you are reading this (and can fit it in your schedule).
So this is Fascination Parlor: Battle Royale?
No, because until the end all players are in
What? You're here? AAAAAAA!
Um, I mean, cool, cool. I hope you enjoyed your stay.
only 17 views? TOM
same here? gotta love decentralised counting!
17 is the new 301
In Hull Ma there is a really cool carousel the Paragon Carousel is one of less and 100 remaining Grand carousels remaining in the US it I went there with my Grandma during the summer when I was a kid and it is still fun to go there today. Hull is a really cool town with the remains of the Paragon amusement park a bit of which you see before Tom entered the Parlor.
Tom Scott
I hope you all enjoyed this video! Fascinating machines.
Posted 17 years ago.
Last year I visited a flipper museum in Schwerin, Germany, and played all the flippers with different themes, 18 years after I played its digital equivalent in Windows 2000.
Damn I live there... wish I knew you’d be around
Same
Same
That would be so fun to go in on a busy day and just bet a dollar. If you lose, you had a ton of fun, and the dollar is well spent. If you win, you could potentially win 20 bucks. Cool concept!
OG battle royal game
Bingo skee ball royale
Keep on making great videos, Tom! (I'm from massachusetts)
TOM WAS IN MY STATE AND I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT? AAAAAA
There is one of these in Seaside Oregon. Everyone can play. Even under 18 since it is for prizes.
Only the OG epic gamers will remember this
We had one of those in seaside Oregon
The origins of E sport gaming
This gave me the idea to try and make it in Unity, should be simple enough. I know that the charm is in the physical location and that the machines are actually all connected, but it seems like an interesting challenge for me.
Bro. That guy chas is my manager. I work in the arcade. This is kinda trippy
In seaside Oregon there is a cash to play fascination game still! Tom please check it out!
Freaking TH-cam, your videos NEVER show up on my sub list.