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Arts & Entertainment

Paul Kermizian, filmmaker and owner of Barcade

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Published May 8, 2006

Modified Mar 7, 2008

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Published May 8, 2006

Modified Mar 7, 2008

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Name, age, occupation, where are you from and where do you live now.
Paul Kermizian, 31, filmmaker and bar owner, born and raised in New Jersey now living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

How did you and your partners come up with the idea for Barcade?
I think it probably comes from parties I used to have in my apartment. I had 4 arcade games – Tetris, Mappy, Zaxxon and a Ms.Pac Man/Pac Man combo. The games were wildly popular with my drunk friends, except for Mappy. No one remembers that game. Anyway, it just seemed like a good match.

When you first opened, how did you determine which games to place at the bar?
We compiled a really massive list and then it just became a matter of getting the ones which were essential to the collection like Asteroids and Donkey Kong. You need to have some of the hits. We then filled the rest out with rarities we loved like Rolling Thunder, Moon Patrol and Berzerk.

How difficult was it to find the arcade games from when you were a child?
The most popular games like Ms Pac Man were easy to find. Some, like Gauntlet and Time Pilot, were extremely difficult. There are quite a few odd ball games we’re still looking for like Pepper II and Timber.

Are there any games that will never be taken out?
There are several which will never go as they are just too important. It wouldn’t be a proper 1980’s arcade without Ms. Pac Man, Donkey Kong, Frogger or Centipede. Q Bert is pretty essential too but that game is very temperamental so it comes and goes depending on its state of repair (or disrepair). I’m pretty sure it hates me.

And what's your most coveted game now?
Tapper. I mean, it’s a beer themed video game in a beer bar. It’s perfect. Almost. I’d love to find a game hacker who could change the Budweiser logo in the game to Dogfish Head or something more appropriate to the bar. That would rock.

Is there a game that people have requested that you just refuse to put in?
Fighting games like Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter II. We’re against violence.

Tomorrow, you're having your first ever video game tournament where competitors can play up to 15 minutes at Ms Pac Man, Galaga, Centipede, Asteroids, and Tapper. How would you stack up at those games?
I currently hold the bar’s Tapper high score at 2,145,550. Fortunately for the competitors my status as bar owner disqualifies me from taking part tomorrow. You’re all lucky.

Almost as eclectic as Barcade's game selection is its beer selection - all of which are domestic microbrews. Do you have a favorite brewery or microbrew?
I’m a fan of any brewery that operates independently from the giant corporate brewers. Good beer comes from small, local breweries. Some of the New York/New Jersey locals I enjoy are Sixpoint, Climax, Heavyweight, Brooklyn, Southampton, Blue Point and Chelsea.

Any chance you'll be brining back Bells from Michigan any time soon?
Probably. We love Bell’s.

We've watched "The Making of Barcade," which documents the development of the bar over a 9 month period, a few times already. What was the most painful part of that process?
The pain in my wallet.

Did you guys have any experience doing any of the construction work prior to actually doing it?
Sure. Of the 5 owners, Jon had just finished renovating his apartment and Kevin used to have a job painting houses during the summer. Scott, Pete and I had no experience really, although Pete kind of looks like a carpenter.

If you had it to do over again, would you still renovate the space yourself? What would you change?
Yes. It was a lot of fun and a great experience. I can’t really think of anything I’d like to change. Maybe a bigger chandelier for out front, although my partners Kevin and Scott’s aunt got that one from the Plaza Hotel years ago so it has sentimental value for them. Actually, it’s kind of grown on me.

Any chances that you'll ever change the sign that says "Good Times"?
Never.

Do you have future endeavors similar to Barcade? More locations? Or maybe Baromat - a bar/laundromat?
Nothing definite yet. But I like that direction… Maybe a bar/gym. No one actually works out anymore, do they? At least I don’t. It'd be great to sit around a bunch of weights and drink bourbon.

What place or thing would you declare a landmark?
Joe’s Busy Corner in Williamsburg. I love that place.

What advice, if any, would you give to Mayor Bloomberg?
Bars are people too.

When you just need to get away from it all, where is your favorite place in NYC to be alone?
I have a dog. She’s always on my case for attention and walks and stuff. If I can get away for a minute I like to go bowling in Queens.

Barcade is located at 388 Union Ave. in Brooklyn. Their first ever video game tournament is tomorrow night (Tuesday) from 6-9 PM.

Tagged

bar

blue point

brooklyn

Chelsea

Dogfish Head

donkey kong

friends

games

interview

love

michigan

Mortal Kombat

new jersey

new york

pac-man

people

Rolling Thunder

Street Fighter

Street Fighter II

the game

The Making

thunder

video

video game

williamsburg

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