My arcade experiences with Wagner Gameworks in Greenfield, Indiana

When I first made the decision that I was going to collect dedicated original arcade games instead of having one big ugly black Mame machine in March of 2006, the first call I made was to Wagner Gameworks in Greenfield IN.

The first arcade I wanted was a Ms. Pac-man

Ms. Pac-man was my most favorite game when I started collecting but when I called Mark Wagner let me know that he just sold the last of his Ms. Pac-man(s). However, he had an old beat up regular Pac-man that he would be willing to sell to me for “a couple hundred”.

But I waited. I wasn’t as interested in a Pac-man as a Ms. Pac and I wasn’t ready to pay a couple hundred for my second pick. But eventually I paid his shop in Greenfield, IN a visit out of sheer curiosity and I was glad I did.

I had no idea about any of the electronics of games at all, and Mark was nice enough to give me a crash course about arcade games including vertical vs. horizontal orientation, what a Jamma harnesses is, Simple Green for cleaning and a brief mention of cap kits. It was the first real arcade experience I had by that point, and because Wagner made it such a positive experience he made a sale out of it. In May I took some freelance money and bought the Pac-man machine for $122, complete minus the PCB. He told me I was lucky to come get it when I did, he was about ready to take it out into the forest and use it for target practice.

Returning to Wagner Gameworks

Since that first visit I have been out there a number of times, even if no one remembers who I am. I also know that 25 years is probably a conservative estimate, that may be how many years his barn has been open, but Mark has been servicing games for quite some time.

When I visited this summer, I had been talking to him about doing his website in exchange for some repair training, but I could never seem to reconcile with my schedule. Doesn’t matter, he ended up with a really nice looking site that should have brought him some more traffic if he invested in some SEO.

We all know that making money in the arcade business today is a tough proposition. But Mark is an awesome guy, friendly, and really holds true to his promise of explaining arcade related questions as simple as possible so you can be an “informed” customer. Based on my experience in person I would definitely say to give Mark a call (317.498.5323) and see if he can help you find the arcade game or pinball you want here in Indiana.

Update on ‘Wagner Gameworks’ 2008

It would appear that Wagner Gameworks no longer exists in name, but is now called Doc Pinball.

Here are some similar arcade posts

• Is Wagner Gameworks Closing?
• Sold my Pac-man. Heading back to Greenfield, IN
• Greenfield Indiana – Buy / Sell Pinball and Arcade Games
• Bought First Pac-man in Indianapolis, IN
• Purchasing a multicade in Indianapolis Indiana

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