Elite Event: Interplanetary Game Station at Joystick Gamebar

This was my most bittersweet Unilocal Elite event ever. It was bitter because our Fearless Community Leader, Ben G. was hosting his last event that evening at Joystick Gamebar, and sweet because… well, it was at Joystick Gamebar — the best adult-​equivalent of Chuck E. Cheese ever!
It’s been a while since the last time my fiancé and I were there, and in that time, Joystick’s taken over the space next to it, turning it into a lounge area, built on a back area called «The Spaceship» and even begun nurturing a new incubator restaurant, aptly titled «Junk Food.»
As soon as we were ushered in, the owners told us the games were all set to free play and the drinks were being poured and we went to town. My fiancé is something of a legend on Street Fighter II (he used to play for money at the local arcade and guys young and old came from miles around to take him on), so that night, his goal was simple: beat single player mode.
He made the rounds with me racing in Hydro Thunder, taking turns at Terminator Pinball, destroying everything in Rampage and kicking dino butt in Jurassic Park, but towards the end of the evening he got back into the groove on Street Fighter and decimated the computer opponents with his top pick Ryu.
We had some great cocktails courtesy of the awesome bartenders and vodka and spirits from a new, local distillery starting up in Alabama. The name escapes me, but trust me, they were good.
Towards the end of the evening, the two guys who made Joystick Gamebar a reality came out to toast Ben and tell their story, and it was really cool to hear their vision for Joystick and their commitment to the Fourth Ward/​Inman Park community too.
The only sour spot for the night was the food — or rather, the lack thereof. Typically at Elite events, we’re inundated with more food than we can handle, but aside from lots and lots of bags of pretzel chips, there wasn’t much food to partake of. I hear tell that Junk Food was churning out lots of tasting sized samples of stuff like chicken fried rice and ox tail tacos, but I’ll be darned if I knew where it was all going. We didn’t really get anything to eat until the end of the event when cake mugs were passed around — and they were good, don’t get me wrong, but when I was expecting to eat at the event and didn’t well — I was hungry after, is all.
Other than that, though, fantastic event (I love the video game activities), and kudos to Joy Stick and to Ben G! We’ll miss you buddy!

I love arcade games, so this was a great opportunity to enjoy some old school game playing and cocktails. Joystick was generous to give us 3 drink tickets! There were a few choices to redeem those, and then also you could order anything else you want. The establishment houses a lot of arcade games, along with board games like Sorry! There was also some comfy couches set up just to relax.
As far as the food, I can’t honestly tell you what was served. The second anything was put out, people rushed like vultures, and I didn’t even see what was on the platter other than crumbs, nor taste any of it. So, I can’t comment on that part of the event. I was disappointed they didn’t have the classic Ms. Pacman game, which to me, is a must have. But they did offer lots to keep you entertained.
I’m sorry to see Ben go. He and JJ have been such a pleasure to have known, and I wish him success in his future endeavors. He will be missed!

First time at Joystick and it was a blast!
I really liked the atmosphere and how there are games to play everywhere! From board games to arcade games, it’d be hard to get bored. Since I’ve never been before, everything was new to me. For those of you who have been before, they are working on a new room in the back — space themed! It was pretty cool to see and they will continue to add on to it with more games, décor, and black lights.
We got to sample three different drinks provided by the Red, White & Blue Distrubutors featuring the John Emerald Distilling Company: Alabama Poundcake shot, Betty Collins, and As You Wish. I think my favorite was the Betty Collins. I liked that it was refreshing and a little sweet.
Special thanks to Joey and Jen who provided the food from Junk Food. We got to sample some of the items they offered. Since I have a lot of allergies, I got to to sample two of the dishes they brought out. The pork fried rice was my favorite! Really good!
And finally, a hugggeee thank you to our beloved Community Manager Ben. Thank you for setting up this event. It was awesome! I’m a new elite and it saddens me to hear that you have to leave but I’m really glad I got to meet you before you left. Best of luck on your new adventures and SYOY!

This event was awesome! I got to meet new elites and get my butt kicked in some old school arcade games. I clearly do not have it anymore :). The pork fried rice was lovely and the drinks were divine. I also loved the Unilocal swag, yes I got a lanyard and even a rain coat. Woot woot! The unlimited jukebox plays rocked as well. You’ve done it again Ben G. Thank you and you will be missed!!!

Another fantastic evening and event by Unilocal.Thank you again to Ben and Unilocal team for a fun evening and we will be so sad to see you go. It won’t be the same without you and whomever replaces you has very big shoes to fill!
Anyway, this is the 2^nd time I’ve been here and it’s a great space with lots of room to move around. The games are a lot of fun — obviously old school, but could still use some sprucing up. I looked into buying one of these arcade games a few years ago and it’s expensive, but still worth it as the joystick or ball still have to be in good shape to be able to play to the best of your ability.
I do love that they have Jurassic Park and that driving game. Drinks and service were fantastic — I wish there were more appetizers, but understand that the 1-​man kitchen is tiny.
Look forward to having more fun here in the future!

What a great night! Amazing hand crafted drinks by the bartenders. They were quick, polite and definitely came through on the drinks.
Plenty of games to choose from… I played to my heart content. I had so much fun at this event. I felt like a kid. This place is so cool and the staff is amazing.
My only issue is the food. Samplings were small and few. There was not much to compliment the amazing drink. I will say the food I did try from JunkFood was amazing!

Couldn’t really ask for more in an event. Free play on arcade games til the sun down and a pick of some tasty cocktails plus delicious eats from Joystick’s Junkfood chef?
This was actually my first elite event (and first time at Joystick) and I’m kinda stoked it was a place with a bunch of games. Not stoked that it’s CM Ben’s last event, but it was very well played, and serious kudos to all those who made it happen! The owners seemed like really cool people and given I don’t know if I’d have ever taken the chance to drop into Joystick on my own accord, but I think I might now, if to try stuff from their menu and enjoy the chill atmosphere they have going on.
I totally missed out on a lot of the food since the games had my attention, but we did get in on a sweet cupcake served in a cup. So not bad! All in all, one hell of a 5 star evening.

I had walked by this place a million times and never noticed it — wow, there goes Unilocal adding value, huh? ;-)
Boo hoo, I not only didn’t get any food I didn’t even realize there was any! Okay, logistics snafu, but this is a FREE event!
Tonight I was accompanied by Daughter #1 instead of the usual lovely Mrs. Juan A — she liked the place a lot and commented how it was a cool first date place as there was plenty there to ensure that — if things were a dud — a good time could still be had.
Johnny — good stuff y buena suerte con el proyecto al cruzar la calle!

Games and cocktails for fun… yes please. I definitely liked the additionally space in the back with my favorite X-​men game.
Sad to see Ben G go. I wish I attend more Elite events to hang with him more.

Oh the nostalgia! This event took me back to my roots. Long were the days of being overly competitive, loud and aggressive during Mortal Kombat battle. As I reflect on the event, I realize that absolutely nothing has changed and I will take no prisoners when it comes to games. Come at me.
Personally, this was one of my favorite elite events. Although we didn’t stay for its entirety and didn’t get a chance to sample any bites from the kitchen, my guests and I really enjoyed the event at Joystick. Free cocktails, chachskis and unlimited gaming… how could you rate less than 5?
Kudos to Ben for putting on a wonderful last Elite hoorah. The new community manager has some very large (bearded) shoes to fill. :p

This was my first Elite Event!
Although there was a line when we arrived, check-​in was very quick and easy. We received 3 tickets to exchange for a selection of 3 specialty cocktails (or you had the option of purchasing whatever libations tickle your fancy). Those cocktails were very potent! And the ingredients were very sophisticated, which was an interesting contrast to the very laid-​back vibe of the event…
It was fun chatting with other Unilocalers. And I loved playing some of the games I hadn’t played in forever. We were able to play as much as we liked for free, so that was awesome.
Unfortunately, I was only able to sample one oxtail taco. Everyone swarmed over and grabbed the other items so quickly, the folks in my area and I didn’t get a chance to try anything else. It sure smelled great, though!
Otherwise, it was a great event and I had a blast (from the past)! I’m looking forward to more cool Elite Events in the future!

Ok this is the last event that our CM Ben is hosting before he is moving to do something closer to his heart. So it is was like more bitter sweet event for me. I wasn’t originally going to be attending this but since his announcement i decided to be part of this.
I am personally not into gaming as much but my partner is big time gamer and I figured that he would like this more. Let me tell you though, I actually enjoyed playing some of those arcade games. Donkey kong and Jurassic park were my favorites.
We were let in sharply at 7 pm and Ben has already set everything up for us. Each of us were give 3 tokens, each of which we can exchange for an alcoholic drink. And we so did, believe you me! My favorite was the Alabama pound cake rum based shot! I appreciate they had chosen drinks that weren’t just a Smirnoff or something we could get at any where else.
The finger foods were also very good. I got to try the oxtail tacos, which is basically braised oxtail in a potato chip. It was one of the best thing I have put in my mouth in a while. I also liked the hush-​puppies, which actually reminded me of ‘Fried lentil balls’ that my mother used to make growing up. I also enjoyed the spoonful of pork-​belly fried rice, only that I wished there was more.
Our hosts at Joystick were one of the most generous and nice fellas out there. The drinks kept flowing and even bartenders kept it coming, always smiling. Kudos for an exceptional staff! Towards the end of the event, they talked about Ben and how, after becoming CM of Atlanta, he helped changing their perspective and opinion of Unilocal. It was kind of their way of saying farewell to our beloved CM.
At the end of the day, I enjoyed myself thoroughly (even had a drink with Ben) and half way drunk! It was fun! Ben, I have mentioned this before, and I will repeat again — It was a great knowing you as a person and CM and we will miss you as our CM.

Tonight was pretty flipping rad! Mad props to Ben G. and Everyone else who made tonight possible!
FREE arcade games galore, 3 FREE drink tickets, able to bring a guest and friendly faces! I mean those are some major ingredients to creating a stellar Unilocal party!
Only qualm was that even though there was food… My friend and myself only got to try 1 & ½ things. There wasn’t enough food and if there was, other Unilocalers grabbed a few of the small bites at once. It was like cattle being called in for feeding time. It was insane lol People were literally running to get some. Gone in seconds. That was kind of lame. I wish we were told that the food was more like «small bites». But, the oxtail mini taco was good :)
And the drinks were tastey!
Added bonus: Walked away with a few new friends!
Thank you!

Joystick was very gracious to host our group.
Everyone got 3 drink tickets.
We also got to try their food. My favorite is the ox tail taco. So tender! Pork fried rice was generous with pork. I didn’t get to try the grilled cheese. Hush puppies were OK (trying to avoid fried foods).
We got unlimited plays with old arcade games. It brought back childhood memories and introduced me to new old games that I have never played before.
I like the antique type ambiance. The owner tried to make patrons feel like they’re at home. By the way, they’re accepting ceramic animals for their shelf.
Please come support this great group. Don’t let these old arcade games become extinct! Follow them on Facebook and suggest more games.