The Chronicle’s culture critic Peter Hartlaub highlighted a fascinating bit of San Francisco history from the early ‘80s—a time when some vocal residents were clutching their pearls over the supposed dangers of video games. Fueled by media hysteria and neighborhood protests, city leaders, led by Mayor Dianne Feinstein, cracked down on arcades with laws so strict it became harder to open an arcade than a liquor store.

Arcades were banned from being near schools and parks, kids were forbidden to play during school hours, and gaming was painted as a gateway to delinquency.

In the midst of this frenzy was Tommy Guerrero, then a 14-year-old skateboarding prodigy and video game enthusiast, who briefly became the poster child for this so-called “problem” after The Chronicle spotlighted his high-scoring “Scramble” skills.

As we know, Guerrero turned out just fine in spite of his early so-called video game “addiction”—going on to become a street skating pioneer and a celebrated jazz/funk musician.

Likewise, San Francisco’s attitude toward arcades has since evolved to celebrating gaming as a cultural treasure, and the old laws were eventually repealed.

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