Game On State: Will Rubin’s Arcade for Everybody

Nestled in Delaware County, which locals passionately dub “Delco, ” Media, America’s first fair trade town, serves as one of the most popular places in the county. With great nightlife, restaurants, and more, Media seems like the place to be, but for Sixth Former Will Rubin ’22, he felt that there was something missing. 

“For years, we felt that there was a hole in the community surrounding Media. My friends and I would aimlessly walk around the town feeling like there was nothing to do other than eat. In 2020, with the closing of a store, we realized that we had a huge opportunity to follow our dream of opening our own store where my family has lived for decades,” Rubin said.

A unique business venture in the homogenous sea of restaurants and businesses within Media, Rubin and his family founded Game on State: Everybody’s Arcade. Game on State is a juxtaposition of the nostalgic retro arcades and the modern trend of games; the arcade has a wide selection of classic retro games along with a custom-made virtual reality machine.

For such a business to emerge successfully, a thoughtful amount of time and hard work was put forth by Rubin and his family.

     “We started by planning out the whole business including modeling our profits and general business plan. Then we got the lease for the space and began on our demo of the space,” Rubin commented.

While the arcade has yet to open its doors, Rubin is hard at work. Contractors are at the arcade every day to prepare the business to open. If everything goes as planned, Game On State will be Media’s newest business by Halloween.

     As the arcade makes its final arrangements and ambitions run high, Rubin still emphasizes the sense of unity he hopes to bring about with the arcade.

      “Ideally, we’d like to turn a profit. But we also want our arcade to be a place where everyone from across the Greater Philadelphia area feels they can come for a warm sense of community. In a time where it feels like everyone is so divided, we want our business to be a place where everyone is united by nostalgia and fun,” Rubin stated. 

     Similarly, Rubin emphasizes his target audience, whose shoes he was once in.

      “As of now, Media doesn’t have very many ‘fun’ places to go. So instead of kids having to walk around and get a slice at Little Anthony’s Pizza, they can come into the arcade and pay very little to have a great time playing games,” Rubin said.

“What truly differentiates from other arcades and really, other businesses in the region is our commitment to providing customized employment for people with special needs.”

Will Rubin ’22

      Despite the visions for Game On State, the business emphasizes its importance of inclusivity with equal employment.

      “What truly differentiates from other arcades and really, other businesses in the region is our commitment to providing customized employment for people with special needs. We are doing this through partnering with our local school district to have their special needs students work at our store. We really want to stay true to our mission,” Rubin said.      Ultimately, Game on State looks to cement itself within the roots of Media as not only a place to play games but also an environment where everybody can come together.