The Potential of the Coin

So much time holding plastic shapes.

The spongey tap of the Megadrive buttons. The fidgety Start and Select on the SNES. The clunk of the GameCube triggers. Scraping the circumference of the DualShock. The lopsided weight of the DS as one hand uses the stylus. The tough extremes of the candy cab stick.

Gamers can feel old controllers like phantom limbs.

But for me, nothing beats the coin on the controltop. You slip it up from the surface. You tap its edge and feel the resonance of the cabinet. You push it down with your index finger and hold it against the lip of the slot. You let the bottom lose traction and spin away from you. Your finger flicks down and feels the coinslot sides. The coin has gone but you feel its weight trip the switch. You imagine in slinking into the pile in the box, although you can’t hear it above the noise. A shout pulses from the speakers.

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