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# A Visit to Caine’s Arcade
- URL: https://hyperallergic.com/a-visit-to-caines-arcade/
- Published: 2012-05-29T20:31:38.000Z
- Updated: 2025-11-24T16:48:54.000Z
- Description: It's always a strange feeling when you meet the internet in person. This past weekend, I had the great pleasure of visiting Caine's Arcade, a young boy's makeshift cardboard arcade out in East L.A. that became an internet sensation.
- Author: AX Mina
- Tags: Opinion, #wp, #wp-post, #image-position-hidden, #Import 2025-11-24 06:51 (2012, 2013, part 1)

LOS ANGELES — It’s always a strange feeling when you meet the internet in person. I had this experience recently at ROFLCon, where I met the men behind the [Chuck Testa](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJP1DphOWPs&ref=hyperallergic.com) and [Hide Yo Kids](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMtZfW2z9dw&ref=hyperallergic.com) videos. It’s a bit like encountering a Hollywood star, except that, at least, has happened to almost everyone I know. Meeting an internet sensation, on the other hand, is much less common.

![Entrance to Caine's Arcade](https://storage.ghost.io/c/51/f8/51f871d8-b6be-4a73-b958-0ca4fff0110a/content/images/hyperallergic-newspack-s3-amazonaws-com/uploads/2012/05/cainesarcade2.jpg)

The entrance to Caine's Arcade (photo by the author for Hyperallergic)

This past weekend, I had the great pleasure of visiting the famed [Caine’s Arcade](http://cainesarcade.com/?ref=hyperallergic.com), a young boy’s makeshift cardboard arcade out in East L.A. You might remember it from [the viral video and flash mob organized by filmmaker Nirvan Mullick](http://vimeo.com/40000072?ref=hyperallergic.com). The video, which has seen some 3 million views and helped raise over $200,000 for a scholarship fund and foundation, told the tale of Caine Monroy, who set up an arcade in his father’s auto shop.

The arcade is located on a quiet street along Cesar Chavez Blvd., but it’s since become a high-traffic spot. I arrived to find kids and adults in line to get a fun pass and try the famous games. Was it worth the wait? Absolutely. Caine’s Arcade is a joy to behold, proof of the power of DIY making in combination with a well-produced film and social media strategy.

There’s a lesson here for creatives, I think, as they get their work out in the world: tell a compelling story, have a good heart and make a kick-ass promo video. It’s hard to imagine Caine’s story being successful without all of these elements together.

And where was Caine himself? Parked outside, testing a new game. “I’m undefeated,” he declared. “Three games so far.”

“Imagine that!” we said. The smile on his face seemed bigger than the movies.