A Dream Years In The Making
Boss Battle Games opened its doors on the mall’s main floor on July 31, bringing a second location to husband and wife team Phylicia and Dustin Burd, who already run an arcade of the same name in Indianapolis. The high school sweethearts first started planning an Ottawa outpost back in 2019, but those plans were put on hold when the pandemic hit.
The couple managed to keep their original arcade afloat through the toughest years and eventually found their opening to bring the concept north. It’s a milestone that’s been a long time coming for the pair.
Every Machine Has A Backstory
Step inside and you’ll find a lineup of carefully chosen cabinets, including titles based on Star Wars and Jurassic Park, each one sourced through some genuinely wild treasure hunts. Phylicia has described tracking down machines in horse pastures, barns, basements and auctions, and even rescuing one from a building slated for demolition.
The Burds handle all their own restoration work, from mechanical repairs to touching up the original artwork on each cabinet. For them, it’s about giving these old machines a second life rather than letting them disappear.
Bringing Back A Third Space
Beyond the games themselves, Phylicia says the real goal is rebuilding a sense of community that’s harder to find now that so much gaming happens online. She remembers her own childhood arcade as a place where you lined up your quarters, met people, and traded friendly challenges across the room.
At their Indianapolis location, that community spirit has shown up in big ways over the years, with regulars getting engaged, getting married, and watching their own kids grow up inside the arcade’s walls. It’s that same feeling the Burds hope to spark in Ottawa.
Play As Much As You Like
One modern update sets Boss Battle Games apart from the coin-operated arcades of decades past: free play. Instead of paying per game, customers pay once and can play unlimited rounds for as long as they’re there.
The idea is to take the pressure off, letting visitors experiment with new games they might otherwise skip, and giving regulars the freedom to actually master their favourites without constantly reaching for more change.
Worth The Trip
Boss Battle Games is open now on the main floor of St. Laurent Shopping Centre, ready for anyone chasing a hit of nostalgia or simply looking for a new way to spend an afternoon with friends or family. Whether you grew up with a joystick in hand or you’re discovering these classics for the first time, it’s a fun, feel-good addition to the east end’s list of things to do.