The Video Game Soda Machine Project

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Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater Series

Soda machines from Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4

Trying to collect S-K-A-T-E in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4? Be sure to stay hydrated with a refreshing beverage from these vending machines!

While the rest of the game got a fresh coat of paint, these generic soda machines are a bit of a downgrade from the Neversoft Juice vending machines seen in the original THPS3. Compare these screenshots of the “frustrated guy trying to get a soda” Easter egg from the Foundry level.

Here’s the original…

Bam Margera checks out some soda machines in THPS 3

And here’s the same scene from the remake…

Soda machines from Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4

Crystal Cave

Crystal Cave

A description of a soda machine from Crystal Cave

Crystal Cave features a soda machine that may be an even older entry than 1978’s Journey to the Center of the Earth! The catch is that nobody seems to know exactly when Crystal Cave was written, with estimates ranging from 1977 to 1980.

So, at least for now, Journey to the Center of the Earth remains our earliest confirmed video game soda machine. As Egenfeldt-Nielsen, Smith, and Tosca wrote in Understanding Video Games: The Essential Introduction, “No trumpets sounded at the birth of video games, and so we must choose what constitutes the beginning.” I guess the same goes for soda machines.

Oh, and for what it’s worth, I spent about three hours figuring out how to compile this text adventure myself just to get the screenshot. No regrets!

Supermarket Simulator

Supermarket Simulator

Vending machine from Supermarket Simulator

If you want to add a vending machine to your grocery store in Supermarket Simulator, you’ll need to shell out $4.99 for the vending machine DLC. That’s right: You can add this austere vending machine to your game for less than five bucks. What a deal!

Simulator Week

Pigeon Simulator

Pigeon Simulator

A Foodie vending machine from Pigeon Simulator

Pigeon Simulator lets you live out the fantasy of being a pigeon who’s also a secret agent battling paranormal threats. I don’t think this vending machine is haunted or anything, but I do wonder why you’d call it a Foodie machine when there are clearly two rows of canned drinks!

Simulator Week