Like many amusement parks, carnivals and fairs, games of skill and chance have been a part of Lagoon since the early days.
It used to be impossible to walk down the Midway without being approached by a games employee, or barker, to play their game – sometimes relentlessly by those who surely had a future in sales. But this has been toned way down in recent years.
One of Lagoon’s most notable former employees worked in the Games Department. Nolan Bushnell was a manager in the 1960s while attending the University of Utah. He later went on to establish companies like Atari and Chuck E. Cheese. Another former games employee, Robert Lundquist, started his own game equipment company.
Punch cards, offering a discount for multiple games, were first available a few years ago and all games are cashless as of 2024 with tokens and punch cards available for purchase at Guest Services, Up Up & Away, Gone Fishin’ and Guess It.
The Lagoon History Project has attempted to collect information on current and former games at the park. But accurate and reliable information on the ever-changing games have been hard to come by. If you have photos or information about any of the games, feel free to share through the contact form.