Arcade Club

In the height of the screen era, a boy newly arrived in Mexico City finds in a trio of charismatic skaters the chance to belong to the enigmatic Arcade Club, a secret refuge filled with retro machines and a radical philosophy: to free society from the tyranny of the internet, social media, and smartphones. An intense, emotional coming-of-age story, perfect for the whole family.

How far can a teenager go to feel that he belongs somewhere? Arcade Club is a youth urban adventure story, but above all a generational tale.

In an era dominated by screens and permanent connectivity, three adolescents who live completely disconnected—without cell phones or social media—pull a newcomer to the city into an adventure that begins as a game and ends up becoming a lesson about friendship, belonging, and responsibility.

The newcomer is Aníbal. After his parents’ painful divorce, he has just moved with his mother to Mexico City. Lost in a city that overwhelms him, he finds a ray of freedom when he sees Abel, Lucio, and León: three charismatic skaters who race across avenues at full speed and seem to live in a bubble outside of time.

They are authentic, intense, and radical—exactly what Aníbal needs to stop feeling invisible. He wants friends, he wants to belong, he wants to discover who he is, but he ends up trapped in a spiral that escapes his control.

The boys belong to a clandestine community, the Arcade Club, an analog refuge inspired by the 1980s, filled with pinball machines, VHS tapes, and vintage video games. No internet. No algorithms. Just curiosity, friendship, and a touch of rebellion. For a lonely teenager, it is paradise.

Guided by Don Manuel, an eccentric former programmer obsessed with breaking the system, the boys take on a mission: to free society from phone addiction. At first, their actions are light, almost mischievous—harmless sabotage, cell phones painted to render them unusable, small thefts at school… But the line between prank and danger blurs when the ultimate plan emerges: bringing down a cell phone tower with homemade explosives to free the entire city from the chains of the internet.
In this way, the group opens the door to dangerous territory. Aníbal decides to run away. The tower explosion ends in tragedy, but the police never find those responsible. Aníbal will never hear from Abel, Lucio, and León again—the friends who made him feel alive, but who went too far.

Consumed by guilt, Aníbal writes his confession to understand how something that seemed like a great adventure could end that way. A confession that is much more than a story of urban escapades. It is a moving reflection on identity in the digital age, the price of loyalty, and the weight of conscience.

RELEVANT FACTS: Antonio Ramos Revillas is one of the most recognized Mexican writers of children’s and young adult literature in Latin America. In addition to his work as a storyteller, he has had a distinguished career as an editor and reading promoter.

Throughout his career, he has received major awards that consolidate his relevance in contemporary literature, including the Nuevo León Literature Prize, the Julio Torri National Young Short Story Prize, the Salvador Gallardo Dávalos National Young Literature Prize, and international recognitions such as The White Ravens and the International Latino Book Award.

With its blend of urban adventure, 1980s nostalgia, and a profound message about identity and belonging, Arcade Club is a story capable of connecting with both young and adult audiences.

Its combination of adventure, emotion, and humor can translate into a vibrant, energetic audiovisual product centered on universal themes of friendship and responsibility.

The book’s editorial success, with tens of thousands of copies sold, demonstrates that the story has already resonated with a broad audience, consolidating it as an ideal project for an appealing, family-friendly adaptation.

AUDIOVISUAL POTENTIAL: TV series, Miniseries, Feature film, TV film.

AVAILABLE LANGUAGES: Spanish.