The Life and Death of the American Arcade

[rancor]

Interesting article posted today over at theverge.com :

http://www.theverge.com/2013/1/16/37404 ... ement-only

[Skykid]

Thanks for the link Jeff, fantastic article, and well written (makes a change.)

I have to say, all this arcade death is saddening me greatly, especially with the news that our beloved Casino has just weeks left before the fruit machine death scythe goes sweeping through.

I'm at a strange juncture right now: I'm surrounded by some of the best arcades on the planet, but at the same time they're not the arcades I grew up in. That article, the picture of those kids playing Tron, Chasing Ghosts, King of Kong and plenty of reminiscing, really makes me long for the days of smoky, carpeted establishments full of woodie cabs and 2D gaming wonders. They were the places I misspent my youth, throwing loose change at videogame generation after generation, watching each emerge, have a brief spell of prevalence, and then be superseded - until eventually they stopped emerging at all.

What I wouldn't give to be nine years old again, standing in the pub lounge, gawking at the attract sequence for Double Dragon, before throwing in 10p and making it count.

[dan76]

I don't know about misspent youth - I'd kill for something similar now, which I suppose in it's own way Casino was. The friends I've made down there are a continuation of a kind of tradition - hanging out at the arcade.

Back in the 80's everyone did it, certainly where I grew up in sunny Great Yarmouth. There were even GIRLS! Long days of summer spent on the beach, eating ice cream and ducking in and out of the arcades along the seafront - and going on the rollercoaster.

Even though Mame is great, and we can play cave games on our phones - it's all stinking pile of shit compared to what it used to be.

[MX7]

Even though Mame is great, and we can play cave games on our phones - it's all stinking pile of shit compared to what it used to be.

Classic Dan

Also 100% true, sadly.

[idchappy]

Thanks for the link Jeff, fantastic article, and well written (makes a change.)

I have to say, all this arcade death is saddening me greatly, especially with the news that our beloved Casino has just weeks left before the fruit machine death scythe goes sweeping through.

I'm at a strange juncture right now: I'm surrounded by some of the best arcades on the planet, but at the same time they're not the arcades I grew up in. That article, the picture of those kids playing Tron, Chasing Ghosts, King of Kong and plenty of reminiscing, really makes me long for the days of smoky, carpeted establishments full of woodie cabs and 2D gaming wonders. They were the places I misspent my youth, throwing loose change at videogame generation after generation, watching each emerge, have a brief spell of prevalence, and then be superseded - until eventually they stopped emerging at all.

What I wouldn't give to be nine years old again, standing in the pub lounge, gawking at the attract sequence for Double Dragon, before throwing in 10p and making it count.

I totally agree man, great post.
I still have 2 arcades local to me, ones more run down but it's got tons more arcade feel, I don't know how long they'll last though

[Jeneki]

That website has some interesting page formatting, if nothing else.

Oddly enough, I have seen a few "retro arcades" pop up in the past few years. In addition to having classic late70s-mid80s arcade cabs, they also sell classic console stuff. I'm not sure if that's where they make their money. Hopefully they'll be around for years to come.

[blackoak]

I really enjoyed reading that too. Comments about the danger of non-productive youth felt right on, though I believe that parental anxiety stems from a material reality, not just "puritanism." Around here there have been penny arcades and similar attempts in the last 10-15 years, but the story is always the same: couldn't afford the rent. So instead you end up with a bunch of restaurants and places that cater to those with cash to burn--ie, a colorless place as boring as fuck.

The comment about it all returning to gambling elicited an ironic/pathetic chuckle.

[Drachenherz]

Great read, indeed! And I loved the formating. Gave me the same vibe as reading a printed magazine, somehow. Never seen such design before, actually.

And I remember the times I spent in arcades in Bournemouth in the early to mid 90s, when I was learning english...

Hach, Nostalgia...

Thanks, Jeff.

[DJ Incompetent]

Neat read. It's weird to keep concluding arcades are dead. More arcades open in USA per year than close. The new problem is they're all homogenizing. Great I can finally drink beer at my arcade. Can I please play something besides the pool of the usual fifteen classic games?

[GaijinPunch]

I started reading this yesterday but work took over. Will finish it up today. For what it's worth, the arcades here aren't the same either. I don't have much to go on, but print club and other amusement games were starting to take over when I was getting into VF4 some 13 years ago. The best you got now are the handful of floors aimed at adult ADHD victims like us.

[gabe]

I finally found the time to read this article, and I'm glad I did.

I really wish I understood the appeal of redemption games.

[Skykid]

There's only one aspect of the article I disagree with, and it's nothing to do with the author but the quote from the Barcade owner who feels that fighting games contributed to the decline of the arcade.

As the article noted a few paragraphs beforehand, the arcade never really recovered after the original videogame crash: it was the fighting game if anything that revitalised it in the 90's with SFII. In-fact, I reckon the FG is responsible for re-vitalising the arcade more than any other genre, whether KOF, Tekken or SFIV.