how much longer would arcades have lived with no consoles?

[spmahn]

I think the biggest problem is that all of the major arcade manufacturers either went belly up, or stopped producing games in this country. The console excuse can't possibly be valid since arcades still flourish in Japan, although I hear they're rapidly going downhill there too. I definitely think there is still a market for new arcade games, the problem is that the only companies still manufacturing them are ones like Raw Thrills whose games are sub-par at best.

I also agree with the redemption games killed the industry model. There still are successful arcade style businesses out there, just about every Casino has one, Chuck-E-Cheese still operates on a similar model as does Dave and Busters, and there are plenty of local "Family Fun Centers" still existing that haven't gone out of business yet. The problem is that operators discovered that the profit margins on redemption games eclipsed the arcades, so the games eventually got phased out in favor of the rigged ticket games.

Consoles didn't kill the arcades, Big Bertha and Skee Ball did.

 

[airlair]

I think they would have lasted a little longer but not too long. The games were getting worse and all morphed into who can make the best fighting game. For me it was a combination of a couple things. I will admit that after I got my Colecovision that I didn't go to the arcades as much as I did before, but I still went because for me there were a couple games that I preferred to play in the arcade. The only reason I stopped going to the arcade I spent the most time at was because it closed down. I still went to the arcade in the mall once in a while until all the games I liked and now collect were replaced with fighting and redemption games. The final straw is when I discovered my special purpose and preferred going to parties with girls instead of hanging out at arcades with kids 3-4 years younger than me.

 

[SuperSprint]

Funny you say that, games like SFII, MK, Gauntlet and DL killed the arcade fun for me. I just didn't like them...they got over complicated IMHO.

+1. I never have liked a game where there were 20 combatants on screen and successful play required memorizing a playbook of joystick button combinations.

 

[vintagegamer]

Why can't I hit pg 5 of this thread?

 

[SRS]

Why can't I hit pg 5 of this thread?

Umm...because you are on page 5?

I must be missing something - or something changed since you posted your question.

 

[spmahn]

+1. I never have liked a game where there were 20 combatants on screen and successful play required memorizing a playbook of joystick button combinations.

It all went in waves, Space Invaders came out and all of a sudden the market was flooded with Space Shooters. Pac-Man came out and then Maze games were popular. Double Dragon and TMNT came out and then everything was Beat Em Ups. NBA Jam led to a bunch of sports games, etc.

 

[AtariShag]

It depends upon what your definition of dead is. Seems like most are saying that after '83/'84 it was all over and all of the games that have come out since then were what then? I know the Golden Age was over but arcade gaming wasn't finished.

Today there are still several companies making new arcade games: Raw Thrills (basically Midway reincarnated and they have been enlisting several other companies to produce games such as Play Mechanix and Specular Interactive), Sega, Namco, Incredible Technologies, Konami, Taito, GlobalVR (a few ex-Atari Games ppl are here), InJoy Motion, Andamiro, PentaVision Global, Adrenaline Amusements, Friction Game Studios, Robotic Amusements, NG: Dev Team and soon McAfee Enterprises all currently produce new video games for the amusement market in the US and Europe. You might not care for the games they currently make but that doesn't change the fact that these companies are raking in millions a year off their games in an age where video games can be found on just about any electronic device with a display.

You go into Asia and the number of companies producing games increases quite a bit. China is booming with arcade development right now (a lot of bootlegs but a few original titles) and it will interesting to see where they go with that.

Now I understand that for the most part the game makers above only make games that fill a few select genres - racing and light-gun games but on occasion there is something different - Tank!Tank!Tank! by Namco, Pac-Man Battle Royale by Namco, Darius Burst Another Chronicle by Taito, World's Fastest Drummer by McAfee, Fruit Ninja FX by Adrenaline, DJ Max Technika 2 by Pentavision,Project X-Pher by InJoy, GunLord by NG: DevTeam, Robo Restle by Robotic Amusements, are a few games that find their own way to stand out from the typical crowd

 

[Phetishboy]

A lot of you guys just seem to either offer a canned response, sound very angry, or you are trying to make this too complicated. This question should really be answered on a case by case basis. For me, consoles killed the need for the arcade. After I got a 2600 in '83, I really only played random arcade games at Roller Rinks and Bowling Alleys. Then around '86, dedicated arcades started popping up in towns around me again, with the 2 biggest draws being Double Dragon and Outrun. Now, even though the NES came out in '85, we didn't actually get access to one until late 1986. Once Double Dragon came out on that console, guess what, I didn't feel the need to go to the arcade anymore, or at least didn't feel the need to spend money while I was there (My Double Dragon cart cost me $50 at Target, I didn't have any money to spend). Then around '89-90 or so, The fighter craze was hitting it's stride and I found myself going to arcades again. Then, uh-oh, Super Nintendo came out with a nearly perfect version of Street Fighter II Turbo and Mortal Kombat (or was MK the PS1?) and I stayed home to play them. 3 arcade 'ages', 3 consoles that made me stop actively going. I think the Midwest was a little different than the coasts as well. You guys grew up mostly in urban areas, arcades within walking distance in all directions. For most of us in Central MN, we lived in the country, with the nearest town being 8-10 miles away, and only select towns had arcades. If I grew up in LA or NYC, I may have a different opinion on why arcades became less popular. In any case, I'm glad there is a group of us trying to recreate them in our homes.

 

[Racetech]

I don't own an arcade but I used to vend machines to three locations. That doesn't qualify me as any kind of expert. But I see some parallels to the ready availability of movies at home vs. the movie theaters. Movie theaters are still around--at least to a greater degree than arcades.

If arcades were to return, I think these things things need to be addressed:

1. Social Experience: Arcades need to address the social appeal issue better. It's why Facebook exists and thrives. Why do people still go to movie theaters? Because people go to movie theaters. It's not as much fun to laugh alone at a comedy. Playing a video game alone isn't as much fun as doing it with others around. I think arcades can become an appealing place for younger people to congregate. Of course that's a very mixed blessing. The focus still must be on putting quarters in machines.

2. Competition: Big Buck Hunter's parent company Play Mechanics has done a great job of creating and maintaining interest in the game through tournaments. But I'd run them differently. If you have say one Donkey Kong machine, you can't let one competitor play that game for two hours. What you do instead is set a time limit... the winners chosen by the number of points scored within a time limit. This can also be a muliti-day event.

3. Marketing: Running tournaments can have appeal to news stations and print media. It helps too to import gaming "stars" like Chien, Mitchell, Wiebe, and others. But more importantly, locals can achieve star power too as repeat winners. Kids of all ages wishing to compete will want to go to the arcade to hone their skills. BTW, you can get custom made NICE trophies for ridiculously cheap prices--well under $10 each. The internet surely is the reason too that events like the Logan Hardware/Steve Weibe event were so well attended and, more recently, the Kong Off by Richie Knuckles. The internet offers amazingly cheap ways to get the word out.

4. Nostalgia: Everything old is new again. In time. I would LOVE to see the above done featuring the arcade classics. This includes pinball machines as well as video games. A new generation of kids could be introduced to Pac-Man and Defender via the above. At least I hope so.

5. Evolve or Die: There was a South Park episode that was about this doll called Chinpokomon. One of the kids got his after a couple of days and after considerable effort. As soon as he presented it to his friends, he was told "dude, Chinpokomon is SO yesterday!" Let what works dictate what you do for the near future, but keep an eye on what the kids may find appealing next. Remember Professional Foosball? It died. It all dies as kids move on. Move with them.

Anyway... just some thoughts.

 

[Sectorseven]

I recall arcades in the early 90s doing quite well, despite aggressive console adoption. Arcades at that time had, what seemed to me, a model very similar to that of movie theatres and VHS tapes. Arcades would often have games six months to a year before consoles got them, and the graphics and gameplay were usually noticeably better. Some really decent games at the time never even got console ports (X-Men and The Simpsons come to mind). There was also the thrill of seeing a new game like Street Fighter and the huge crowds it garnered, which I felt was reminiscent of a hit movie release.

There were also things like Neo-Geo which had identical console ports, but were generally unaffordable. Even the $60+ price tag of SNES and Genesis games was pushing it for most kids, inflation adjusted or not.

What truly finished the arcade as we know it was 3D gaming. For whatever reason, arcade game makers just never evolved far enough to compete with the Playstation and Saturn, and the 3D games they did make looked crude in comparison. Ironically, I think a lot of decent 3D games the arcades produced hurt them as well. 3D, especially in the early years had very muddy looking graphics and often sluggish gameplay. Part of what made arcade games successful were the vibrant colors and frantic action they offered, which could explain why Neo-Geo and shmups managed to survive well into the 2000s.

 

[vintagegamer]

Umm...because you are on page 5?

I must be missing something - or something changed since you posted your question.

LOL I posted off an earlier page number so the reply would go thru..

 

[vintagegamer]

+1. I never have liked a game where there were 20 combatants on screen and successful play required memorizing a playbook of joystick button combinations.

Totally agree.

 

[vintagegamer]

I guess I should have not inferred in my OP that arcades went totally DEAD, because yes, I too remember them being around into the 90s, and even being out there today. But there was a DEFINITE transition of form from how they were prior to the release of console systems. And as I've seen others post, yes you definitely saw a difference in trend of what TYPES of games were getting played versus those that were fading to black.

I like a fighter game on occasion, but I guess I was raised in the old-school arcade mentality where drivers and space games were more prevalent. When the whole SF era took off, I didn't play those kinds of games as much. It's not that I was anti-violence or anything, these games just weren't appealing to me as much. I think the first newer fighting game that really WOW'd me was Soul Calibur. I thought the graphics were simply off the hook.

So, my apologies for having conveyed an aura of DEATH OF THE ARCADE.. I guess I should have said, me-TA-mor-PHO-sis

All I know is my childhood arcade is now a Hot Topic store.. So what can I say.

 

[toolguy]

They aren't dead, I visit mine daily.
Old pic, the collection has grown and improved since this was taken.

Looks like a bowling ally threw up on the floor in the one pic and a dog was walking over the lick it up!

 

[saturnkk]

Looks like a bowling ally threw up on the floor in the one pic and a dog was walking over the lick it up!

So does the dog retrieve the ball and reset the pins too?

 

[JamBurglar]

Arcades were dead long before consoles took over. The tipping point for consoles was when the home version was as good or better than the arcade version which didn't really happen until the PS1 timeframe. By that time, the 'golden age' of arcades was a thing of the past already.

This was my experience too. I don't know if I can pinpoint it to the PS1. I definately remember wanting the Colleco Donkey Kong because it was much closer to the arcade version. Until that point I didn't even put the console and the arcade in the same league because the arcade games were FAR superior. When the NES came out, and you could play Super Mario at home, and it's graphics were as good as the arcade (although the gameplay was slightly different), that was a big tipping point for me. I wasn't going to spend 20 bucks to play Vs. Super Mario for a few hours when I could play it at home as much as I wanted for 30.

I did continue to go to the arcade after the NES came out but it was BECAUSE there were a lot of games that the consoles couldn't get right. Ghosts in Goblins had better graphics in the arcade vs. the NES. Same with double dragon. Same with a lot of games. Even DK on the NES was lacking because of the gameplay and lack of all of the levels. Graphics was such a huge thing to me back then, and the arcade versions were just more powerful. The NES had issues with slowdowns, etc. By the time the Sega Genesis came out the gap was even smaller, but it was still there. By the time the home systems really caught up the arcades were disapearing or at least substantially weakening. All of the innovations were going into home games. And some of the home games just don't work in the Arcade. Zelda, is a good example. Mario 64 was such an awesome game, but you have to play it for hours. For some reason the Arcade industry failed to keep innovating with short games.

When I go to the arcade now I'm usually playing games that I can't play at home. Driving games, games with moving cockpits, etc. I'd play the classics (a lot of which were never really duplicated by the home systems) but they're nowhere to be found. Pacman with analog sound and a real pac joystick crushes pacman on MAME. Same with DK. There is a lot the arcades could be doing with dedicated sound, screens, controls, etc. but they don't seem to be putting much effort into it.

 

[Robotron Jon]

The number of arcades and arcade games being manufactured is a fraction of what it was in the early 80s. I think it was McLemore that produced a graphic showing the number of games released by year and the number today is incredibly small. I think in 1981 there were well over a million arcade cabinets in commercial use the US. Not sure of the number now, but I'd bet it's nowhere near that.

Go into Dave and Busters sometime - many of the games are 10 years old, or older. And there are no pins. And Dave and Busters is in financial trouble. The cost of the games has been raised, the redemption stuff costs more tickets than ever, and they discontinued the gold card program. And when was the last time you saw someone waiting to play an arcade game? In the glory days there were multiples of each machine and a line at every one.

Today, I think suceess depends on location more than ever. A stand alone arcade in a shopping mall is an exception rather than the rule. But arcade games in a pizza place or a movie theater will make money because there is a captive audience, and the rent and overhead cost is borne by the pizza or movie biz, not the arcade games...which are just a sideshow.

 

[DLP]

Now I'm young (25), but I've done a lot of research into the arcade industry as I'd like to release my own game into it, and I have to say that the business was never solid to begin with.....<snip>.... The arcades were most likely never very profitable businesses.

I'm good friends today with the person who ran the arcade that I used to go to all the time when I was a kid and he told me that back in the day, they were taking in over $20,000 a week in quarters. Granted, this was a very large arcade in a mall, but $20,000 a week sounds pretty profitable to me.

 

[vintagegamer]

I'm good friends with person who ran the arcade that I used to go to all the time when I was a kid and he told me that back in the day, they were taking in over $20,000 a week in quarters. Granted, this was a very large arcade in a mall, but $20,000 a week sounds pretty profitable to me.

From a coin-collector perspective, I'd love to know how many of those quarters were silver ones too...

 

[SuperSprint]

he told me that back in the day, they were taking in over $20,000 a week in quarters.

From the games I have;
Pole Position - 75,000 coin drops (only 5 digit ctr) - $18,750
MKII - 307,000 coin drops - $76,750
Super Sprint - 164,000 coins - $41,000

Obviously that doesn't take into account time window or operational expenses, but just the fact that these machines were earning 1000-2000% ROI hints of a profitable business.