Do you think a comeback for the american arcade is possible?

[MrPopo]

Because I won't pay any more. It's a simple demand elasticity problem. If people will play N games at $1/game, but they'll play >4N games at $0.25/game then it's most profitable to price the game at $0.25. Demand for arcade games is highly elastic, since there are many substitutes available. So competitive pricing is extremely important.

I checked out Ground Kontrol's website. Looks amazing. Wish Omaha was hip enough to support something like that.

yeah but the cost of home video games has gone up, why not the cost of arcades as well?

How has modern gaming gone up in price? Compare with the SNES days. There the base unit was cheaper than today's systems (which, to be fair, do a lot more than just play games), but the games were more expensive (and that's not counting inflation).

[superlarz]

I may have posted this elsewhere on the forums before, but ... let me tell ya about a little place in my town called 1984.

http://www.1984arcade.com/index.php?opt ... &Itemid=29

It's a retro arcade where the owners grew up with the golden age of the early 80s, and have put together a place where all of those games are available at a $5 all-you-can-play fee. They go all out and play 80s music, and project 80s movies like Back to the Future or Indiana Jones on the walls. They keep high scores on a board and give out prizes/free passes for getting the scores. They know about the hardware and take great care of the machines. They are gamers, who can talk strategy with you. It's a non-alcohol facility, and that means you'll see lots of kids, teenagers, girls and women playing there alongside who you would expect to see there (guys and older gamers). It's a great place.

To answer your overall question: no, I don't think there's any chance of a real comeback for arcades. The modern equivalent is online gaming, DL games, Popcap games, LAN parties and Guitar Hero/Rock Band. As others have said, once the home tech was capable of the same thing as the arcade, it was over.

this is awesome

[superlarz]

Because I won't pay any more. It's a simple demand elasticity problem. If people will play N games at $1/game, but they'll play >4N games at $0.25/game then it's most profitable to price the game at $0.25. Demand for arcade games is highly elastic, since there are many substitutes available. So competitive pricing is extremely important.

I checked out Ground Kontrol's website. Looks amazing. Wish Omaha was hip enough to support something like that.

yeah but the cost of home video games has gone up, why not the cost of arcades as well?

They arent related. I think arcade owners would make more $$$ if they charged less to play games. When I see a Miss Pacman machine and it is a quarter and I have the change, I will usually blow through all of the quarters in my pocket playing. When it is $.50 like most of the ones I see are, I dont play at all.

Its not like there is a line for these machines anywhere. If a game if fun, people will play more if it is cheaper. If it costs $2 to play a game for the first time, I'm not gonna find out if its fun, because I'm not going to try it.

[J T]

We have GameWorks here in Seattle.
http://www.gameworks.com/?tId=4

In all honesty though, I never go there despite being a big gaming fanatic. I heard they just got a bunch of new fighters though like BlazBlue and Street Fighter IV. I might check it out for that.

They do a lot of things you guys are suggesting- they have food and drinks. They don't charge a dollar per game. Instead they have a system where you buy a card and that either has credits or allows you to play freely for a limited time period.

We also have Jillians
http://www.jillians.com/

They also have drinks. They have tons of other things too, like darts and pool, air hockey, TVs playing sports, etc. It has a 'something for everyone' kind of approach which makes it pretty successful. There's often a fair amount of people there.

[Octopod]

I was about to post a link to a local arcade called Tokyo Game Action but when I went to their site I see they are closing down and auctioning off their games. That sucks. I never went because the place seemed to be full of rythym games and I dont play those.

[MrPopo]

We have GameWorks here in Seattle.
http://www.gameworks.com/?tId=4

In all honesty though, I never go there despite being a big gaming fanatic. I heard they just got a bunch of new fighters though like BlazBlue and Street Fighter IV. I might check it out for that.

They do a lot of things you guys are suggesting- they have food and drinks. They don't charge a dollar per game. Instead they have a system where you buy a card and that either has credits or allows you to play freely for a limited time period.

We also have Jillians
http://www.jillians.com/

They also have drinks. They have tons of other things too, like darts and pool, air hockey, TVs playing sports, etc. It has a 'something for everyone' kind of approach which makes it pretty successful. There's often a fair amount of people there.

I've been to the Gameworks you mentioned a few times. I used to go with a few friends more regularly for $10 Thursdays. The layout's interesting too. On the ground floor you have all the Bemani stuff and the racers (though they got rid of all the good lightgun stuff last time I was there), then on the second floor you have all the fighters and the 70's arcade games. The fighters are usually staffed by all the insane people who can kick your ass one-handed, especially on $10 Thursdays.

How is Jillians? Over the next couple years we'll be moving to a South Lake Union campus at Westlake and Mercer (and across the next couple blocks south), which is right next to Jillians. I might have to become a regular if it's good.

[J T]

How is Jillians? Over the next couple years we'll be moving to a South Lake Union campus at Westlake and Mercer (and across the next couple blocks south), which is right next to Jillians. I might have to become a regular if it's good.

Jillians is a good all-purpose place for bringing friends. It's nice because you can bounce around from pool, to air hockey, to drinks and food, to videogames. Plus, you have to be over 21 to go in, so you don't have to deal with kids and you can drink while you play. It's a great place for parties. The arcade selection isn't too big, but there are a few decent games in there. I like air hockey though, so whenever I go, I usually play that and forget about the videogames.