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

[racketboy]

My experiences are that arcade owners just let machines sit, die, and let eat quarters because controls don't work.

[DCsegaDH]

I think their not really dead its just in a different form like movie theater,bowling alleys,Peter Piper Pizza,Collages,etc. Most of them have DDR,I love those games I think their going to stay this way from now on.Theirs a Walmart near my house It just recently got a small arcade in it,but it sucks because it doesn't have any fighters,shmups,light gun games,it just got Guitar Hero and some stupid ticket games,what kind of arcade doesn't have SFII?.

[toredauei]

so what im seeing is that a well maintained arcade with new games for quarter per play would be enough to get people to visit it. Plus having some other attraction as well as the arcade such as a bar. Ive long wanted to open a retro game store with an arcade in it as well as I knew an arcade would never last on its own. I still doubt the longevity of such a business but am hopeful none the less

[gradualmeltdown]

japanese arcades really work because of foot traffic. when an arcade is on the way between work and home or anywhere it is far easier to justify stepping in for a few games.

in the usa you have to plan out a trip to the arcade. this just weeds out a huge demographic and thus finacial support. in places like new york and socal there are still arcades because of the population and density more similar to japan.

japanese arcades also simply kick ass. if they would actually dedicate arcades to gamers like they do there it might be different.

[the King]

an arcade/dive bar would be so sick. hell even just a bar with a street fighter 2 cab would be sick. i .

totally...http://www.racketboy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10983


but yeah I think the arcade as anyone remembers it is dead. It died when you could get that same game in your house. The Atari had ports of arcade games, but they weren't the same, but once Nintendo and Sega put the same game into a cart it was over. Why would I go someplace and spend whatever a play when I could purchase the game as play it as many times as I want in my house against my friends or now against people from all over the world?

Interesting though that I have seen Wii's in bars, which does seem like a good idea and we even payed the hour to play like you would on a pool table, but thats cause it was there. I wouldn't go out to play it when I could do it at my house.

I do think maybe there could be a place for a pool/arcade/videogame bar. You'd have to set it up right and have game tournaments. Heck, they have Madden tournaments at bars, but could a bar that specialized really survive...

[superlarz]

I've had a dream for a long time to open a free movie theater with a free arcade in the lobby. I've tried to come up with a few ideas to turn this profitable. One notion is to sell eight dollar coffee, five dollar soda, thirty dollar pizza, etcetera. Will consumers pay exorbitant food prices if they get to watch free old movies and play free old games all day?

Another Idea was to open a video poker parlor upstairs with one-way mirrors. That way parents have a nice place to have a beer and gamble while their kids run around downstairs. Every so often the parents can look up from their video poker machines, glance through the one-way mirrors and check on their kids (or catch part of whatever old movie is playing).

I'd love to hear what the rest of you think. What would make you waste a bunch of money in a free arcade/movie theater?

If there were expensive food but free games and movies, I would eat elsewhere beforehand and then watch and play for free. The one way mirrors idea is not a bad idea. Like others have said, for arcades to work, they have to be put with something else.

I've seen a pretty big arcade with newer games in a bowling alley and I always see some kids playing games when I've been in there (and some adults too). I think an arcade within a bar is a pretty good idea. IMO, the arcade has to be just another good feature of a place for it to be successful. But then I guess it's not really an arcade in the true sense anymore.

I am at a casino in Primm NV and there was a few amusment rides there (huge coaster, log flume, and a few others) and it has a pretty large arcade near the food/shopping/ride area.

My opinion on the matter is the same as many others, I am willing to drop a quarter into a machine, but not a dollar. I would end up spending much more money there if the games were cheaper, and lets face it, there is not lines to play games anymore. Charging a dollar for a minute of game time is too much.

[Octopod]

Dont Japanese arcade machines take 100 yen coins? So basically a dollar. Why would an arcade in the US have machines that charge the same amount they did 30 years ago?


Has anyone here ever been to Ground Kontrol? I always wanted to check it out. For the longest time I though about opening an arcade bar combo. I like the way Ground Kontrol seems to do it better than Barcade. Arcade that sells drinks and has live music occasionally sounds better to me than a bar that has some arcade machines.

[Hatta]

Why would an arcade in the US have machines that charge the same amount they did 30 years ago?

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.

[ZeroAX]

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?

[RadarScope1]

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.