Make Arcades Successful Again....

[bani]

arcades in japan are still quite popular.

 

the key is to provide games and experiences that you simply can't get at home.

 

 

 

 

 

[VectorGamer]

arcades in japan are still quite popular.

 

the key is to provide games and experiences that you simply can't get at home.

 

 

 

It is - along with having titles exclusive to the arcades before they are released for home console.

 

Unfortunately, it will require a lot of capital and/or financing to house the games in those pix.

 

And how much is a gamer willing to spend on one of those games?

 

Those are really nice pix - thx for posting.

Edited August 9, 2010 by rmaerz

[Petran79]

japanese society and youth are completely different towards video games.

Also not all western gamers accept anime-based videogames. Computer games in japan are not that popular in comparison to console games.

Video games changed. Arcades changed. Now they rent instead internet games like warcraft or counterstrike. Youth prefer those games or the ones where you roam in 'realistic' virtual worlds

Whereas in the past arcades where used for teenagers after or during school as a gathering place, now they are replaced by net cafes.

 

Only large malls survive. The smaller arcades either shut down or were forced to change.

I saw once a guy who played shinobi in a mame board perfectly. He looked like he belonged to another era.

 

 

 

 

 

.

[Petran79]

An interesting read about a gaming scene unnoticed outside japan. Perhaps we could learn something from it

 

Http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/217453/inside-japans-indie-game-development-scene

[Cynicaster]

I see this is an old thread, but I'll post anyway because it's an interesting topic.

 

In the good old days, I have to believe that the bread and butter of arcades was made by sucking the lunch money and allowance out of kids' pockets. I remember riding my bike to the local bowling alley and blowing every cent I had on the games--all of which were $.25 a play. Then, a short time later, I'd be back to do the same thing again. And again. And again. <"Oh, the Kung Fu Master machine has been replaced by Rampage!"> And again. And again. And again.

 

What I'm getting at is, IMO, no arcade is going to make money simply by catering to the nostalgic hearts and minds of a very small niche group of people (like us) who might pop in and play 4-5 games of Galaga every few weeks. The only way to see a resurgence of arcades would be to get the kids interested again with a "gotta have it" gaming experience that we used to see.

 

The challenge in this has already been mentioned: the home consoles are so capable these days that they hold a monopoly on the attention span of gaming youngsters. So, logic would dictate, that the solution would be to make arcade games that are so advanced and flashy that no console could ever keep up. But then, you're probably looking at games that cost well over $10k and are $3 per play or more. It would be a challenge to convince cash-strapped kids to continually dump $3 for 5-10 minutes of play on a game, when they can play at home for nothing. Back in the day, even the kid with no allowance could find a few coins in his couch cushions that he could exchange for a quarter for a game of Tempest.

[almightytodd]

When arcades were popular, it was because the games/graphics were markedly superior to anything at home. You played Donkey Kong on 2600 yet still had a desire to play the mucho-superior arcade version. It was probably during the Playstation(1) era, during a game of Gran Turismo(1) that I laughed and realized "I've never played anything in an arcade that's this much fun!" Add in 2 more generations of systems and HDTV graphics and it's only gotten more-so that way. There is also waaaaaay more forms of entertainment overall today and people are generally "spoiled." To create an arcade game that can overcome all of this would be terribly expensive, and require elaborate controls and schemes that would make it more expensive. Sadly, the day of the arcade is finished. Every time I pass by old Atari or Namco arcade machines, I always slow down and stare for a moment and remember the "old days," glad that I was a part of it.

 

Yep, if arcade games had gone to HD quality graphics(1920x1080) in the 90s, and ultra-HD(3840x2160) now, there's a good chance they'd still be around.

 

The other problem was lack of variety. In the 80s you had a multitude of game types to play - just look at the differences between Rally X, Centipede, Marble Madness, Galaga, Pac Man, Burger Time, Qix, etc. Last time I went into an arcade I saw nothing but fighting games and racing games and promptly walked back out.

The graphics are getting more realistic all the time... ...just look at

example...

[+wood_jl]

One day in the distant future, they'll have them set up as a museum. Dimly lit, a few neon signs on the wall, smoky room. They'll have walker and wheelchair access, so we who grew up in the 80's can pay to see it all again.

[Shaggy the Atarian]

I see this is an old thread, but I'll post anyway because it's an interesting topic.

 

In the good old days, I have to believe that the bread and butter of arcades was made by sucking the lunch money and allowance out of kids' pockets. I remember riding my bike to the local bowling alley and blowing every cent I had on the games--all of which were $.25 a play. Then, a short time later, I'd be back to do the same thing again. And again. And again. <"Oh, the Kung Fu Master machine has been replaced by Rampage!"> And again. And again. And again.

 

What I'm getting at is, IMO, no arcade is going to make money simply by catering to the nostalgic hearts and minds of a very small niche group of people (like us) who might pop in and play 4-5 games of Galaga every few weeks. The only way to see a resurgence of arcades would be to get the kids interested again with a "gotta have it" gaming experience that we used to see.

 

The challenge in this has already been mentioned: the home consoles are so capable these days that they hold a monopoly on the attention span of gaming youngsters. So, logic would dictate, that the solution would be to make arcade games that are so advanced and flashy that no console could ever keep up. But then, you're probably looking at games that cost well over $10k and are $3 per play or more. It would be a challenge to convince cash-strapped kids to continually dump $3 for 5-10 minutes of play on a game, when they can play at home for nothing. Back in the day, even the kid with no allowance could find a few coins in his couch cushions that he could exchange for a quarter for a game of Tempest.

 

To expand upon what you are saying, while home consoles are one place that everyone looks too, I also think that they are holding things back sa the consoles get older. Take for example, PC gaming. Current PC gaming hardware can completely run circles around any game console but they are dumbing down a great number of PC titles so that it doesn't really take much more advantage of the hardware than it would on the console they ported it from. Crysis 2 is probably a good example of this.

 

Now it's true that in some cases arcade gaming isn't surpassing console quality in terms of graphics although they should - pretty much all arcade machines now just use a PC as their base hardware. An A+ arcade title should take advantage of some of the cool techniques that you get with DirectX11 as well as physics processing. The games themselves aren't terribly complicated so I don't see why it shouldn't be possible. give the arcades screen resolutions beyond 1080p, go up to 1200p or 1600p. The arcade could become an extension of PC gaming, in the sense that it's an arena where you could really showcase PC graphics technology, along with the advantages of an arcade cabinet with unique controls. But this is all a pipe dream for now as I don't think anyone is really going this route at the moment. But that's the way it should be IMHO.

[Shaggy the Atarian]

BTW- This game is coming to the US this summer. It's Darius Burst: Another Chronicle by Taito, a sequel in the Darius shmup series. Everyone should push their local arcade to get one as it will be awesome - 1-4 player support, surround sound with amazing bass system, super wide screen with two 32" monitors combining for one image, tons of levels to pick from, etc. I have to imagine that this is worth leaving the couch for to go out and play

 

Edited April 12, 2011 by Shaggy the Atarian

[+pboland]

I see this is an old thread, but I'll post anyway because it's an interesting topic.

 

In the good old days, I have to believe that the bread and butter of arcades was made by sucking the lunch money and allowance out of kids' pockets. I remember riding my bike to the local bowling alley and blowing every cent I had on the games--all of which were $.25 a play. Then, a short time later, I'd be back to do the same thing again. And again. And again. <"Oh, the Kung Fu Master machine has been replaced by Rampage!"> And again. And again. And again.

 

What I'm getting at is, IMO, no arcade is going to make money simply by catering to the nostalgic hearts and minds of a very small niche group of people (like us) who might pop in and play 4-5 games of Galaga every few weeks. The only way to see a resurgence of arcades would be to get the kids interested again with a "gotta have it" gaming experience that we used to see.

 

The challenge in this has already been mentioned: the home consoles are so capable these days that they hold a monopoly on the attention span of gaming youngsters. So, logic would dictate, that the solution would be to make arcade games that are so advanced and flashy that no console could ever keep up. But then, you're probably looking at games that cost well over $10k and are $3 per play or more. It would be a challenge to convince cash-strapped kids to continually dump $3 for 5-10 minutes of play on a game, when they can play at home for nothing. Back in the day, even the kid with no allowance could find a few coins in his couch cushions that he could exchange for a quarter for a game of Tempest.

 

To expand upon what you are saying, while home consoles are one place that everyone looks too, I also think that they are holding things back sa the consoles get older. Take for example, PC gaming. Current PC gaming hardware can completely run circles around any game console but they are dumbing down a great number of PC titles so that it doesn't really take much more advantage of the hardware than it would on the console they ported it from. Crysis 2 is probably a good example of this.

 

Now it's true that in some cases arcade gaming isn't surpassing console quality in terms of graphics although they should - pretty much all arcade machines now just use a PC as their base hardware. An A+ arcade title should take advantage of some of the cool techniques that you get with DirectX11 as well as physics processing. The games themselves aren't terribly complicated so I don't see why it shouldn't be possible. give the arcades screen resolutions beyond 1080p, go up to 1200p or 1600p. The arcade could become an extension of PC gaming, in the sense that it's an arena where you could really showcase PC graphics technology, along with the advantages of an arcade cabinet with unique controls. But this is all a pipe dream for now as I don't think anyone is really going this route at the moment. But that's the way it should be IMHO.

I agree that graphics are important, but only so much. I think the tendency is to say, "well they can get great graphics with there Xsystem at home, heck PC's run circle around the consoles". All true statements, but, once you set the paradigm that graphics alone make for the best gaming experience and therefore arcades can't compete, then you just shot yourself in the foot.

 

Playing an arcade machine is about an experience you can't get at home. There are things that can be done above and beyond graphic to wow people. It just takes imagination. Yes a certain level of graphics needs to be there, but the graphics really don't need to be any better than the stuff at home as long as the arcade offers something more.

 

Something like a machine with multiple screens, not just two but maybe more. What would you put on the screens? I don't know but that's where the imagination of the programer comes in.

 

Or, how about a physical multi layered play field (again using multiple screens/projectors). It would give the illusion of a true heads up display since it could be closer to you than the main game field screen.

 

How about a head to head machine where the players stand across from each other and the images of the game are projected onto glass (that's between the two players) so the players can see each other while they play.

 

These are just three examples of experiences you can't get at home and I can think of many more. The best part about these ideas, which I'm envisioning as arcade machines, is they should need to be any larger (or at least not much larger) than a typical arcade machine and shouldn't be that hard to implement. Heck, I know how I could build/implement these type of arcade machines. Just a thought.

Edited April 13, 2011 by pboland

[Shaggy the Atarian]

Well let me rephrase it - if arcade developers continue to offer more of the same (i.e. on-rail light gun shooters, racing games, the occasional golf/bowling game, etc.) then they should use the greater power of PCs to help out. I talked with a team of developers who is working on an upcoming arcade racer when they visited my arcade recently and they made a few comments about how much easier it was to create an arcade game environment as compared to a console game which generally focuses on all sorts of options and branching points. Since arcades generally don't need that extra complexity and are fairly simple in nature, then some time can be spent on making the games look pretty enough to help wow people into playing.

 

I'm not saying graphics need to be everything for arcades but they are important. I hear remarks about it all the time from people who play in my arcade. I think it's always been that way - in the 80's, the best graphics were always in the arcade. When you read "historian" accounts of the 90's they usually cite the fact that consoles caught up graphically with arcades and that's when decline began.

 

Now I do agree that the arcade format needs to be pushed to come up with completely new ways to play games. It was like that for years, you had mocap gaming going on several years before the consoles got it, even the Kinect isn't a new ideology when it comes to arcades since there had already been a few doing that since the early 90's. In regards of multi-screen formats, take a look at the Darius Burst Another Chronicle I posted about above. It's a 4-player sidescrolling shooter that uses two screens. I would also recommend looking up Taito's Sonic Blast Heroes and Elevator Action Death Parade.

 

I see this is an old thread, but I'll post anyway because it's an interesting topic.

 

In the good old days, I have to believe that the bread and butter of arcades was made by sucking the lunch money and allowance out of kids' pockets. I remember riding my bike to the local bowling alley and blowing every cent I had on the games--all of which were $.25 a play. Then, a short time later, I'd be back to do the same thing again. And again. And again. <"Oh, the Kung Fu Master machine has been replaced by Rampage!"> And again. And again. And again.

 

What I'm getting at is, IMO, no arcade is going to make money simply by catering to the nostalgic hearts and minds of a very small niche group of people (like us) who might pop in and play 4-5 games of Galaga every few weeks. The only way to see a resurgence of arcades would be to get the kids interested again with a "gotta have it" gaming experience that we used to see.

 

The challenge in this has already been mentioned: the home consoles are so capable these days that they hold a monopoly on the attention span of gaming youngsters. So, logic would dictate, that the solution would be to make arcade games that are so advanced and flashy that no console could ever keep up. But then, you're probably looking at games that cost well over $10k and are $3 per play or more. It would be a challenge to convince cash-strapped kids to continually dump $3 for 5-10 minutes of play on a game, when they can play at home for nothing. Back in the day, even the kid with no allowance could find a few coins in his couch cushions that he could exchange for a quarter for a game of Tempest.

 

To expand upon what you are saying, while home consoles are one place that everyone looks too, I also think that they are holding things back sa the consoles get older. Take for example, PC gaming. Current PC gaming hardware can completely run circles around any game console but they are dumbing down a great number of PC titles so that it doesn't really take much more advantage of the hardware than it would on the console they ported it from. Crysis 2 is probably a good example of this.

 

Now it's true that in some cases arcade gaming isn't surpassing console quality in terms of graphics although they should - pretty much all arcade machines now just use a PC as their base hardware. An A+ arcade title should take advantage of some of the cool techniques that you get with DirectX11 as well as physics processing. The games themselves aren't terribly complicated so I don't see why it shouldn't be possible. give the arcades screen resolutions beyond 1080p, go up to 1200p or 1600p. The arcade could become an extension of PC gaming, in the sense that it's an arena where you could really showcase PC graphics technology, along with the advantages of an arcade cabinet with unique controls. But this is all a pipe dream for now as I don't think anyone is really going this route at the moment. But that's the way it should be IMHO.

I agree that graphics are important, but only so much. I think the tendency is to say, "well they can get great graphics with there Xsystem at home, heck PC's run circle around the consoles". All true statements, but, once you set the paradigm that graphics alone make for the best gaming experience and therefore arcades can't compete, then you just shot yourself in the foot.

 

Playing an arcade machine is about an experience you can't get at home. There are things that can be done above and beyond graphic to wow people. It just takes imagination. Yes a certain level of graphics needs to be there, but the graphics really don't need to be any better than the stuff at home as long as the arcade offers something more.

 

Something like a machine with multiple screens, not just two but maybe more. What would you put on the screens? I don't know but that's where the imagination of the programer comes in.

 

Or, how about a physical multi layered play field (again using multiple screens/projectors). It would give the illusion of a true heads up display since it could be closer to you than the main game field screen.

 

How about a head to head machine where the players stand across from each other and the images of the game are projected onto glass (that's between the two players) so the players can see each other while they play.

 

These are just three examples of experiences you can't get at home and I can think of many more. The best part about these ideas, which I'm envisioning as arcade machines, is they should need to be any larger (or at least not much larger) than a typical arcade machine and shouldn't be that hard to implement. Heck, I know how I could build/implement these type of arcade machines. Just a thought.

[Cynicaster]

once you set the paradigm that graphics alone make for the best gaming experience and therefore arcades can't compete, then you just shot yourself in the foot.

 

You know that, I know that, but let's face it: we're guys that hang out on video game forums.

 

Unfortunately, I think the vast majority of people quite literally equate graphics with game quality. Sad but true.

[+pboland]

once you set the paradigm that graphics alone make for the best gaming experience and therefore arcades can't compete, then you just shot yourself in the foot.

Unfortunately, I think the vast majority of people quite literally equate graphics with game quality. Sad but true.

Yes, I agree, but please keep in mind I'm not saying that the graphics can be crap. They still need to be descent, but they don't need to be any better then what is on your home console/PC. See that is the rub. A lot of people think that graphics in an arcade machine need to be leaps and bounds better than what is in the home and this stems from what arcades use to be. That is just old thinking.

 

Graphics today are getting damn close to photo realism. Once that is achieved (which won't be too much longer) what will be the new test for a good game then? I can tell you it won't be graphics, because they will all look real. It will be the experience and the physical interaction with the game itself. This is where arcade machines shine. The general gaming public is not going to start buying a bunch of dedicated (or semi dedicated) machines to achieve that experience at home. It just takes up too much space.

 

With the right amount of physical interaction and descent graphics, and above all, good game play, people (even kids) will go to an arcade if that is the only way to truly experience it. Unfortunately, I don't think the industry sees it. They still look at an arcade machine as a box with one screen, a joy stick controller on it and that is an arcade.

 

Here's another type of arcade machine I thought of. Why not have the control surface change depending on what in going on in the game? This could be done with touch panels displays. So you would not just have the screen in front of you for the game but the control surface would be a touch panel display.

 

I'm going to also through out there the idea of holographic games. Yes, I know this was done by Sega (Time Traveler?) but honestly that game wasn't that great and it would be so much easier today to expand on the tech. Or how about 3D using large prisms over standard screens. No glasses needed and as long as the game is good no one will care that is doesn't have the most crisp graphics in the arcade. Can you image if the machine also incorporated a touch panel control surface.

[Petran79]

I see still a lot of people playing the original bobble bobble arcade and a lot play it perfectly.

Also Mame cabinets are common and cheap since arcade coin prices increased from 8x (eg bobble bobble which you could play for 1/8 the price of today in the 80s) to 16x times (eg hotd 4). Some like initial d up to 32x.

That is a factor too. With 1 euro you would have enough credits to finish a fighter in the 80s/90s

[VectorGamer]

Also, a hot l00king lady employed as arcade operator is reason enough to bring people through the doors. They do it at health clubs all the time - if you're hot you get a free membership.

[commerce-connection]

I miss the days of the video game arcades. They used

to be very popular, and also profitable. The problem

is today's video gaming consoles are so advanced and

are so great that generally people aren't interested

in arcades. Todays consoles are great, but I think

it is more fun to play on a full size arcade. The only

place you really see arcades anymore are amusement parks.

 

There used to be a arcade in the Pittsburgh, Pa area

that charged a flat $5.00 fee for unlimited arcade

gaming one day a week. It was really cool. I remember

they had Mortal Kombat setup on a large LCD screen.

I'd like to have that at my home.

 

Scott Hugo Jr.

Gaming Mouses

[atarigal]

I'm bringing this up because I haven't seen anyone else mention it--a modern twist to the problem of bringing kids back into arcades. My daughter is 13 so most of her friends are in the 12-15 age range, and very few of them are allowed by their parents to go out "on the town" by themselves. And by "on the town" I mean ANYWHERE PUBLIC. A lot of the mothers insist on a trusted adult being present (within eyesight if out in public, but even in your house they expect you the grownup to not leave) wherever the kids go. Kids can't "hang out" in public places anymore the way we did when we were kids for a few reasons:

 

1) Parents keep a much shorter leash on their kids these days.

2) Many (most?) kids are highly scheduled and don't have the time to spend hours a week at an arcade.

3) Restrictions are tighter now and many malls and other localities don't allow kids under 18 to gather in "groups".

4) Many kids don't/can't earn their own money when young (<17) anymore--traditional kid jobs like paper routes and babysitting and lawn care have been taken over by broke adults or "professionals". And many adults simply don't trust kids to do these jobs anyway.

 

That's why I think in order for an arcade to be successful, you'd have to aim it at 1) families, or 2) people 17 and older. Aiming it at teens probably wouldn't work these days since our cultural attitude has changed so much.

Edited May 1, 2011 by atarigal

[M.A.M.E Offender]

Bringing back the arcade scene would undoubtedly be a very daunting task. Especially nowadays.

 

I know the gameplay and the required hand-eye coordination and the skill and reflex and originality is far superior in the retro games then of games today. Games in the 80's made real gamers with real games demanding some serious skill and reflex. Today's games are automated, lack originality, and don't require a tenth the skill required for classic gaming.

 

Having an arcade with 50 of my favorite titles would be wicked awesome. It will never happen, though. Not ever again. It is impossible nowadays.

 

I give thanks to the producers of MAME, who allow the former arcade junkies a chance to play the old quarter munching games of the past.

 

Long live Classic Arcade Gaming!!!

[Petran79]

Bringing back the arcade scene would undoubtedly be a very daunting task. Especially nowadays.

 

I know the gameplay and the required hand-eye coordination and the skill and reflex and originality is far superior in the retro games then of games today. Games in the 80's made real gamers with real games demanding some serious skill and reflex. Today's games are automated, lack originality, and don't require a tenth the skill required for classic gaming.

 

Having an arcade with 50 of my favorite titles would be wicked awesome. It will never happen, though. Not ever again. It is impossible nowadays.

 

I give thanks to the producers of MAME, who allow the former arcade junkies a chance to play the old quarter munching games of the past.

 

Long live Classic Arcade Gaming!!!

 

Once in a while when I visit an arcade mall I see sometimes pro players at a specific game. Eg recently two guys in their 30s were playing Bubble Memories and had reached stage 50 with only 1 coin till they lost. Another time a guy was playing Shinobi perfectly and finished it without losing once.

 

While the rest were playing quizz games. Current generation excels in console and pc games but not arcades in the way they did in the past.

[goatdan]

I wrote a big article on this for GameRoom Magazine in the past. As a guy who worked at four different places that all either were based around games or had a bunch of them there that all existed until just recently, when one was closed due to a retirement, here's the nutshell of it:

 

Disney spent a LOT of money trying to make DisneyQuest into a worldwide thing, and it failed miserably. They had plans to build tons of these, and the couldn't even keep the first one open.

 

If a motivated Disney can't do it with all their money and resources, there is no single solution to making arcades successful today.

 

You can do it on a limited basis though -- it requires putting in games that people cannot play at home. A lot of arcade owners thought that Street Fighter II was a hit because it was a fighting game, and they just focused on those -- but DDR could have been nearly as big of a hit when it came out, but every op that I know hated them because they were 'too noisy' and 'other people might not like them.' Did you know that before it sold billions of dollars worth of games, Guitar Hero was in the arcades, called Guitar Freaks? In fact, the reason it came to the home console is the place that made the guitars was disappointed they weren't selling better in arcades. So, they brought it home -- imagine what could have happened if arcade ops didn't turn away Guitar Freaks and instead embraced it?

 

Light gun games like Area 51 and Maximum Force still earn well because they are unique compared to what you can get now, even though they are 15 or so years old. Make your arcade based around unique ideas, have something else there to also make money off and keep people around (food), and it's possible -- in fact, the past few years have seen more arcades pop up than I remember in the last 10. Here's hoping that trend continues!

[Shaggy the Atarian]

Speaking of ideas/experiences you can't get elsewhere, one new idea that will be gaining traction this year is coin-operated robotic games, in particular with Robo Restle. This is a very entertaining game:

 

http://arcadeheroes.com/robo-restletm-by-robotic-amusements-and-namco/

[+pboland]

Speaking of ideas/experiences you can't get elsewhere, one new idea that will be gaining traction this year is coin-operated robotic games, in particular with Robo Restle. This is a very entertaining game:

 

http://arcadeheroes.com/robo-restletm-by-robotic-amusements-and-namco/

Now that's what I'm talking about. Something different and it looks like a lot of fun to boot. That is something that would be hard for the average person to duplicate at home. I like how it uses a monitor in the background to add to the game play and the option to add a ticket dispenser is pretty cool too. Thanks for sharing that link. I think games like this give hope that an arcade is not a dead concept.

[DaveD]

traditional kid jobs like paper routes and babysitting and lawn care have been taken over by broke adults or "professionals".

 

That's depressing to read that. Just goes to show how many different changes have taken place in the world since the "good ol' days". Not all changes for the better either.

[bani]

traditional kid jobs like paper routes and babysitting and lawn care have been taken over by broke adults or "professionals".

 

That's depressing to read that. Just goes to show how many different changes have taken place in the world since the "good ol' days". Not all changes for the better either.

 

not all changes for the worse either. would you give up modern PCs and the internet to get arcades back?

[VectorGamer]

 

not all changes for the worse either. would you give up modern PCs and the internet to get arcades back?

 

Then what you're talking about is targeting the younger folks that may not be using the Internet at all or limited access to PCs which isn't uncommon in the first place. If you go into an arcade mostly you see kids under 10 playing redemption games.

 

I think a classic arcade is better off in a populous area where you can possibly attract a portion of hardcore CAGers to become regulars at the establishment.

 

Tournaments help also.