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What Arcade Era Do You Identify With The Most?
Frigo:
Late 80's/Early 90's for me.
I was born in 80, so I missed out on quite a few trends in the arcade scene. There was this place, Peter Piper's Pizza, a Chuck E. Cheese rip-off that had a HUGE arcade section in the back. There were games like Rolling Thunder, Altered Beast, Outrun, Space Harrier, Centipede, etc. all over the place, and while I had a blast playing them, I was too young to fully appreciate some of the classics I wouldn't see again until they were converted to the home systems (poorly converted, at that). It wasn't until I first laid eyes on Street Fighter II that I was completely hooked to the arcades. I can still remember placing quarters on the bezel to secure my place in line, and, although I got beat a lot my first few tries, I learned the basics quick and soon I was the one taking quarters from some young upstart, LOL. Ever since then, I've been a dedicated fighting fan. You just can't beat the experience. :)
TheGameFan:
I really identify with two eras for different reasons.
I remember being a kid in the 80's playing mostly Pac-Man, Moon Patrol, and Rally-X.
During my college years in the nineties, I remember going to the arcade with friends to play Tekken, Virtua Fighter 2, and Daytona.
manman:
--- Quote from: Vanguard on May 21, 2010, 09:14:56 am ---When you think about the history of arcades (coin op electronic type), it's amazing how short lived it really was.
I'm not talking about the existence of the games but rather the arcade itself as a business model.
--- End quote ---
It's an interesting topic to think about... when I first read this I thought the exact opposite. As fast as technology moves and it becomes easier to pack more powerful machines into a smaller footprint, it was inevitable for consoles to catch up to arcade quality machines so you get the same or better technology by only paying once and you get to own it. I guess if arcades had always stayed a step ahead it might not have happened that way, but I think consoles caught up too fast and the money just wasn't there for many people to want to continue to invest much in that business model.
But then I thought about Japan, where arcade culture still thrives today. It HAS finally started to decline, but not nearly to the point they have here... I don't know if it's just a cultural thing or what. I read that part of the way they design large cities in Japan is mean to encourage people to come/stay out more- and that probably works since living spaces are smaller and more cramped together in general vs American housing.
I don't know, but I agree with you that most of the great part about the experience was not the technical quality of the games, but actually being there, meeting people, competing against people, and just sharing that arcade culture with other like-minded people. It's really too bad that had to die out...
Vanguard:
--- Quote from: TheGameFan on May 21, 2010, 02:01:27 pm ---I remember going to the arcade with friends to play Tekken, Virtua Fighter 2, and Daytona.
--- End quote ---
I worked on the development of SEGA graphics hardware (model 3) for Virtua Fighter 2 and Daytona 500. Sega gave us both and we stuck them in our break room. It's amazing how good you can get at a game when its free and at work. :)
Havok:
Ahhh the Golden Age. I stopped going to the arcade regularly when the fighter drivel came out. That was the beginning of the end...
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