What killed the Arcade for you?

[Marcade]

Alright settle down, I know arcades will never die in our heads, and gamerooms are forever but lets be honest for a second, apart from a few wonderful, spots arcades are dead.

What for you was the biggest factor, as reading video game history etc everything seems to be aimed squarely at the home consoles, and for me personally at least, this just wasn't the case.

IMHO I felt that greed was the biggest factor, that is to say I didn't feel like these places were fun and for me anymore, with every video game being replaced by a jackpot machine or ticket spewing money grabber. Each new machine in place felt like another stab at tacking my money away and providing very little back.
The video game machines started charging more, this is something that I think was a bigger hit to us in the UK than in the states. Americans had a quater as the standard, which went up to 50c then 75 to a dollar etc, but ours seemed to jump from 10p to 50p to a pound, basically its like if pacman was a quater then ridge racer was two dollars. I Remember thinking that that it was now ten times the price for a go, so I wouldn't part with my money, if a machine was 50p I'd have a go, then follow that go with another, but a pound a time i just couldn't justify, even then it very much felt like just give us your money as quickly as possible and then leave.

At the high cost rate you couldn't justify learning the skills to be any good, my nan bought me Time crisis on the PSone and I remember being so grateful as I wouldn't have to keep feeding it... but if it was slightly cheaper I would have had no problems justifying the outlay.
The cost jumped, especially considering we started at 10p... it didn't seem to go 20, 30, 40, but I jumped 30 50 100, as a kid with limited funds theres no way you are going to put that sort of money into a new game you know nothing about that has a steep learning curve (sega's time traveller for example)

So that's my opinion, not ground breaking but I feel that the fun was lost and the money grabbers came in, so instead of making money they turned over for a quick quid and folded.

[emphatic]

For me it was the brawlers and Vs. Fighter games. I've never liked this type of games, so it I took a long break from playing arcade games until I saw titles like Metal Slug, Viewpoint and Strikers 1945+ (all NEO GEO titles). But it never came close to the rush of playing quality titles like Black Tiger, Rygar, Flying Shark etc.

Of course, there are skilled players who can master Final Fight or the Street Fighter games, but it wasn't ever for me. Also, pinball games and racing games started to take up more space, and for me those type of games are a bit gimmicky. *ducks for cover* 

[Marcade]

The fighters game thing for me too actually! It links to my post to though really, I remember looking at the likes of street fighter with its many " two world warriors hyper turbo tournament editions" and seeing just how big the learning curve was of learning all the moves compared to the rising costs. If it had been 20p a pop you'd give it a go, and I do remember finding some like that and pouring money in, but others were a 50p and a pound, and for a minute fight or so that I was pretty much guaranteed to loose it was too great a risk to feed in my precious coins! This seemed to be particularly the case around the time virtua fighter came out, looked great but I wasn't going to waste the cash needed to have fun and not just get my butt kicked!

[CheffoJeffo]

Street Fighter 2 killed the arcade. 

[Marcade]

Street Fighter 2 killed the arcade. 

now now, play nice 

[Malenko]

I stopped going when they closed their doors.

[CheffoJeffo]

Street Fighter 2 killed the arcade. 

now now, play nice 

SF2 resulted in a resurgence, but also created a business model that was unsustainable and hastened the demise of the remaining arcades.

IMO, the arcade collapsed (initially) under its own weight. There were eleventy brazillion new games coming out every month, people got bored and games had to be rotated out before they paid for themselves.

This happened around the same time that home consoles were making inroads and around the same time that the "Insert coin to continue" model arose, but I think the reality is that the market was flooded with games (most with little or no originality) and ops couldn't recoup the investment from cabs before people got bored and wanted to play something else.

[Marcade]

Street Fighter 2 killed the arcade. 

now now, play nice 

SF2 resulted in a resurgence, but also created a business model that was unsustainable and hastened the demise of the remaining arcades.

IMO, the arcade collapsed (initially) under its own weight. There were eleventy brazillion new games coming out every month, people got bored and games had to be rotated out before they paid for themselves.

This happened around the same time that home consoles were making inroads and around the same time that the "Insert coin to continue" model arose, but I think the reality is that the market was flooded with games (most with little or no originality) and ops couldn't recoup the investment from cabs before people got bored and wanted to play something else.

which left companies with the challenge of "innovating" meaning pouring a load of cash into one machine to try to draw back the crowds, meaning a very risky business model, coupled with the fact the same companies could develop for the home market...

[saint]

Home gaming was a big factor of course, but what killed the spirit of the arcade to me was the age of Fighters taking over the arcades. I didn't mind the arcades having them of course, but when the population density of fighters vs classic arcade games got out of whack arcades lost the fun for me. Also redemption crap. Certain a winner for businesses, but an arcade full of mostly redemption makes me sad.

PacMan, Tempest, StarWars, Mappy, Kangaroo, Frogger, Gauntlet, JumpBug, Xevious, Zaxxon, 194x, Bagman, Chiller... That's an arcade to me.

[TOK]

A chick actually wanted to have sex with me. That was great for like 25 years, but I think I'm back to the point where I'd rather play Donkey Kong again.  

[spoot]

Cost of the games kinda killed it for me as I had almost no income at the time.  Now, there simply aren't any around here worth going too.....all redemption crap.

[Donkbaca]

It's funny, for me, fighters are what defined the arcade experience. People putting their quarter up for next, crowds gathered around the machine, people selling secrets printed from the internet. I think Cheffos assessment is wrong, MK2 and SFA 2/3 were staples at my local arcade for a couple of years.  

What killed it, in my opinion, was Daytona 2. The greatest grossing game of all time brought in expensive, dedicated cabs that ops couldnt just swap boards out for. All of a sudden arcades were full of driving cabs, waverunner simulations and snowboard games. Games went from 25 cents per play to 50 cents to start, 25 to continue in the fighter era, to a dollar per play in the fancy cab era. That's what killed arcades. Expnesive, gimmicky games on expensive dedicated cabs

[DataWest]

I stopped going when they closed their doors.

Same here. My local pizza inn was owned by a guy that loved arcades. He had a dedicated game room that was the size of most typical arcades attached to the restaurant. I've never been in another pizza inn set up like his was. He had all my favorites; MK1 and 2, metal slug, battletoads, defender, etc.

When he sold the place they soon went out of business cause the pizza was horrible. Now Tornado Terrys is the last game in town.

At some point I still want to go to Japan to experience their arcades. Apparently there are still a ton over there that are great.     

[Hoopz]

There are people today (young children and teenagers) whose sole memory of arcades is redemption games or 95% redemption games.  To them, that's what an arcade is.  

Every thought of why arcades died is one step in the evolution of the arcade from classics, to shooters, home consoles, then fighters, simulation games, redemption, etc.  As the times changed, so did the business models and economies of scale for home entertainment relative to arcades.  All of those things had an impact on the evolution of the arcade.  

That being said, I'll +1 to TOK and PBJ.  Girls... 

[yotsuya]

I'll also add to the 'Them going away crowd'. I remember as a kid going to some great pizza places with full arcades inside. There was a Peter Piper Pizza on the west side of town that had the equivilent of a full-sized arcade in the middle of the building. I used to love going there because the arcade itself was up on a raised platform, almost like an enclosed stage. It felt like kind of a big deal to me as a kid.

I went back to that same pizza place almost a year ago. The stage is gone, along with the games. Now there's a giant jungle gym/play area, a bunch of ticket redemption machines, and a few mini rides. Bleagh.

[Mikezilla]

It's funny, for me, fighters are what defined the arcade experience. People putting their quarter up for next, crowds gathered around the machine, people selling secrets printed from the internet. I think Cheffos assessment is wrong, MK2 and SFA 2/3 were staples at my local arcade for a couple of years.  

What killed it, in my opinion, was Daytona 2. The greatest grossing game of all time brought in expensive, dedicated cabs that ops couldnt just swap boards out for. All of a sudden arcades were full of driving cabs, waverunner simulations and snowboard games. Games went from 25 cents per play to 50 cents to start, 25 to continue in the fighter era, to a dollar per play in the fancy cab era. That's what killed arcades. Expnesive, gimmicky games on expensive dedicated cabs

See, Im with Donk on this. When I was a kid, the fighters were king of the arcades. I remember being in 5th grade when SF2 came out, and people used to talk about it, how to do combos, and things like that. Then Mortal Kombat hit. Everyone was trying to do Fatalities, and how peoples parents wouldnt let them play it cause of the blood, and people were reading magazines *gasp* to figure out how to do all the moves. I used to love putting my quarter up on the marquee to hold my spot, and then beat the crap out of all the other challengers that dared to try to beat me. Same with Marvel super heroes, Marvel vs Capcom/2 etc. I also loved the multi-player games as well, Xmen, Simpsons, TMNT etc.  I agree with Donk though, the big expensive, dedicated cabs that he mentioned are what killed it. If I was a parent, I wouldnt want to give my kid 20 bucks to go to the arcade to maybe play for about 10 mins just because the games were so expensive. The only reason people go to Dave and Busters, is because adults have more money that they can spend on stuff like that. Im with all of you about the stupid redemption crap though.   Home consoles for sure, and of course, girls.

[DNA Dan]

Lol.. Got a pretty good chuckle out of this thread so far    

There are several factors, but mostly not really having the time to go to an arcade in general. I mean growing up there's a lot of things that take time from adolescence. Learning to drive, hanging with friends (Extracurricular activities  ) doing good in school, planning for college, GOING to college. There's also several reasons for the decline of arcades in general. Although that isn't the OP's question, I'll throw it out there as simply, "The declining value of a quarter." I mean who whips out their wallet, then puts a dollar in a bill validator to play an arcade game? Just isn't for me.

[yotsuya]

I used to love putting my quarter up on the marquee to hold my spot, and then beat the crap out of all the other challengers that dared to try to beat me.

My wife laughs at me when I do this with my cab. I tell her it's tradition.

[scofthe7seas]

I think there are a lot of factors involved in why arcades died out. The consoles are a big part of it, but they don’t beat the experience, and not everybody could afford the consoles/games when you just needed a few quarters to play a game in the way that everybody truly knew it should be played. Even though the street fighter games did make a huge resurgence in arcade popularity, you have to admit, it brought a different crowd. There was a sense of comradery back in the old days (mostly) whereas the fighter game generation… brought in a ton of ---meecrob--- bags. Arcades started dying with people not attending them, exponentially. The less people a person saw in there, the less they would want to stand out by being one. Then, there is the price of some of the games. Bleh. 2 dollars for one full game of Blitz, per person?? Bull-donkey.
Although I DO like fighters (I have to disagree about final fight being included in this, Aliens vs predator sparked a whole new interest in arcade games, for me) it was the sheer volume of them, that killed it for me. I was into fighters big time, practicing, like everyone else. Learning all the moves. Half way into Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, which has like a bazillion characters, I said. “NO. ENOUGH.” I just couldn’t learn all the moves for that many characters. Maybe I shouldn’t have tried it with so many, but it was a habit I formed when playing a lot of the smaller character based fighters. (who doesn’t know all the moves for original street fighter 2?)

[bobotech]

I was a huge arcade fan in the '80s.  I loved having my mom take me to the arcade to play all the classic early '80s games.   I used to spend all my allowance back then on those games.  I still played them after I graduated in 85 but not as much.  I did play at the arcade at the Post Mall in Orange, CT.  Saw my first Dragon's Lair in that mall.  Around 87-88 I got married and my time in the arcade really started to dwindle.

Then came the fighter genre.  I just quit playing at that point.  I did not like the fighting game much at all back then.  I did love the racing genre and enjoyed how the racing games got more and more 3d oriented and fun.  

They did just get too damned expensive though.  And then by the mid-later '90s, the home video game experience almost totally faithfully replicated the arcade experience.  Why bother going to the arcade when you could play the game at home with nearly no difference in game play.  

I think arcades are dead for the same reasons why movie theaters are starting to die off, the home experience is replicating the theater experience much better that it used to for a reasonable price.  I have a 65 inch DLP tv that cost me 250 dollars, a nice 7.1 receiver 200 dollars, nice speakers (trade), and so on.  I don't need to go to the theaters to enjoy a movie anymore.  Same with arcade games, the difference between the home and arcade versions is blurred to nearly nothing.

Compare the 2600 version of donkey kong to the arcade version.  

[clutch]

I used to love putting my quarter up on the marquee to hold my spot, and then beat the crap out of all the other challengers that dared to try to beat me.

My wife laughs at me when I do this with my cab. I tell her it's tradition.

Kind of the same thing for me and Pac-Man.  People would put their quarters up on the machine because they wanted to play next but I could play for a very long time.  It was a feeling of empowerment. 

[SNAAKE]

local arcade shut down..thats what killed it for me lol

I was still going every friday and whenever I had the time. wasn't some ordinary arcade either. its....THE arcade..one and only China Town Fair

[yotsuya]

Interesting enough, Snaake mentioning ChinaTown Fair reminded me of that article someposted here about its closing. I Googled it and found another article that had some interesting insight that might be relevant to this conversation.

http://nyconvergence.com/2011/03/chinatown-fair-gaming-arcade-closed.html

My first thought: "$10,000 a piece???"

[SNAAKE]

that article is BS lol..

I personally know CEN. he didnt buy anything. he's holding on the cabinets for now until next level is ready. then they'll probably sell most of the cabinets and only keep the ones making money(like sf4 AE).


PS: I am trying to buy that cvs2 cabinet

[CheffoJeffo]

It's funny, for me, fighters are what defined the arcade experience. People putting their quarter up for next, crowds gathered around the machine, people selling secrets printed from the internet. I think Cheffos assessment is wrong, MK2 and SFA 2/3 were staples at my local arcade for a couple of years.  

What killed it, in my opinion, was Daytona 2. The greatest grossing game of all time brought in expensive, dedicated cabs that ops couldnt just swap boards out for. All of a sudden arcades were full of driving cabs, waverunner simulations and snowboard games. Games went from 25 cents per play to 50 cents to start, 25 to continue in the fighter era, to a dollar per play in the fancy cab era. That's what killed arcades. Expnesive, gimmicky games on expensive dedicated cabs

See, Im with Donk on this. When I was a kid, the fighters were king of the arcades. I remember being in 5th grade when SF2 came out, and people used to talk about it, how to do combos, and things like that. Then Mortal Kombat hit. Everyone was trying to do Fatalities, and how peoples parents wouldnt let them play it cause of the blood, and people were reading magazines *gasp* to figure out how to do all the moves. I used to love putting my quarter up on the marquee to hold my spot, and then beat the crap out of all the other challengers that dared to try to beat me. Same with Marvel super heroes, Marvel vs Capcom/2 etc. I also loved the multi-player games as well, Xmen, Simpsons, TMNT etc.  I agree with Donk though, the big expensive, dedicated cabs that he mentioned are what killed it. If I was a parent, I wouldnt want to give my kid 20 bucks to go to the arcade to maybe play for about 10 mins just because the games were so expensive. The only reason people go to Dave and Busters, is because adults have more money that they can spend on stuff like that. Im with all of you about the stupid redemption crap though.   Home consoles for sure, and of course, girls.

I would like to thank you and Donk for making my point for me -- you were in the fifth ---smurfing--- grade -- like you had the first clue what the economics of the arcade was like !?!

You paid your quarters and mashed some buttons. Woohoo.

The point is that the success of SF2, which you and Donk-afraid-of-the-fort cite encouraged the ops who were still left to go "all in" every time a new game came out.

They couldn't afford not to after the success of SF2. They ... and we ... lost.

There have been a number of articles written on the subject by folks who were operating at the time.

[Dartful Dodger]

I stopped going when they closed their doors.

Same here.    

Same here.

Every time one closed I'd drive further and further to find another arcade.

Until all that was left was a Dave & Buster's 20 mile away.

[Hoopz]

I would like to thank you and Donk for making my point for me -- you were in the fifth ---smurfing--- grade -- like you had the first clue what the economics of the arcade was like !?!

You paid your quarters and mashed some buttons. Woohoo.

The point is that the success of SF2, which you and Donk-afraid-of-the-fort cite encouraged the ops who were still left to go "all in" every time a new game came out.

They couldn't afford not to after the success of SF2. They ... and we ... lost.

There have been a number of articles written on the subject by folks who were operating at the time.

Have a bunch of dogs poopin' on the lawn this weekend?   

[Donkbaca]

So let me get this straight Cheffo, before the fighting era, operators wouldn't feel the need to buy buy new cabs? Also, fighters have staying power because with all the characters and moves, there is lots of replayability, not to mention the player versus player factor.  Your assessment is just wrong. In my area, SoCal, arcades died out around 2000-2002. SF2 came out in 1992, so yeah SF killed arcades ----10 years after it was introduced. I would say thus was a VERY successful era for arcades, it's a ten year run of street fighters, mortal kombats and marvel vs.  I would say the fighter run starts in 92 with SF2 and ends in 2001 with MvC2.  That is a pretty darn good run, just as long as the classics run.  Also let's not forget, the top grossing game of all time is daytona USA. The 90s were awesome for arcades they died at the millennium, years after these games hit their peak. The reason they did is because operators and game makers atarted making expensive, dedicated cabs that missed their market. Whether you are a classics fan or a fighter fan, these add was great because it was a social gathering point for you and your buddies to hang our and play. Sure the games were better than console games in terms of looks and polish, but it was te experience of the crowd that made arcades great. With new consoles closing the gap in terms of quality, the arcade industry scrambled and tried to five people an experience they couldn't find at home, hence the driving cabs, redemption and other clutter. In doing so they ignored what really made them great; the social aspect of gaming. The concept that is now making xbox the gaming platform of choice, despite the better horsepower of the PS3.

[Dartful Dodger]

In doing so they ignored what really made them great; the social aspect of gaming. The concept that is now making xbox the gaming platform of choice, despite the better horsepower of the PS3.

People play video games to be anti-social.

If they wanted to be social they'd be participating in a sport with/against real people.


BTW, what makes the xBox more social than the PS3?

PS3's online gaming is free, and it's Move allows twice as many players to play at the same time.

[ark_ader]

I have an active arcade just a mile from my house.

I still play in there every month or so.

Nothing like nostalgia. 

[CheffoJeffo]

There have been a number of articles written on the subject by folks who were operating at the time.

Which you didn't bother to link so why mention them?

What is it with you lately -- "If it ain't on the web, then it didn't happen?"

Most articles in coin-op related publications aren't available for free online ... and you know it.

[CheffoJeffo]

The 90s were awesome for arcades they died at the millennium, years after these games hit their peak.

Uh huh ... right ...

 

EDIT: In case the kids don't understand, the big arcade crash happened in the mid 80s. That is my point of reference. You may THINK that the 90s were awesome, but they were nothing compared to the early 80s.

[CheffoJeffo]

Have a bunch of dogs poopin' on the lawn this weekend?   

 

Just a buncha kidz tellingz me aboot dem arcadez and wot hapnd to dem!

[Mikezilla]

In doing so they ignored what really made them great; the social aspect of gaming. The concept that is now making xbox the gaming platform of choice, despite the better horsepower of the PS3.

People play video games to be anti-social.

If they wanted to be social they'd be participating in a sport with/against real people.

See, I totally disagree with that statement. When I used to frequent the arcades, my friends and I loved to play video games with other people we didnt know, or beat the crap out of them because we felt entitled to. Whatever mood we were in. Now, the kids play on 360, or PS3, and there is no repurcussion for being an ---uvula---, or not having respect for anyone, because there isnt a face to it. They are playing with people from all over the country. I used to have a size advantage when I was a kid, when we played games. Kids would think twice before talking ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- to me in an arcade. Now, you play on line, and there is nothing but punk kids playing stuff. Its like playing a computer anyway, I was playing MvC3 the other day, and the lobby system and everything just makes you think you are playing a computer. I think now it MAKES them anti-social due to the medium of which they play. Besides, sports in real life make me hate people. I played football when I was a kid up through high school, and I can barely remember a handful of "fun" times.

 

You paid your quarters and mashed some buttons. Woohoo.

Isnt that what you did too?  

[DNA Dan]

This one's for you Jeffo...

[Marcade]

^ awesome ^

I don't really think it was actually any particular video games that killed the arcades tbh, streetfighter can have the same draw to me as the simpsons or something, it's not all about galaga and pacman, it was more the redemption and jackpot machines killing the atmosphere.

Oh and btw I live in south london and drive to southend to play track and field/space invaders/ and ms pacman, thats an 80 mile two hour round trip, so I don't mind traveling to get my game on!

[emphatic]

Once in a while a couple of my friends (we all have JAMMA cabinets at home btw) meet up and play games for a whole day into the night and eat hot dogs (of course we wash our hands). It's mostly modern shmups, but also some classic JAMMA stuff, but the most important thing is looking at other people play LIVE, and not from some old YouTube clip. We even travel to other countries (one of the best meets, in Germany):



I just remembered that another reason as to why I stopped playing arcade games is that the bad service the machines received. Who wants to play any game with a badly tuned monitor, or on a stick that's not even straight?

[Marcade]

I just remembered that another reason as to why I stopped playing arcade games is that the bad service the machines received. Who wants to play any game with a badly tuned monitor, or on a stick that's not even straight?

Oh yes! couldn't agree more! The number of projection large screen shooters in particular that were just totally unplayable became a huge issue, today going to the beach to play in the few remaining arcades there are ALWAYS over burnt impossible to see games that it there just wasting money being switched on, the owners don't seem to care.

Slightly off topic but that reminds me I recently went to herne bay beach (kent, UK) and an arcade down there that fits the owners that don't care category completely.
All their machines are dirty... just need a clean, penny falls that you have a hard time seing the coins through due to dust.
It's especially annoying as if their arcade was maintained correctly it would be freakin awesome, they have, of the top of my head, a Terminator 2, Operation thunderbolt, Crusin USA and carnevil, plus numerous pinballs, none working though, it's such a tease.

[danny_galaga]

Them disappearing kinda killed the arcades for me...

[SavannahLion]

The 90s were awesome for arcades they died at the millennium, years after these games hit their peak.

Uh huh ... right ...

 

EDIT: In case the kids don't understand, the big arcade crash happened in the mid 80s. That is my point of reference. You may THINK that the 90s were awesome, but they were nothing compared to the early 80s.

I was pretty young in the 80's but I have to agree with Chef on this. I distinctly remember arcades of the 80's being different than those in the 90's.

In the 80's, arcades and cabs were everywhere. I lived in a podunk town and there were about half a dozen locations with arcade cabs (with <5 cabs) within biking distance. The population of my town averaged 17 people. Driving to the main town yielded far more cabs. Drive to the nearest city and you couldn't walk into any public location without hearing the bleeps of a cab. I remember walking into an office and seeing one in the waiting room. The coolest (and biggest) was Aladdin's Castle in the mall(?). Having a small handfull of those tokens when you returned to school on Monday instantly meant your weekend rocked and you were central focus of the school (at least for that week). Those tokens were nearly as good as money and were often used as a form of currency amongst the kids.

By the time the mid 90's rolled around, nearly every cab in my town disappeared. Only the "big" places had them. The arcades got bigger and less seedier at the start of the 90's but they were farther apart, necessitating a car to make the trip. Something a kid didn't necessarily have.