Arcades a thing of the past?

[yooperchick]

We had an arcade come into our mall some years ago and it only lasted about a year before leaving. The local college even had a little arcade in the basement of a building but that was taken out too (spent many hours there between classes). Now, there is no arcade in the area left.

Is that something happening all over? Arcades disappearing?

 

[Wrecked]

there's a place not too far from my house called Dave & Busters. it's a resturant/billards/bar/arcade joint. that's the only arcade place that i know of that's around besides the college arcade joints. and it's one of the best i've been to, especially since they still have shooters [ after collumbine, they took out the shooting games at almost all arcade joints ].

oh actually there's a few Golf Lands [ putt putt for you eastcoasters ] around here, at one of the local GL's they're suppose to have a Mario Cart arcade game! i have no clue how it plays but i would love to try it out.

has anyone played the Mario Cart arcade game? the closest i've gotten to playing a game like that would have to be Speed Racer. only played it a few times [ next time i visited the place, it was gone ], but it was pretty cool. the steering wheel had the buttons in the middle and it worked like it did on the tv show.

 

[LaRazaUnida]

We have a Dave and Busters here, but I went only once like 4 years ago. I have never playd the Mario Kart game but have always wanted to.

I think Arcades here in the states are becoming a thing of the past, but I do not think it is the same in other countries.

 

[Major]

Yeah, we have Dave & Busters here too. Anyway, you're right, I don't see as many arcades as I used to. My sister and I used to love playing that Simpsons game back in the day. I go to the beach in Delaware with my family every summer and they still have a lot of arcades along the boardwalk, but other than that I don't see very many anymore. It's probably because console gaming becoming more and more popular.

 

[Teorropy]

Yeah it seems the Dave & Busters is poping up all over the place, I work at another arcade place but am looking for a better job. I just don't see why people would want to play there when you hae some many console and better computer games out there now.

 

[yooperchick]

I always liked the almost full experience video games, like the flying ones and the machine would move as you moved in the game. I thought those were fun, but unfortuately, they were the most expensive.

I also found those skill games (don't know the name of them) where you put in a quarter and try to situate it so other quarters fall down and then you get tokens. I would often blow my money on those.

And claw machines, I find those highly addictive. But those you can find in the grocery stores or gas stations nowadays.

 

[Mirage]

Console games are becoming more and more popular, but a big factor in the console boom is the fact that the prices are dropping. Soon, with the next generation systems all coming out within 2006, used systems like the XBOX, GameCube, and PS2 will be cheaper than ever. Why spend $50 at the arcade when you can buy a used last-gen console with a few good games? As more consoles come out, the older consoles get cheaper, and the worse business gets for arcades.

 

[yooperchick]

I agree that consoles are going to be the death of arcades. But the thing I liked about arcades that you can't get with consoles is just meeting like minded people and hanging out. You can hang out at home, but most likely it is with people that are your friends already. And you can do online, but you don't reallly have the personal interaction.

 

[Mirage]

What? You mean you don't have a sign outside your house inviting complete strangers in for some good old fashioned gaming? :lol:

I think that once consoles truly take advantage of what can be done by combining console games and the internet, many of the qualities and interaction experienced with the arcade environment will be successfully recreated. The XBOX 360 already has classic arcade type games that people can play online and save high scores. Just give it a few years. The arcade game makers will see that there isn't much money left in it, and sell their game licenses to console companies.

 

[yooperchick]

What? You mean you don't have a sign outside your house inviting complete strangers in for some good old fashioned gaming? :lol:

I can see it now....


********************************

PARTY AT MADGAMER'S

BYOG

********************************


(Ugh - tried to make a sign, but it wouldn't work)