Can Arcades Become Mainstream Again?

[Knicksman20]

This is a topic from The Arcade that I wanted to put out here. I recently saw a VR kind of arcade called Zero Latency that I think could help. I posted this in the topic but no responses. Some Texas brother's need to chime in if they visited a location in Houston

If we didn't have to worry about Covid so much these days, this could potentially make a huge impact with bringing arcades back. Texas brother's, what's your take on this place? I saw that there's a location in Houston

Global Virtual Reality Experience Provider - Zero Latency VR

Immerse yourself in the world’s best virtual reality at Zero Latency. 80+ venues worldwide. Experience untethered, free-roam VR with no cables.

zerolatencyvr.com

 

[RickyDiBiase]

I can see them being popular with a more casual audience which is always a plus.

 

[Rev Leon Lonnie Love]

Them days long gone, brehs. Its over
Been praying for this since 2009 when competative gaming became mainstream, but the closest way to restore the feeling is traveling to Japan where they never left mainstream.

 

[Silver Surfer]

For little kids and Asians....there will be a market.

At a mall here in ATL half the games in the arcade where Japan imports

 

[WaveWhisperer]

Theres one in stl called up down. Its mixed with a bar and they survived the covid wave


Thats the only way i see it being successful.

 

[OperationNumbNutts]

Mainstream I don't know. There was a pizza joint that had old school arcade games that seem to do well in my area.

 

[General Mills]

My arcade on GTA Online be dead as fukk

So in frustration I place Proximity Mines at the both entrances to the main mod shop and kill players while I’m watching them from The safety of my safe house.


The arcade scene in the mid to late 80’s was

The addition of fighting games was a site to behold. Pit Fighter, Street Fighter. MK.

The mother load was Street Fighter 2. Ghatdam I spent so much time in the arcades then. Matter of fact going to the arcades was blood in the water. Your game best be top notch or you would be clowned. I use to go to a bowling alley and practice on SF2 BEFORE going to the arcade at the Mall

 

[42 Monks]

You really gotta have the perfect area and know how to maintain equipment on your own terms. Its still possible, yeah, but the old style of arcades are definitely dead as fukk. Mid 90s you could slap up an arcade in a mall anywhere and do alright - that's done with.

You need to be able to host events, have some go carts or laser tag in the back, stuff for sale, etc along with membership rates on top.

 

[Windows 91]

They got a cool one near me where you pay like $12 to get in and then all the machines are unlimited play. I like it because it's not a bar arcade, I'm not trying to be around drunks.

Nothing like Japan though where they got multi story arcades with walls and walls of machines.

 

[Uachet]

Home systems are too powerful and prevalent for this to really happen in the U.S. Some places will do good business i.e. Dave & Busters, but the market will never be as dominant as in its heyday. It seems the later American generations prefer socializing through intermediaries like cellphones and online connections rather than in person.

Man, my childhood had so many things that encouraged socializing. It really was a great time to grow up in.

 

[Knicksman20]

You really gotta have the perfect area and know how to maintain equipment on your own terms. Its still possible, yeah, but the old style of arcades are definitely dead as fukk. Mid 90s you could slap up an arcade in a mall anywhere and do alright - that's done with.

You need to be able to host events, have some go carts or laser tag in the back, stuff for sale, etc along with membership rates on top.

What about adding the VR aspect like what I posted above? It seems that could encourage bigger groups to go to them

 

[42 Monks]

What about adding the VR aspect like what I posted above? It seems that could encourage bigger groups to go to them

Depends on the setup and what people in your area are into fr. I've seen the South Korea VR shyt and that is a whoooole other level than what dusty americans still on... I think that's still gimmicky out here whereas overseas people will live in those booths. It'll probably pick up eventually though.

At the same time, I know spots that get by 100% on that retro theme. Some spots that manage a chill bar in the evenings with a kids crowd after school. Really depends. I'd thought about starting an arcade in the past but that's a wildly risky investment no matter how you cut it. One of my friends was lucky enough to keep his spot going but his whole business plan is just about staying as flexible as possible.

But he's survived being encroached on by GameFrog, BWW, skating rinks, Dave & Busters, and all kinds of stuff by staying linked up with all the schools and business-associated volunteer groups in the area.

 

[Turlast]

I'm a huge lover of fighting games and I'd take the Arcade scene over playing online any day.

Sure, online is much more convenient and easy, but it doesn't have that same atmosphere.

Despite having MVC2, Street Alpha 2/3, Tekken, and Soul Calibur at home, my ass stayed pumping quarters into the Arcade machines. I miss that feeling.

 

[Kool]

Naw... Arcades will never be like they were in the 80's. What slowly killed off arcades was the Home Videos Game systems(Nintendo, Saga ect).

Once the graphics and the game play of the Home Video Game's in the late 80's and early 90's started catching up with arcades it was a wrap.

We will never see a time where kids on a large scale and on a daily basis go and spend $10, $20, $30 playing arcade games when they can play them at home with the same or better graphics.

Just like renting movies from the video store will never come back. Same thing with buying all your music from a record store.

I'm glad I grew up in the 80's and got to experience all these things when they were at their peak.

Going to the mall to go play the latest arcade games then going to the record store to buy the latest rap tape and then later on that night... going to the video store to rent some movies.

That sh*t was like part of a average Saturday for kids growing up in the 80's.

The Mall, the Arcade, the Record store and the Video store. All these things were thriving in the 80's but now they're either fighting to stay alive or gone.

 

[Bolzmark]

Dave & Busters is cool