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The Uncertain Future of NYC's Last Arcade
HansonMB writes "At around nearly the same time every year, rumors start to crop up that Chinatown Fair, the last beloved vestige of New York City's video arcade golden age, will soon be facing its final days. It happened again last week when tweets and blog posts reignited talk of the legendary arcade's imminent foreclosure. Without even talking to anyone, you could feel a sense of looming dread as gamers of all ages partook of their usual button-pounding pastimes. But the Fair, which has stood in one form or another on Mott Street just off Canal since the 1950s, isn't going down without a fight."
Okay well, maybe that's just par for the course in Brooklyn. But it's sad to think that this hole-in-the-wall is all that's left of the videogame arcades. Is this seriously the only one left in all of NYC? Please tell me that's just hyperbole. I thought the Japanese were still turning out popular stuff like Dance Dance Revolution for arcades. Surely someone is still buying those machines, no?
Come to think of it, the last remaining Chuck E. Cheese's in my city is starting to look pretty run-down too. And it's not exactly located in a neighborhood you would want to take your kids through, if you could avoid it. Not that I frequent it much anymore myself--who wants to be the creepy, single, older guy hanging out in a Chuck E. Cheese's paying the last worn-out videogames?
I guess this is how it must have felt to pool players when the pool halls went into the shitter. It's probably a good preview what the last Vegas casinos are going to look like someday too.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
If you care about quality you should care about arcades. Arcades force ruthless competition between games. Only the best earn enough to be worth their floor space. Developers are forced to innovate, and good ideas spread to the rest of the industry.
This essay explains the greatness of arcades:
http://insomnia.ac/commentary/arcade_culture/
Now where will the drug dealers be able to market their products to kids?!?
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
They used to be, perhaps. Used to be that every mall had a video game arcade, but they've all closed down. The closest thing I have available is a Dave and Buster's, more than an hour's drive away. Consequently, I only head there with a group of friends a few times a year. Even that is looking empty these days. This might be because they haven't changed any of their machines in well over three years though...
But, at the same time, if you want to game with your friends then your PC/XBox/PS/etc. is right there in your home and you don't have to feed it quarters every time you want a little bit of joy. There's more variety. I think the sad reality is that arcades are too expensive for what they offer compared to what is available without ever leaving your house.
Love sees no species.
that's bullshit.
Arcades are still doing well enough in Japan.
What killed arcades were lousy games. Japan wasn't exporting the best games, and American companies gave up around the late 80's. There was also the impression that video games and thus arcades, were for kids. This drove serious gaming out of the arcade as well. Faced with shrinking profit margins, arcade operators turned to ticket redemption to drive their coin intake.
Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
And when was the last time you visited one? I have great memories of arcades when I was kid as well I used to go weekly often several times a week, but I can admit I haven't been in one in about 2 years...the last one I went to was a Dave & Busters and it was for a party. As for the sticky floors comment, the few remaining arcades in my area are run down, over priced and poorly maintained, maybe its different somewhere else but from people I have talked to its more then norm than the exception.
No online gaming doesn't recreate the experience but with chat and video becoming more and more common its a common substitute that is far more accessible and convenient for many.
Face it - they're both dying. Between home theatres and consoles, their days are numbered.
We complain about bad movies, but movies are intended still to put asses in seats, not sell DVDs. Yet lots of people complain about the theatre experience - cellphones, rude people, expensive tickets, etc.
Arcades have the same issue - the good game machine is always busy, why keep pumping in quarters, etc.
And the biggest issue of all - if you have responsibilities, it's a lot easier ot sit one's butt on the couch for a movie or a game versus arranging a sitter, going out, playing a bit, returning home, etc. (And when the trip can be a half hour each way, it's a complete loss of an hour in one's day - an hour that oculd be spent watching the movie or gaming - important when most people are rushed and tired).
Sure, arcades and theatres provide a more social experience and have their advantages (big screens, pinball). But the reality is, they're not big draws anymore given the inconvenience. Theatres have big screens and latest movies, arcades have pinball (whose experience can't be replicated virtually - you miss out of the feel from real balls hitting real objects), but the draw isn't there.
I'd love to play pinball, but going out of my way to play it isn't appealing. And a movie has to be really good for me to see it, but even so I've only gone at most once a year.
. What about pickpockets in such place?
Yea I work that place sometimes and let me tell you, quarters don't go very far when you're trying to buy meth...
It's mostly for adults, due to the bar, but still Ground Kontrol in Portland (OR) is a fantastic example of how arcades can survive: http://groundkontrol.com/arcade/index.php
Just like going out to see a movie is no longer the only option with home theaters and huge screens, getting the real "arcade" feeling is no longer tied to a location if you can get the cabinet inside your home.
A lot of people have been building their own arcade cabinets for the last decade or two with the help of community websites such as Arcade Controls. There's also plenty of companies who sell real arcade parts such Happ/Sanwa/Seimitsu buttons and joysticks, others sell "empty" cabinets in which you add your own game hardware (console or computer).
There's always Ground Kontrol! It's Portland so it's really a bar with a lot of great arcade games. I haven't been there in a little while but they just finished remodeling. This thread reminded me to head down there again. My personal fave is Track & Field.
Some might balk at the idea of it being 21 and over only, but realistically anyone less than 21 isn't going to know what a true arcade is. They are used to the mall 'arcades' that are mostly games of moderate skill that spit out tickets that they exchange for some crappy toys when they are done.
"Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?" - Patrick Henry
I was a kid in the 80s and I have such good memories of my dad taking me down to our local arcade after my getting my report cards. I wish that I could recapture the awe and have my son (only 5) be able to have a similar experience as I did. The games were phenomenal: Pac-Man, Joust, Asteroids, Space Invaders, Frogger, Donkey Kong, Mario Bros., Dragon's Lair, Space Ace, Mill/Centipede, Double Dragon, Gauntlet, Ghost Busters, Robocop, Saturday Night Slam Masters and Operation Wolf were some of the games I fondly remember. I have to give a special shout out to Pinbot as one of the best pin ball machines ever. There was nothing better than spending $20 and staying up past my bed time to play video games at an arcade.
partook of their usual button-pounding pastimes
Perhaps arcades are no longer what I thought they were.
Proverbs 21:19