Odd topic: Could the recession/ depression help arcades

[Atarifever]

This is something I've been thinking about for some time. But it seems to me that a major and deep recession or a depression might make $200+ machines and the big screen TVs (or expensive controllers) to play them with seem a little less than affordable. Meanwhile, a 50 cent game here and there over several hours of hanging out in the arcades like in the 80s might begin to seem like a more affordable option. With the current huge appetite for games, and a sinking economy around the world, as well as a still reasonably strong arcade industry in Japan still making games that could be shipped over this way, does anyone think this could add up to a resurgence in arcade gaming?

 

Didn't movies, pulp fiction and sporting events do well during the great depression? I see arcade gaming as more like that than the prohibitively expensive console market. Outside the house, cheap, and escapist. Just what the doctor ordered during financial meltdowns.

[Atari5200]

i don't see how. #1, there's no recession..yet. Recession is simply defined by 2 quarters of negative growth in the over all economy, last qtr the economy grew over 3% i believe. #2. Even if this was good times, the cost far exceeds the risk. Arcades are dead, the only places that survive, at least around me, are arcade + something else, like Dave & Busters, Chuck E Cheese, or even local places still have bars + arcade games or kid areas with a few games.

 

Now more than ever people are going to save the cash because of fear. As much as I would love to open my own place and i've even got the ok from the wife, I know it would fail. I've thought about opening a place like The Exchange or Cash N Culture, selling other things and having an arcade section. But just an arcade is not going to happen.

[midnight8]

i don't see how. #1, there's no recession..yet. Recession is simply defined by 2 quarters of negative growth in the over all economy, last qtr the economy grew over 3% i believe. #2. Even if this was good times, the cost far exceeds the risk. Arcades are dead, the only places that survive, at least around me, are arcade + something else, like Dave & Busters, Chuck E Cheese, or even local places still have bars + arcade games or kid areas with a few games.

 

Now more than ever people are going to save the cash because of fear. As much as I would love to open my own place and i've even got the ok from the wife, I know it would fail. I've thought about opening a place like The Exchange or Cash N Culture, selling other things and having an arcade section. But just an arcade is not going to happen.

 

Not to mention for people like me who do not live in a large town the price of gas to the arcades and back would almost justify the purchase of a game system. Would cost me 10 to 12 bucks in gas to go and play. Then the cost of the games and a drink or something. Probably couldn't go for less than 25 bucks. Also a lot of people work a lot more hours than they used to. Time becomes a factor driving across town to play.

[Reaperman]

arcades are generally more expensive than just buying the game. And now that there's no graphical/gameplay quality in going to the arcades it's not going to work. of course there's also a lot of risk/overhead involved in purchasing new systems in preparation for a hardship--which may or may not come.

 

sorry, maybe it's my location, but I don't see what all the fuss about the economy is about. I'm better off than I was a year or two ago, everybody I know is better off than they were, and my city as a whole is *way* better than it was a year or two ago. Banks are more than willing to loan to me at a low rate (just bought a car last month) and the morgage rates I've been looking at are very good. (granted not as low as they were when this whole mess started)

 

We have a couple dedicated arcades already, but they're just barely hanging on. I never spend more than a dollar there and it looks like few other people do either.

Edited October 1, 2008 by Reaperman

[mos6507]

A depression will only make older consoles and emulation more popular.

[Rybags]

Sad to say, but arcades are all but dead.

 

Don't you have LAN Cafes where you are? They're about the closest thing we'll be likely to have to the traditional arcades for the foreseeable future.

 

What we need is "The next big thing". Maybe holographic colour projection. Maybe some system where you put a few sensors on your body and can have your movement tracked to within millimetres in 3 dimensions.

 

Something that's beaut and not affordable for the home. ie, what arcades had 25 years ago.

[monzamess]

Something that's beaut and not affordable for the home. ie, what arcades had 25 years ago.

 

I don't think that's enough. Back in the day, people came to arcades mainly to play the staples (Pac-Man, Defender, Donkey Kong, etc) and also got the chance to check out the novel games like Dragon's Lair and other things that home systems just couldn't reproduce. However, the staples are gone and people play at home. Even a room full of truly novel games probably won't attract the same crowd and wouldn't justify the cost. The really new game-like "experiences" are at Disney and other theme parks, and fairly decent ones at D&B and the like. So basically the arcade took a double blow from improved home games and super-expensive game-like attractions.

[maximebeauvais]

I do not know if it will affect people BUT I will continue to go to the Allentown Pinball show

[Atari5200]

The economic thing hasn't impacted my area either, but still, as much as I want to do it, I know it's not worth it to open up my own place, and I would rather not have a hybrid arcade, but those are the only arcades that do any good.

[Noelio]

Maybe Uwink will really thrive now!

 

Now if we can only get them to take the "Capital F bailout card"!!!!!!!!!

[II_DeLo_II]

Nothing will ever make arcade games popular again...even old school consoles wouldn't get a boost.

 

We tend to focus on the nostalgia value of arcade games. Many of us grew up on the repetitious nature of old school games.

 

Today's generation is more graphical, storyline, etc...based. A game like Pac-Man is great to play for 2 minutes but that's it.

[atarian63]

Sad to say, but arcades are all but dead.

 

Don't you have LAN Cafes where you are? They're about the closest thing we'll be likely to have to the traditional arcades for the foreseeable future.

 

What we need is "The next big thing". Maybe holographic colour projection. Maybe some system where you put a few sensors on your body and can have your movement tracked to within millimetres in 3 dimensions.

 

Something that's beaut and not affordable for the home. ie, what arcades had 25 years ago.

We have a few arcade here in the suburbs which do quite well. they mostly have sitdown driving and riding games, home systems just cant cut it for the experience.

No LAN cafes here in columbus ohio, there were some internet cafe's years ago but they are long gone.

The retro thing seems pretty big as far as arcades but probably not big enough to make a big investment.

[atarian63]

The economic thing hasn't impacted my area either, but still, as much as I want to do it, I know it's not worth it to open up my own place, and I would rather not have a hybrid arcade, but those are the only arcades that do any good.

Yep. I assume you mean the "kiddie" gambling redemption machines... Ugh, I hate those damn things!

[atarian63]

Nothing will ever make arcade games popular again...even old school consoles wouldn't get a boost.

 

We tend to focus on the nostalgia value of arcade games. Many of us grew up on the repetitious nature of old school games.

 

Today's generation is more graphical, storyline, etc...based. A game like Pac-Man is great to play for 2 minutes but that's it.

That is the very reason I hate most modern consoles, story based games. We play Ms Pacman with the speedup ship tournament style for hours. (also the 7800 pacman collection,Kudos Atariage!).

[Atari5200]

if anything had the ability to revive arcades I believe it would be Street Fighter 4. I would be interested to know the stats of an arcade before street fighter 4 and then after street fighter 4 to see if the game had any impact at all.