How would you make Arcades mainstream again?

[Ed MOTHERFUCKING G]

Arcades are few and far between, and chains like Gameworks are literally down to one location thankfully walking distance from me (haven't been since they reopened this month post COVID closure). What would you do to make Arcades mainstream again? Is it possible? I'll circle back with ideas but I'm interested in y'all's

 

[Gizmo_Duck]

you can’t.


I remember they tried doing the gaming places with the big TV’s hooked up to consoles, but it died off quickly. Online gaming makes arcades obsolete

And arcades used to be significantly more powerful than consoles and got games a lot sooner. Thats never gonna be the case again

 

[Anti-Anime]

kill online gaming

 

[Ed MOTHERFUCKING G]

you can’t.


I remember they tried doing the gaming places with the big TV’s hooked up to consoles, but it died off quickly. Online gaming makes arcades obsolete

And arcades used to be significantly more powerful than consoles and got games a lot sooner. Thats never gonna be the case again

Here is what works at Gameworks in Seattle:

• A sizable bar and restaurant
• Mostly racing cabinets, fighting games, and shoot em up / light gun games. Those are unique arcade experiences you can't replicate at home
• An entire area for LAN play and pc gaming
• Space for events / groups
• Kid games

For the record there are like 5-10 arcades here and they are all bar attached, and the others are targeted to young adults mostly

 

[old pig]

I thought about doing it when some store (don’t remember what it was before) closed…but the space just felt perfect for an arcade…the sell/draw tho would be it just being a place for kids to hang out where they can also play arcade games…I was thinking of having VR stations and shyt too…the more I thought about it tho, the more I realized it was just basically gonna be dave and busters…I liked the location tho bcuz it’s a spot where a lot of ppl hang out at a nearby gas station on the weekends

 

[acri1]

It's hard to imagine arcades being mainstream again.

Only way I could see it happening is if arcades did something you couldn't easily replicate at home, like maybe some high level VR shyt. Or if they had games that couldn't be ported to consoles because they require equipment or peripherals that are too expensive for people to buy.

 

[The Pledge]

For one, I don't think it's possible in America. We're too spread out to keep enough traffic to make it sustainable outside of major cities. All the arcades around me died out because they can't maintain the traffic. Some of these places even tried to put bowling and go-karts in that bytch AND STILL died.

But.... take Next Level NYC for example, they cater to fighting games so you need to pick a lane to go after and stick with them. I think that's probably the only way it would work. Also, Next Level only opens on select days I believe.

I'd cater to millennials. Gen Z is too accustomed to having online play with people, Arcades thrive on nostalgia. Bring in some of those old multiplayer titles like X-MEN and The Simpsons, TMNT, shyt like that.

Now that I think of it, my idea would just end up being like Dave and Busters with older games.

 

[Batsute]

You need a value prop like those huge Gundam arcades to bring people to them and caters to groups. 1v1 & single player experiences are dead.

These days it’s too huge of an investment these days, Sega sold off their entire arcade portfolio in Tokyo.

 

[The Pledge]

Sega sold off their entire arcade portfolio in Tokyo.

You bullshytting... If Sega couldn't keep those shyts going, it damn sure can't work here.

Edit: Damn, those things were everywhere -- Sega leaves the Japanese arcade business for good

 

[Ed MOTHERFUCKING G]

I think the following could work

• Focus primarily on Fighting games (old and new), racing cabinets, light gun / shooters
• Approach MSFT or Sony (or even sega) with the idea of an Xbox live or PSN cabinet which allows someone to play specific games on those platforms, on an arcade cabinet. I purchased a lot of classic arcade games after I got an arcade stick a while ago, even old neo Geo games like metal slug and old beat em ups.
• Partner with a specific pc maker to make a easily produced standard high performance PC for network gaming, and announce when new games are installed, and partner with developers to premier games (like, imagine if the new GTA or Street fighter 6 world premier was at your local arcade)

 

[Gizmo_Duck]

Here is what works at Gameworks in Seattle:

• A sizable bar and restaurant
• Mostly racing cabinets, fighting games, and shoot em up / light gun games. Those are unique arcade experiences you can't replicate at home
• An entire area for LAN play and pc gaming
• Space for events / groups
• Kid games

For the record there are like 5-10 arcades here and they are all bar attached, and the others are targeted to young adults mostly

Yeah, we got Barcades here, but its kind of just a novelty for the main attraction which is the bar.

I also think malls dying in america contributed to dying arcades. I always went to the arcade when i went to the mall while my parents shopped. theres no more mallrat culture

 

[Ed MOTHERFUCKING G]

I'd cater to millennials. Gen Z is too accustomed to having online play with people, Arcades thrive on nostalgia. Bring in some of those old multiplayer titles like X-MEN and The Simpsons, TMNT, shyt like that.

The ones in Seattle other than Gameworks are exactly that

 

[Ed MOTHERFUCKING G]

It's hard to imagine arcades being mainstream again.

Only way I could see it happening is if arcades did something you couldn't easily replicate at home, like maybe some high level VR shyt. Or if they had games that couldn't be ported to consoles because they require equipment or peripherals that are too expensive for people to buy.

Yeah, I think it has to be a very unique experience or gaming style...

The thing is people want to get out with their friends and coworkers and have fun. There is a reason that Top Golf, and other bar/golf combo places are huge right now. As are escape rooms, axe throwing, etc. I actually believe a good business model can do it for major cities.

Maybe you need to integrate other types of play, like a golf driving range or an escape room area, etc?

 

[GoldenGlove]

Huge spaces that implement augmented and virtual reality experiences that cannot be easily done at home.

There would also have to be something exclusive social media wise that people would feel the need to come out to do that they couldn't do elsewhere.

 

[Mowgli]

VRcade!

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