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Imagine cramming the population of Britain and the Channel Islands into an area the size of London. Add neon lights, miles of traffic jams and some bullet trains, and you have Japan.
Clearly, with such a high population density and a love of all things high tech, you’d expect arcades over there to do pretty well. And you’d have been right… a few decades ago.
That was the era when the Japanese Mint had to produce more coins after a national shortage caused by the introduction of Space Invaders. That was the time when arcade gaming allowed gamers unique experiences, scores better than home gaming. That was the time when the economy was still strong.
Much has changed since then. The Japanese economy has collapsed… twice in recent memory. The frenzy caused by Space Invaders has never been matched. And, most alarmingly, home consoles can compete with arcade coin-ops.
The arcade market has been in a state of rapid decline. Sega, who have led the market for a long, long time, have announced their arcades are to be franchised, with other companies taking the financial responsibility for them. Sega and Namco, who own a majority of the large arcades, have sold some of them off completely. Even more amazingly, Sega, Namco and Sony are even teaming up in the arcade sector, as profits are becoming non-existent.
At the last JAMMA show (Japan’s game show for arcade games), the turnout was poor. Only Sega really showed off anything new, with other companies just making sequels and pulling out. And this is exactly what is causing the arcade scene to decline- it isn’t evolving and offering gamers anything new. After all, what’s the point of spending a few pounds in an arcade when you can get the same experience on your home console for nothing?
Sega, who controlled 60% of the market last year, now seem set to have almost no competition this year… not healthy at all. With fewer software companies producing arcade games, and Sony’s playstation based arcade boards being dropped in favour of Sega’s things aren’t looking good.
That said, as long as companies like Sega and Namco can continue to release innovative arcade games, then the sector will stay where it is. Just last week, I saw an image of an 8-player football game where everyone competes by actually kicking real balls- something you’ll never see at home!
In fact, one of the most prominent arcade games in Japan is 8, or even 16-player Daytona. The game evokes a passion in gaming that few games have managed to achieve.
So, I say to the industry, start being more adventurous- “playing it safe” and being complacent is going to lead to the arcade’s death. After all, if arcades die then we’ll all lose out.
Sonic
Clearly, with such a high population density and a love of all things high tech, you’d expect arcades over there to do pretty well. And you’d have been right… a few decades ago.
That was the era when the Japanese Mint had to produce more coins after a national shortage caused by the introduction of Space Invaders. That was the time when arcade gaming allowed gamers unique experiences, scores better than home gaming. That was the time when the economy was still strong.
Much has changed since then. The Japanese economy has collapsed… twice in recent memory. The frenzy caused by Space Invaders has never been matched. And, most alarmingly, home consoles can compete with arcade coin-ops.
The arcade market has been in a state of rapid decline. Sega, who have led the market for a long, long time, have announced their arcades are to be franchised, with other companies taking the financial responsibility for them. Sega and Namco, who own a majority of the large arcades, have sold some of them off completely. Even more amazingly, Sega, Namco and Sony are even teaming up in the arcade sector, as profits are becoming non-existent.
At the last JAMMA show (Japan’s game show for arcade games), the turnout was poor. Only Sega really showed off anything new, with other companies just making sequels and pulling out. And this is exactly what is causing the arcade scene to decline- it isn’t evolving and offering gamers anything new. After all, what’s the point of spending a few pounds in an arcade when you can get the same experience on your home console for nothing?
Sega, who controlled 60% of the market last year, now seem set to have almost no competition this year… not healthy at all. With fewer software companies producing arcade games, and Sony’s playstation based arcade boards being dropped in favour of Sega’s things aren’t looking good.
That said, as long as companies like Sega and Namco can continue to release innovative arcade games, then the sector will stay where it is. Just last week, I saw an image of an 8-player football game where everyone competes by actually kicking real balls- something you’ll never see at home!
In fact, one of the most prominent arcade games in Japan is 8, or even 16-player Daytona. The game evokes a passion in gaming that few games have managed to achieve.
So, I say to the industry, start being more adventurous- “playing it safe” and being complacent is going to lead to the arcade’s death. After all, if arcades die then we’ll all lose out.
Sonic
For myself, arcades were noticably dying by the early ninties...
Though the success of the playstation, and especially as a result of SEGA Rally, it did at least give a decent swan song.
From there though, arcades seemed to be relegated to being a backup to the main event... For example, bowling alleys often had an arcade section, which, although respectable in its own right, wasnt really what anyone had really come to do...
The problem Arcades had during the eighties was that they were seen as seedy dives, which was bad enough, though nowhere near as bad as during the ninties when they seemed to lose pretty much all personality altogether...
There were altogether too many Golden Axe clones, street fighters or pistol titles, many games could have been released in the eighties, but appearing now with a gimmic attached to garner short term interest, and unfortunatly on the whole, too few games with any real innovation at all...
There is hope ofr the arcade... and I wouldnt be surprised if in five years or so the arcade, or some re-vamped (or should that be re-imagined?) version of it stearts appearing on the high-streets of the UK... maybe as promotional distractions in Shopping Malls?
But for now, I cant help feeling the Arcades as they stand are yesterdays news, relecs of the last century... In the eighties, I remeber people used to look forward to arcade converstions of their favourite games, Gauntlet, Outrun, Op Wolf, Space Harrier, etc... where titles people clambered for... In the early twentyfirst century, It hard to find a gamer who would know an arcade game title that was released this century? (most, I would expect may think the game was made initally for a console?)
Though the success of the playstation, and especially as a result of SEGA Rally, it did at least give a decent swan song.
From there though, arcades seemed to be relegated to being a backup to the main event... For example, bowling alleys often had an arcade section, which, although respectable in its own right, wasnt really what anyone had really come to do...
The problem Arcades had during the eighties was that they were seen as seedy dives, which was bad enough, though nowhere near as bad as during the ninties when they seemed to lose pretty much all personality altogether...
There were altogether too many Golden Axe clones, street fighters or pistol titles, many games could have been released in the eighties, but appearing now with a gimmic attached to garner short term interest, and unfortunatly on the whole, too few games with any real innovation at all...
There is hope ofr the arcade... and I wouldnt be surprised if in five years or so the arcade, or some re-vamped (or should that be re-imagined?) version of it stearts appearing on the high-streets of the UK... maybe as promotional distractions in Shopping Malls?
But for now, I cant help feeling the Arcades as they stand are yesterdays news, relecs of the last century... In the eighties, I remeber people used to look forward to arcade converstions of their favourite games, Gauntlet, Outrun, Op Wolf, Space Harrier, etc... where titles people clambered for... In the early twentyfirst century, It hard to find a gamer who would know an arcade game title that was released this century? (most, I would expect may think the game was made initally for a console?)
Anyway, I was saying, multiplayer beat 'em-up contest, 16 competitors. You could either have a straight knock out tournement, so you could have a maximum of 4 fights if you reached the final. Or you could do it a different way, with a group stage to begin with, four groups of four, 3 matches in the group, the one or two that win most go through to the next round, which could be groups again, or it could then enter a knockout phase.
The games wouldn't even have to change much to allow this, just a little bit of basic technology.
Arcades would be so cool if they were like this, you could really test your skill against some strangers, or friends. Most game genres could take this kind of approach, and help to make arcade gaming popular again.
The games wouldn't even have to change much to allow this, just a little bit of basic technology.
Arcades would be so cool if they were like this, you could really test your skill against some strangers, or friends. Most game genres could take this kind of approach, and help to make arcade gaming popular again.
I read a while ago that Namco were working with Nintendo to produce arcade boards based on Gamecube hardware. Don't know if there was any truth in that.
Personally I think that the future of arcades should be in multiplayer games, like the 16 player Daytona, only in all genres, like huge knockout beat em up tournements.
No time to go into depth on this right now though :-(
Personally I think that the future of arcades should be in multiplayer games, like the 16 player Daytona, only in all genres, like huge knockout beat em up tournements.
No time to go into depth on this right now though :-(
Wouldn't bother me, never grew up around any arcades so have never really played 'em
Imagine cramming the population of Britain and the Channel Islands into an area the size of London. Add neon lights, miles of traffic jams and some bullet trains, and you have Japan.
Clearly, with such a high population density and a love of all things high tech, you’d expect arcades over there to do pretty well. And you’d have been right… a few decades ago.
That was the era when the Japanese Mint had to produce more coins after a national shortage caused by the introduction of Space Invaders. That was the time when arcade gaming allowed gamers unique experiences, scores better than home gaming. That was the time when the economy was still strong.
Much has changed since then. The Japanese economy has collapsed… twice in recent memory. The frenzy caused by Space Invaders has never been matched. And, most alarmingly, home consoles can compete with arcade coin-ops.
The arcade market has been in a state of rapid decline. Sega, who have led the market for a long, long time, have announced their arcades are to be franchised, with other companies taking the financial responsibility for them. Sega and Namco, who own a majority of the large arcades, have sold some of them off completely. Even more amazingly, Sega, Namco and Sony are even teaming up in the arcade sector, as profits are becoming non-existent.
At the last JAMMA show (Japan’s game show for arcade games), the turnout was poor. Only Sega really showed off anything new, with other companies just making sequels and pulling out. And this is exactly what is causing the arcade scene to decline- it isn’t evolving and offering gamers anything new. After all, what’s the point of spending a few pounds in an arcade when you can get the same experience on your home console for nothing?
Sega, who controlled 60% of the market last year, now seem set to have almost no competition this year… not healthy at all. With fewer software companies producing arcade games, and Sony’s playstation based arcade boards being dropped in favour of Sega’s things aren’t looking good.
That said, as long as companies like Sega and Namco can continue to release innovative arcade games, then the sector will stay where it is. Just last week, I saw an image of an 8-player football game where everyone competes by actually kicking real balls- something you’ll never see at home!
In fact, one of the most prominent arcade games in Japan is 8, or even 16-player Daytona. The game evokes a passion in gaming that few games have managed to achieve.
So, I say to the industry, start being more adventurous- “playing it safe” and being complacent is going to lead to the arcade’s death. After all, if arcades die then we’ll all lose out.
Sonic
Clearly, with such a high population density and a love of all things high tech, you’d expect arcades over there to do pretty well. And you’d have been right… a few decades ago.
That was the era when the Japanese Mint had to produce more coins after a national shortage caused by the introduction of Space Invaders. That was the time when arcade gaming allowed gamers unique experiences, scores better than home gaming. That was the time when the economy was still strong.
Much has changed since then. The Japanese economy has collapsed… twice in recent memory. The frenzy caused by Space Invaders has never been matched. And, most alarmingly, home consoles can compete with arcade coin-ops.
The arcade market has been in a state of rapid decline. Sega, who have led the market for a long, long time, have announced their arcades are to be franchised, with other companies taking the financial responsibility for them. Sega and Namco, who own a majority of the large arcades, have sold some of them off completely. Even more amazingly, Sega, Namco and Sony are even teaming up in the arcade sector, as profits are becoming non-existent.
At the last JAMMA show (Japan’s game show for arcade games), the turnout was poor. Only Sega really showed off anything new, with other companies just making sequels and pulling out. And this is exactly what is causing the arcade scene to decline- it isn’t evolving and offering gamers anything new. After all, what’s the point of spending a few pounds in an arcade when you can get the same experience on your home console for nothing?
Sega, who controlled 60% of the market last year, now seem set to have almost no competition this year… not healthy at all. With fewer software companies producing arcade games, and Sony’s playstation based arcade boards being dropped in favour of Sega’s things aren’t looking good.
That said, as long as companies like Sega and Namco can continue to release innovative arcade games, then the sector will stay where it is. Just last week, I saw an image of an 8-player football game where everyone competes by actually kicking real balls- something you’ll never see at home!
In fact, one of the most prominent arcade games in Japan is 8, or even 16-player Daytona. The game evokes a passion in gaming that few games have managed to achieve.
So, I say to the industry, start being more adventurous- “playing it safe” and being complacent is going to lead to the arcade’s death. After all, if arcades die then we’ll all lose out.
Sonic