Is there a place for arcades in this age?
Recently, my sister who lives in Pittsburgh, informed me that the organizers behind the massive arcade game festival known as ReplayFX had sold off their massive variety of machines, to the dismay of retro gamers across Allegheny County. It is also stated that one of the last remaining major arcades in New York City, known as Chinatown Fair, will also be unable to continue on. Even in Tokyo, Japan − arcades have been facing closures.
Some people would solely blame COVID-19, but even before COVID was extant anywhere, arcades were already struggling. Rather, COVID-19 was more of a coup de grace for arcades. At one point, various arcade games had processing power that was superior to home systems like the Nintendo Entertainment System, but in the late-1990s/early-2000s, arcades began to be left in the dust by consoles. Admittedly, I do not necessarily miss most arcade machines themselves, but it is more that I like the idea of a common space for videogames, with a given arcade cabinet being a potential center of conversation.
Meanwhile, the existence of “BarCades” may be a potential evolutionary path for arcades, paving the way for their survival.
Max Engel
East Lyme
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