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Arcade video game: the story on HearLore | HearLore
Arcade video game
The first quarter inserted into a coin-operated machine in 1971 did not buy a game, but rather a glimpse into a future that would redefine entertainment. That machine, Computer Space, was the brainchild of Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney, two men who had turned a college student's fascination with the mainframe game Spacewar! into a commercial reality. Before this moment, amusement park midway games were purely mechanical or relied on simple electric lights, but Computer Space introduced the concept of a player controlling a spaceship through a screen using a joystick. It was a clumsy, difficult-to-understand machine that failed to capture the public imagination, yet it established the operational principle that would eventually spawn a global industry. Just months later, Galaxy Game appeared at Stanford University, proving that the technology could work, but it was Pong, released by Atari in 1972, that truly ignited the fire. Pong was simple, a digital version of table tennis, and its success was so immediate that it forced other manufacturers to enter the market, creating a gold rush of electronic entertainment that would sweep the world.
The Golden Age
The golden age of arcade video games began in 1978 with the release of Space Invaders, a game that introduced a novel gameplay feature where enemies became faster as they were eliminated, creating a sense of escalating tension that had never been seen before. This era, spanning from the late 1970s to the early 1980s, was defined by the rapid evolution of technology and the emergence of iconic characters like Pac-Man, who became a fixture in popular culture by 1980. The industry was driven by companies like Namco, Atari, and Nintendo, who competed to create blockbusters that could fill the floors of dedicated video-game arcades. By 1981, the arcade video-game industry was worth billions in the United States, and cabinets appeared in storefronts across North America and Japan. However, the novelty of arcade games waned sharply after 1982 due to market saturation and a moral panic over video games, similar to the fears raised over pinball machines in the decades prior. The market recovered by 1986, aided by software-conversion kits and the arrival of popular beat 'em up games like Kung-Fu Master and Renegade, but the growth of home video-game systems such as the Nintendo Entertainment System led to another brief arcade decline toward the end of the 1980s.
The 3D Revolution
In the early 1990s, the arcade industry experienced a renaissance driven by the release of Street Fighter II, which established the modern style of fighting games and led to a number of similar games such as Mortal Kombat and Fatal Fury. This period was also marked by the 3D Revolution, which transitioned arcade games from 2D and pseudo-3D graphics to true real-time 3D polygon graphics. This technological arms race was largely driven by a competition between Sega and Namco, with games like Virtua Racing and Virtua Fighter popularizing 3D-polygon technology in arcades. While 3D graphics later became popular in console and computer games by the mid-1990s, arcade systems such as the Sega Model 3 remained considerably more advanced than home systems in the late 1990s. Until about 1996, arcade video-games had remained the largest segment of the global video-game industry, but they were surpassed by the console market for the first time around 1997, 1998. The arcade industry had a resurgence from the early 1990s to mid-2000s, including Street Fighter II, Mortal Kombat, and Dance Dance Revolution, but ultimately declined in the Western world as competing home video game consoles such as the Sony PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox increased in their graphics and gameplay capability and decreased in cost.
Who invented the first coin-operated arcade video game Computer Space?
Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney invented the first coin-operated arcade video game Computer Space in 1971. They commercialized the mainframe game Spacewar! into a machine that used a joystick to control a spaceship.
When did the golden age of arcade video games begin and what game started it?
The golden age of arcade video games began in 1978 with the release of Space Invaders. This era lasted from the late 1970s to the early 1980s and featured rapid technological evolution and iconic characters like Pac-Man.
Why did the arcade industry decline in the Western world during the 1990s?
The arcade industry declined in the Western world because home video game consoles such as the Sony PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox increased in graphics and gameplay capability while decreasing in cost. This shift caused the console market to surpass the arcade market for the first time around 1997 or 1998.
Where are arcade video games typically found in modern times?
Arcade video games are found in restaurants, bowling alleys, college campuses, video rental shops, dormitories, laundromats, movie theaters, supermarkets, shopping malls, and airports. Japan, China, and South Korea continue to maintain a robust arcade industry in contemporary times.
How do modern arcade cabinets differ from early arcade machines?
Modern arcade cabinets use flat panel displays instead of cathode-ray tubes and often run on modified video game console hardware or gaming PC components. They utilize Internet services such as ALL.Net and NESiCAxLive to download updates or enable online multiplayer gameplay.
The physical form of arcade games evolved from simple cabinets with discrete logic chips to complex machines featuring custom hardware with multiple CPUs and highly specialized sound and graphics chips. Early arcade games were designed around raster graphics displayed on a cathode-ray tube, and many games of the late 1970s and early 1980s used special displays that rendered vector graphics, though these waned by the mid-1980s as display technology on CRTs improved. Coin-operated arcade video games from the 1990s to the 2000s generally use custom hardware often with multiple CPUs, highly specialized sound and graphics chips, and the latest in expensive computer graphics display technology. This allows more complex graphics and sound than contemporary video game consoles or personal computers. Many arcade games since the 2000s run on modified video game console hardware or gaming PC components. Modern arcade cabinets use flat panel displays instead of cathode-ray tubes, and Internet services such as ALL.Net, NESiCAxLive, e-Amusement and NESYS, allow the cabinets to download updates or new games, do online multiplayer gameplay, save progress, unlock content, or earn credits. The industry also saw the development of specialized control accessories such as fully enclosed dynamic cabinets with force feedback controls, dedicated lightguns, rear-projection displays, reproductions of automobile or airplane cockpits, motorcycle or horse-shaped controllers, or highly dedicated controllers such as dancing mats and fishing rods.
The Business of Fun
Arcade games are found in restaurants, bowling alleys, college campuses, video rental shops, dormitories, laundromats, movie theaters, supermarkets, shopping malls, airports, and other retail environments, popular in public places where people are likely to have free time. Their profitability is expanded by the popularity of conversions of arcade games for home-based platforms. In 1997, WMS Industries reported that if more than 5,000 arcade units are sold, at least 100,000 home version units will be sold. The American Amusement Machine Association, established in 1981, represents the American coin-operated amusement machine industry, including 120 arcade game distributors and manufacturers. The Japan Amusement Machine and Marketing Association represents the Japanese arcade industry. Arcade machines may have standardized connectors or interfaces such as JAMMA, or JVS, that help with quick replacement of game systems or boards in arcade cabinets. The game boards or arcade boards may themselves allow for games to be replaced via game cartridges or discs. Success is usually judged by either the number of arcade hardware units sold to operators, or the amount of revenue generated, which can include coin drop earnings from coins inserted into machines and earnings from hardware sales with each unit costing thousands of dollars.
The Global Divide
Since the 2000s, arcade games have taken different routes globally, with the United States seeing arcades become niche markets as they compete with the home-console market, adapting other business models such as providing other entertainment options or adding prize redemptions. In Japan, where arcades continue to flourish, games like Dance Dance Revolution and The House of the Dead aim to deliver tailored experiences that players cannot easily have at home. The arcade industry had a resurgence from the early 1990s to mid-2000s, including Street Fighter II, Mortal Kombat, and Dance Dance Revolution, but ultimately declined in the Western world as competing home video game consoles such as the Sony PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox increased in their graphics and gameplay capability and decreased in cost. Nevertheless, Japan, China, and South Korea continue to maintain a robust arcade industry in contemporary times. The need for arcade conversions began to wane as arcade game manufacturers like Nintendo, Sega, and SNK entered the home console market and used similar technology within their home consoles as found at the arcade, negating the need to simplify the game. Concessions still may be made for a home release, notably, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System conversion of Mortal Kombat removed much of the gore from the arcade version to meet Nintendo's quality control standards.
The Emulation Era
Exact copies of arcade video games can be run through emulators such as MAME on modern devices, an application that translates foreign software onto a modern system in real-time. Emulated games appeared legally and commercially on the Macintosh in 1994 with Williams floppy disks, Sony PlayStation in 1996, and Sega Saturn in 1997 with CD-ROM compilations such as Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits and Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Atari Collection 1. Arcade games are downloaded and emulated through the Nintendo Wii Virtual Console service starting in 2009. Using emulation, companies like Arcade1Up have produced at-scale or reduced-scale recreations of arcade cabinets using modern technology, such as LCD monitors and lightweight construction. These cabinets are typically designed to resemble the original arcade game cabinets, but may also support multiple related games. These cabinets can be offered in diverse and miniaturized styles, such as table-mounted and wall-mounted versions. The history of arcade games is preserved through organizations like The Video Arcade Preservation Society and the Online collection of Automatic Age trade journals, ensuring that the legacy of these machines continues to be studied and enjoyed by new generations.