Arcades and pinball machines were a part of 80s/90s pop culture...Do you think they'll ever make a comeback of some kind?

No, I doubt it.  In the past, arcade cabinets were more appealing because they had a technological edge over home consoles (i.e., compare the original Pac-Man arcade game to its shoddy 2600 port).  Nowadays, games on home consoles are much more sophisticated and are far too complex to run off of nickels or quarters.  Dance Dance Revolution brought back a bit of attention to arcade gaming in the early 2000s, but the novelty has since worn off.

I remember when pinball was huge in the 70's.  And around 1978, they had this cool video football machine that had roller ball controls on it.  8)

Now it's all Playstation and Wii.  8-P

There's a bar here in Omaha called Beercade that has a bunch of old 1990's era coin-op video games as well as a few pinball machines.  I can see this tyoe of place becoming more commonplace.

Plus there's a restaurant/bar/arcade chain called Dave & Busters that is basically an adult version of the "family fun centers" that have replaced the old arcades.

I think that if there's anything will get people out of their homes and into arcades to play games, it will be virtual reality.

Pittsburgh is still the home of the Professional Amateur Pinball Association Championships.  There was a big change this year with it being combined with an arcade showcase that was helf at the convention center downtown.  I couldn't go this year  :\'(  They charged about $30 to get in, but all the machine were free.  i didn't have the $30.

I think there is an arcade or two downtown (and one in a converted warehouse in the Southside neighborhood>).  I'd like to see them comeback, but I kinda doubt they will.

Pittsburgh is still the home of the Professional Amateur Pinball Association Championships.  There was a big change this year with it being combined with an arcade showcase that was helf at the convention center downtown.  I couldn't go this year  :\'(  They charged about $30 to get in, but all the machine were free.  i didn't have the $30.

I think there is an arcade or two downtown (and one in a converted warehouse in the Southside neighborhood>).  I'd like to see them comeback, but I kinda doubt they will.


Pickburgh also usually fields the top contenders in the marbles championships too.  8)

Arcades and pinball machines were a part of 80s/90s pop culture...Do you think they'll ever make a comeback of some kind?


I doubt it but you can probably find them in some old school arcade places. It definitely was a big hit during the 70's and 80's but then they just died off.

http://cdn.arstechnica.net/Gaming/pinball1.jpg

No, I doubt it.  In the past, arcade cabinets were more appealing because they had a technological edge over home consoles (i.e., compare the original Pac-Man arcade game to its shoddy 2600 port).  Nowadays, games on home consoles are much more sophisticated and are far too complex to run off of nickels or quarters.  Dance Dance Revolution brought back a bit of attention to arcade gaming in the early 2000s, but the novelty has since worn off.


Yeah, that's exactly what I was going to say. Arcades were preeminent in the '70s through the early '90s largely because they outpaced their console counterparts by such a wide margin. I certainly don't believe it's any coincidence that the popularity of arcades began to decline steadily during the mid '90s, which is the same moment that late 16-bit/early 32-bit gaming consoles finally began to match what they could produce graphically.

Well, they can come back as museum arcades. There's this pinball arcade in New Jersey that has almost every famous pinball arcade from the 50s to the present.

There are still two arcades in my town.  No idea what games are in them as I never go in.  And it is possible that they mainly have slot machines

I LOVE pinball. Most of the kids played Space Invaders, Pac Man, and the like but me, it was pinball. There was an arcade down the street from my high school and I can't tell you how many quarters I put in them. There was one where I saw someone play it and it got stuck, so they shook the machine just slightly to get it loose but the ball didn't come loose but what it did was racked up some points. So that person just kept bumping the machine slightly and the points were adding up. lol.

My favorite was Gorgar. Not because of the graphics or anything like that. I liked it because I got many a free game on it. There was one time (I'm not exaggerating here) I had 11 games on one quarter. I couldn't finish up the last few games because I had to go to class. I'm sure I could have gotten more on that one quarter if I didn't have to leave and the person I gave my free games to, wasn't as good as I was.  ;)

The last pinball machine I played was here in my little town. They had one at the local laundromat and I played it while doing laundry. Since I now have my own washer/dryer, I haven't been to the laundromat in decades so I don't know if it is still there.

Most people have their home game systems. When I got my very first computer (with Windows XP) there was a pinball game on it. It just wasn't the same as standing in front of a machine and hitting the flippers just to make sure they are working.

I think of pinball like drive-in movie theatres. I don't think they are totally going to disappear but to find them are going to get rarer & rarer. They usually can still be found at bowling alleys and maybe in some bars. There is also an arcade at a local mall. So, arcades are dead-yet and I don't think they will be because they are money makers when people don't have anything else to do.


Cat

Most people have their home game systems. When I got my very first computer (with Windows XP) there was a pinball game on it. It just wasn't the same as standing in front of a machine and hitting the flippers just to make sure they are working.

I think there are online pinball games that you can play for free.

I had great flipper fingers.  I played a mean pinball back in my heyday.

My favorite was Gorgar. Not because of the graphics or anything like that. I liked it because I got many a free game on it. There was one time (I'm not exaggerating here) I had 11 games on one quarter. I couldn't finish up the last few games because I had to go to class. I'm sure I could have gotten more on that one quarter if I didn't have to leave and the person I gave my free games to, wasn't as good as I was.  ;)


I remember Gorgar.  I believe it was the first pinball machine that spoke.  Used to always scare the hell out of me as he would come in at random times:  "Gorgar!  Me got you!"

There is a game you can get for consoles and Windows PC is called The Pinball Arcade and Gorgar is one of the games on it.

I love playing Creature From the Black Lagoon

unz4hw-SkNo

There are still pinball leagues all around the world.  I used to be part of one of the Pittsburgh http://pittsburghpinballleague.org/ ones for a few seasons.  I just kinda lost interest and money got tight, so I didn't join the next season.  Neat thing is that they always give away a pinball machine at the end of the season.  I don't know what I'd actually *do* with one, I have no room, and I know my cat would probably end up sleeping on it.

But there are still leagues and tournaments all over the world, I've seen them walking around the PAPA tournaments.

I agree with Cat, there is something missing when you play electronic (video game) pinball.  It just leaves me wanting more. 

There is only one company (Stern) that still produces new pinball machines in the United States.  There are many companies that recondition old pinballs, and as somebody else said, various pinball museums around the world.

Someone here missed the point of the '90s.  ::)

I personally think that arcades are, for the most part, dead. Gone are the days of waiting in line, placing your tokens on the machines to mark your place, and playing against other people at fighting games and DDR. However, there are some arcades that are staying fairly popular. Like a previous poster said, Dave & Busters is bringing in business with the whole "barcade" concept, and over on the west coast there are "Round One" locations that specialize in import arcade games (such as other games from the BEMANI series that DDR comes from) as well as bowling and karaoke. But as a whole, arcades will never be as big as they once were due to console/online gaming providing a much more convenient at-home experience. Sad but true.

They still have those classic games on what I call, video game compilations. They are easy to find if you go to game stores like Game Stop.

I personally think that arcades are, for the most part, dead. Gone are the days of waiting in line, placing your tokens on the machines to mark your place, and playing against other people at fighting games and DDR. However, there are some arcades that are staying fairly popular. Like a previous poster said, Dave & Busters is bringing in business with the whole "barcade" concept, and over on the west coast there are "Round One" locations that specialize in import arcade games (such as other games from the BEMANI series that DDR comes from) as well as bowling and karaoke. But as a whole, arcades will never be as big as they once were due to console/online gaming providing a much more convenient at-home experience. Sad but true.


I believe you're right Blaze.