As the years slowly roll by, the number of people visiting their nearest video game arcade is ever-dwindling, as more and more people prefer to play at home from a PC, Playstation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck or smartphone. Video arcades may be slowly losing their appeal, but many people still believe that modern online gambling will never replace traditional gaming at video arcades.
Here is a closer look at a brief history of video arcades and the gradual switch from playing at these venues with friends to playing online at home from their favourite devices.
Does it matter that the traditional arcade is in decline?
What you have to remember is that times have changed a great deal since arcade video gaming reached mainstream popularity between the 1970s and 1980s. This was long before there was a video game console in almost every household. Before there were consoles, people could only play the latest video games, such as Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Pole Position, Bubble Bobble, and Defender, at an arcade.
The development of home video game consoles changed all this, and it meant that people no longer had to venture out of the house to play their favourite games. They could do so from the comfort of their own home, and they didn’t need an endless supply of coins to ensure they could continue to play. It was now a case of plugging the console into the wall, switching it on and playing.
To this day, many of those same people who used to visit arcades in the 80s are still playing their favourite games, albeit from a modern computing device. It’s no secret that video arcades are still in sharp decline, and the main reason for this is that there’s simply no use for them anymore. You can still find video arcade machines at certain dedicated venues, but they are few and far between. Many people today will tell you that they prefer to play at home rather than having to go outside just to have a little bit of fun.
There will always be an element of nostalgia for the traditional arcade, but there’s no real demand for arcades anymore, which is why they are becoming much harder to find. It doesn’t matter that arcades are in decline because video game enthusiasts today have far superior and more convenient gaming options available at home, thanks to the huge advances in technology over the past thirty years. However, for some people, especially the older generation who were there when it all started, the modern online gaming world will never replace the traditional arcade format.
Can you play Arcade games at home?
Almost every game that was ever available at an arcade is also now available online in one form or another. You can also now play new arcade casino games at hundreds of fully licensed igaming sites. These dedicated websites are operated by reputable operators with proven track records, and they are powered by several of the industry’s top software providers. The renowned operators of these sites and the games they offer are monitored for fairness and security by one of several trusted third party testing agencies, and the good news is that they are free to sign up to.
Some of the most popular arcade games that you can play at home on your PC right now are;
- Double Dragon IV
- Metal Slug 3
- Tekken 7
- Rocket League
- Space Invaders
- Pac-Man
- Star Wars Trilogy Arcade
- Galaga
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time
- Frogger
- Street Fighter EX2 Plus
- Asteroids
Other notable mentions include Dance Dance Revolution, Return of Double Dragon, Ms Pac-Man, Mario Bros, Dig Dug, Contra, Sega Rally 2, and Mortal Kombat 2, to name just a few top-rated titles. In addition to being able to play from your desktop or laptop, some of these games can also be played across certain popular video game consoles, such as Playstation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and the Steam Deck, or from your smartphone device.
Can you still find arcade games and arcades?
You can still play arcade games at arcades. However, arcades are becoming much harder to find. If you’re lucky enough to live near an arcade, you should be able to find the traditional favourites that were mentioned above, along with much newer and more sophisticated games. You can also find traditional arcade games at certain other dedicated venues, such as amusement arcades, bowling alleys, and indoor skating rinks, to name just a few places.
Don’t forget that arcade games aren’t cheap anymore. To play an arcade game today, you need to keep on pumping cash into the machine each time you lose all of your lives, and it can cost anywhere from $/€/£0.50 to $/€/£2.00 per session. Most sessions only tend to last a few minutes at most (if you’re skilful and lucky), so remember to have plenty of coins on standby, or you will lose your current progress. It can also be far too easy to keep on adding funds to continue play, so try and set a limit before you start playing, or only take a certain amount of cash with you and try not to overspend.
