What Kind of Genre is Arcade? A Deep Look at This Distinct, Fast-Paced Video Game Style
Arcade games constitute a broad genre of skill-based, action-focused video games designed with fast gameplay catered toward commercial settings. The arcade format laid crucial groundwork for the entire gaming industry as we know it today. But what exactly are arcade games, and what defines this genre?
A Precise Definition of the Arcade Game Genre
Arcade games are coin-operated video games, pinball machines, or electromechanical games that emphasize skill-based challenges, quick gameplay, and eye-catching graphics to attract players. Most arcade cabinets feature specialized controllers like joysticks, buttons, and trackballs tailored to the gameplay.
According to renowned gaming site IGN, arcade games distill gaming to its purest essence of hand-eye coordination and pattern recognition reflex challenges. They often have simple premises that gradually increase in difficulty, pushing players to reach for ever-higher scores through raw skill.
The Golden Age: The Rise of Arcades (1978-1984)
The late 1970s through the mid 1980s marked the golden age of arcades across America and Japan. This boom began with Space Invaders in 1978, which brought in over $3.8 billion in revenue, then Pac-Man earning over $7.5 billion just two years later.
According to The Strong Museum of Play, the number of American arcades exploded from 4,000 in 1978 to over 10,000 by 1982. Arcade revenue surpassed $8 billion in 1981 – double the profits from pop music sales and concert tickets combined!
By their early-80s peak, over 85% of American college students and 65% of the general public played arcade games at least once per month. Even today, many all-time highest-grossing video game franchises remain arcade classics like Pac-Man, Street Fighter, and Space Invaders.
Core Gameplay Variations Defining Arcade Subgenres
There are numerous popular arcade subgenres, usually defined by their distinct gameplay interactions:
Shoot ‘em ups: Fast-paced run & gun games or slower space shooters with spread shot patterns. Examples: Galaga, R-Type, Raiden
Fighting games: Head-to-head battles emphasizing combo strings, spacing, mindgames. Examples: Street Fighter II, Mortal Kombat, Tekken
Beat ‘em ups: Cooperative brawling through waves of enemies with basic combos. Examples: Double Dragon, Final Fight, The Simpsons
Action platformers: Running, jumping, attacking through obstacle course levels. Examples: Mario Bros., Contra, Metal Slug
Music/rhythm games: Tapping buttons in sync to song rhythms. Examples: Dance Dance Revolution, Guitar Hero, Beatmania
Sports games: Simplified adaptations of basketball, hockey, racing, etc. Examples: NBA Jam, Virtua Tennis, Daytona USA
Pinball games: Keeping steel balls in play on an electrified table. Examples: The Addams Family, Twilight Zone, Star Trek: The Next Generation
Puzzle games: Manipulating objects to solve challenges. Examples: Tetris, Bust-A-Move, Magical Drop
Light gun games: Aiming and shooting targets onscreen with a gun controller. Examples: Duck Hunt, Time Crisis, House of the Dead
With innovations like motion controls, VR, and global online races, arcade experiences now fuse classic gameplay with cutting-edge upgrades.
Defining the Arcade Industries Business Model
According to market research firm IBISWorld, the arcade industry specifically refers to businesses operating facilities focused on arcade-style video gaming paired with supplementary food/beverage sales. This includes establishments like Dave & Buster’s, bowling alleys, trampoline parks, bars/pubs, truck stops, and family entertainment centers.
Arcades primarily generate revenue through per-play tokens/credits along with a mix of food, beverage, merchandise, prize redemption, and hourly admission fees. With growing interests in esports lounges and virtual reality today, arcades are adapting their business model by incorporating streaming stations, gaming PCs, and the latest hardware into their locations.
The Lasting Legacy of Arcade Games
In their heyday, arcades popularized now-standard gaming tropes like Easter eggs, speedruns, kill screens, and even microtransactions through coin insertion meaning “pay-to-play.”
Concepts we consider obvious like high score lists, multiple lives, 1UPs, and the executing tight, pixel-perfect inputs were revolutionary notions that emerged from limitations imposed by early arcade hardware.
Limitations forced developers to design games maximizing replay appeal. Having players constantly insert quarters required making games challenging but fair, easy to learn yet tremendously difficult to master.
According to veteran arcade game creator Eugene Jarvis, designers created communities by making arcade games spectator-friendly experiences. People would gather around popular cabinets as top players competed for supremacy. Arcades essentially served as analog esports bars!
Why Arcades Declined but Their Influence Remains
The arcade industry declined drastically following their golden age due to various factors. Rising console adoption from the NES/Master System provided affordable at-home alternatives. Fighting games and VR pushed hardware costs higher as audiences drifted to more advanced experiences.
Additionally, the stereotype of dingy arcades filled with only adolescents during school hours developed, making public perception turn somewhat sour. This stigma is why modern arcades brand themselves as family entertainment centers.
However, with barcades bringing retro classics back into nightlife scenes and massive conventions like California Extreme annually uniting communities to celebrate arcade history, the genre remains beloved. Competitive gaming sees new life in esports lounges hosting tournaments on vintage arcade releases.
Nostalgia for tactile arcade controls and in-person spectating keeps their legacy enduring. Arcade-perfect ports continue appearing on modern platforms, introducing new fans to these foundational games.
In summary, the arcade game genre constitutes straightforward, lightning-paced challenges distilling gaming skill to its essence. Their influence persists through timeless classics that laid crucial framework for game development standards going forward. Quick bursts of tense risk/reward gameplay that typified arcades endures as a quintessential gaming experience.
