The Devolution of The Arcade

The Devolution of The Arcade.

Posted by John Kotsiovos on April 30, 2010 at 3:08 pm

The arcade once stood as the pinnacle of gaming. It represented a haven for young and old alike to escape the gaming console which lacked the depth and the technology to match the super-power these towering units and machines. Our recent visit to the arcade sparked this idea and we decided to track the devolution of the once almighty arcade.

The late 70’s-80’s.

This time period sees the birth of the arcade alongside the classic games that still maintain their popularity to this day, such as Pac-Man and Space Invaders. While some people may not even have been born (including us), it was said that arcades were sites of mass human traffic and excitement. Kids would drag their parents and grown men would drag their wives to the arcade just to get a fix of gaming goodness.

The God of War 3 of it's time.

The 90’s.

This era marks the beginning of a vast growth of gaming obsession. As young children, the arcade was a heaven filled with tons of cool games you would never really get to play at home. The technology and the variety was mind-blowing and there was nowhere better to spend your time, as well as mom and dad’s hard earned money. There is no doubt that the arcade was the epitome of coolness and we couldn’t think of anywhere better to be.

Daytona USA was pure awesomeness.. (Note: Pass Tense)

The 2000’s.

At the beginning of this period, the arcade still maintained its cool image but gaming at home began to slowly evolve. Seeing as girls and money made their way into the arcade, dodgy characters began to loiter around in order to hit on the females and pick on nerds. The arcade then became a place of concern for parents as their precious little children were possibly at risk. Luckily for them, the console/pc began to evolve into something which would rival the power of this once super cool arena.

The girls that the dodgy guys would hit on.

Just waiting to be hit on by dodgy dudes

Present Day.

The arcade has been dead for quite some time now and the invention of the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii and continual evolution of the PC have driven the final spear to the heart of the arcade. Step into an arcade today and you will find yourself giggling at the games that you played decades ago which still occupy the arcade floor. From crusty visuals to lame gameplay, the arcade is not as cool as it once was. We all know the games are classics, but it just doesn’t feel the same as it once did. Boredom will also be a factor as you’ll discover that you own more games than the arcade has to offer. With the exception of Mario Kart Arcade, South African arcades have nothing new to offer us gamers. One can only speculate as to why this gaming arena has lagged behind. R.I.P Mr. Arcade – we salute you.