One more prime location for arcades was beachfront boardwalks: The major chains and individual arcades together all got bought out eventually by Namco, makers of Pac-Man. The occasional dead mall spelunker runs across the sad shell of a Time-Out.īut most of all, arcades were just sole proprietors set up in one location. But over time, especially in malls, a small number of arcade companies became familiar: Major Arcade FranchisesĪrcades were easy to set up and operate, so mom and pop places were the standard. This was one benefit to ’80s gaming: you got in your exercise. But you had only so many quarters and so much time, so you had to pick and choose. Even a few laundromats or grocers had a couple arcade cabinets in a corner, and for sure there was one at every Pizza Hut and miniature golf course. Every bowling alley and convenience store had a few.
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Every mall had one, maybe a bonus one if it had a movie theater. There were video game arcades on at least every other street corner. It was worth scoping all the local arcades in your area on a weekly basis new games would come in, old ones move out. To switch games, rather than closing one app and opening another, or switching cartridges or disks, you switched physical locations. If you were in the target age for video games during the heyday of arcades, your gaming session began during the afternoon hours post-school, with a pocket full of change and a bus transfer. It was different, even had a few aspects it’s a shame to lose now, but not better. The 1980s arcade scene was not objectively better than today’s gaming. Don’t let the older generations fool you with their nostalgia filters.