Revenge of the Arcade

AMUSEMENT ARCADES WERE bustling social centers for kids and teenagers in the ‘80s and ‘90s. They were dingy, cave-like places, but for the kids, the arcade was heaven on earth, a place where they could escape the anxieties of school, forget about their parents, make mischief with their friends, and get lost in the hunt for the ever-elusive high score.

Sadly, over the past couple of decades, arcades have played an ever-diminishing role in the gaming industry. But hope lies in those ‘80s and ‘90s kids who are now all grown up and aim to celebrate and preserve arcade culture and usher them into the future by pairing the experience with trendy food and craft beer.

These former arcade-loving kids have grown-up to become business owners with fond memories, which has led to a string of food and alcoholpurveying arcades finding success in major cities like New York (Barcade), Chicago (Emporium Arcade Bar), and Los Angeles (Button Mash). Arcade bar Coin-Op, which has locations in San Diego, San Francisco, and Sacramento, has become a go-to destination for patrons looking to sip on some craft cocktails, and play games with friends.

“The original idea behind Coin-Op was to open a bar-restaurant concept with something of an entertainment aspect to it,” says Coin-Op CEO Mark Bolton. “We wanted to tie [arcades] into our new passion for cocktails and going out to bars and restaurants.”

Cocktails and coin-ops are a match made in heaven. Dave & Buster’s has marketed this concoction to great success for years, boasting 117 locations across the country as of July 2018 and $332 million in revenue in Q1 2018, but there are still a few establishments out there that endeavor to preserve the purity of the family-friendly arcade experience. High Scores Arcade in Alameda, California is a family-owned and operated business opened by husband and wife team Shawn and Meg Livernoche in 2013 (their original New Jersey location closed in 2010) that aims to bring back warm memories of the traditional arcade. Unlike Coin-Op and other bar-cades, however, High Scores is an alcohol-free environment.

“We really do want to promote the idea that anybody of any age can come in at any time, and also give adults the opportunity to have a place to come and have fun where alcohol is not the centerpiece,” Shawn says.

“People who grew up in the ‘80s and ‘90s and now have families come in with their kids and want to show them the games that they grew up with, and it starts this cool generational thing, which is fun to watch,” Meg adds.

While home consoles currently dominate the gaming sphere, the Livernoches don’t see the console and arcade markets as mutually exclusive. “Usually, the kids who play consoles at home also come in and appreciate our arcade,” Meg explains. “People who play Fortnite and League of Legends don’t necessarily translate that well to the arcade, but for the most part, kids pick our games up pretty quickly.” The overlap in demographics between arcade and home console gamers has been one of the key factors in High Scores’ winning formula. While some modern arcades, like YESTERcades (New Jersey) and Emporium Arcade Bar, do dedicate floor space to home consoles and even hold console game nights, to the Livernoches, the appeal of classic arcades is the fact that they provide visceral experiences that you simply can’t replicate at home.

“You can’t have the experience at home where each piece of furniture in front of you with a screen in it represents a different world,” Shawn explains. “And you’re supposed to play these games with specific kinds of controls designed in a specific way, and with a little presentation designed to keep you [engaged] in that world. You can’t do that at home on a console.”

Stepping into High Scores feels like being transported back to the ‘80s. Legendary machines like Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Frogger, and Defender line the walls of the retro-inspired space. The Livernoches even built a custom Oregon Trail cabinet decked out in pioneer-themed decor.

When asked if they think ‘80s-style arcades could ever make a comeback, the Livernoches are doubtful.

“I don’t think arcades will ever be as widespread as they once were,” Meg says. “Arcades were this big, bright light in the ‘80s that spread across and hit everybody’s community in some way. And now, arcades are competing with home consoles.”

The authentic arcade experience is fortunately still alive and well thanks to business owners like the Livernoches, but is there a way to take the spirit of ‘80s arcades into the future?

Launched in 2013, Killer Queen is a five-on-five combat game inspired by classic ‘80s and ‘90s gameplay and developed by BumbleBear Games. Machines can be found in over 40 arcades and bars across the country, and Windows and Switch ports are scheduled for Q1 2019. The game could be a glimpse into a potentially bright future for new arcade development.

“Killer Queen is wildly popular,” Meg says. “We saw some people at California Extreme [an annual retro arcade show] developing for the physical space of an arcade, which is great.”

Author and video game historian Brett Weiss (The SNES Omnibus, The Arcade and Other Strange Tales) thinks that, if arcades are to ever truly make a comeback, they will have to continue to adapt to new trends.

“The arcade environment was very competitive in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, and then again in the early 1990s with Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat,” Weiss says. “This type of competitiveness carries over to eSports. The link is the sheer competition.”

Indeed, some arcades have turned to eSports as the next step in the industry’s evolution. Arcade chain GameWorks offers eSports lounges in many of its locations where players can compete in a variety of games. Red Bull has also recently opened Gaming Spheres—a combination eSports arcade and live stream studio—in London and Tokyo. The industry is looking beyond conventional hardware, too: Arcades and amusement parks focusing on virtual reality have started sprouting worldwide. In fact, according to a 2017 report by Grand View Research, VR gaming could hit $45 billion in revenue by 2025.

“WE WANTED TO TIE [ARCADES] INTO OUR NEW PASSION FOR COCKTAILS.”

For the moment, arcade bars and breweries are compelling gamers to leave their homes to play games on a greater scale now than we’ve seen in a long time. Market research and statistics firm Statista estimates that the U.S. amusement arcade business will rake in $2.2 billion in revenue in 2019, an uptick from the last 10 years.

“I think you’ll see arcade-style bars and arcades in [nightlife] settings proliferate,” says Bolton of the arcade bar model. “That’ll go a long way.”

Bar-cades seem to be picking up steam in major cities across the country, but what of wholesome, alcohol-free arcades like High Scores? In 2016 (the last year the report was available), coin-op trade magazine Play Meter ran a “state of the industry” report, which estimated that there were still 2,500 arcades in operation in 2015, and that number could grow if renewed interest in this niche market continues.

Weiss thinks the future of arcades may lie in businesses willing to cater to clients young and old, citing examples like Free Play Arcade in Texas, which provides a family-friendly atmosphere by day and an adults-only bar-cade experience at night.

“I think a mix [of family fun and nightlife] might be the way,” says Weiss. “[Kids] and parents’ interests these days are more in line with each other than they used to be. Maybe that mixed model is the best way forward.”

By Bernard Boo