Arcades

Early Arcades

Early “penny” arcades emerged in the late 1800s. These arcades may have been stable businesses set up in urban or tourist settings, but they also travelled with amusement parks and circuses. Within these arcades they had shooting galleries, various ball games, picture and peepshow machines, and the earliest coin-operated machines. Moral crusaders often critiqued the immoral nature of the arcade, particularly peepshow machines that would show brief erotic or nude “films” or picture stories. Arcades of this era drew audiences from youth and young adults primarily—persisting patrons over the course of the last century.

By the 1930s pinball machines had entered the arcade scene. During the following decades, arcades remained relatively limited in many parts of the nation, with most [Page 35]arcade games appearing in limited numbers at public locations catering to youth and families.

Many people enjoy Skee-Ball, a physical arcade game of skill. The game is similar to bowling in concept; however, the ball must hit a ramp and soar into a hoop for a point score. The center hoop at the top generally has the highest score.

Growth of Arcade Games

During the 1970s and 1980s, the video arcade emerged as video games such as Pac-Man and Space Invaders became available. These coin-operated video games often cost a quarter per play. The length of play was determined in part by time limits, but also in part by successful play. The more skilled a player became at a game, the longer game play would continue. During this era, multiple-player video games also entered the scene, in which two players could compete with each other in the video game. During this era, corner video arcades and arcade centers appeared throughout the United States, catering to adolescent and teen youth, particularly boys. Teens could go to the video arcade not only to play video games and perhaps consume minor refreshments such as soda, candy, and popcorn but also to socialize. Indeed, the video arcade became a central location of teen socialization during the 1980s and as such was portrayed in various teen films of the era. Additionally, entertainment centers catering to children emerged, such as the restaurant Chuck E. Cheese. Based on the arcade theme, these centers integrated food and iconographie characters, fostering the socialization of ever-younger populations into arcade culture. Meanwhile, adult-oriented entertainment centers, such as Dave & Busters, also emerged, engaging adults with game play and food and alcohol consumption.

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