Everything changes. 10 years ago who would have thought pubs would be smoke-free, Def Leppard would release their new single via a console game (seriously, it’s being released via Guitar Hero) before it hits the shops, and the mass market would be embracing gaming especially a games console where you wave your arms about? So, could the video arcade be the next great social meeting place?

Games are becoming the new cool entertainment. Too strong? Well, the amount of media space alone speaks volumes that games are “in” and gamers can freely admit their interest in public as gamers’ knowledge is sought after by the masses rather than shunned. Games on consoles, games online, games on phones, games in newspapers… Games are everywhere.

Arcades Were Kings of Entertainment
When younger, the place to play the best games was at the local arcade but these days they contain little more than fruit machines. If you’re lucky, they have a few giant games machines for either shooting, driving or dancing. Nothing wrong with those, but there are fewer new games than ever and the specially made machines are hard to justify financially.

The Disappearance of the UK Arcade
Some years ago, home entertainment started to outclass the video arcade experience. Video arcades games fought back by offering experiences not available at home, like giant screens, guns to point at the screen with pedals to duck, dance mats, or sit-down driving games with steering wheels. But the home consoles stepped up again and video arcades struggled to compete in an arms race they couldn’t win - in fact, both were produced by the same manufacturers. So, we find ourselves at the current situation. But why has this not been the case in Japan?

Japanese Arcades Are Successful and Exciting
Japan has a massive amount of games consoles - more per person than the UK (and most, if not all, other countries). Japan has double the UK population but more than double the amount of almost every type of console. In fact, Japan has 5 times as many Nintendo DS as the UK - that’s 1 for every 4 Japanese people including all ages. However, video arcades in Japan are popular and vibrant. Games are created especially to appeal to the social audience out for some light fun. Games are networked across the nation, players can save their games for a return visit, and some games are reported to offer collectible cards that are used in the game when you play next time. New content arrives more regularly than new machines because new content, such as new songs for existing music games, are downloaded onto the machines via the internet.

Western Video Arcades Could be Amazing
It’s unlikely that many Japanese arcade games would appeal to a Western audience, so it requires new games created to appeal as a Western social experience. If you’ve ever played iSketch (and if not you sooo should - it’s like Pictionary but online and very addictive), imagine that as a multi-player arcade experience playing against people across the nation. How about multi-player quiz games, or games where you make a robot offline and then get to battle them in a destruction derby against lots of others? This could reignite the video arcades as the next great social destination.

What games would you want?

Tags: arcades, consoles, ds, gaming, japan, nintendo, UK, video games