The sad decline of the video arcade
There's a seaside resort near me called Whitley Bay on the North-east coast which used to be a haven for arcade enthusiasts as recently as 2 years ago. One arcade had the likes of Gradius, Mr Do, UN Squadron, even an original Space Invaders Deluxe cabinet . . .all at 10p per credit. Sadly due to lack of interest and redevelopment the place is down to one arcade so imagine my disappointment when i visited today and found it moved to smaller premises. The main reason i go there - Scud Race - has been a victim, presumably, of the lack of space and all i could find were The Fast and Furious, a light gun game and some poxy Dancing Fever type of non-game. Wot a bummer :!: :!: If you ask me those lousy dance-mat games were the final coffin in arcades as we knew them (THANKS Konami :!: ) That and the quid-a-go sit down cabinets which only Londoners could afford. I also remember when Blackpool was the Mecca for arcades. Now it's all fruit machines and novelty bollox . . .the last time i was there I almost sobbed with disappointment. I was gonna title this thread "the demise of the video arcade" but that's not quite true yet. The Trocadero in London still flies the flag along with The Casino near Goodge Street tube but even that auspicious arcade is a shadow of the days when it used to be a -*test*-('") centre for many Jap games. The last time i visited there was not ONE new machine from my visit a year earlier. Hard times then for even the best arcades and how long will it be before MAME is the only way we can recall the halcyon days of these dark, noisy and most entertaining of gaming emporia . . .???????????

There is (or should I say possibly was) a nice arcade just under the pier in brighton, was there in 2003 for back in time live and found many old games in there :)

Trouble is, the old games don't make as much money, so when the collectors come along and offer measly amounts, the classic cabs disappear... There's a scattering of old machines in Skegness, but nothing special...

The death of arcades is incredibly sad to nostalgia freaks like me :( It is a real shame that only the likes of collectors (and show goers) are able to play with the classic machines now, however the arcade operators should also take some blame, for pricing games too highly. They effectively helped kill their own business. Home consoles then furthered the downfall. Like was mentioned above, £1 per play is way too much, even for those with a fair amount of disposable income. MAME is now the only videoarcade worth visiting, and that's nothing like the real thing. :(