Why are arcades no longer popular?

It really depends on where you’re from. In Japan, arcading culture is very much so prominent, however, in the US it’s either just now coming back or slowly fading away. 

More in depth answer on “Why are arcades no longer popular?”

Back in the day, arcades were much loved. However, with the introduction of gaming consoles, they slowly started to see a decline. In the 80’s it took years to port a game to a console, and back in the day, developers didn’t have the money needed to make accurate copies of the game on consoles. When the 90’s came around though, things changed. When the 90’s came around developers were finally able to make accurate replicas for game consoles. 

Once games like Bubble Bobble and Punch Out! were ported to the NES, people didn’t really have much of a reason to go to arcades anymore. And, as the sale of video games and their consoles increased, the need for arcades lowered and so did their numbers. 

As mentioned, the arcade scene in Japan is still very healthy and thus didn’t see as much in the way of dwindling. In an attempt to revive the arcade industry in North America Round One’s and Dave and Busters have popped up all around the country. In fact, if you look hard enough you’ll be able to find a genuine arcade, but they’re few and far between.

Arcades similar to Dave and Buster’s have created a name for themselves through the combination of gaming and drinking socially. And in honesty, some bars have begun to make use of arcade games in their venues, hoping to bring nostalgic gamers. The trend that is combining bars and arcades is actually starting to grow. 

We don’t know if this trend of combining businesses will last or fade out. They don’t really cater to young children as they are a combination of bars and arcades – they will have to figure out how to bring the younger generation on board.

To keep arcades in business business-owners will have to go back to the basics. The younger generations are awe-struck by bright lights and high-end graphics that come with modern arcades. When games like Donkey Kong and Tetris are remastered, it’s kind of difficult to see the simple pieces of work (not a bad thing) that are the originals.

If an individual doesn’t appreciate the work that goes into old arcade games, they won’t play them. Original arcade games should be like novelty items for both adults and children – why would a person go to Dave and Busters if they can play the same caliber of game at home. 

At the end of the day, you can’t beat the simple-ness of retro games. Hopefully, one day people will notice the advantage of playing these retro games and favour the chains less than the authentic.