I consider myself very lucky to have been able to experience the arcade scene that flourished in the 80's and 90's in the United States. My love for fighting games was birthed in the neon-lit mall arcades of the early-to-mid 90's, and I while I accept the reality of their passing, I will forever cherish my memories of arcades in their heyday.
I was thinking to myself today about how children and teens today have little-to-no experience with real arcades. Sure, kids might occasionally attend some family fun center-type establishment (e.g. Dave & Busters) and play some ticket games or over-sized recreations of mobile games on giant touchscreens, but for the most part "real" arcades are not something that hardly anyone under the age of 20 has experienced in America.
This is mainly an exercise in nostalgia (as are many threads on GAF), but I thought it'd be interesting to discuss some of the unique aspects of arcade culture that an entire generation and more to come will never experience.
I'll kick things off with the one that stands out to me the most:
Friendly Competition and Learning with Strangers
Competing against strangers in arcades was a far cry from what we think of now: 13-year-olds shouting racial epithets anonymously at their opponents over headsets. Arcade competition took place in a communal setting, so naturally people were inclined to be more respectful toward one another lest they get their face pounded in. People of all age groups and backgrounds would come together to not only compete in fighting games and the like, but also to learn from one another. The Internet had not yet become ubiquitous in the early-to-mid 90's, so word-of-mouth rumors and discovery were commonplace in arcades at the time. Whenever a new game would show up in a local arcade, you'd find yourself discovering or learning about new moves, features, or secrets almost every time you returned. This process would continue for months, and popular games like Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and Killer Instinct would continue to draw crowds for sometimes years on end.
Local multiplayer on consoles has also taken a backseat to the more disconnected, anonymous experience of online play, but I think in-person arcade competition is something that I will always especially miss and recall fondly.
I was thinking to myself today about how children and teens today have little-to-no experience with real arcades. Sure, kids might occasionally attend some family fun center-type establishment (e.g. Dave & Busters) and play some ticket games or over-sized recreations of mobile games on giant touchscreens, but for the most part "real" arcades are not something that hardly anyone under the age of 20 has experienced in America.
This is mainly an exercise in nostalgia (as are many threads on GAF), but I thought it'd be interesting to discuss some of the unique aspects of arcade culture that an entire generation and more to come will never experience.
I'll kick things off with the one that stands out to me the most:
Friendly Competition and Learning with Strangers
Competing against strangers in arcades was a far cry from what we think of now: 13-year-olds shouting racial epithets anonymously at their opponents over headsets. Arcade competition took place in a communal setting, so naturally people were inclined to be more respectful toward one another lest they get their face pounded in. People of all age groups and backgrounds would come together to not only compete in fighting games and the like, but also to learn from one another. The Internet had not yet become ubiquitous in the early-to-mid 90's, so word-of-mouth rumors and discovery were commonplace in arcades at the time. Whenever a new game would show up in a local arcade, you'd find yourself discovering or learning about new moves, features, or secrets almost every time you returned. This process would continue for months, and popular games like Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and Killer Instinct would continue to draw crowds for sometimes years on end.
Local multiplayer on consoles has also taken a backseat to the more disconnected, anonymous experience of online play, but I think in-person arcade competition is something that I will always especially miss and recall fondly.
