Description
Our Classic Arcade Machines Were Built To Look Just Like Your classic 80’s Arcade Machines Except They Don’t Just Play 1 game, They Play 60 Or More different Classic Arcade Games! We Can Customize The Games Your Guests Can Choose! Click Here For A Video Demo. Click The Link For More Information About Classic Arcade Machines. Click The Link To Return to Our Arcade Games Page.
Dimensions: 36″L X 27″W X 70″H Weight: 200lbs.
What is an arcade machine?
An arcade machine or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games or merchandisers. While exact dates are debated, the golden age of arcade video games is usually defined as a period beginning sometime in the late 1970s and ending sometime in the mid-1980s.
Excluding a brief resurgence in the early 1990s, the arcade industry subsequently declined in the Western hemisphere as competing home video game consoles such as the SonyPlayStation and Microsoft Xbox increased in their graphics and game-play capability and decreased in cost.
What are Classic Arcade Machines?
Classic Arcade Machines are arcade games from what is referred to as the golden age of arcade video games. This was the era when arcade video games entered pop culture and became a dominant cultural force. The exact time period is disputed, but key moments include the release of Space Invaders in 1978 and the vector-based Asteroids in 1979—moments made possible by the increase in power and decrease in cost of computing technology. This led to the rise of both video game arcades and the mention of video games in other media, such as songs, cartoons, and movies like 1982’s TRON. Other classic arcade machines from this era include Pac-Man, Defender, Galaga, Donkey Kong, Frogger, and Centipede. Arcade games from the late 1970s and all of the 1980s are considered classic arcade machines.
Whether arcade games from the 80s were popular or not, they are still considered classic arcade machines. Most people today just know the main arcade games listed above, but there are 100s of different classic arcade machines. Here are a few additional classic arcade games; Berzerk, Dig Dug, Double Dragon, Front Line, Galaxian, Joust, Jungle Hunt, Kangaroo, Kung Fu, Missile Command, Moon Patrol, Mr. Doo, Pole Position, Q-bert, Rushin’ Attack, Star Wars, Tempest, Tron, Turbo, Zaxxon, and many, many others we remember that filled the arcades in the 1980s. “Nostalgic sigh”
The golden age was a time of great technical and design creativity in arcade games. The era saw the rapid spread of video arcades across North America, Europe, and Asia. The number of video game arcades in North America, for example, more than doubled between 1980 and 1982; reaching a peak of 10,000 video game arcades across the region (compared to 4,000 as of 1998).
Beginning with Space Invaders, video arcade games also started to appear in supermarkets, restaurants, and gas stations and many other retail establishments looking for extra income. Video game arcades at the time became as common as convenience stores, while arcade games like Pac-Man and Space Invadersappeared in most locations across the United States.
Popular Culture
Some games of this era were so popular that they entered popular culture. The first to do so was Space Invaders. The game was so popular upon its release in 1978 that an urban legend blamed it for a national shortage of 100 yen coins in Japan, leading to a production increase of coins to meet demand for the game (although 100 yen coin production was lower in 1978 and 1979 than in previous or subsequent years, and the claim does not withstand logical scrutiny: arcade operators would have emptied out their machines and taken the money to the bank, thus keeping the coins in circulation). It soon had a similar impact in North America, where it has appeared or is referenced in numerous facets of popular culture.
Soon after the release of Space Invaders, hundreds of favourable articles and stories about the emerging video game medium aired on television and were printed in newspapers and magazines. The Space Invaders Tournament held by Atari in 1980 was the first video game competition and attracted more than 10,000 participants, establishing video gaming as a mainstream hobby
Popular Classic Arcade Game Companies
The most successful arcade game companies of this era included Taito (which ushered in the golden age with the shooter game Space Invaders and produced other successful arcade action games such as Gun Fight and Jungle King), Namco (the Japanese company that created Galaxian, Pac-Man, Pole Position and Dig Dug) and Atari. Other companies such as Sega, Nintendo (whose mascot, Mario, was introduced in 1981’s Donkey Kong as “Jumpman”), Bally Midway Manufacturing Company (which was later purchased by Williams), Cinematronics, Konami, Centuri, Williams and SNK also gained popularity around this era. Many game companies have come and gone, and we miss them all! We love classic arcade games!