It’s not too late to get in on the Patreon update for July! This month we have two full episodes of the demo for your enjoyment. Pledge $5 or more to get access, and if you pledge $25+ total over the course of development, you’ll get the finished game in the end! …okay, enough shilling. Today, I’d like to open a discussion:
What would an arcade game be like in 2017, if the industry hadn’t collapsed in the 90s?
Oh, arcade games still exist, yes. Very modern, very flashy, with HD screens and so on. But these are invariably shooting, racing, or ticket spewing gambling boxes. What would a classic joystick based arcade game look like if it was produced in 2017…?
Honestly? I’m not sure.
In the world of Arcade Spirits the industry kept ticking right along without a ton of changes from the 80s, 90s, and onwards. But the Funplex, your home away from home in this game, is largely packed with 80s/90s fare as it’s an old-fashioned place tucked away in a forgotten corner. That “solves” the problem for me, as I only need a few modern games on display, but I am curious and looking for ways to say… where would gaming go?
I think the best place to look would probably be Japan, which still has a thriving scene, but even then you’re looking at evolved games like card games, music games, and sports games. Very few joysticks. 100 Yen, one of the documentaries I mentioned in an earlier post, covers all these things nicely… but still doesn’t feel like it fits the gap between the 90s and 10s.
So, let’s chat about it. What do you imagine when you think of an arcade scene that never really died out or experienced drastic overhaul? What would you want from an arcade, in an ideal world? What dreams do you have? Let’s talk. Leave comments below! Thanks.
The closest thing I’ve seen to an arcade the past 10-15 years is a free-to-play MAME closet at my workplace, and I’ve mostly not been a gamer since the early 00s. I could fanboy about the games and genres I liked in the 90s (and still like), but to try to keep it short:
* I like (and miss) side-scroller beat-em-ups.
* Now that I have disposable income, there are precious few games I would play again after dumping $20-in-quarters on in order to beat.
* Having friends to play games with has always been more important than where or what you’re actually playing, IMO. I have a co-worker who regularly beats me at Tekken Tag, but the games are always close, so it’s FUN and a challenge.
I’m not a Tekken fan, but I wouldn’t mind spending a couple dollars a week for this competition.
* Internet connectivity could be a HUGE bonus–rapid iteration without having to exchange cabinets, local/area/world leaderboards, share sign-ins or savepoints across machines…
There are piles of advances that /could/ happen but never did, and now there doesn’t seem to be a market for it anyway (smartphone connectivity, Twitch/livestreaming of arcade games, etc) but I don’t think that’s what you’re asking for.
A lot of app-style games seem to me like they’d be easily ported to arcades and turned into quarter-farms, especially if there was an easy way to maintain a profile on that game. Not sure if this falls under “drastic overhaul” though.
Actually, tech innovations are one thing I’m wanting to explore. Online-aware games and things like that, games which leverage social situations (multiplayer notably), etc.
For instance, in Arcade Spirits, I’ve got one game which merges the side scrolling beat-em-up with the MOBA genre. The idea being that you’re punching and kicking creep waves and trying to fend off another player who’s pushing towards your dojo (base) to beat up your three sensei (towers). It’s got online play and local multiplayer and is a huge esports thing. Merging old genres and new.
Long-form games (strategy, RPG, adventure) would be for the home. Same for slower, long-level platformers (modern Super Mario), because those won’t bring in as many quarters. Puzzles would be out for the same reason, unless they’re procedurally generated, in which case there would be lots. Chess games would have turned up as a novelty when computers got good enough to be a challenge, but eventually faded out when the systems got good enough that anyone would know they could only win when the computer is letting them.
Not sure what would happen with 3D. You usually need two sticks for that, move+aim or move+camera, and an arcade panel (where a stick takes your entire hand, not just a thumb wouldn’t do that very well.
Sorry for splitting the post. Long posts hide the “post” button on mobile. (2/2)
A well thought out approach. We’re certainly in the age of arcade-friendly indie games now, where not everything is a 40-hour AAA experience. There’s room for multiple approaches to games. I’ll have to consider all of this when writing AS. Thanks!
Well, rapid iteration is a given, or at least highly contained experiences rather than long stories. All the genres from them still seem to exist: on-rails or stationary-against-assault 2D shooters (descent from Space Invaders, Missile Command, Galaga, Centipede). One-on-one games with single controlled units (Pong, Tank, et al). 2D fighting games (Street Fighter 2). Platformers with difficult, short levels (Donkey Kong, Mario Bros).
All of those work with arcade controls, having originally been made for them. So we’d have things like Touhou, most two-person sports, a variety of artillery games (Worms etc), fighting games, modern-style high-speed short-lived platformers (N+, Super Meat Boy). (1/n)