If you ask me if I play videogames, I would probably say no. If I compare myself to my cousins or my friends who play videogames regularly, my skills are clearly that of a noob. However, I really enjoyed going to arcades. There was something about it that felt so much more interactive than sitting at a computer or in front of a television screen. I felt more engaged and the incentive of tickets or getting the high score increased my competitive drive. Even to this day, the atmosphere of arcades makes me smile. The high pitched beeping noises, the flashing lights, the 80s carpet…it all feels so familiar regardless of where you go.
When I saw an article about CRT supplies vanishing (these are screens that are used by most arcade games), I wanted to make an ode to nostalgic feeling of arcades. I don’t think they will disappear. There is a certain comradery about playing games with people confined to a space of solely playing a certain type of game. However, it will be interesting to see how arcades evolve.
Will people preserve arcade games like they did vinyl? What parts of the games will change or stay the same with new equipment? How will later generations react to classic arcades in movies? Will I still have the same nostalgia walking into these new arcades?
It’s hard to answer any of these questions. However if Pac Man is any indication, maybe change (at least in terms of animation) can be for the better!