It seems that good arcades are becoming harder and harder to find, at least in America. When I grew up I could find a couple here and there, but still nothing mind blowing. There is no evidence of what I say, but these are a few opinions on why arcades are becoming less and less popular in American while they thrive in Japanese culture.
Laziness is Key
It seems as though Americans are wanting entertainment at their fingertips. Look at the entertainment industry in general. There are no more storefronts dedicated solely to rental of games or movies. The movies have become streaming or mail and games have switched over to retail or on demand as well.
Also it seems as though Americans do not want to leave their houses too often. The thought of having to drive and deal with other humans face to face while playing video games seems unbearable. There are two game genres that come to mind when talking about arcades.
First I would like to bring up the fighting game genre. Fighting games are rising in popularity with Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, and Injustice. The envisioning of these game series and introduction of a new one have created a lot of noise for the fighting scene. There is no reason these games would not do fantastic on an arcade floor.
The second genre are pinball tables; no specific one just pinball in general. The pinball arcade games on consoles do extremely well and players pay for different digital tables. It would seem that players would enjoy having a physical table if given the chance resulting in pinball doing really well.
There are many games that could be made into arcade cabinets if the demand was there. Sadly, in America the demand isn’t there resulting in lack of arcades. The two genres mentioned are just the tip of the iceberg as retro games would do just as well if as a whole we were not the lazy country we have turned into. I am no better I would like to sit inside and play a game from the comfort of my own home, but would love to see a comeback of the traditional arcade.
