With the abundance of mobile and tablet apps and their remarkable popularity, gaming seems to be regressing back to a time when gameplay was far more simplistic. Where does this leave video arcade games? Are we set to see a move away from the action-packed, visually sophisticated games to those that hark back to the very first video games? InterGame spoke with several of the industry’s leading manufacturers to find out.
HEAR the word “arcade” and banks of video games are often what springs to mind. The popularity of pay-to-play video games boomed in the 1980s when truly iconic games came to market and players flocked to arcades in their droves. The advent of relatively inexpensive gaming consoles, however, brought video games into the home and created new competition for the arcades. In recent years, the remarkable growth of ticket redemption has stolen the headlines somewhat.
IG: Is it too simplistic a view to suggest that the popularity of ticket redemption prompted a decline in pay-to-play video games? Do you agree that there has been a decline in interest or is video as popular as ever?
TOM KANE, BETSON ENTERPRISE: “Video remains popular with specific demographics. The perceived decline can be attributed more to the advances in the home consumer market. The redemption surge has had some impact, however, it is generally a different demographic that redemption appeals too.”
JOHN BRENNAN, BANDAI NAMCO: “I think it is a little too simplistic to make that link between redemption and video as they really are different forms of entertainment. Video games are not declining in popularity now but the market has obviously reduced compared to their heyday, for example, when Pac-Man was first introduced over 30 years ago. That’s because video gaming is available on consoles and other handheld devices, so we are focused on bringing entertainment to players that they cannot replicate at home, with large theatre-style games, or realistic driving experiences.”
JUSTIN BURKE, SEGA: “Video has changed. It has become a smaller part of the market, without question. It is not dead, as some will suggest, and it’s not going to die, it’s just reduced in size. I wouldn’t say video redemption has replaced it, it is just an extension of redemption that ties in with that genre. In some senses it has enhanced redemption and borrowed from video.”
Read the full article in the December issue of InterGame
