Technology in the 1970s-1980s was complex and not easily accessible by the general public. That is, until Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney pioneered the first coin-operated, computer-based arcade game. Their game, named Computer Space, was revolutionary as it was the first of its kind: a game housed in a cabinet using custom-designed hardware for the game. While the game wasn't the outright success that they expected, they were able to sell over 1,000 cabinets and make enough to support the creation of a new game. Bushnell and Dabney's partnership, Syzygy Engineering, later became Atari and released the successful Pong that became a classic among early arcade games.
In the late 1970s through early 1980s, the video game industry boomed as dozens of more arcade games such as Space Invaders, Donkey Kong, and Pac-Man were released to the public. Arcades were popping up in shopping malls, grocery stores, and even doctor's offices. In fact, most popular machines were pulling almost $400 a week in quarters as the games became a cemented tradition for many teenagers. One particular game, Pac-Man, was the most successful of them all. It was popular because it appealed to not just male gamers, who were the target audience for many other games, but everyone. The game allowed the most advanced of players and the newcomer to both have fun while playing, and even up till today, Pac-Man is still a household name.
The video game industry also saw a spike in professional gaming. A show that matched players together to compete in the newest games on television, Starcade, was the first to introduce gaming as not just a hobby but as a sport. In 1983, the first US National Video Game Team was founded, made up of six of the best gamers in the country. Professional gaming still occurs today, with more modern games such as Overwatch, League of Legends, and Counter-Strike.
However, the golden age of arcade games was bound to end. The problem with the industry was that it was hard to appeal to the seasoned gamer and the amateur, as games that were challenging enough for hardcore gamers were too challenging for the common player. Vice versa, games that were geared towards less-seasoned players were too easy for those with more experience. Changes in the content of the games also contributed to their decline. Early games were age-friendly and basic to grasp. However, companies quickly found that the more violent the game, the better it would sell. Thus, games became more centered around including as much direct violence as possible, appealing to certain audiences but isolating the rest. Sales began to decline and arcades weren't as profitable anymore, leading to the closure of many which had popped up only a decade ago.
Arcade games have been replaced by home gaming consoles and now, internet games. But while the dim, noisy arcades of the past no longer exist for the most part, gaming culture still thrives in the present day, just in another medium.
Sources:
https://www.theverge.com/2013/1/16/3740422/the-life-and-death-of-the-american-arcade-for-amusement-only
https://www.lifewire.com/the-industry-crash-and-rebirth-729749
https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--G-5-f8zJ--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/xs1sdog0n1t5nrtyn8ny.jpg
https://assets.sbnation.com/assets/2035907/arcade-timeline3.jpg
Great job on this post! It's very interesting to learn about popular culture among the youth of the 20th century. I like how you mentioned in the very last paragraph how arcade systems have been replaced by home gaming consoles and internet games. I think gaming culture also lives on through cell phones, which give us a variety of games at any given time. Cell phone games have become widely used because they are available at any time or place. Many phone games don't even require an internet connection. A lot of apps are free, as opposed to buying an expensive gaming console or paying a quarter for an arcade game. Although arcade culture may have died many years ago, America's love of gaming has lived on through cellular devices.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post Julia! I thought it was interesting when we were learning about the rise of Pac-Man and other arcade games but hadn't really thought about why arcades went out of business. I didn't realize that professional video gaming industry started all the way back in 1983 with the first US National Video Game Team. The rise of Let's Plays (or watching videos of another person playing a video game) is often critiqued yet watching someone play a game in an arcade was commonplace less than 40 years ago. I especially like what you mentioned in your concluding sentence; I agree that the arcade culture still exists, just in an online format.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.wired.com/2016/08/why-i-watch-lets-plays/
This is a really interesting and informative post about the evolution rather than the change of a culture. The gaming industry truly begun with board games and jump rope which became really popular in the fifties during the suburbia trend. That eventually evolved into the inbetween phase of playing on something like a pinball machine, something that the game was made of physical objects, onto the arcade games which were essentially public video games. Then gaming consoles came along and made the entire process easier and more private. Today, online gaming has proven itself the most accessible, easy, and private way to entertain yourself. Games such as Fortnight dominate the gaming markets where as Pac-Man arcade games are considered antiques.
ReplyDeleteJulia, I really appreciated your post. Oftentimes gaming gets ignored as a part of culture, but you wrote a very detailed and informative post on it. I thought it was very interesting to learn about the history of arcade games, as I was quite into arcade games when I was younger. And to add insight to a point you mentioned, when I went to arcades I was certainly more attracted to the violent-looking games more so than the traditional ones. I'm sure I probably overlooked classic games, even maybe Pac-man, and gone to the violent, shooter games instead. Now that I am older and more experienced with gaming, I can appreciate a classic game when I see one. So maybe there is hope for the arcade gaming scene for the future. It would be a shame for a hallmark such as that to be lost to history.
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