002 - I Suppose, Game Shows!
ARCADE TIME
So, a constant debate I see online and, yes within my own friend circle is a simple question – are ticket redemption games “arcade games”
Of Course, when we think of Arcade Games, there is Q-Bert, Daytona USA, Time Crisis and Dance Dance Revolution – but what about games of skill like Wack-A-Mole and Skee-Ball what about new games like Connect 4 Basketball or Deal or No Deal?
Personally, I'm okay with them, as long as there is a level of skill attached. Such as those games based on beer pong or slam-a-winner where you drop a ball and it lands wherever or Ball Drop where you drop 50 balls into cups.
Those games, I really enjoy because whole there is still an element of chance – they are more “amusement” if anything, such as going to a carnival and knocking over a doll to win a prize.
But games where it's clearly a “payout” like many crane machines and stacker – I will play them once in a while, but aren't really fun when you know your chance of winning was done before you even entered tokens or points.
Of course, I love arcade games, and I hope in this series I can give time talking about my favorites, such as Top Skater and Crazy Taxi but also moderns like H2Overdrive and yes, ticket redemption favorites like Plinko.
So why am I giving it a gray area? Well, arcades are a big chunk of many novelty and play areas, they are in Mini Golf courses, Amusement Parks, Dave and Busters and more.
You can't think of Chuck E Cheese without that prize counter, where you can win lollipops, spider rings and maybe with enough points – a small plush of Mr Munch.
When you see a crane machine YouTuber, I know it's easy to go “wow they are lucky” but many claw machines don’t payout one to one, it's not skill, it's luck, they are however great at pinpoint accuracy of a claw when it pays out, even if they already put twenty bucks in a machine.
Arcade games are, by nature, skill based, button timing and rhythm to land a comboo in Street Fighter 2 or turning a wheel at the right time in Mario Kart.
While many are quick to judge the “casino” atmosphere of modern arcades, that's exactly what was said about Pinball Machines during the great depression and while, yes, Colorama is just Roulette and the Cyclone light reaction game is nearly impossible to win until a payoff – it has become mainstays of arcades for decades at this point.
I think if you're having fun with a game like Ski Jump or Wheel-Em-In what difference does it make.
Arcades are baby casinos, but in many ways, have always somewhat have been. Think about how a game like Metal Slug or Smash TV would kill you off moments before a boss, and you have to hurry and enter credits to continue just to beat the game. Arcade games have always been a prop to get you to fork over money, that's how it's a business and how arcades survive.
It's also why consoles and PC gaming became so lucrative in the 80s and 90s and today that many arcades fizzled, but now this weird hybrid arcade survived with large wheels, basketball, and yes, a Batman racing game.
So why did I write this segment? Simply put – because I want to talk arcade games but I know audiences might sneer if I spend a segment talking about something like “Fish Bowl” or Fruit Ninja.
But when you see praise for arcade simulator video games like THE COIN GAME on Steam or TOWER UNITE having its own baby arcade – now we are getting meta in the metaverse, and now those distractions can be made in the comfort of our homes.
So, yes, Ticket Redemption is Arcade Games, and yes, you can win a console or most likely a pair of headphones from Five Below, but there is that level of Nostalgia within them, and hopefully, sometime soon, we can talk about them more.
KIRBY CONCERT:
TOM SCHARPLING INTERVIEW:
https://www.popmatters.com/tom-scharpling-interview-2022-2
