Do they need to bring Video Games back into Epcot?

[KBLovedDisney]

Which city?

Yo, now. I ain't telling you where I live man. Stranger danger right there.

 

[RustySpork]

What city is that in? That's actually quite a lot for a town.

Those are here in Orlando. There are so many that I didn't list like Arcade City, Player 1, etc.

They're all pretty successful which indicates that there's definitely a market for arcades.

 

[flynnibus]

The prices for video games and pinballs has been going through the roof in the last 5 years due to the increased interest. Pins have been climbing since 2008, but videos have nearly 3x'd in price in just the last 5 years. Used to be the running average was about 200-250 for a random title.. 300+ for the marquee titles... now a dead, nearly empty ms pac cabinet can fetch 450+ and a decent one 800+. It's actually way out of control right now... even MAME cabinets are selling for over 1k.. which is insane.

It's all fueled by the flood of new buyers in the market right now. Used pin prices have basically doubled.. even for junkers.

 

[RustySpork]

Orlando's a little different though because of the tourist/Disney/Universal magnet. It has pretty much every form of entertainment (NASCAR Racing, Andretti racing , Machine Gun America, and every restaurant/fast food chain (Cheddar's Crown Fried Chicken, Giordano's, Sizzler, Ikinari Steak, etc, etc) from around the world and they can pretty much all survive because of the huge tourist base.

Just for those entertainment and food options alone it would be a great place to live and is probably only rivaled by Vegas. Although if you take gambling out of the equation I believe Orlando has more than Vegas.
But that's not really representative of most of the cities in America.

Which is precisely why Disney should bring the arcades back to the parks.

There are probably more arcades nearby the city you live than you realize.

 

[flynnibus]

I think that market is more from the older market though. They have more disposable income and have a nostalgia for pin balls and video games that they can keep in their house. Kind of a home video arcade. Shows like Stranger Things also encourage that nostalgia.

A friend of mine just bought Centipede for her home and already has a pinball machine.

I've been active in the hobby for over 25 years. I can tell you with certainty that the explosion in growth right now is actually the under 35 crowd if you can believe it. The 20 something hipster crowd into really into retro (why brands like PBR have made a comeback) and the 30something crowd is buying like mad. The silverhairs that dominated pin collecting in the 90s and earlier 2000s have been replaced by the 40-somethings with money, and the growth is all in the younger crowd.

The barcade and arcade scene is all being driven by the younger crowds who didn't even live the real arcade boom. Older folk don't go out in public to play... they play their own stuff.

Our location games at bars in our area are earning 3x what they used to just 5 years ago... when we couldn't convince anyone to let us put games out. Now, we have multiple locations with multiple games.

The scene is stronger in some areas than other.. usually urban driven (again, the youngsters love the urban rebirth)

 

[Paper straw fan]

They could totally have a classic arcade and tie it into the Wreck It Ralph series. Would love that and lots of people are now into classic gaming.

The retro area at DQ with the classics and the pinball machines was always packed. That said, I know maintaining pins can be a pain, especially with kids and tourists banging on them all day

 

[Paper straw fan]

The prices for video games and pinballs has been going through the roof in the last 5 years due to the increased interest. Pins have been climbing since 2008, but videos have nearly 3x'd in price in just the last 5 years. Used to be the running average was about 200-250 for a random title.. 300+ for the marquee titles... now a dead, nearly empty ms pac cabinet can fetch 450+ and a decent one 800+. It's actually way out of control right now... even MAME cabinets are selling for over 1k.. which is insane.

It's all fueled by the flood of new buyers in the market right now. Used pin prices have basically doubled.. even for junkers.

Yeah I was a bit of a collector also, but the market has gone up so much, I couldn’t justify paying the prices now. Heck, I have a Simpsons machine I picked up around 2010 that there’s no way I’d pay the average price for now. I could probably get twice what I paid for it (slight discount with a guy I knew already and had bought from before) without breaking a sweat. Really miss having my MAME cabinet working but it’s just so much easier to run a raspberry pi with an arcade controller, even tho I miss standing up at a cabinet.

To Pooh, I’m over in Tampa/St. Pete and the ‘barcade” market is thriving. Even 5 years ago arcades were mainly either Dave and Busters or possibly a relic in a tourist location, but right now they are very much “in”

https://www.tampabay.com/data/2018/...-places-to-play-video-games-around-tampa-bay/

 

[thomas998]

Ever been to Dave & Busters?

Very true. I remember growing up and having a computer at home that could play better games than you had in the local arcade, but you still went to the arcade because it wasn't just about the games, it was also the lights and sounds and being with your friends. Of course with the current generation pretty much giving up any human connection in favor of a mobile phone app this generation would probably be afraid to go to an arcade where they might actually be near actual humans face to face instead of just looking at them on skype.

 

[TwilightZone]

Very true. I remember growing up and having a computer at home that could play better games than you had in the local arcade, but you still went to the arcade because it wasn't just about the games, it was also the lights and sounds and being with your friends. Of course with the current generation pretty much giving up any human connection in favor of a mobile phone app this generation would probably be afraid to go to an arcade where they might actually be near actual humans face to face instead of just looking at them on skype.

Ugh. Hate generalizations.
Signed, someone from the current generation.
PS we don't even use skype.

 

[yaksplat]

I'd like it if the pinball machines were back in Space Mountain.

Or honestly if the Penny Arcade returned, that would be the best option.

 

[Paper straw fan]

Ugh. Hate generalizations.
Signed, someone from the current generation.
PS we don't even use skype.

Well then the FaceTweets!

Haha, I get his point but there’s a bit of unnecessary hate towards millennials here. Shoot, baby boomers are the ones salting the earth on their way out but I’ll leave most of that for other threads that I don’t go in.

I just don’t get the popularity of streamers. Yeah I could watch someone just to see how to beat a boss level or find a hidden item, but watching someone playing a game for hours, that I can do myself, I don’t get. You young kids with your Jay-Z music!

 

[Storm]

Meh.

 

[JIMINYCR]

The arcades are the least aspect of my enjoyment of WDW. If they never make a return appearance anywhere on property, It wont matter a hoot to my enjoyment. I also stay away from the bowling alley and movie theatre. I want to do things at WDW thats different, those things I dont get to do in my home area. Standing in front of arcade consoles takes away too much time otherwise spent enjoying thrilling attractions and shows.

 

[flynnibus]

The penny arcade is the only arcade outside the resorts or DTD that WDW needed.

The penny arcade is a real loss..

 

[RustySpork]

The arcades are the least aspect of my enjoyment of WDW. If they never make a return appearance anywhere on property, It wont matter a hoot to my enjoyment. I also stay away from the bowling alley and movie theatre. I want to do things at WDW thats different, those things I dont get to do in my home area. Standing in front of arcade consoles takes away too much time otherwise spent enjoying thrilling attractions and shows.

If you're visiting on vacation, yeah I can completely see that. If you're just there to waste a day because it's the weekend, it would be nice if it was still around to kill an hour or two in.

 

[HauntedPirate]

The penny arcade is the only arcade outside the resorts or DTD that WDW needed.

The penny arcade is a real loss..

A penny arcade? TDO and TWDC are chasing dollars. Very poor business decision, not to mention the ROI, with a penny arcade.

As a kid, I loved the Penny Arcade. And I also loved the arcade inside the Contemporary.

 

[Phonedave]

The arcade is in the biggest resurgence it's had since the early 90s. It's in different forms... the most popular being the 'barcade' format.. where retro gaming is the form of entertainment for bars. Stand-alone arcades are on the return as well.. but most will likely fail again. But there are major chains from Namco and 2-3 other chains building out dedicated arcades now too.

They are nothing like their peak in 81-83... or even the fighter era of the early 90s.. but they are coming back strong right now in the form of retro gaming, and a few FEC hold outs.

There is a reason brands like Arcade1up were able to do such big launches at Walmart this year, etc.

This place

http://www.morristowngamevault.com/

is doing a nice business for itself. It is also right near the green in Morristown, which is an interesting combination of hipster/millennial/baby boomer/and $800,000 2 BR apartments. Also some awesome bars and restaurants.

For the record, I don't consider D&B a traditional arcade. Maybe it's because I am old school. I was in my mid teens during the era of arcade games.

I remember when just about EVERY store had 2 or 3 games in them. Every bar, deli, bagel store, 7-11, pizza place, stationary store (one had the games right near their display of adult magazines - that was interesting), and even stores like the bicycle shop had games (the bike store had Q*bert and Tempest for the longest time). We also had dedicated arcades that had no ticket redemption, or food (aside from a soda machine) or huge immersive cabinets. Just quarter games, and the occasional 50 cent ones such a Dragons Lair. To me that is a traditional arcade, which is just about gone now. Most arcades augment their income with a variety of entertainment. That's not a bad thing, just different. The days of being able to lease a store front, lease 40 games, put in a change machine, and make a profit were over a long time ago.

 

[RustySpork]

This place

http://www.morristowngamevault.com/

is doing a nice business for itself. It is also right near the green in Morristown, which is an interesting combination of hipster/millennial/baby boomer/and $800,000 2 BR apartments. Also some awesome bars and restaurants.

For the record, I don't consider D&B a traditional arcade. Maybe it's because I am old school. I was in my mid teens during the era of arcade games.

I remember when just about EVERY store had 2 or 3 games in them. Every bar, deli, bagel store, 7-11, pizza place, stationary store (one had the games right near their display of adult magazines - that was interesting), and even stores like the bicycle shop had games (the bike store had Q*bert and Tempest for the longest time). We also had dedicated arcades that had no ticket redemption, or food (aside from a soda machine) or huge immersive cabinets. Just quarter games, and the occasional 50 cent ones such a Dragons Lair. To me that is a traditional arcade, which is just about gone now. Most arcades augment their income with a variety of entertainment. That's not a bad thing, just different. The days of being able to lease a store front, lease 40 games, put in a change machine, and make a profit were over a long time ago.

You're right, D&B really isn't. The one on I-Drive is closer than some of the others I've visited in other cities, they have an OK selection of actual arcade games but it still doesn't compare to a real 80's arcade. Fortunately there are a couple of arcades here with true classics like Tron, Q-Bert, Pacman, and Gauntlet.

 

[erasure fan1]

I also stay away from the bowling alley and movie theatre. I want to do things at WDW thats different, those things I dont get to do in my home area. Standing in front of arcade consoles takes away too much time otherwise spent enjoying thrilling attractions and shows.

I get what you are saying, that is why I won't step foot in rain forest cafe. I can drive 25min and eat there if I want but I can't get the Ohana experience by me. I would love to see a section dedicated to video games but not just the glorified store displays in bulk or even the arcades of the 80s and 90s. Disney would need a unique concept and games. The problem is they shuttered their game division so they would have to pay 3rd parties for content. Disney won't pay for updating the games so this will never happen. Remember, video games have a larger revenue than movies and music combined. So it would be smart for disney to be in it.

 

[Paper straw fan]

The arcades are the least aspect of my enjoyment of WDW. If they never make a return appearance anywhere on property, It wont matter a hoot to my enjoyment. I also stay away from the bowling alley and movie theatre. I want to do things at WDW thats different, those things I dont get to do in my home area. Standing in front of arcade consoles takes away too much time otherwise spent enjoying thrilling attractions and shows.

If it’s a beautiful day out, and the crowds are small and sparse, then sure, not going to spend a ton of time w them. But, since a combo of those 2 is nearly impossible (it rains every day from May-September and there’s seldom down time w crowds anymore) then I really don’t mind if WDW takes an unused area they otherwise won’t use, and put something entertaining in it.

But unless you are just a rope drop to park close ride machine, there’s going to be down time, even in the parks.

And even u don’t give a hoot (don’t pollute!) if it’s giving others something to do, then it’s dispersing the crowds somewhat and helping you do what you want to do faster. Sounds win-win. I hate parades but damn if they don’t clear wait lines quite a bit for a half hour