The Uncertain Future of NYC's Last Arcade 188
HansonMB writes "At around nearly the same time every year, rumors start to crop up that Chinatown Fair, the last beloved vestige of New York City's video arcade golden age, will soon be facing its final days. It happened again last week when tweets and blog posts reignited talk of the legendary arcade's imminent foreclosure. Without even talking to anyone, you could feel a sense of looming dread as gamers of all ages partook of their usual button-pounding pastimes. But the Fair, which has stood in one form or another on Mott Street just off Canal since the 1950s, isn't going down without a fight."
The pics make it look like a filthy shithole (Score:5, Interesting)
Okay well, maybe that's just par for the course in Brooklyn. But it's sad to think that this hole-in-the-wall is all that's left of the videogame arcades. Is this seriously the only one left in all of NYC? Please tell me that's just hyperbole. I thought the Japanese were still turning out popular stuff like Dance Dance Revolution [wikipedia.org] for arcades. Surely someone is still buying those machines, no?
Come to think of it, the last remaining Chuck E. Cheese's in my city is starting to look pretty run-down too. And it's not exactly located in a neighborhood you would want to take your kids through, if you could avoid it. Not that I frequent it much anymore myself--who wants to be the creepy, single, older guy hanging out in a Chuck E. Cheese's paying the last worn-out videogames?
I guess this is how it must have felt to pool players when the pool halls went into the shitter. It's probably a good preview what the last Vegas casinos are going to look like someday too.
Arcades are dying the same way theatres are dying (Score:5, Interesting)
Face it - they're both dying. Between home theatres and consoles, their days are numbered.
We complain about bad movies, but movies are intended still to put asses in seats, not sell DVDs. Yet lots of people complain about the theatre experience - cellphones, rude people, expensive tickets, etc.
Arcades have the same issue - the good game machine is always busy, why keep pumping in quarters, etc.
And the biggest issue of all - if you have responsibilities, it's a lot easier ot sit one's butt on the couch for a movie or a game versus arranging a sitter, going out, playing a bit, returning home, etc. (And when the trip can be a half hour each way, it's a complete loss of an hour in one's day - an hour that oculd be spent watching the movie or gaming - important when most people are rushed and tired).
Sure, arcades and theatres provide a more social experience and have their advantages (big screens, pinball). But the reality is, they're not big draws anymore given the inconvenience. Theatres have big screens and latest movies, arcades have pinball (whose experience can't be replicated virtually - you miss out of the feel from real balls hitting real objects), but the draw isn't there.
I'd love to play pinball, but going out of my way to play it isn't appealing. And a movie has to be really good for me to see it, but even so I've only gone at most once a year.
Re:The pics make it look like a filthy shithole (Score:5, Interesting)
Waxing nostalgic (Score:4, Interesting)