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/vr/ - Retro Games

For the older and less popular games.

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File: 1430813861524.jpg (832.5 KB,1280x1823,1280:1823,machine.jpg)

 No.2333

How do we make a successful arcade in the modern age?

Go.

____________________________
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 No.2335

Build it in Japan.

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 No.2339

There's a pretty good arcade near my house.

They basically make it niche but expensive, I payed $300 for a year pass where I get unlimited plays. I mostly just go there for a quick round of pinball or space invaders.

Also, these guys were enthusiast before, so most of them already bought arcade systems with money from their old jobs.

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 No.2340

>>2339

That annual pass sounds pretty neat.

What's their selection like?

What are the demographics like?

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 No.4964

Make into both a bar and an arcade. there's a pretty popular arcade bar in my area.

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 No.4967

Put it inside of another business that requires coins and waiting, like a laundromat. 3-4 cabs inside a laundromat wouldn't do terribly.

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 No.4970

Mobile and console integration like the Virtua Fighter 4 cards.

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 No.4971

>>4964

This works to keep them in business but at the same time it makes for an awful atmosphere. Sticky games everywhere, shitty drunk faggots everywhere, probably filled with subpar games to cater to said shitty drunk faggots.

I think combining arcades with hobby stores is a better route for a good arcade. Your clientele is already going to be the same for both. Even if someone comes in and can't find a game they are looking for they still might drop a few bucks playing video games. Regulars who come in for magic tourneys and the like will do the same. Plus its a nice attraction thats going to make you different from the other hobby stores in the area. Even my slightly rural area has tons and tons of these stores so.

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 No.4975

>>4964

Nope

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 No.4984

>>2333

You won't necessarily make a living running an arcade. Actually, poorhouse is the path for this, but a few of the right cabs can drastically improve business.

If any local business had two, or better, four Daytona or Virtua Racing cabs, I would patronize their business just to play with other people.

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 No.4986

>>4967

I can tell you that this does not work as planned.

I really miss the Galaga cabinet and the Popeye Pinball machine that were at our laundromat. Apparently only I ever played them, because they've been gone for a very long time now.

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 No.5030

You need a hook to get people interested. Why should a regular person play a game in an arcade? Superior graphics compared to console and PC used to be one reason, but this doesn't apply anymore. A game that feels different is something else. You need machines with special controls or elaborate force-feedback stuff, machines that are visible from the street, to draw people in.

Once the people are inside, it's okay for them to see that you also got machines running games that they might as well play at home. They see that those machines are cheap to play and they figure, "Eh, since I'm already here I might as well try this." Yes, they could play some of these at home, but convenience.

Think about the differences between people, and how you could have something for almost everybody. What game would be for a perfectionist who needs to know how good he is exactly? What game would be for somebody who just likes seeing entertaining things happening and has no problem being a credit-feeder? Two young guys who are friends and also have a somewhat competitive nature in how they relate to each other, what would they play? A guy and his girlfriend, what would they play? A group of four who all want to do something together, what would they play?

Offer something that is super expensive and something that is super cheap.

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 No.5033

Fucking 4 player cabinets

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 No.5348

Facebook integration

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 No.5349

File: ff887864a956674⋯.jpg (382.19 KB,500x662,250:331,vendetta flyer.jpg)

The only way a no-frills arcade can make money consistently in the West is by hauling a ghetto setup through deep rural regions. It's more trouble than it's worth. The business model of renting out cabs to laundromats died of natural causes, don't even think about it because you'd go bankrupt. Stay away from pinball, it's too high maintenance.

If you want a stationary venue, you need added value to convince people to come to you instead of emulating the same games at home. That's where those arcade bars are coming from. You can't get a social experience at your laptop. Think along these lines. You'll want to build a community and invest them in your operation to an extent. A pub that opens up won't steal patronage from the one across the street because that patronage is socially glued and attached to their hangout, if it's any good. If you have FGC in your area, invite them to practice at your joint. Hold events and small tourneys. Overlap some of the dates so events can feed participants to each other. You won't be able to directly compete with mega mall arcades, but you can be a more convenient, fun hangout.

Ultimately you want your business to be asymmetric to your competition. This makes it invaluable and making yourself invaluable is the best way to retain patronage. It's also a good way to future proof against others who might have similar ideas but more cash.

A wide range of small incentives can go a long way. Keep a public high score list and hand out rewards for setting records. Cash rewards for WRs (not like you'll ever have to fork them out). Maybe collect votes for game rotation in your cabs. It costs you nothing and helps build patron investment. Benign quirks generally lead to good word of mouth for a business, so drum up as many as possible that aren't obnoxious. You want your regulars to feel like they're a part of the place, and they need to have some say for that.

You want to be seen as providing an experience that others can't. In the nineties, the most successful arcades weren't necessarily the ones that were best located. They didn't really need to have the newest cabs. Two or three good games were enough to be popular, but between two good arcades it was the one with the best atmosphere that you went to, even if it meant a longer ride. That's where friendships were made. These days your library matters less than it would 20 years ago. Kids won't ride the bus for four stops just to play Mortal Kombat 2. Adults won't either. Cutting edge cabs won't return your investment. So you want to focus on your location and any added value you can provide.

Your library will be good enough if it has popular tourney games. Pricing is more important. A first time patron who plays for three minutes on a half dollar is less likely to return than someone who plays two games for a quarter each. The relation of time and money is different in an arcade than in the world outside. Managers who don't understand this go out of business. Newcomers must feel they can let themselves get hooked.

When you're in entertainment, you want your patrons to stay at your venue for as long as possible at a time. People who leave a cinema don't return the same day and they won't return to an arcade either. Always assume they won't be back until next weekend. You need them to have close access to food and a shitter. Consider partnering with nearby restaurants for any events. If you play your cards right they can feed you spectators.

You'll still go bankrupt, though.

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 No.5383

Put in free wifi, keep a snack stand with a soda fountain.

If you really want to make bank, put in a bar.

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 No.5384

>>2333

VR is the answer. There are some really impressive VR systems complete with helmets and props and multi-directional treadmills to give the absolute most complete immersion possible. The problem is that these systems take up a lot of space, look ugly in your living room, and are ungodly expensive. Thus, there's no market for them. If you were to found an arcade and fill it up with these systems though, suddenly people would have a realistic means to use them, and that means would be giving you money.

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 No.5407

There is an arcade near my town's cinema that offers about 30 different games, including air hockey, Daytona, Manx TT, virtual cop, and various other games. I honestly don't know how they stay in business since I rarely see anyone else there. My friend and I go there once every few months to play Initial D and maybe spend the remaining coins in our pockets on the Jurassic park shooting game. They have no fighting games there, and most games are at least semi 'modern', with most of them being eye catchy and having special set ups. This might draw people in off the street sometimes to come in and have a look, but I really think the more important thing for an arcade to do is form a community.

I love fighting games, and I'm hooked on guilty gear xrd at the moment, so I play in a local tournament every fortnight, and play local casuals every other off week. There are about fifteen of us, and we pay a game/hobby shop ten dollars each to use their store for the evening to host our tournament, plus buying drinks or food. There are also other groups that come in to play smash bros or whatever. Sometimes we might play a different game like blazblue, or an older 2d fighter. Basically I think that a fighting community is the key to actually getting people into your arcade, as I would much rather sit on a proper cab to play games like in Japan, rather than have my mate hook up his ps4, or laptop, to a tv. Have a bunch of fighting games there and we would all play them. I don't know the laws regarding building your own cabs and running abandonware on them for your own profit, but it would certainly be cool.

Initial D is cool as hell, but I am not returning week after week with ten friends to play it competitively. Fighting games achieve that potential, while racing or shooting games are more for drawing in casuals. You need both, but you really need to focus on what you can provide to create a community.

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