shakin steak wrote :
I read that recently myself.
What do I think of Nolan Bushnell's point? Well, as I've mentioned before, there is no problem for arcades to come back. They may not be as widespread, not even close, but there are a few in my area that are successful without being Dave & Buster's. And, again in my area, I will say that I see young people gathering in various places. Most of them are either too much "clubhouses" to be "informal" (bars) or too "informal" to be a "clubhouse" (basketball court, street corner) but people are social and want to relax together. I see a serious lack of defined spaces for very young people (under 18) and that's why the "informals" proliferate. I think there is demand, but it is hard these days to monetize that. You have to create something special, because while I think he's right that there are kinds of entertainment technology that just don't work in the typical home, the gulf is getting a lot smaller than it used to be.
-end quote
I wondered if something like this might be one "yes" answer:
James, 40, walks with
his 2 sons into this new “arcade” he has been hearing about called YourCade. Much
of what he remembers about the arcades he frequented in his youth is there in
front of him. The floors, the lighting, the beeps and buzzes of games being
played while 80’s music bellows from the speakers above… it’s all taking him
back to the good old days.
Ahead, there is a
lone counter with a smiling employee greeting them. “Welcome to YourCade. Is
this your first visit?” the employee asks. “Yes, it is.” James replies. The
employee then provides James with information and documents to help guide his
experience.
To the right of
James and the employee are several cabinets. The employee explains that James
and his sons will be provided with YourCade ID cards. They are about the size
of a credit card, and can store information. Once purchased, James and his sons
will take their ID cards to one of the cabinets on the right, and swipe it at
the base of the cabinet. James is shown an account number that is now linked to
his ID card, and can enter a password to associate with this account. Now James
will create his YourCade avatar. This avatar will be utilized in every single
game in YourCade. The wealth of options seems nearly limitless. Name, colors,
outfits, hair styles, etc. are all customizable at this cabinet. There are also
some “game specific” attributes to choose. Move sets, for use in a fighting
game. Weapon sets, for use in an adventure game, Ship designs, for use in a
space game, etc. James is in a hurry, so he simply chooses to allow the cabinet
AI to “auto choose” these attributes for him. Once James has completed the
customization of this avatar, he saves it to his account.
Now that James
and his sons have all completed this process, they can head into the main area
of the arcade and begin play. Every game in the arcade has been developed
specifically for the YourCade experience. The graphical quality and genre all
vary, but each is made to exhibit the best qualities of the era that inspired them.
James chooses a more classic looking game that reminds him of Gauntlet. He
swipes his card at the base of the cabinet, and sees his avatar, now looking a
bit more pixelated to resemble the graphics of the game being played, appear on
screen. His sons join as well, as this game can handle up to four players. After
a brief story element plays out, they begin play as their avatars.
Once his gaming experience
ends, the list of players with top scores on the machine is shown, including
their own avatars. His point score is saved to his account. These points
accumulate. They can be used to improve his avatar’s attributes, buy new
equipment, clothing, etc. all of which can be done back at the cabinets near
the entrance.
As James improves
his avatar, he will find that new things become unlocked within the games he
plays. More difficult enemies, new levels, better rewards… and so on.
>
Next, James
notices a fighting game. He decides to try his hand at it. He seems to be
facing another player who has an avatar that is far more advanced than his own.
The other player tells James that he can purchase a “boost” for his avatar at
the “avatar cabinets”. This would temporarily advance his avatar to a level
comparable to another player’s level. Once the gaming experience was over,
James’ avatar would return to its former state. James decides to take the other
player’s advice, and heads to the “avatar cabinets” to purchase a boost.
However, James
notices that he has not yet accumulated enough points to purchase a boost.
However, with the swipe of his credit card, James can purchase point packages.
He purchases enough to cover the cost of the boost, and then purchases the
boost. He then returns to face his opponent in the fighting game.
The winning
fighter earns more points at the end of the experience, but James – being the
loser – still earns a respectable sum. After trying out several more games, James
and his sons prepare to leave. “Not a bad point total for a first time.” the
employee exclaims. James notices his avatar’s name and points displayed on a large
digital board behind the counter. It is scrolling through the day’s players and
the points they have earned that day, as well as their totals. “Thanks.” James
replies. The employee then reminds James that he can make certain changes to
his account/avatar by visiting the YourCade website and entering his account
number and password. He can also make purchases, like boosts, as well as track
the progress of his avatar and the avatars of others. He has a long way to go
to reach the top of the leaderboards at YourCade, but he is well on his way
now
