Arcades are dedicated entertainment venues that offer a wide range of interactive gaming experiences. These spaces have been popular for several decades and continue to captivate players of all ages. Arcades provide a unique and social gaming environment that sets them apart from home gaming consoles or online gaming platforms.
At an arcade, you can expect to find an assortment of arcade machines and games, such as pinball machines, classic arcade cabinets, racing simulators, shooting games, and various other coin-operated amusements. These games often feature intuitive controls, colorful graphics, and immersive sound effects designed to engage players and keep them coming back for more.
Here Are Four Fascinating Arcade Facts!
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- Pac-Man is the highest grossing arcade game of all time. (source) Pac-Man is one of the most classic video games in history. Created by Namco, more than 400,000 Pac-Man arcade cabinets were sold, and even by 1990, Namco had already made approximately $3.5 billion in revenue, which adjusted for inflation today would be $7.6 billion. The four other highest grossing arcade games ever include Space Invaders, Street Fighter II: Champion Edition, Ms. Pac-Man, and NBA Jam.
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- The oldest arcade in the United States opened back in 1930, and it still stands today. (source) The Spring Lake Arcade is located in Burrillville, Rhode Island, and it’s still in business today. Roughly half of the games in the arcade are from the 1920’s, and these games are mixed in with some more modern games and pinball machines. Several of the games at the Spring Lake Arcade only cost a penny to play, but there are others that will need nickels, dimes, and quarters as well.
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- Funspot Family Fun Center is the largest arcade in the world. (source) Located in Laconia, New Hampshire, Funspot is 75,000 square feet and includes more than 600 different arcade games. It opened back in 1952 as a coin-operated games arcade and an indoor crazy golf course. Today, it also includes the American Classic Arcade Museum, which boasts more than 250 retro video games.
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- The amusement parks and arcades industry is the 2nd fastest growing industry in the United States. (source) According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the increase in employment for the amusement parks and arcades industry is expected to increase by 37.5% from 2021 to 2031, with the 2031 employment projection being about 221,800.
Arcades are a great way to kill an afternoon and get some quality gaming time in! If you have any more fun facts about arcades to share, or even some fun memories, let us know about them!
Featured image photo credit: Rob Boudon, 2003. Originally found on Wikimedia.org. Image was resized and cropped. Creative Commons 2.0.
