#TBT: Could Virtual Reality Signal the Return of Game Arcades?

Remember Mega Plaza of those days. Apapa Amusement Park and Fantasy Land and Water Parks? (Ok, maybe not Waterparks, but…) Yes, I am a 90’s kid and I particularly remember how we would go to these places, beg mum and dad for money to buy the arcade coins just so we could go on rides over and over again. My brother and cousins then, were all about the car races and the bike experience as well where you could sit on the motorcycle with supervision while there was a long queue of other children waiting impatiently and gritting their teeth and fists like they could win the race you were making a complete mess of in one ride. Those were the days. But as time went on, technology got better, cheaper and these arcades became more distant. Suddenly, game arcades were losing their edge. Nintendo, Playstation and the Xbox crept in. If a PlayStation gave you as good an experience in your living room, why go to a building and spend your spare change to play for just a few minutes at a time? But almost as peculiar as a fashion trend, it seems the game arcades are coming back. Only this time, smaller! Or lighter. I think.

Ok, so I imagine the way Virtual reality is set up and the incredible potential it holds for us 90’s kids to relive those memories and even enjoy a more immersive experience – atop a bike, behind a steering wheel and (most unenthusiastically) a crime fighting game; gun in hand and all that. I’ll spare you the rhetoric, outside Nigeria already, VR arcades are already opening. According to BBC’s Dave Lee, some are small projects, a good-sized room with the latest kit. Others are big budget smashes, like Hub Zero, an “indoor video game park” nestled in Dubai. The attractions include an installation by VRcade, a company that has created a totally tether-free VR system – one that allows for multiple players in the same game simultaneously. Speaking to Dave Lee, Scott Davids, a collector who runs EightyTwo, a Los Angeles bar he’s filled with old arcade machines muses; “I wonder if that’s what VR is going to be about – you pay $10 and get a five minute game.”

My sentiments exactly!Will we be paying for the equipment or the actual game (experience) or both? The fun in arcade games as we knew them was the fact that the feeling of satisfaction was quite momentary and this was the reason why the coins were a major hit. Will this repeat itself should VR be incorporated into game arcades?

Dave Lee has a probable answer; “If virtual reality does bring about a surge in games arcades, it may be fleeting. PlayStation VR, which will be launched in October this year, will cost just $399, and will work on the current PlayStation 4. But then again, unlike other gaming technologies – that have been miniaturised from arcade cabinet to console and more recently to smartphone – those enjoying VR will always want space to enjoy it to the fullest.”

Are you looking forward to it? What are your memories of game arcades as a child? Share and let’s go down memory lane together!