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How much do you think you've spent on arcade machines in your lifetime?
- Thread starter Squarehard
- Start date
Maybe around $200ish. Maybe a little more thinking about it. Used to play Street Fighter 2, MK 1 and later 2 and Vertua Fighter everyday after elementary school using lunch money at a 7-11 with friends. Then used to play everyday in City College for a few hours, they had a Marvel vs. Capcom 2, SNK vs. Capcom, DDR and a few other things, but mostly we'd crowd around the MvC2 cab and spend a bunch of money playing for hours between classes. Also used to spend a ton playing Gauntlet Legends (spent $18 one time in one sitting), Time Crisis at a bowling alley. Bunch of money spent at a near by pizza place playing D&D Tower of Doom and Virtual On. Those are just the recurring ones I even still go back to the Rusty's Pizza down the street and play Tower of Doom with a friend when he's in town. Then you add all the odds and end places I've also played cabs at yeah it's most likely closer to around $400-$500. I feel that MvC2 cab alone got at least $100 out of me if not more over 2 years.
Probably less than €100, most of which was spent on Guitar Hero and House of the Dead 4. Played a bit of one of the Time Crisis games (4 I think) and a Terminator lightgun game but only a couple of times each. Also played the Luigi's Mansion arcade game once and it was pretty fun, though I didn't get to play too much of it.
Same here, but probably closer to $2500 if I do a rough estimate. A friend and I also almost got our hands on an Extreme cab a little while back so the number would have been a little higher if that had worked out... (but not by much since it would have been a great deal 😉)
Owned a namco soul calibur 2 board, besides spending a ton of money on the arcade version before I had. SC2 is easily the most I ever spent on a game. Basic estimate is 18-20k, cause the board.
Even without it I've spent a couple grand on arcades back in their hey day, was worth it considering how they fell To the PS2 era.
Even without it I've spent a couple grand on arcades back in their hey day, was worth it considering how they fell To the PS2 era.
This. And the majority of that was 2p machines.
Last year I saw a daytona cabinet for the first time.
A standup one with Japanese saturn logo down the sides and the attract mode said coming to sega saturn soon at the end of it.
Between growing up in that era, and later on with places like Dave and Busters, I can't see it going beyond $500.
I mean, the bulk of my spending was in my youth during the arcade heyday, and games were only $.25. Only the special games like Dragon's Lair rocked you for $.50.
I mean, the bulk of my spending was in my youth during the arcade heyday, and games were only $.25. Only the special games like Dragon's Lair rocked you for $.50.
$5 max. I live in a rural area and there isn't any arcade place - I haven't seen any in my entire life really save for round1
I was born in the early 80's and for me it's definitely less than $500, maybe less than $100.
Didn't have much money. I might spend 2 hours in an arcade with $2.
Afraid to lose money. I knew playing a real hardcore classic meant I might get 40 seconds of play if I'm lucky. Didn't get into them until emulation.
Competition was fierce, so I only played fighting games in low population zones like the bowling alley, until my teenage years when I also had arcade perfect versions at home (Dreamcast era).
Didn't have much money. I might spend 2 hours in an arcade with $2.
Afraid to lose money. I knew playing a real hardcore classic meant I might get 40 seconds of play if I'm lucky. Didn't get into them until emulation.
Competition was fierce, so I only played fighting games in low population zones like the bowling alley, until my teenage years when I also had arcade perfect versions at home (Dreamcast era).
A lot, it's been years now since i put any real time into arcades because they are pretty much extinct in stockholm now.
But growing up in the 80s-90s i spent a ton of time and money playing arcades, there was this really nice café near my school that had just two arcade machines but they were alway good and the owner knew his shit.
I spent literally months of my life playing in that café, the owner was chill and set the machines to free play pretty often and let me stay at the café after closing when my parents were having one of their many fights.
In highschool i found this really sleazy but good pool hall that had a huge selection of arcades, i spent so much time there i almost flunked out of highschool several times.
I lived in london for six months and spent a ton of time at sega world before it went bust.
It's impossible to say how much i spent now, anywhere between 1000-3000$.
Man, i miss arcades.
But growing up in the 80s-90s i spent a ton of time and money playing arcades, there was this really nice café near my school that had just two arcade machines but they were alway good and the owner knew his shit.
I spent literally months of my life playing in that café, the owner was chill and set the machines to free play pretty often and let me stay at the café after closing when my parents were having one of their many fights.
In highschool i found this really sleazy but good pool hall that had a huge selection of arcades, i spent so much time there i almost flunked out of highschool several times.
I lived in london for six months and spent a ton of time at sega world before it went bust.
It's impossible to say how much i spent now, anywhere between 1000-3000$.
Man, i miss arcades.
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Easily $5000+. My group of friends and I were slumming the arcades since the late 70's and lived through all of it, played most of, if not all of the games. Paper rout money, roofing money well spent.
Edit: We also visited a half dozen or so times over the years back in the 90's Sega Playdium. Fuck what a time it was to be a gamer, long live the 80's and 90's baby.
Edit: We also visited a half dozen or so times over the years back in the 90's Sega Playdium. Fuck what a time it was to be a gamer, long live the 80's and 90's baby.
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Street Fighter 2 alone was probably in the $100+ range. That thing was a monster when it came out.
43 years old, so I was a kid during the arcade hey day. I would spend my allowance there and nothing was better for this 80s kid than getting $10 to spend at the arcade after getting straight As in school.
As a young adult, I'd go to the local Scandia, Golf Land, Dave n Busters etc. We recently got a Round One nearby and have taken my kids there a few times before Covid-19. I'm in the $1,000+ range by this point for sure.
As a young adult, I'd go to the local Scandia, Golf Land, Dave n Busters etc. We recently got a Round One nearby and have taken my kids there a few times before Covid-19. I'm in the $1,000+ range by this point for sure.
$100-500 but probably closer to 500 than 100. There are only a few arcades around where I live. The barcade closest one to me is definitely my favorite. Games are well maintained, only cost $0.50 per play and have real monitors in them which matters a lot to me. The food and drink offering is also great.
$100 on off road alone
The fact that you upgraded your vehicle and if you lost, all your upgrades would be deleted too unless you put in a quarter caused me to pump in quarters.
The fact that you upgraded your vehicle and if you lost, all your upgrades would be deleted too unless you put in a quarter caused me to pump in quarters.
$100 on off road alone
The fact that you upgraded your vehicle and if you lost, all your upgrades would be deleted too unless you put in a quarter caused me to pump in quarters.
Loved playing this and Super Sprint as well. Throwing the fuck out of the wheel around every turn.
Yeah, that was part of the fun. I am not sure you can turn the wheel fast enough if you were driving correctly. You would just have to spin the shit out of the wheel. Granted, I was also like 10 at the time.
I mean, if it was a new machine, maybe it drove properly. Those wheels were always abused to shit.
I would never be able to calculate the number. I spent years in the arcades playing fighting games. But at that time, i didnt spend any of my money. I spent my parents haha as i was like 12 - 16
Not a lot, at least on actual games.
I am partial to prize catchers though, and living in Japan did indulge that; there were a great variety of prizes (plush, snacks, etc), and they changed often! There were also so many machines in any one arcade, that there were always 'easy' ones to be found, if you were feeling like you needed a win.
I am partial to prize catchers though, and living in Japan did indulge that; there were a great variety of prizes (plush, snacks, etc), and they changed often! There were also so many machines in any one arcade, that there were always 'easy' ones to be found, if you were feeling like you needed a win.
I'm guessing the second highest range. This is over the course of over 40 years, though. The '80s and '90s had a lot of spending, the '00s declined a ton, and the '10s were minimal.
Almost all of this money was spent on video games. Electromechanical games didn't interest me much but I would play the occasional pinball game, rifle game, or whack-a-mole.
As for genres: shooters, platformers, and beat 'em ups probably got the most play time in total. It was a shame to see platformers almost disappear from arcades by the mid '90s. It felt like Elevator Actions Returns was the only big one left by then.
Almost all of this money was spent on video games. Electromechanical games didn't interest me much but I would play the occasional pinball game, rifle game, or whack-a-mole.
As for genres: shooters, platformers, and beat 'em ups probably got the most play time in total. It was a shame to see platformers almost disappear from arcades by the mid '90s. It felt like Elevator Actions Returns was the only big one left by then.
I grew up in the arcades of the 80s so I'm in the $2500-$5k group. I like to think I'm in the low end of it but if someone was able to magically show me the receipts I wouldn't be surprised to find out it's more than I'm thinking.
It's sad there's no way to replicate the 80s arcade. I mean sure, you can build a classic arcade (Fun Spot in NH would be my nearest one) but one of the big draws was getting the newest, shiniest tech and finding things you'd never seen before. Ikari Warriors and Victory Road, Mad Planets, Rolling Thunder, Punch-Out, Moon Patrol, Tempest and Robotron, and so many more were new back then, and that was a huge part of the draw.
It's sad there's no way to replicate the 80s arcade. I mean sure, you can build a classic arcade (Fun Spot in NH would be my nearest one) but one of the big draws was getting the newest, shiniest tech and finding things you'd never seen before. Ikari Warriors and Victory Road, Mad Planets, Rolling Thunder, Punch-Out, Moon Patrol, Tempest and Robotron, and so many more were new back then, and that was a huge part of the draw.
Hard to say.
Fighting games alone was a $15 a week habit from say 1992 to 1998. Also mom would give us arcade money of like 5 bucks a every 2 weeks in the 80.
Then it's the one offs like a night at Dave and Busters where the games are like 80cents a pop.
Fighting games alone was a $15 a week habit from say 1992 to 1998. Also mom would give us arcade money of like 5 bucks a every 2 weeks in the 80.
Then it's the one offs like a night at Dave and Busters where the games are like 80cents a pop.
Barely interacted with any which is a real shame. Most of the ones I HAVE interacted with have been free-play at expos or retro game stores.
But I've definitely poked around some at sea-side arcades or at shopping malls, things like DDR and forgettable racing games. Almost certainly haven't spent more than £100 tho.
But I've definitely poked around some at sea-side arcades or at shopping malls, things like DDR and forgettable racing games. Almost certainly haven't spent more than £100 tho.
Yeah, that's a moment in time that's not coming back. High end arcade games were years ahead of console technology back then, something that's just not practical in today's market.
Less than $25 for sure. My contact with arcade machines was very limited because I grew up in a small village and the few machines there (mostly SNK 2D fighters like Samurai Shodown and King of Fighters) came at a time when 3D technology was exploding - and I've always preferred consoles, to be honest - so every coin I could save at that time was to buy the next big thing.
I was going to an arcade close to my school and college, from 1987 to 1997, average $2/day with my lunch money, and up to $20/week once I was in college and had a job. That's way over $5000. I think I spent way more on arcade coins than on beer in college.
Arcade dropped into a death spiral after the PS1 and N64 launched. It's the turning point where consoles started coming out with games on par with arcade tech, or close enough. The PS2 generation was really the nail in the coffin.
Arcade dropped into a death spiral after the PS1 and N64 launched. It's the turning point where consoles started coming out with games on par with arcade tech, or close enough. The PS2 generation was really the nail in the coffin.
OP
OP
Probably close to $1000 or more. My friends and I were super into the various Initial D cabinets and spent a lot of money playing that.
From elementary school to high-school, I went to arcade regularly. I probably spent roughly $100 a year in those 10yrs span. So my lifetime arcade spending could be $1000-$2000.
Definitely over 1000 but I don't think I could pinpoint it more than that.
In middle school/high school I went to arcades almost every weekend, on some weekdays i would even go to the laundromat or a restaurant with the sole intent to play the game they had. Factor minimum 10 dollars a trip to those and going an average of once every 2 weeks it piles up fast.
In college I would occasionally make trips to dave and busters and those were way more expensive trips overall.
Fighting games propelled a huge part of this, trying to get wins in MvC2 would clean me out
In middle school/high school I went to arcades almost every weekend, on some weekdays i would even go to the laundromat or a restaurant with the sole intent to play the game they had. Factor minimum 10 dollars a trip to those and going an average of once every 2 weeks it piles up fast.
In college I would occasionally make trips to dave and busters and those were way more expensive trips overall.
Fighting games propelled a huge part of this, trying to get wins in MvC2 would clean me out
Maybe more than $5000.
I'm 43 and spent many afternoons at the various arcade in my hometown from '82 up to '99/2000. I lived and breath arcade games. I stopped going around the PS2's early years, when consoles were offering a (mostly) similar audiovisual experience.
I remember 3 distinct occasions where "something changed".
1) Street Fighter 2 TWW releases on Super Famicom to be an incredible port. My fav game ever could be played at home. It's seems consoles have almost caught up... but then SEGA/NAMCO's 3D games land in the arcade space and it's back to square one. Still plenty of reasons to go to arcades where the audiovisual feast is unmatched.
2) Tekken 3 comes out for the PSX, for the first time since the advent of 3D gaming I see consoles almost catching up and capable of offering a very similar experience. I start going less and less to arcades, and mostly to play deluxe cabs.
3) The Dreamcast releases. Soul Calibur is here. Goodbye arcades. This is the real deal.
I think I own more than 100 ACA releases on NSW, I love arcade games and I love that every week there's a "new" one come out and that there are online leaderboards.
I'm 43 and spent many afternoons at the various arcade in my hometown from '82 up to '99/2000. I lived and breath arcade games. I stopped going around the PS2's early years, when consoles were offering a (mostly) similar audiovisual experience.
I remember 3 distinct occasions where "something changed".
1) Street Fighter 2 TWW releases on Super Famicom to be an incredible port. My fav game ever could be played at home. It's seems consoles have almost caught up... but then SEGA/NAMCO's 3D games land in the arcade space and it's back to square one. Still plenty of reasons to go to arcades where the audiovisual feast is unmatched.
2) Tekken 3 comes out for the PSX, for the first time since the advent of 3D gaming I see consoles almost catching up and capable of offering a very similar experience. I start going less and less to arcades, and mostly to play deluxe cabs.
3) The Dreamcast releases. Soul Calibur is here. Goodbye arcades. This is the real deal.
I think I own more than 100 ACA releases on NSW, I love arcade games and I love that every week there's a "new" one come out and that there are online leaderboards.
100-500$
Local arcades also doubled as shady semi-legal gambling dens, so my parents weren't too kin to make me go when I was little. What they had wasn't too exciting, and the only game I couldn't have for cheap on the Mega Drive was Tumble Pop (must have spent 50€ on it easily).
The beach was only other place that had arcade machines, but obviously I could only use them in summer and even then, it was the mid-90s and they mostly had 80s games like VS Super Mario Bros or Robocop with the notable exception of Battletoads and the above-mentioned Tumble Pop.
By the late 90s-early 00s arcades were only worth it for the rare full body machines (if they actually worked) like that one BMX game, or Rapid River, as even Neo Geo console ports were getting close or close enough and the only way it made sense to spend coins on a game was to use it as some kind of paid demo.
Local arcades also doubled as shady semi-legal gambling dens, so my parents weren't too kin to make me go when I was little. What they had wasn't too exciting, and the only game I couldn't have for cheap on the Mega Drive was Tumble Pop (must have spent 50€ on it easily).
The beach was only other place that had arcade machines, but obviously I could only use them in summer and even then, it was the mid-90s and they mostly had 80s games like VS Super Mario Bros or Robocop with the notable exception of Battletoads and the above-mentioned Tumble Pop.
By the late 90s-early 00s arcades were only worth it for the rare full body machines (if they actually worked) like that one BMX game, or Rapid River, as even Neo Geo console ports were getting close or close enough and the only way it made sense to spend coins on a game was to use it as some kind of paid demo.