Editing Amusement arcade (section)

===1970s and 1980s===
{{see also|Golden age of arcade video games}}

Video game arcades began to gain momentum in the late 1970s with games such as ''[[Space Invaders]]'' ([[1978 in video gaming|1978]]) and ''[[Galaxian]]'' ([[1979 in video gaming|1979]])<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Video Game Explosion: A History from PONG to PlayStation and Beyond|last=Wolf|first=Mark|publisher=Greenwood|year=2007|isbn=978-0313338687}}</ref> and became widespread in [[1980 in video gaming|1980]] with ''[[Pac-Man]],'' ''[[Centipede (video game)|Centipede]]'' and others. The [[central processing unit]] in these games allowed for more complexity than earlier [[Digital data|discrete-circuitry]] games such as Atari's ''[[Pong]]'' ([[1972 in video gaming|1972]]).

During the late 1970s video-arcade game technology had become sophisticated enough to offer good-quality graphics and sounds, but it remained fairly basic (realistic images and [[FMV game|full motion video]] were not yet available, and only a few games used spoken voice) and so the success of a game had to rely on simple and fun gameplay. This emphasis on the gameplay explains why many of these games continue to be enjoyed today, despite the progress made by modern computing technology.

The [[golden age of arcade video games]] in the 1980s became a peak era of [[arcade game|video arcade game]] popularity, innovation, and earnings. Color arcade games became more prevalent and video arcades themselves started appearing outside their traditional bowling-alley and bar locales. Designers experimented with a wide variety of [[Computer and video game genres|game genres]], while developers still had to work within strict limits of available processor-power and memory. The era saw the rapid spread of video arcades across [[North America]], [[Western Europe]] and [[Japan]]. The number of video-game arcades in North America, for example, more than doubled between 1980 and 1982,<ref name="Wolf-105">{{cite book|title=The Video Game Explosion: A History from PONG to PlayStation and Beyond|author=Mark J. P. Wolf|year=2008|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]|isbn=978-0-313-33868-7|page=105|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XiM0ntMybNwC&pg=PA105|access-date=2011-04-19|archive-date=2021-09-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907170835/https://books.google.com/books?id=XiM0ntMybNwC&pg=PA105|url-status=live}}</ref> reaching a peak of 13,000 video game arcades across the region (compared to 4,000 today{{when|date=July 2014}}).<ref>{{cite book|title=Digital illusion: entertaining the future with high technology|chapter=Coin-Op: The Life (Arcade Videogames)|author=Mark Stephen Price (Atari Games Corporation)|publisher=[[ACM Press]]|year=1998|isbn=0-201-84780-9|chapter-url=http://www.communication.illinois.edu/csandvig/classes/Pierce.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.communication.illinois.edu/csandvig/classes/Pierce.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|access-date=2014-10-02|page=[https://archive.org/details/digitalillusion00clar/page/444 444]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/digitalillusion00clar/page/444}}</ref> Beginning with ''Space Invaders'', video arcade games also started to appear in [[supermarket]]s, [[restaurants]], [[liquor store]]s, [[filling station]]s and many other retail establishments looking for extra income.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.next-gen.biz/features/30-defining-moments-gaming |title=The 30 Defining Moments in Gaming |publisher=[[Future plc]] |magazine=[[Edge (magazine)|Edge]] |author=Edge Staff |date=2007-08-13 |access-date=2008-09-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111029232528/http://www.next-gen.biz/features/30-defining-moments-gaming |archive-date=2011-10-29 }}</ref> This boom came to an end in the mid-1980s, in what has been referred to as "[[Video game crash of 1983|the great coin-op video crash of 1983]]".<ref name="NGen14">{{cite magazine|last=Webb |first=Marcus |title=Arcadia|magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=14 |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |date=February 1996|page=29}}</ref>

On November 30, 1982, Jerry Parker, the Mayor of [[Ottumwa, Iowa]], declared his city the "Video Game Capital of the World". This initiative resulted in many firsts in video game history. Playing a central role in arcade history, Ottumwa saw the birth of the [[Twin Galaxies]] Intergalactic Scoreboard and the [[U.S. National Video Game Team]], two organizations that still exist today. Other firsts that happened in the Video Game Capital of the World included:
* the first video-game-themed parade (Jan. 8, 1983)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.twingalaxies.com/index.aspx?c=18&id=1043 |title=Welcome to Twin Galaxies |date=15 February 2009 |access-date=26 June 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215111049/http://www.twingalaxies.com/index.aspx?c=18&id=1043 |archive-date=February 15, 2009 }}</ref>
* the first video game world championship (Jan. 8–9, 1983)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.twingalaxies.com/index.aspx?c=18&id=971 |title=Welcome to Twin Galaxies |date=21 February 2009 |access-date=26 June 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221235234/http://www.twingalaxies.com/index.aspx?c=18&id=971 |archive-date=February 21, 2009 }}</ref>
* the first study of the brain waves of video-game champions (July 12, 1983)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.twingalaxies.com/index.aspx?c=19&id=295 |title=Welcome to Twin Galaxies |date=21 February 2009 |access-date=26 June 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221235307/http://www.twingalaxies.com/index.aspx?c=19&id=295 |archive-date=February 21, 2009 }}</ref>
* the first billion-point video-game performance (Jan. 16, 1984)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.twingalaxies.com/index.aspx?c=18&id=394 |title=Welcome to Twin Galaxies |date=15 February 2009 |access-date=26 June 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090215105754/http://www.twingalaxies.com/index.aspx?c=18&id=394 |archive-date=February 15, 2009 }}</ref>
* the first official day to honor a video-game player (Jan. 28, 1984)<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100102160743/http://twingalaxies.com/images/generalinfo/Mcvey_day.jpg Tim McVey Day Poster, January 28, 1984]</ref>

High game-turnover in Japanese arcades required quick game-design, leading to the adoption of standardized systems like [[JAMMA]], [[Neo-Geo (console)|Neo-Geo]] and [[CP System II|CPS-2]]. These systems essentially provided arcade-only consoles where the video game ROM could be swapped easily to replace a game. This allowed easier development and replacement of games, but it also discouraged the hardware innovation necessary to stay ahead of the technology curve.

Most US arcades didn't see the intended benefit of this practice since many games weren't exported to the US, and if they were, distributors generally refused to release them as simply a ROM, preferring to sell the entire ROM, console, and sometimes the cabinet as a package. In fact, several arcade systems such as Sega's [[Sega NAOMI|NAOMI]] board are arcade versions of home systems.

Other problems were that many arcades focused on quantity more than quality, and that games showed a rising difficulty curve, making them increasingly inaccessible to casual players and more expensive for the skilled players.<ref>[https://medium.com/super-jump/how-arcades-have-evolved-to-survive-4f4164ce8259 How Arcades Have Evolved To Survive - SUPERJUMP]</ref>