History of Arcade video games

We want to start our blog by briefly telling you the history of these video games and why they have unfortunately been lost over time. That habit of going to recreational centers to spend the afternoon with friends is what we miss and where our passion to make that possible again comes from.

Arcade is the English term that refers to arcade video game machines. They used to be found in bars, shopping centers, public places of entertainment, or specialized salons. These can be confused with casino slots, but what differentiates them from each other is that in this case, it is not about games of chance, but the important thing is the skill of the player.

In general, these machines are characterized by having a small cabinet with simple controls such as a lever and few buttons, a brake and accelerator, a pistol, or a dance platform, depending on the game.

The golden age of arcade machines

This new form of entertainment reached its peak between the 70s and 80s when there was an exorbitant increase in the sale of these arcade machines, which was dubbed the “golden age of arcade video games”.

Although they had been used for a long time, this period was very important thanks to new computer advances, which allowed more realistic graphics and better sound quality. All of this made it possible for a series of classics to emerge that laid the foundations of the genre of the time and which was used in later games and even today.

One of them that will sound familiar to all of us is Space Invaders, based on the book The War of the Worlds. This video game only needed a new way of playing based on points, a high score marker that was registered in the device, and a progressive increase in difficulty. Which was enough to create such an addiction that the government of Japan was forced to quadruple the production of 100 yen coins due to the shortage of these devices.

From the hand of the previous one, Galaxian and Asteroids emerged, two video games that tried to compete with the Martians due to the fever that had created throughout the world. And just a year later Pacman was eating not just ghosts, but the entire planet.

Advancement of technology and decline

Unfortunately, the hardware of these machines has not been able to reach the computers or the consoles. Nowadays, the comfort of playing from home, doing it online with people from anywhere in the world, and the quality have made these products lose profitability and popularity until almost disappearing.

Retro-bit wants to fight for the few who are still looking to get together and enjoy classic video games like old times.