Pac-man has left the building

The 1980s were good to our generation. In addition to Saturday morning cartoons being put on the map, there was cool music, an explosion of film genres now referred to as slasher and '80s flicks, tight pants, TGIF, funny hair styles and arcades -- everywhere. \nWhile most of the pop culture from the '80s has died and gone away, arcades are one form of entertainment still struggling to survive amidst a world swelled with Xbox, PlayStation 2 and GameCube. Though they are quite difficult to find, and in some cases, even more difficult to afford ($2 for one play?), arcades do in fact still exist and right here in our own town no less. \nThe arcades of today are radically different from arcades of 15 years ago. Prices and styles have changed, but even today it's not too difficult to find traces of the old school arcade. Several bars around town have anywhere from one to a few arcade boxes. "Golden Tee" is easily the most popular bar arcade game as it can be found at several bars including the Video Saloon and Uncle Fester's. It is also the only arcade game at Scotty's. Lazerlite, a laser tag venue located at 4505 E. 3rd St., has several arcade games both old and new. Bowling alleys such as Classic Lanes and Suburban Lanes still have small arcades with everything from car racing games to pinball machines. \nBut what happened to the massive quarter arcades of olden times? Back in the day, one couldn't walk through a mall without passing a huge arcade complete with all of the hottest new games of the time, as well as the classics. So where are bored youngsters supposed to turn now when they are forced to tag along with their mothers on a seven-hour mall shopping expedition? \nMike Sales has worked in the arcade business for 20 years and has worked with arcades at Purdue University, Valparaiso University, and most recently, IU. Sales owns the individual arcade games and sends them to places where play volume is high or when the games are specifically requested. \n"Every game is metered, and the meters show the amount of play," Sales said. "We consider how much a game is played as well as traffic volume of the location when we decide where to send new games." \nSales has been the operator of Coin Slot Amusements, the arcade between the bowling alley and the billiards room in the Union, for three years, and he understands the decline of arcades all too well. \n Sales claims that "Dance Dance Revolution" is easily the most popular arcade game at any one of the arcades in which he does business. The actual arcade box costs upwards of $16,000, whereas a typical driving arcade box costs anywhere from $6,000-10,000, and an average stand-up videogame with a 25-inch monitor costs around $4,000. It's a long-term investment, but with costs now averaging around a dollar per play, the games eventually pay off -- that is until the home version is released. \n"When 'Soul Caliber' came out at home, the cash box (individual arcade profits) was cut in half," Sales said. "If kids like a game a lot, they will buy it for $30 instead of spending $30 a day on it, and lots of times they come back to the arcade to try and get the highest scores." \nSenior Jeremy Mitchell, who at one time in his youth practically lived in arcades around Indianapolis malls and Putt-Putts, agrees that home systems have taken over the video game market. \n"It's been two years since I've even been to an arcade," Mitchell said. "I couldn't tell you right now where I could go to play an arcade game. I probably wouldn't go to one if I did because I have a PlayStation 2 and an Xbox, plus arcades are too expensive." \nMitchell also attributes his declining visits to the poor quality of games. "The more advanced the new arcade games get, the more unintelligent they become."\nWith the rise of systems like PS2 and increased access to video games on home computers through programs like Multiple ArcadeMachine Emulator, arcades are being eliminated from traditional areas such as malls and are being pushed further into the background. \n"We're basically confined to high traffic locations like Wal-Mart's front door," Sales said. \nWhile the old school arcades are slowly deteriorating, home video game systems are flourishing, even in public settings. Scotty's Brewhouse holds Madden Mondays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Every Monday people of all ages (no fake ID necessary) are welcome to attend and play "Madden Football" on PlayStation 2 for no cost. As an added bonus, T-shirts, games and CDs are given away to participants at random. \nMadden Mondays just began this month, but manager and bartender Ashleigh Warner believes the weekly event will draw decent-sized crowds and increase business, but she does not think it will cause significant takeaway from the arcade business.\n"I think (Madden Mondays) are different," Warner said. "They attract different crowds than an arcade would." \nThough home video game systems have taken away from the arcade business, opinions on the future of arcades differ. Sales believes no matter how many new high-tech video game systems come out, arcades will be around for a long time to come. \n"Arcades will probably never be obsolete because you have a following," Sales said. "Today, kids are basically raised on video games. People don't want to sit in front of a TV all day, so the arcade is an alternative thing. Families can go for an afternoon to the entertainment center. Plus you just can't get games like pinball and DDR at home."\nMitchell believes arcades are already extinct in a sense. \n"Arcades already have become obsolete," Mitchell said. "People only go to the old-school ones for nostalgia, if they're even around."\nWhatever the opinions are, arcades are still around, though not necessarily in their classic, inexpensive form. IU students are lucky enough to have one in their very own union. Some of the games may be a bit pricey, but it's worth checking out if only to relive joy of being completely surrounded by arcade games. If nothing else, go watch someone break it down on DDR for a few laughs.