Chapter 6 Arcade Mode: Remembering, Revisiting, and Replaying the American Video Arcade

Coin‐Op conspiracies: Nostalgia and moral panic in the video arcade

“…This shift was in line with a larger effort by the US arcade industry trade body to rebrand video arcades as family friendly, a goal listed as central in its 1982 Community Relations Manual for Coin‐Operated Amusement Games Industry (Meades 243). Discussing the role of the video arcade as, historically, not catering merely to the players themselves, Samuel Tobin states, “the space defined by the game cabinet is only partly based on direct, active use of it as a game. The game unit is central to the arcade as an organizing object for a range of social practices, only some of which are limited to the interactions between players with game narratives, screens, and joysticks” (Tobin).…”

“…Discussing the role of the video arcade as, historically, not catering merely to the players themselves, Samuel Tobin states, “the space defined by the game cabinet is only partly based on direct, active use of it as a game. The game unit is central to the arcade as an organizing object for a range of social practices, only some of which are limited to the interactions between players with game narratives, screens, and joysticks” (Tobin).…”

“…The possibility of free mobility and interaction in the arcade is reliant on the assumption that policing of the space is either overly difficult or of no interest to the owners of the venue. Rather than assume that owners were not interested in policing the arcade, it is more useful to consider Tobin's comment about the role of the game cabinet in determining space. The size and positioning of game cabinets in the arcade space is essential, particularly when thinking through the possibilities of surveilling and policing the area.…”