The last arcade of Manchester, NH
Friday, December 18, 2009 at 7:43AM From land lines to dial-up internet to newspaper classified ads, there are more than a few things that became obsolete this decade.
And given the popularity of Playstation, Xbox and other home gaming consoles, I would have thought video game arcades would be among the items that had also gone the way of the dodo. But then I came across one just last week, inside Manchester-Boston Regional Airport of all places:
Curious, I asked Tom Malafronte, Assistant Airport Director for Air Service Development and Marketing, about the arcade. He said the small arcade — which includes about a dozen classic and sports-related games, plus two pinball machines and even a snowmobile riding game (this is New Hampshire, after all) — is used regularly by travelers and does turn a small annual profit.
While checking out the games, I noticed they are actually owned by L&M Vending and Amusement, which occupies a deceptively large building near the corner of Canal and Granite streets, a building which I came to learn houses some 400-500 upright video games and other coin-operated amusement devices.
Wanting to get the skinny on the local video game industry, I popped in and spoke with proprietor Peter Poulus, who told me his industry has seen better days.
Poulus said he remembers the days when Elm Street alone had not one, but two, video game arcades. But now the arcade as a destination is a thing of the past, he said, and arcade games, where they still exist, are primariy diversionary time killers, be they for people who arrive at a movie theater a few minutes before their show, or are waiting for a lane to open up at the bowling alley or their pizza to arrive at Chuck E. Cheese.
"In the last five years there haven't even been 25 new titles released," he said, "and there's only one pinball manufacturer left in business."
But even if new titles were plentiful, setting up a standalone arcade would be cost prohibitive as new games cost about $5,000 each - and closer to ten grand each for the side-by-side driving games. To outfit a decent arcade could easily run $100,000 or more in capital costs, he said. And then he would have to split the revenues 50/50 with the proprietor of the arcade space, doubling the time it would take him to recoup is investment, to say nothing of making a profit.
But at this point, he said, it's all academic.
"If people can play video games at home, or on even on their phone," he said, "what's the point? Why would they come to an arcade and pay 50 cents or a dollar?
"It's an odd business, and technology is killing it."
Reader Comments (2)
As a child of the 1980s, the death of the arcade culture makes me sad.
Have you seen the documentary "King of Kong?" Hilarious and heart-breaking at the same time.
You know, you're the second person this week to recommend "King of Kong." I think that's a sign I need to watch it.