Everyone remembers the days of the coin-operated arcade games. Even if you are only five, you are familiar with the tall cabinets standing outside discount stores or inside the children's area of the family restaurant. While they came/come in many forms (gun games, pinball games, claw games for dispensing prizes) these games all have histories with the retro coin-operated cabinets from the 1970s.
Space Invaders, Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, Battlezone, and Galaxian, all were uber popular arcade games and they became the forefathers of modern home gaming consoles. In fact these games have been ported to almost every home console ever made because of their classic appeal and grand nostalgic value.
The popularity of arcade games waxed and waned with the seasons. They gained popularity and then they gained reputations as unsavory hangouts for America's gangster youth. Just when the fad was dying, the two-person fighter game emerged, inciting the competitive edge in just about everyone. Moreover, with multiple players smashing buttons simultaneously, the games were mountains more efficient. Street Fighter II, Mortal Kombat and others helped to revive the dying arcade market.
Arcade games still have a place in modern culture, although the full-blown arcade is not as popular as it was in the 80s. Today, the games are essentially the same, featuring short levels and easy-to-master controls. The difficulty progresses much more rapidly than a home console game, due to the fact that a dead avatar means the insertion of more money to continue. Modern games strike a fine but addictive balance between difficulty and death.
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