- For the third straight month, spending on all things video game was down – this time 23% from 2008 to $863 million; bear in mind that no month since August 2007 as been below $1 billion.

Now you see why the mags panic about a new market!

“The recently announced Metal Gear Arcade takes Metal Gear Online and stuffs it into an impressive-looking, but similarly expensive to develop, networked arcade cabinet. Thanks to 3D goggles, it will take the Metal Gear series “into the 3rd dimension,” kind of a step back for us PlayStation 3 owners already gaming in glorious 4D. But it looks like it could be an enjoyable sit-down arcade experience, as long as we don’t have to register for a Konami ID to play it and Kojima leaves the cut scenes at home.”

http://www.konami.jp/mg_arcade/

So let me guess when this trailer hits there are only two ways to cover this story:

- Hey, wow this looks cool I want to play!
or
- Arcade is dead!

Guess which one GAMESPOT will use!!!

well said shaggy, your like the arcade aren’t dead version of jesus. but do bowling alleys count because at “Hollywood bowl” (a bowling franchies in the UK) they have quite a few arcade games such as mario kart gp 2, and raw thrills super bikes, THOTD4, rambo, TC4, maxi tune 3 etc… but there always busy anyway but its still a good thing for arcades though. arcades have a very good chance of survival in bowling alleys.

arcades and home consoles live with each other OK its only the people trying to cover up arcades and saying there dead so they can promote the games they review so there’ll sell more games and maybe get a cut of the pir from the game company that makes the console games.

ironically they release sega arcade hits 6 years ago for the gba and the reviewers said that the games are just like the originals but feel lost without their arcade cabinets. (forget what name it was for the gba)
there like spoilt children these publishers wanting it and then changing their mind in the end about something

The news about Metal Gear was a big problem for the consumer mags – publishers wanted not to report it, and just ran “oh its just a Japanese story, nothing to see here”. Now they have heard about the plans for worldwide release and they are all trying to ignore this, saying its just hype.

Its news of Street Fighter IV’s popularity in international arcades, the success of Guitar Hero, the new Metal Gear game and general new amusement releases like H20verdrive starts thats starts to place pressure on publishers to cover the market no matter their avoidance. In covering the market they have two choices:

1. get their freelancer to do a Google search on arcade news and bash out a down-play piece, and hope they do not offend too many readers intelligence, and avoid plagiarizing Stinger or AH!!

or

2. do a detailed piece on retro arcade trying yo avoid the new developments, and try and defend their ‘arcade is dead’ company policy

I am involved in two new features on amusement that include commenting on the ‘Public-Space’ element of serious gaming, and how this market is redefining out-of-home entertainment. But to be honest the more features I get run, the more of a danger I am to some editorial / publisher entrenched views and so will become a target of criticism (self serving coverage).

This criticism will grow, when more news of KWP’s proposal for a brand new US arcade magazine (ala ARCADIA) gets known on the net!!!

Unfortunately… for most people, “perception = reality”.

So you really need to get into their face & point out that the sky ISN’T purple, and the sun DOESN’T rise in the north.