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Arcade games have always in a class of their own in how they present themselves and how they are played. There are certain things that work best in video games found in an arcade environment while on the flipside there are certain elements of home games that work better when time is not so much of an issue.
This article on Gamasutra by Xavi Fradera, who formerly worked for arcade developer Gaelco, dives into game design and how increasingly popular “Free To Play” PC games can learn a thing or two from real arcade games. In the process he covers elements that still apply to games being made in the arcade world, as the requirement still happens to be giving players enough bang for their buck, presented in such a way that they will want to keep playing over and over again. If any part of the presentation in an arcade game isn’t properly polished, it can mean disaster as the customer may be turned off from inserting that next coin. It’s a battle that requires game designers to find that balance between challenge and reward, innovation and proven methods. It isn’t an easy one to fight but when it is found you generally have a game worth playing. Xavi also makes some points about what you find in arcade titles, from the player perspective – they are cheap, impulsive and satisfying. I would add that the arcade experience allows you to more easily have a vicarious entertainment experience since you are often presented with a realistic physical item to control what happens, like a gun or driving wheel.
As a matter of discussion, which arcade games do you think feature both the best and worst design features and why? Comment!
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bacon
in the case of rhythm games this has always been a huge problem because interfaces are normally more complex than what most general players are used to seeing with other games. in has taken a while for many rhythm game interfaces to really get to the point of being idiot proof. in Pump it Up Fiesta you have an interface that locks you into a song list that is more suited towards beginner players and the same can be said for DDR X. that was the main problem with the interface but there has also been a long standing learning curve when learning rhythm game controls like a dance pad. a lot of interfaces try to give a tutorial mode before you can start actual gameplay but most new players don’t have the patients. I think older DDR versions had it right by placing a character behind the notes for you to mimic their actions. more games need to just dump players into the game and give on screen ques rather than having them sit through a tutorial.