There’s little that mixes better than video games and alcohol, and the vast numbers of adult gamers know this secret. The aging gamer population also knows another secret, the lure of the arcade. It’s fine to play games at home, all alone, but there’s something magical about being surrounded by screens and cabinets with monsters throwing missiles and giant centipedes painted along the sides. Combine the two, and you get the return of the modern arcade, an electronic night club of neon, booze, attract screens and tokens. Ars Technica has the story.
That’s the trick the modern arcade, you see. The games aren’t the moneymaker, they’re just the draw. The money comes from food, drink, maybe a charge at the door. The games are just something for people to do while emptying their glass.
There’s also the fun of gamers all together being social and having fun, but that doesn’t pay the bills.