The arcade games of today consist mostly of competitive or ticket games. It is quite different from the times of old-school games like Galaga, Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong. Arcade games are basically coin-operated machines that are programmed with video games. 

Once you drop the appropriate coin in the slot, the machine allows you to play the game. The concept of arcade gaming is easy to understand. It is this simplicity that people love even today. 

The origins

The concept of arcade gaming began in the late 1930s. In those days, there were a few coin-operated pinball machines. As the years passed, games became even better. By the late 1960s, arcade games were a source of great fun and excitement. 

One big example from those times is the light gun shooter games. The players were given a gun made of plastic. Then, pointing at the screen, they had to shoot whatever appeared on it. One of the most popular games was Duck Hunt. Some of the earliest racing games appeared around this time as well. 

Grand Prix was one such racing game, which was introduced in 1969. Developers began wondering if they could make a game with a steering wheel. Some thought about creating a game with aircraft controls. As a result, we now have a lot of variety in arcade games.

Popularity in the 1970s and 1980s

The market for arcade games had become a lot better during the 1970s. Even small kids could play the games like Pac-Man and Space Invaders. Within a short period of time, arcades had become immensely popular. Many food chains began keeping coin-operated arcade machines in their outlets. 

The 1980s brought an even better technology in these games. Now the players had the freedom to choose different ways to play their favourite games. The most popular were the motion-controlled games. With these games, kids could sit on a plastic motorcycle and ride by controlling its motion. 

According to the motions, the game was controlled on the screen. Towards the end of the 1980s, many had begun to lose interest in arcade games.

The fighting games of the 1990s

In the early 1990s, gaming enthusiasts were introduced to competitive fighting games. This began with the introduction of Street Fighter II by Capcom. When it came out, the arcade gaming scene came alive once again. Crowds of enthusiastic gamers began to throng the coin-operated arcade machines once again. 

The success of Street Fighter II resulted in the introduction of many such games. King of Fighters, Mortal Kombat, and Virtua Fighter were some of them. With the revival of interest in arcade games, racing games were re-introduced.

Today’s arcade gaming scene

In recent times, arcades comprise mostly of games that have different mechanisms of control. Much of the popular arcade games are now dance games, shooting games, and rhythm games. Fighting games have still not diminished in popularity. Today, many of the popular arcade games focus more on the competition. This is a good strategy to make the players come back for more.

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Those games were something that players of those times had never seen before. Spacewar! is considered to be among the earliest video games. It was developed and released in 1962 at MIT by Martin Graetz, Steve Russell, and Wayne Wiitanen. The doors to the golden age of gaming were opened by Nolan Bushnell. He is a game developer who formed the iconic video game development company, Atari, in 1972. 

Later, the coin-operated game cabinets became extremely popular in malls and pizza parlours. Here are some of the best arcade games that have now become classics:

1. Space Invaders

Developed by the Japanese company Taito, Space Invaders was the biggest shake-up in gaming during 1978. It is a basic game that tasks the player with stopping space invaders from getting to the bottom. In this game, you’re an alone ship that’s constantly shooting at the wall of enemies. 

As the game progressed, things got a little more exciting. The enemies moved faster and you had to match their pace as well. Space Invaders sold extremely well, making the equivalent of over $1 billion by 1982. With this, it became the highest-grossing game of all time. 

The profits resulting from all of its versions amounted to $13 billion. What really set it apart from others was its gameplay, which was simple yet addictive.

2. Pac-Man

If you were around as a gamer during 1980, you’ve certainly lived the key moments in gaming. Arcade gaming witnessed one of the biggest booms with the release of Pac-Man. It was truly a fast-paced maze game. The player-controlled the titular character, as it consumed the dots all over the maze. At the same time, the player also had to avoid the ghosts Blinky, Inky, Clyde, and Pinky. 

Things got pretty frantic as you went up against each level, avoiding these cute little foes. People battled over high scores relentlessly in this classic game. Over the years, this game has featured on many different platforms. Theoretically, the player could just keep going until all the lives were lost.

3. Street Fighter II

The sequel to the first Street Fighter game was released in 1991. It had some really charming and colourful characters along with a killer soundtrack and tight controls. Street Fighter II has been played numerous times by many until now. You’d certainly understand why this game is so special if you’ve played it yourself. 

There were some unforgettable fighters in the game, such as Ryu, Ken, Feilong, and Blanka. Crowds would throng the Street Fighter II cabinet in those times. The last updated version was Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition. It was released in the year 2018.

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This would also remind you of the legacy that these games have left behind. An arcade game can be defined as a coin-based machine that’s designed to play a game based on motion graphics. It is also referred to as a video game. Some of the interesting features of arcade games are listed below:

1. There’s no story involved

Most of the classic arcade games have never tried to tell a story. These games usually have easily recognizable settings and revolve around certain themes. Some are into sports, while others explore the experiences of war. One thing worth noting is that there’s plenty of creativity involved in the gameplay. 

The designers of classic arcade games were not required to come up with great stories. They just picked an exciting theme and developed an entertaining game around it. There were, of course, a few games that broke the conventional settings.

2. Gaming takes place on a single screen

Most of the gameplay is classic arcade games that took place on a single screen. It was largely owing to the limitations of technology. Players, therefore, had to make their moves only in a certain portion. One can always remember Pac-Man, Joust, and Mario Bros from the 1990s.

3. Number of tries

Classic arcade games typically follow the pattern of allowing players only a finite number of tries. When the player reached that number, the game would be over. This pattern was possibly derived from the pinball games. They had given players three or five balls for decades. Most of the arcade games evolved over a period of time. 

Now multiple lives were given, which allowed new players to learn the game’s mechanics before it was over. With this, they were given the chance to understand how the game worked. Getting extra tries our lives serve as a motivation for players to play again and improve their game.

4. Simple games

Players could easily learn classic arcade games because of their simple features. When it came to mastering these games, things became quite tough. Players could enter the game of Centipede and get an idea about how the game worked. This happened mostly by the time they reached their third try. One could easily learn these games through trial and error. 

Of course, there were some that had tricky concepts like shields and health. Commercial aspects of these games were probably one of the biggest factors behind their simplicity. Besides, when the classic arcade games were initially introduced, there was hardly any competition. So, there was no need for the developers to create highly complicated games.

5. Scoring

All these games included a scoring feature. It allowed players to accumulate points for accomplishing a variety of objectives. Let’s take the example of Centipede. In this game, the players score a point for destroying one mushroom and 10 points for a centipede segment. 

Such scores also allowed players to know how well they were doing in the game. Arcade games also had the feature of allowing players to enter their name next to their score. This happened when they reached the highest score ever made by a player on that machine.

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If you’re new to online casinos, you can take the help of a reliable casino review website. One such site is Casinos Jungle. This immensely popular casino review site has all the information you need about online casinos. You’ll also find unbiased reviews and ratings of the popular online casinos provided by experts in the field. Check for example their review of Red Dog Casino here.

With the help of these reviews, you can choose an online casino that suits you the best. You can also try some of the online casino games for free! To know more, visit www.casinosjungle.com

Now, let’s take a look at some of the situations that would be ideal to play online casinos:

1. When you’re in a hotel and have nothing to do

Sometimes, the plans of sightseeing or visiting a popular spot during your vacation might be foiled. There can be many reasons for it, such as bad weather or a sudden political crisis. In such situations, it’s dangerous to venture out of your hotel room. You might make a few phone calls or watch television while sitting idle in your room or suite. 

However, you’ll soon get bored and wonder if there was something exciting to do. Well, this would be your best chance to grab your smartphone and play an online casino. Before you do this, make sure that your hotel offers good internet connectivity.

2. When you’re at a family entertainment park watching your kids play

If you’re a parent, you might’ve come across such instances. You’ll have nothing much to do when the kids are at play in an entertainment park. This is especially true if you have someone to keep a watch on your kids. You can use this opportunity to play some online casino games to keep yourself busy for a while. It would be a great idea to kill time and do something that might help you win some cash! 

3. When you’re waiting for your flight at the airport lounge

When you still have plenty of time before getting on to your flight, you might get to the lounge. While there, you can take out your phone and play an online casino game if nothing else interests you. Today, most of the airport lounges across the world provide free Wi-Fi. You can benefit from this high-speed internet connection to play the most exciting online casinos. 

This is not just limited to airports. You can also play such games on your phone while waiting for trains at the railway stations.

4. When you’re waiting for someone at a shopping mall

Waiting for someone to arrive at a shopping mall can get a lot frustrating at times. Especially when the one you’re waiting for has called and said that it would take some more time. You might roam around and do some window shopping as well, but it’s far from being exciting. How about playing an interesting online casino game? 

Well, since you’ve got some time, this would be a good choice. Moreover, both of you might’ve decided to meet at a certain spot. If you choose to play an online casino, you don’t need to move to a different place. You’ll have lots of fun until your friend or partner arrives.

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However, the question of how it all began might pop up in the minds of many. They might also wonder how it progressed over the years. So, we’ve made an attempt here to delve into the history of this exciting activity.

The first miniature golf course

We must give all the credit to the Ladies’ Putting Club of St. Andrews. It is thought to be the first miniature golf course in the world. This mini-golf course was established in Scotland in 1867 for female golf players. In those times, women raising a club back and above the shoulders was a violation of social norms. This resulted in the creation of the St. Andrews Ladies Golf Club. 

It eventually became the Ladies’ Putting Club of St. Andrews. Although the course didn’t have those outlandish obstacles, it’s considered prestigious even today. The early mini-golf courses were of three types. One was the pitch and putt, the second was regulation par-3, and the third was the executive course. 

Games were played usually with a putter and short driver during those times. The length of these courses ranged between 50 and 100 yards.

The early 20th century

Miniature golf had reached the United States by the early 20th century. In 1916, a mini-golf course was created by James Barber in Pinehurst, North Carolina. This course featured fountains, walkways, and planters. During the 1920s, the design of miniature golf courses underwent some changes. It broke away from the earlier traditions of design. 

Mini golf courses became more compact, geometric, and efficient while following a classical design. The history of miniature golf took an important turn with the invention of green turf. It was developed in 1922 by Thomas McCulloch Fairborn. His patented design included hulls of crushed cottonseed, which was mixed with green dye and rolled over sand foundation. 

Mini golf courses soon moved to urban areas from the countryside. By the end of the 1920s, there were more than 150 rooftop mini-golf courses in New York City. 

Mini golf courses during the Great Depression

Many individuals considered the regulation mini-golf courses too expensive during the Great Depression. As a result, the ‘Rinky Dink’ golf courses popped up at several places. They featured obstacles that were made out of everyday objects, including tires, cans, pipes, and washtubs. The increasing popularity of such courses led the miniature golf course owners to adopt the zany obstacles. 

The first mini-golf franchise was created by Garnet Carter in 1929. Thus began the Tom Thumb Golf empire. In the years that followed, it witnessed tremendous growth. Tom Thumb Golf accounted for 25% of all mini golf courses in the United States. What made Carter’s course stand out from the rest was that it utilized hollowed-out tree trunks and gnomes.

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