MAMEWorld Forums - EmuChat - Re: Reality Check part 2 RB Edition

> Instead of dropping 5 figures on some Harley Davidson piece of crap or whatever it is
> that nobody cares playing, why not heavily advertise or interview all your past
> customers and conduct polls relating to there favorite Arcade games or what they
> still wish to currently play and support, then spend the money on the top few
> machines that got the most votes/interest as requested by your customer base or
> majority of people nearby the establishments area
>
> Firstly, I didnt buy the games, that was Namco. However, as far as I know, most Ops
> rarely do get to test a game before purchase. Nor would you be able to gather votes
> on what to buy. Im going to guess, that if you dont buy a game in a set time period,
> there may be a delay, and availability problem.
>
> Furthermore, the Most earnings come from it being Brand New. The longer you wait,
> the less money you may end up getting.
>
> Still, my offer stands. Buy whatever New game, at least in the $7000 range.. and see
> how long it takes to pay it off, then make a profit.
>
> Advancements in technology and more choices in electronics give the mass majority of
> the public less reasons to leave the house and support Arcades. When they do wish to
> leave the house then it's to do something else rather than visit and support Arcades.
> Blaming MAME for this is wrong.
>
> Im not blaming Mame for the failures in the industry. However, I AM Telling you that
> Mame can effect the industry negatively. And Ive given you the exact reasons twice
> now.

When you're talking about the making a profit on the expensive arcade cabinets, the argument really only holds true if you are talking about that one cabinet only. A business that puts all of their "chips" in one basket, so to speak, is not a properly run business. Back in the days of the arcade glory, spending $5,000 on one cabinet was done not only to attract people to that cabinet, but to also bring them into the establishment where money would also be spent on the older cabinets which have already been paid off, and to entice the consumer to also spend money on other things for sale in said establishment. All of the arcades I went to also had food/drink for sale, multiple dozens of games to play, cheap little knick-knacks for sale, etc. etc. Other items that the ops were able to make huge profit margins on to take into account the occasional failures that they would purchase.

The other appeal of the arcade games back in the "glory days" was the fact that the technology they had was leaps and bounds above what was available on home consoles. The graphics, sound, interfaces, etc. were simply NOT available on the home consoles. As the home consoles have skyrocketed in terms of their abilities, there is no longer any reason for someone to leave their home in order to get the same, or better, experience. People want to game on their massive HDTVs while sitting on their couches and playing with people from all over the world. The idea of standing next to someone else away from your home is just not appealing to people these days. A business that invests a great deal of money in an arcade cabinet is just a poorly run business since people don't want arcade cabinet gameplay anymore. Society has just changed and businesses are forced to change with it.

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I am just a worthless liar.
I am just an imbecile.
I will only complicate you.
Trust in me and fall as well.