If you asked your dad about the video games he used to play back when he was a little kid, he'd tell you about archaic games like Pacman, Pong, Pinball, and maybe even the old classic Space Invaders. And, if you're a genuine member of the generation X, you wouldn't be able to help but scoff or maybe have a good laugh at the sheer antiquity of these titles.
The coin-operated machines of the 1980's are no match for the Arcade games of today. Back then, the gamers had to content themselves with simple, two dimensional games with shoddy graphics. You might give the graphics of Donkey Kong 1 a rating of 1/10 today, but back in the days of your father, they would've given it a whopping 10/10.
Arcades back then were three times more popular than the arcades of today for a single reason. If you were a gamer in the 1980's, you would've had no choice but to go to the Arcades to satisfy your craving for games. Whereas the gamers of today only have to go on-line to one of the free arcade game websites and proceed to spend the whole day playing free arcade games in the comfort of their own homes.
Now, even with all the breath-taking graphics and mind-blowing innovations, Arcades still haven't regained their former popularity. But the modern arcade does have its prodigies. One of which is the Dance Dance Revolution. People instantly became addicted to this novel sensation. The person who pioneered the marriage of dancing and gaming was a genius. Other innovative games followed in the wake of the dance dance revolution, like the baby of music and gaming, DrumMania. This game emulates the feel of playing real drums, and you have to bang the drum at exactly the right time to get a good score. These games appeal to the natural impulse of people to show off, as the best players are applauded in the Arcades. Not even the release of the dance pad, which can be bought from stores and allow you to play in the comfort of the gamers' home could bring down the Arcade Titan that was dance dance revolution. If anything, the gamers who bought these dance pads only used them as training grounds for the real battlefield which could be found in the Arcades.
Indeed, the games back then were every bit as addictive as the games of today. Arcade games are the craze of the youth then and now and you can only wonder what the future has in store for arcade games.