How do video game arcades survive? #4
"In no particular order, this topic's reason is: "Tournaments and Events"."
Traditional tournaments.
This is the first way you can enable players to make a deeper connection to games. They could be elimination tournaments on fighting titles, head to head on racers, score battles on music or dance games... These tournaments will happen on the day, often with a set time schedule, rules, and an announcer to hype up the crowd. Winners will be crowned, with bragging rights and prizes given in front of all the arcade goers.
Online based tournaments.
A system I’m using at the moment is setting weekly game challenges over the course of 3 months. Players come to play in their own time, taking pictures of their scores, and submit them to the arcade's Facebook page. With each week comes a new set of challenges. At the end of 12 weeks I award prizes, or hold individual group heats based on player abilities. This means players can always come in to play take part at any time with no pressure, and no matter what their work/study schedule is. They can also see game results and player standings progress online.
What aspects do tournaments add?
Hyping up tournaments encourages player communities to talk about upcoming events both face to face at the venue and online. This organically builds on, and creates a real buzz with a concrete final reason to come in.
The magic of being at an event can’t be explained until you have experienced it first hand. Seeing skilled players competing up close can change how you perceive a game, doing things that you never thought possible. The crowd buzz, making new friends, setting yourself new goals. A reason to be competitive and new motivation to beat someone, or just better yourself. There have been steady profit increases correlating to games I have held regular tournaments on, so can definitely say this works from experience. Make sure that the arcade experience is taken home, talked about, and stays with your customers long after they have inserted their coins!
Health and Safety Consultant at Audit Ireland
5 年It's finished
Social Media Manager
5 年Ian Donegan something for tomorrow (forgot about this!).
The videogame arcades for my opinion will survive when will be a good social media made by old skool arcade gamer to share his/her own story of development of videogame .Our day new generation did not know that in past to play game if home was prestige
Social Media Manager
7 年Cheers guys! With good planning into running arcades, there could still be a successful videogame only location in every major town, in my opinion!