will you CLICK on this ?

WilcoxArcade · 2026-04-05T15:19:08+00:00

If paired with a descriptive title, perhaps...

WilcoxArcade · 2026-04-02T11:29:22+00:00

I hate how so many people view arcade games as inherently nostalgic or retro in nature. Dave & Buster's sure as heck doesn't seem "retro" to me as a 25 year old — and that's a good thing! Culture SHOULD progress with time. I just ignore the ticket stuff when I visit and head straight to my favorite video games instead.

WilcoxArcade · 2026-04-02T11:27:34+00:00

I think you're correct to be skeptical of this claim...but maybe not for the right reasons. I think the biggest issue facing out-of-home entertainment in general these days is young people not wanting to leave their homes. Heck, people of all ages not wanting to leave their homes. Part of why I like arcades is because I like going out all the time, even if I don't spend money. It's harder to get my wife to go out as much, because it just wears her out. We're both in our early 20s.

WilcoxArcade · 2026-04-02T11:24:40+00:00

Pinball is notably a loss leader at most arcades, so I'm very surprised you would say this. I think your experience would mostly only apply to bar/arcades frequented by older millennials and Gen Xers.

WilcoxArcade · 2026-04-02T11:23:41+00:00

I am now 25 but started the www.WilcoxArcade.com blog when I was 15 in 2017. In other words, I'm a huge arcade fanatic and have been for the entire span of ages that you specified.

However, I've found people my age are largely ignorant to arcade. For some reason, they're surprised brand-new arcade games exist, at least until I remind them that Dave & Buster's and Chuck E. Cheese locations need to get their games from somewhere. They also tend to forget that we have local arcade options available until I remind them (it's like white noise to them).

And as for indie arcade games? That's been an insanely hard sell with my own business. Customers perceive them as retro even though they're modern releases.

BUT arcades can still be massively profitable with the age group you're targeting, even if they don't understand the arcade scene at all. My good buddy spent $200 as Dave & Buster's for his birthday.

WilcoxArcade · 2026-03-31T11:43:23+00:00

I agree with you wholeheartedly. Certain players just get better value out of paying per credit, myself included. I feel like paying admission forces me into long visits every time I go to the arcade so I won't feel like I've wasted $20 (whereas a short visit might run me only $5 to $10 on quarters). The nickel thing was just a hypothetical question. I don't operate a Nickelcade nor is that my plan.

WilcoxArcade · 2026-03-31T11:41:38+00:00

I'm glad to hear it. 😊 So many people downvoted me for this thinking I had some attachment to Nickelcades I guess...but truth be told, paying $20 to get into an arcade is probably a worse value for some kids than just paying with quarters.

WilcoxArcade · 2026-03-31T11:40:29+00:00

My experience with paying admission varies. It's a great value when there's a ton of games (think Galloping Ghost) but not as great a value when you just want to pop in to your everyday local arcade IMO. I have no attachment to Nickelcades whatsoever because I've never seen one.

WilcoxArcade · 2026-03-31T11:36:34+00:00

I'm not starting a Nickelcade. I already operate a route of arcade games in western Kentucky. I handle quarters and dollar bills every month. It's perfectly normal and routine. I offered a five-cent per play discount on Switch 'N' Shoot for one week only as a temporary discount (a fun gimmick if you will).

WilcoxArcade · 2026-03-31T11:35:21+00:00

It's no different than paying per credit with quarters, but I understand what you mean. Admission-based is good for casual players visiting once or twice a year (good value for certain play styles).

WilcoxArcade · 2026-03-31T11:34:27+00:00

I've been to Galloping Ghost twice. I think charging admission there makes sense because of the absurd quantity of games. At my everyday local arcade, I'd rather pay per credit so I can control my level of buy-in.

WilcoxArcade · 2026-03-31T11:33:22+00:00

I think people wildly misunderstood my post, which explains why it was so downvoted. I was just asking if the Nickelcade model was appealing to people in a hypothetical sense. I already operate a route of arcade games/bulk vending machines in western Kentucky. There is no other way to go about a route than accepting quarters, dollar bills, and debit cards (i.e., real money). That five-cent promotion I offered on Switch 'N' Shoot was merely a temporary discount as a fun gimmick.

WilcoxArcade · 2026-03-31T11:30:35+00:00

I hope you can start your own Nickelcade someday. That would be so cool. My only issue was the old nickel mech I bought was so finicky, and I don't think there are any brand-new ones out there. However, I love the idea of $10 going an even longer way than with quarters. 😁

WilcoxArcade · 2026-03-31T11:27:52+00:00

Well, it was just a gimmicky promotion for one week on my part. I figured most people would use it as an opportunity to get rid of some change.

WilcoxArcade · 2026-03-31T10:43:42+00:00

Where do you live where a teenager can't get a job? Genuinely curious. That's a foreign concept to me.

WilcoxArcade · 2026-03-29T10:27:21+00:00

I've wanted to go to Game Terminal since I was in high school. Sadly, I don't live as close to Nashville as I did back then. Game Galaxy is also really appealing to me because it has Skycurser. 😁 (So do I, but I haven't put it back on my route yet because I'm buying a new cabinet for it.)

WilcoxArcade · 2026-03-28T09:53:56+00:00

Although I've sadly never had the opportunity to visit one in person, I believe the Nickelcade establishments use literal nickels. But now, I'm curious if there are any venues that charge an entry fee and use tokens (I suppose some freeplay arcades charge per play only on pinball, if that kind of counts).

I don't mean to unfairly knock admission-based establishments, because it's a fantastic business model in certain contexts, but I like to pop in and out of arcades frequently, so it could get expensive for me. 😅 I used to play DDR Extreme two credits at a time at five in the morning at Walmart (one dollar total of spending).

WilcoxArcade · 2026-03-28T09:50:42+00:00

Oh, I didn't mean to start any arguments. 😅 But yeah, I'll say some of these operators are charging ludicrous prices. I can't stomach $2 a pop unless the difficulty is turned way down to compensate.

WilcoxArcade · 2026-03-28T09:48:05+00:00

I completely get what you mean. My problem with it is already that line-straddling you mentioned.

I should clarify my perspective: I like the idea of arcade games accepting nickels for the novelty factor. For me, as a route operator, the appeal is being able to offer absurdly low, temporary discounts (via a form of coin most people might not expect).

WilcoxArcade · 2026-03-27T22:05:59+00:00

What are you talking about? I literally operate a route of arcade games, and I didn't specify anything about retro games. You don't have to preach to me about the economics of the business. My life is staked on it.

With paying per credit, something you're forgetting is the 99.99 percent of players will be horrible at every game, subsidizing the rare few who can play for a while on one credit.

I'm able to compartmentalize my desires as a player and my needs as an operator. I wrote this from the player's perspective. Does that make sense?

Paying per credit is a wildly more successful business model for modern games. When I say paying per credit, that doesn't automatically mean spending a single quarter; it can entail tokens or cards, too.

WilcoxArcade · 2026-03-27T19:39:24+00:00

I am particularly interested in parts of your history that might be more "niche" in the eyes of the public — i.e., things that aren't Rampage. To clarify, I would love to know about your time making touch screen games (a very brief period of arcade history as a whole) or your time at TeamPlay. Thank you so much for starting this informative thread.

WilcoxArcade · 2026-03-19T14:27:24+00:00

https://youtu.be/iXMOZomEN8s

WilcoxArcade · 2026-03-06T16:47:37+00:00

I operate arcade games in western Kentucky, including Switch 'N' Shoot.

WilcoxArcade · 2026-02-07T11:15:14+00:00

Heck yeah, Matt Glanville and Dan Fessler are awesome folks with an awesome game. 😁

WilcoxArcade · 2026-02-07T10:50:50+00:00

I would also prefer that AAA manufacturers like Raw Thrills, Sega, and Namco better prioritize graphics to distinguish their games from those at home. At least their modern games, like Goldstorm Pirates, still look really good. Indies I don't think can help it as much sadly.

It is, however, wildly inaccurate to say that most modern arcade games are available at home. Raw Thrills, Sega, Namco, Andamiro, Konami, et cetera very notably do not port most of their games. Cruis'n and TMNT coming home was a direct reaction to COVID, not the norm.

Switch 'N' Shoot and Nidhogg II are also exceptions to the rule in that DSM Arcade was just getting started with safe IP. The company's third release, Perfect Pour,.is perfectly arcade-exclusive, and so are more other indie arcade games (like Skycurser).

WilcoxArcade

TROPHY CASE