Joyland Books

Ever walked past one of those arcade GRABBER machines and wondered how much one of those teddies that you can win really costs?

Maybe next time you will take a closer look because those teddies could soon be a thing of the past...

And talking of the past, with the dawn of the Super Casinos on the horizon is this just the start of the decline of the seaside amusement arcade as we know it?

Nick, are there plans for an Arcade Archive book?

My penny has just dropped and methinks that this is a good idea..

What the Heck am I talking about I hear you ask?

Click here to find out more:

http://www.southportforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40281

The story of amusement arcades in general will be covered in the forthcoming book about the history of what was Britain's biggest amusement arcade: Joyland, Bridlington. This book will be a journey through 100 years of arcade history and will be a fascinating insight into life in the wonderful world of amusement arcades. More here:

http://www.joylandbooks.com/books_new/joyland.htm

I used to love those grabbers, although I think they became too difficult from the 1990s onwards. It used to be that you could win virtually every time you aimed well. Now, even if your aim's good, the crane will drop it. The new generation of £1-a-go giant grabbers are certainly ridiculous!

I fear the amusement arcade is in decline, yes. I used to absolutely love going to the arcades when I was on holiday. I'd have £10 spending money for the day; you could get "ten tens" from the machine or the kiosk and, at 10p a go, just £1 would get me 10 goes on one of my favourite arcade games like Double Dragon. In the 1990s, everything became £1 a go, which totally took the fun out of it, even for someone really keen like me.

Furthermore, arcade games used to be so much better than the home versions. Now, home consoles are so powerful, there's no extra thrill of playing the arcade versions. Home games are longer and more complex, and they have the arcade graphics.

You used to be able to go into an arcade and be met by wall after wall lined with arcade cabinets. They'd all have the same controls (just a joystick and three buttons), and the emphasis would be what's contained in the screen (ie. the different games). Now, you don't get that. Every cabinet has to have a novelty, ranging from the innovative (the dancing ones) to the downright tacky (the electric chairs). Arcades aren't for gamers anymore.

Any more thoughts on arcades?

I was lucky to catch the era when arcades were best for "video games", as such - I suppose it was 1985 to 1995, roughly, when I was a youngster.

But thinking back, I used to enjoy arcades even before this era. We used to go into them in Clacton around 1980. There were machines that you could put a coin in and watch an automated scene.

I'm not usually sentimental, but one of the things that really does quite bother me is how arcades are disappearing at Clacton. Pier Avenue used to be quartered into four huge arcades. Now one of those "quarters" has been turned into KFC and a pizza restaurant. The rest is just waiting for a tenant.

Even the ones that are left used to be excellent in the 1990s for getting the latest Sega games, but companies like Sega don't even seem to be making as many coin-ops these days. My old favourite, The Gaiety, now seems to be be full of more gambling machines than ever. Gambling just isn't fun, and it's certainly not family fun. Arcades used to be about pleasure - watching a 2p fall down some shelves - but now it seems they're about serious gambling. Much of the fun has been taken out of it.

Graeme Cassidy wrote:Any more thoughts on arcades?

I was lucky to catch the era when arcades were best for "video games", as such - I suppose it was 1985 to 1995, roughly, when I was a youngster.

But thinking back, I used to enjoy arcades even before this era. We used to go into them in Clacton around 1980. There were machines that you could put a coin in and watch an automated scene.

I'm not usually sentimental, but one of the things that really does quite bother me is how arcades are disappearing at Clacton. Pier Avenue used to be quartered into four huge arcades. Now one of those "quarters" has been turned into KFC and a pizza restaurant. The rest is just waiting for a tenant.

Even the ones that are left used to be excellent in the 1990s for getting the latest Sega games, but companies like Sega don't even seem to be making as many coin-ops these days. My old favourite, The Gaiety, now seems to be be full of more gambling machines than ever. Gambling just isn't fun, and it's certainly not family fun. Arcades used to be about pleasure - watching a 2p fall down some shelves - but now it seems they're about serious gambling. Much of the fun has been taken out of it.

Tourism used to be the bread & butter for Clacton now like Margate the tourists have gone. The arcades back then were not really for gambling but simple arcades to while away the time and it did not need a fortune to spend an afternoon in one a few pound would easilly do.

At least Clacton seems to have escaped the seed rundown image that Margate has. I just hope that Dreamland survives the closing down of Butlins was the final nail in the coffin for Clactons tourist industry. To put houses on the site was incredibly short sighted.

The existing Butlins Camp could not have survived but developed and perhaps on a slightly smaller scale it could have been a massive attraction. You could not have had a better site with it being directly on the sea front.

CLACTON IS A RESORT I USE 2 VIST A LOT FOR ITS ARCADES
I USE 2 WORK IN AN ARCADE AT FELIXSTOWE AND THERE WAS VIDEOS,
ALONG ONE WALL AND PIN-TABLES ALONG THE BACK
I WENT IN THE ARCADE YESTERDAY AND IT WAS DERSERTED COMPAED
2 THE SAME TIME 12 YEARS AGO
GONE ARE THE VIDEOS ,PACLAND,BUBBLE BOBBLE ETC.THERE IS A
BIG CASH CASION AND A FEW PUSHERS AND 10P FRUITS
I FINK PS ONE HAD A LOT 2 DO WITH THE DECLINE ALSO THE SILLY
PRICE OF A GAME

Bob wrote:Tourism used to be the bread & butter for Clacton now like Margate the tourists have gone. The arcades back then were not really for gambling but simple arcades to while away the time and it did not need a fortune to spend an afternoon in one a few pound would easilly do.

At least Clacton seems to have escaped the seed rundown image that Margate has. I just hope that Dreamland survives the closing down of Butlins was the final nail in the coffin for Clactons tourist industry. To put houses on the site was incredibly short sighted.

The existing Butlins Camp could not have survived but developed and perhaps on a slightly smaller scale it could have been a massive attraction. You could not have had a better site with it being directly on the sea front.

I was at Clacton yesterday, and I noticed Pier Avenue now seems less special than ever. I said before a quarter has gone to shops, but it's probably more like a third. This used to be really magical when I was young, but there's nothing about shops and restaurants that will attract tourists.

Even the arcades that are left mostly have seedy "special entrances" for the gambling.

We don't even have a proper promenade anymore, because there is nothing to walk down to. Butlins acted as an anchor attraction, thus there were loads of things inbetween.

Very sad, and it did make me think of Margate.

Bob wrote:
At least Clacton seems to have escaped the seed rundown image that Margate has. I just hope that Dreamland survives, the closing down of Butlins was the final nail in the coffin for Clactons tourist industry. To put houses on the site was incredibly short sighted.

Thanks Bob, you the man! It's great reading through these old postings!

Hairy Vince wrote:

Bob wrote:
At least Clacton seems to have escaped the seed rundown image that Margate has. I just hope that Dreamland survives, the closing down of Butlins was the final nail in the coffin for Clactons tourist industry. To put houses on the site was incredibly short sighted.

Hi all

The reason arcades are not the same is the advent of big mony payout fruits and also tha fact that the teddie machines now have a form of percentage control that affects the amount of times you can win a teddie, operators can run fruits with much less maintance costs than vidios and pinball machines, and thay also take a hell of a lot more cash per hour than any vid or pinball game.

CLiff C