Why are people calling machines, Arcades?

[onepunchrob]

We used to say 'go down the arcade' to mean building housing video arcade game machines, but also say 'play some arcades/play on the arcades'. This was as kids in the 80's/90's, so yes, I was there and am not new to this stuff.

Since I got my first cab though, I just automatically started saying 'play arcade games/arcade machines/arcade cabs'. So, I've been on both sides here

It still won't gel in my brain that an area of Leeds' shopping district is called an arcade.

"Hey, where did you get that model from?"

"Oh, in the arcade in town"

"THERE'S AN ARCADE IN TOWN?" *sound of starting car and screeching tires*

(There actually is an Arcade in Leeds now obviously, Arcade Club Leeds. )

 

[Sbdesign]

The point I am trying to make is, arcades is about the experience.

So when I invite people round to watch a movie, I don't say "come round to watch my DVD player". I'd say "Let's watch a movie at my home-cinema". It's technically not a cinema, but it's recreated.

It's the same with arcades.

Exactly, you don't say are you coming to watch retail park,

never mind coming to watch cinema (found in retail park)

You say come watch a movie.

So you would say come round to play games

Perhaps even say....at my home amusements (where games are found), in my home (location) not in an arcade (location not in your home).

arcade again being...

"An arched, covered passageway with shops or stalls on the sides is also called an arcade and was a precursor to the shopping mall. The Burlington Arcade in London opened in 1819 and was the first shopping arcade of its kind in Britain. It still exists and is the longest covered shopping street in England. As more of these shopping arcades opened, they also began offering games and eventually the word's meaning came to include video arcades, where you can play coin-operated games."

But todays common use of the word "arcade", would be what we collect - cabinets/machines, and the term arcade game, would be the game in it. A emulator would play arcade games.

And UKVAC means this Uk video arcade collectors.




and unless I joined the wrong forum, it is not for people collecting videos of arched, covered passageway with shops or stalls on the side in the uk.

Sbdesign2020-07-08 14:50:55

 

[nurtuo]

I have been to https://www.burlingtonarcade.com/ a few times,
but never seen so much as a Jamma Cab in there.

 

[John Bennett]

Yes, hearing 'Central Arcade' in Newcastle still triggers a response, followed by mild disappointment (although it's a nice building).

We used to 'go to the arcades' on a Sunday.

Nowadays even the word 'amusements' makes me think of those shady looking places on the high street people venture into for a break from the pub.

 

[Sbdesign]

Nowadays even the word 'amusements' makes me think of those shady looking places on the high street people venture into for a break from the pub.

A fruit machine shop?

oh no, there's another one "fruit machine"

I bet farmers use these?

 

[2huwman]

We used to say 'go down the arcade' to mean building housing video arcade game machines, but also say 'play some arcades/play on the arcades'. This was as kids in the 80's/90's, so yes, I was there and am not new to this stuff.

Since I got my first cab though, I just automatically started saying 'play arcade games/arcade machines/arcade cabs'. So, I've been on both sides here

It still won't gel in my brain that an area of Leeds' shopping district is called an arcade.

"Hey, where did you get that model from?"

"Oh, in the arcade in town"

"THERE'S AN ARCADE IN TOWN?" *sound of starting car and screeching tires*

(There actually is an Arcade in Leeds now obviously, Arcade Club Leeds. )

Very interesting - I think we would have said the same things in the 80s/90s. I would never have called one arcade machine 'an arcade', but I might have said I'd been 'playing on the arcades all afternoon', for example

.

But yeah, calling one machine 'an arcade' would have been a no-no.

And a 'shopping arcade' would have been a familiar term, especially somewhere with a nice old city centre, like Leeds.

 

[UnclearHermit]

"Come play some arcade games?"

"Come AND play"

"Come play" is another Americanism, like "Go get". Two verbs. Give them an "and".

"An arched, covered passageway with shops or stalls on the sides is also called an arcade and was a precursor to the shopping mall."

Mall also being an American term that we seem to have inherited.

You say come watch a movie.

Actually I'd say, "Come AND watch a FILM."

 

[John Bennett]

I say 'filum' and people take the piss.

 

[onepunchrob]

I say 'filum' and people take the piss.

Heard that a lot from Irish people too. I've been saying 'I'm going to watch a mmmmmmmmmoovie' since Austin Powers came out.

 

[_Matt_]

By the way, if someone has just one cab in a room and enjoys calling that room an arcade then good for them, thats fine. You just can't call the arcade machine in your arcade an arcade. Now just so we're crystal clear, once in your arcade, you can say you are playing in your arcade but you can't under any circumstances say you are playing on your arcade. That would be totally unacceptable

_Matt_2020-07-08 15:26:02

 

[Sbdesign]

all interesting....

in the 90s I think our conversations went like...

"where you going"

"I'm off to the arcades"

"what for?"

"to play sega rally & virtua cop - what else?"

So to be fair, never said to play an arcade, it was common to simply name the title.

"what did you play at the arcade?" "what did you do at the arcades"

"we/I played/beat whoever on "name of game"

But if the majority are saying the term has changed and now its "arcade machines" at best and not "an arcade"

the same can be said for console collectors, I mean video game console collectors.

And don't put your clothes in the wash, you need to put them in the washing machine.

Films: these are reels correct? or from a camera. A movie often recorded on one before the digital age, where a disc (DVD / BLuray) then took over, and further more now streaming.

"I say 'filum' and people take the piss."

This is what we say around here too, and believe its a NE location thing.

However we do say town and not toon.

 

[mysticmonk]

"Do you fancy a go on my large-amusement-oriented-machine-formerly-housed-in-buildings-named-arcades coin-gobbling-contraption?"

 

[John Bennett]

"Do you fancy a go on my large-amusement-oriented-machine-formerly-housed-in-buildings-named-arcades coin-gobbling-contraption?"

“No, I’m into fruits”

 

[strykr]

Epic thread

 

[big10p]

From now on, let's just call them 'Marklar'.

 

[mysticmonk]

"Do you fancy a go on my large-amusement-oriented-machine-formerly-housed-in-buildings-named-arcades coin-gobbling-contraption?"

“No, I’m into fruits”

"Sir, this is a family establishment, so take your arseless leather chaps and vacate post haste!"

 

[wetwants]

"Nah, they're called arcades bruh"

Can we give this a rest now?

 

[whitecomet]

As kids we only got to play arcade machines in chip shop, video rental shop and leisure centre... so when asked why we were going there it was "to play the arcades" however the shops only had 1-2 machines and the leisure had maybe 8.

The only building to house 12+ machines was the local fruit machine business and you had to be 18 to get into there so you could go to the room with the big neon "ARCADE".

Even when the travelling fair use to visit we would say we were going to the "arcades" meaning the building/trailer rather than a specific game.

I think once we were able to get in there and our understanding on what an "arcade cabinet" was we started to refer to them as machines/cabinets and by title... so we changed terminology.

Also when older people asked what you were doing, if you said I'm going to play R-Type or Golden Axe they wouldn't understand. But if you said going to play arcades they nodded and gave you a couple of quid!

However going back to the younger days most cabinets were all generic jamma cabinets and some of the marquees would just say "arcade" rather than the game or machine brand.

I think for people on the forum, calling them arcade machines, cabinet or even by the model names is understandable and correct. However to the rest of the world they get a idea when you call a cabinet an arcade, as the only arcade cabinet people will seen recently is in smyths and that's called a 1up Arcade.

So really I've called them both... I guess I've become more educated now and use different terminology to the audience!?!

 

[nurtuo]

Fooking Hell Dave.

You really opened a can of worms with this thread!

Get yourself down to your "Arcade" and start getting ready to re-open.

I can poke a straw through a mask to get a beer down me.

 

[andyman]

From now on, let's just call them 'Marklar'.

Member Marvin....member