A Distract-a-thon

May 17th, 2009 by The Polski Samurai, under Why are you reading this?. No Comments

I’ve been working on two web comics this week and my eyes are heavy, my back is sore, and I think I’m actually getting tired of the taste of beer and coffee… no not really. I’m gonna try to post these on slothjockey and other various websites sometime this week. Stay tuned!

All in a good day’s work

May 14th, 2009 by The Polski Samurai, under Uncategorized. No Comments

I was playing around the other day on Photoshop and made this picture of myself. I thought it was funny. Others just told me I was “weird.” Meh, whatever. ENJOY!

We all have weird days...

Whatever happened to the Video Arcade?

May 5th, 2009 by The Polski Samurai, under Why are you reading this?. No Comments

You make it up to the third level after avoiding the oil can’s fire ball and hopping over 2 simultaneous wooden barrels. The hammer power-up is just in your reach but then that damn giant gorilla hurls a side winding barrel that ends your princess saving expedition.  Even though I wasn’t even born yet when the original Donkey Kong arrived in 1981, it was still being played way beyond my forthcoming into video games. The excitement, the pressure, and the motivation to defeat a second player or obtain a high score were the days of the video arcade. Children and teenagers would go after a long day of compound fractions and sentence diagrams to just be young and take a break from educational structure. But over time the arcade diminished and currently over 100 million Americans own a video game console. Arcades are not as abundant as the mid 80s and 90s but still have an underground following and a nostalgic place in history.

I remember when I was about 5 years old, I was starting to get interested in many completely different hobbies and activities. Legos were huge, most children start playing t-ball, and comic books stirred up my imagination (even though they were difficult for me to read at that age). Then one day my dad had a surprise for me. He took me to my first arcade where hours of entertainment could last on several quarters. Like an 8-bit carnival, constant flashing lights and clashing musical themes completely engulf the dim lit room. I remember chopping on power pellets to eat those stupid 4 ghosts, slicing and dicing my way through the Footclan, and shooting my way through mushrooms to kill that idiotic centipede.  When going to the arcade had so much impact because of travel, time and money, gamers better appreciated their efforts.

The standard bulky coin operated machine dates back to the early 1970’s on the campus of Stanford University. Here two students compiled multiple CPUs, graphic and sound chips/boards and created Galaxy Game. Of course this game required much time and money to put forth so Galaxy Game (Spacewar) was extremely limited across campuses around the country. But eventually engineers and computer science gurus, Nolan Bushnell and Alan Alcorn, found a simple game to play in popular hangout spots. In 1972, Pong was released which is considered by many as the beginning of the video game. This was the start of the arcade boom which included Space Invaders, Defender, and nearly a decade later Pac-Man.

The late 80s and early 90s were so groundbreaking with new ideas that gamers couldn’t get everything in with one visit. Even with classic arcades still avidly being played (Dragon’s Lair, Marble Madness, and 1942) shocking visuals and intuitive gameplay solutions were storming. Controversies and lawsuits arose for many of the violent and sexually themed games (Street Fighter II, Mortal Kombat, NARC) but this only caused more attention. When the fourth generation of video game home consoles brought many of these new fighting games to gamers’ home TVs, it still didn’t distract traditionalists and preferred joystick users who returned to the original hardware.

The late 90s and 2000s gave bought home consoles to the next level. Bringing 3D worlds and immaculate characters textures, arcades really started to struggle. However, as home consoles improved so did the arcade game. Showing more unique uses of the light gun, dual monitors, and even dance pad, the arcade was still showing life. Flight simulators and racing games brought gamers into more a realistic world with moving/vibrating seats and surround sound. But unfortunately the amount of business was only a fraction of the sales compared to the Playstation 2 and Wii. Arcades were closing around the country and the only locations where they could still be found where bowling alleys, laundry mats, and bars. Only a few major chains exist around America that combine a bar and restaurant environment with the arcade, Dave & Buster’s and GameWorks.

Video arcades are extremely rare around the country, but understandably so. The video game industry has boomed to where video game majors are offered in college, websites analyze and review new game arrivals, and the video game industry itself now holds more than 50,000 job positions in America. Even though home consoles are the wave of the future, video arcades still draw in audiences who realize that some genres can never be played at home. An example of this would be the special edition of House of the Dead 4 where the players are buckled in a revolving chair which spins 180 degrees towards two facing projectors. Sound interesting? Check out this random link I found on YouTube of the game in action: House of the Dead 4 Special

Even though I’m an everyday home console gamer, I hope video arcades will always exist in some form or another. The thrill of going somewhere new, playing ridiculously hard classics, and having the feeling of getting your money’s worth, is a familiarity similar to your first time at an amusement park. You tend to appreciate the efforts of the mechanical and programming thought processes while trying to get the end boss. Then you take a break from the screen and play some skee ball. It’s a dying community where adolescents and adults alike can all having something in common… fun. Yes online gameplay and the Wii have bought people together in the video game world, but going to an arcade brings more energy, competitiveness, and excitement for anyone who wants to play.

For those who are interested, I’ve listed some monumental arcade games which caused mass movements and/or controversy:
•    Pong
•    Death Race
•    Galaga
•    Defender
•    Centipede
•    Space Invaders
•    Dig Dug
•    Asteroids
•    Pac-Man
•    Donkey Kong
•    Frogger
•    Marble Madness
•    Q*Bert
•    1942
•    Dragon’s Lair
•    Star Wars
•    Spy Hunter
•    After Burner
•    NARC
•    Rampage
•    Shinobi
•    Street Fighter II
•    Golden Axe
•    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
•    Pit Fighter
•    Mortal Kombat
•    Virtua Fighter
•    Killer Instinct
•    X-Men
•    NBA Jam
•    Rush (series)
•    Time Crisis
•    NFL Blitz
•    Dance Dance Revolution
•    House of the Dead 4 Special