A Short History of Arcade Games: From Coin-Op Cabinets to Your Browser
Many of the games on PlayNook, such as Snake, Brick Breaker and Paddle Ball, trace their roots back to the arcade. The ideas behind them, simple controls, quick rounds and a score to beat, were shaped in noisy halls full of coin-operated cabinets. Here is a short, friendly history of how arcade games began, how they changed and how they ended up in your web browser.
Before video games: coin-operated amusements
Long before screens, there were coin-operated amusement machines. Fairgrounds, seaside piers and amusement halls in many countries had mechanical games, fortune-telling machines and, most famously, pinball tables. You put in a coin, played for a short time and tried to earn a high score or a prize.
These machines established ideas that video arcade games would later inherit: short sessions, a clear cost per play, and the pull of trying "just one more time" to do better.
The first video games
The earliest video games were not commercial products at all. In the decades after the Second World War, scientists, engineers and students experimented with games on large, expensive computers in universities and research labs. These were demonstrations and hobbies, and very few people ever played them.
In the early 1970s, engineers found ways to build games into affordable, dedicated machines that could be placed in public spaces and paid for with coins. One of the first big hits was Pong, a simple table-tennis game in which two players moved paddles to knock a ball back and forth. Its success showed that video games could be a real business, and many companies soon began making their own machines. Our Paddle Ball game carries on this simple bat-and-ball idea.
The golden age of arcades
From the late 1970s into the early 1980s, arcade games became hugely popular in many parts of the world. Arcades opened in shopping centres and on high streets, and machines appeared in cafes, cinemas and shops. This period is often called the golden age of arcade games.
Several genres that are still familiar today took shape during this time:
- Space shooters, where players defended against waves of attackers descending from the top of the screen.
- Maze games, where players moved through corridors collecting items while avoiding enemies.
- Brick-breaking games, a variation on the bat-and-ball idea in which a ball knocks out rows of bricks. Our Brick Breaker follows this tradition.
- Platform games, where characters ran and jumped between levels of a screen.
High score tables became a big part of arcade culture. Players entered their initials, and local rivalries grew around who could hold the top spot on a favourite machine.
Home consoles and changing arcades
As technology became cheaper, more people could play games at home on consoles connected to their televisions and on home computers. Home versions of popular arcade games meant players no longer had to travel or pay per play.
Arcades responded by offering experiences that were hard to copy at home, such as big screens, special controllers, driving seats and games designed for groups. Competitive games in which players faced each other side by side helped keep arcades busy for many years. Arcade culture remained especially strong in some countries, particularly in parts of East Asia, while in many other places the number of arcades gradually declined as home gaming became more capable.
Phones, browsers and a return to simple games
The spirit of the arcade found new homes. Simple games came pre-installed on many mobile phones, and a game in which a line grew longer as it ate items on the screen became familiar to a huge number of people. It is the same idea behind our Snake.
In the 2000s, the web became a major place to play. Browser plugins allowed developers to publish small games that anyone could play instantly, and many classic arcade ideas were remade this way. Those plugins were eventually retired, and modern browsers now run games using standard web technologies such as HTML5 and JavaScript, with no extra software to install.
Smartphones then brought new variations on old ideas. One-touch games, endless runners and stacking games all echo the arcade's focus on short rounds and a score to beat. Games like Desert Runner and Sky Hopper belong to this newer branch of the family tree.
Why arcade-style games still work
Decades later, the basic formula is still popular. There are a few good reasons:
- Easy to learn. Most arcade games can be understood in seconds.
- Quick to play. A round often lasts only a minute or two, perfect for a short break.
- Clear goals. Beating a high score is simple, motivating and endlessly repeatable.
- Skill-based. Improvement comes from practice, which makes progress feel earned.
Key takeaways
- Coin-operated amusements such as pinball came before video arcade games and shaped their format.
- Early video games began as experiments on research computers before becoming commercial in the early 1970s.
- The late 1970s and early 1980s are often called the golden age of arcade games.
- Home consoles changed arcades, but arcade-style design lived on in phones and web browsers.
- Short rounds, simple controls and high scores explain why these games are still loved today.
Bounce a glowing ball off your paddle and smash through six colourful brick layouts that get faster as you climb.
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