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Would a classic video game arcade be viable in Sheffield?

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Things are really moving now - you should hold your breath, it will add to the drama on opening night. :thumbsup:

:hihi:

Thanks for the invite...

 

... I'd better go and lubricate my joystick! :shocked:

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I mentioned this idea to some pals at work today, and almost everyone thought it was a good idea. All except one fella who turned 40 when the playstation came out. It seems like everyone aged up to 50+ likes the idea. I expect you could include more modern plarforms as you go, to whet the appetites of the next generation?

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I mentioned this idea to some pals at work today, and almost everyone thought it was a good idea

 

That is exactly the costly information that my market research company came up with. I feel like I have had my leg lifted, BIG TIME. :mad:

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I think it's a great idea.

I'm of the vintage that remembers the boom and decline of the arcade. VR machines in crystal peaks and MHall :)and I've since taken/dragged my son into arcades all round the country over the last few years..

only to find the games are gone from nearly all arcades or there's laods of 2p and bandit or there's just a few shooting games at a £1 a credit.

 

Hardly any of today's teenagers and children will know what sega's outrun or afterburner was like so there's the potential market of uninitiated alongside nostalgia seekers.

 

but the crucial factor will be where are you going to site it & how much will it cost? because I'm not sticking quid coins into doubledragon like I used to do with ten pence pieces...

 

http://www.arcadeclub.co.uk/visitus

The arcade club is in a backstreet in bury and seems to be the obsession of someone that's been turned to business.

can you do that in Sheffield, would the rents allow it?

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I think it's a great idea.

I'm of the vintage that remembers the boom and decline of the arcade. VR machines in crystal peaks and MHall :)and I've since taken/dragged my son into arcades all round the country over the last few years..

only to find the games are gone from nearly all arcades or there's laods of 2p and bandit or there's just a few shooting games at a £1 a credit.

 

Hardly any of today's teenagers and children will know what sega's outrun or afterburner was like so there's the potential market of uninitiated alongside nostalgia seekers.

 

but the crucial factor will be where are you going to site it & how much will it cost? because I'm not sticking quid coins into doubledragon like I used to do with ten pence pieces...

 

http://www.arcadeclub.co.uk/visitus

The arcade club is in a backstreet in bury and seems to be the obsession of someone that's been turned to business.

can you do that in Sheffield, would the rents allow it?

 

In the summer in the Skeggy area, there were plenty of these type of machines around, and many of them seemed pretty popular - no doubt it helps being by the seaside and picking up passing holidaymakers, but still a fair amount of interest. I suppose there are no units in the new moor market that would be a decent size or price for this, as you would get plenty of passing trade there...

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Is it really what you had in mind though? :suspect:

 

As a bit of a reality check...

 

Over 200 machines at £1,000 cost per machine (from an earlier post) is an outlay of £200,000 just for machines! :o

 

And they're charging £10 for adults, so you need 20,000 customers before you've paid for the machines (assuming they're not leased).

 

And then there's site rent, electricity bills, business rates, machine maintenance, employees wages etc...

 

The one in Bury is probably run by some large gaming organisation who have pots of money to invest, and not by a one man band.

 

It's part of "Arcade Connection Ltd", set up by the couple from Bury, so not part of a bigger empire.

 

http://www.arcadeconnection.co.uk/

 

But the company was only set up last year, so there are no proper accounts yet to assess how well they are actually doing.

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In the summer in the Skeggy area, there were plenty of these type of machines around, .

 

not really, I've been all over skeggy/uk and there's hardly any arcade games in the arcades, 2p machines,bandits, a load of shooting and driving but the proper game cabinets are nearly all gone.

 

It's the reason that the business viability question is a serious one, the arcade game business model has gone kaput. Trying to revive it is probably futile in its original format- bar a few niche examples, the rarity is the usp now..

 

I think I'd be a repeat customer to an arcade if it could offer incredible online gaming speeds for console/pc gaming on rigs and screens I cant afford

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Well I've been there today and it's bloody brill, nice guy who runs it, snack bar, it's clean and nice in there and was full but not so full you couldn't get on the machines.

Good luck to him it's a great idea.

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I liked that Look North clip. That place would be worth a visit if passing in the nearby area (in a similar way to a museum).

 

I think though that his was a rare place but having a look at his accounts would help things! I don't think in Sheffield it would work as adult only and as a lone arcade, and likely only would be more like a tourist attraction/ or local thing as a novelty.

 

I think it would need to be integrated into something else, then decide whether your market is everybody or just adults. Amusement arcades have always attracted tossers, and I think would more so today if young people had access. It's a shame, because I think young kids would like these games.

 

There are a lot of coffee shop type places and sheesha type places popping up in Sheffield in recent years, I think it might integrate well with something like that.

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Good luck but I dont think it would work. Sheffield has never been a big arcade place, so unless it was something specual I dont think it would generate sufficient money.

 

Perhapsalso go and look at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-32067472 the National Video Arcade in Nottigham.

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Would it be possible or practical as a mobile unit - e.g. on an old double decker bus or a lorry that was reworked to house a selection of games? Then you could tour with it around Sheffield and further afield, which could be useful to piggyback off other events and shows.

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Would it be possible or practical as a mobile unit - e.g. on an old double decker bus or a lorry that was reworked to house a selection of games? Then you could tour with it around Sheffield and further afield, which could be useful to piggyback off other events and shows.

 

I think they'd be too heavy for a bus.

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