How do I get started?

[ThankYouComeAgain]

Hi, the first business I ever started was selling candy @ school, and the second was trying to place a couple of video arcade games into places of business.  I was about 14 at the time, maybe 15.

Anyway, I stumbled upon a website that was renting arcade games out.  Is there any money in this?  What will I need to get started?  I pretty much know which types of arcades games to get, but here are the questions I have:

Is there a discount place out there that has these machines for sell in refurbished condition? 

What exactly is a jamma board?  Is that a motherboard or a computer chip that allows one stand up arcade machine to give the end user various games to choose from?

What price range should I be looking to pay for one machine from craigslist?

Given the current economic state of near collapse according to Austrian-type economists, is entertainment vending the dumbest idea I could have right now?

[dperry]

If you have an xbox, a wii, or a ps3, would you need to go to an arcade?

If you have a DSlite, a PSP, or a phone with games, do you need to play an arcade machine while you are waiting for your table at the restaurant?

[ThankYouComeAgain]

Oh I've DEFINATELY thought about that.  I was thinking that these could be packaged together with a ping pong table, foos ball table, and maybe some other stuff.

[alboy88]

i i thought id try to do arcade games this year  im trying to get them in places  i have candy machines  i just take a pic of the game and tell them ill pay a commission  if they let me put one in

[mizugori]

If you have an xbox, a wii, or a ps3, would you need to go to an arcade?

If you have a DSlite, a PSP, or a phone with games, do you need to play an arcade machine while you are waiting for your table at the restaurant?

I understand where you're coming from dp but I dunno, the arcade business is still alive and well from what I see. They have moved more and more towards games and controls that are difficult or impossible to do on a home console system; ie dance dance revolution and it's various clones (and please don't try to tell me that the play at home version with one of those plastic mats that slips all over the place is seriously competing with the arcade machines) and a lot of shoot-em-up games with the guns and pedals and such. There will always be a market for arcade machines as long as they keep pushing the creative envelope - there is even a DJ arcade game in the arcade near me, which is very elaborate with realistic controls that an actual DJ might use. I don't see something like that being possible on a console any time soon.

Now, the classic paddle with a few button setups, I don't know, those might not be around much longer. But then again, there's something social about going to the arcade with a bunch of friends.

[The Mage]

I want to own a Dave and Busters.

Seriously has anyone been in one of these?  Especially the big ones?

[ThankYouComeAgain]

This is a lot of good feedback, for example, the last poster mentioned Dave and Busters, which when the last time I checked there was a Madden game there where 4 people could play at one time.  It was great.  It was social, and it sported a huge screen like 47 inches.

[NinnJinn]

I want to own a Dave and Busters.

Seriously has anyone been in one of these?  Especially the big ones?

Who or what is Dave and Busters?

[dpvnc]

Dave  and busters is  a big peoples chucky cheese  games and food one here in Charlotte

[Jax Snacks]

What about pool tables??  I have to say that I don't see too many people in local restaurants playing video games.  Many of the smaller local arcades have closed around here.  The only ones left are in the tourist trap areas.  But I do still see many people playing pool.  Billards anyone?

Also what about juke boxes?  People still like to listen to music and play pool.

Just throwing that out.

[nrpick44]

Dave  and busters is  a big peoples chucky cheese

LOL, so true!

[dogcow]

arcades are dead

from the vending times :

dave and busters loses 9.5m in q2

http://www.vendingtimes.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=EB79A487112B48A296B38C81345C8C7F&nm=Vending+Features&type=Publishing&mod=Publications::Article&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&tier=4&id=69ABCC99AD4F47D38B390D6318FD8C8E

[dogcow]

anyway for some tips you can snag used machines off craigs list for 250-300 and

refurb using parts from ebay just make sure you know what you are doing ,helps to have someone who understands arcade game repair a little or at least electronics repair. stay away from pinball machine way too hard to fix and breaks way too often.

[dperry]

I think the one area of arcade vending that might still work is the mega-touch.  I had one of those, but I sold it, just because I didn't want to deal with the licensing, etc.  But I think that they do well in bars, and they do offer a competitive gaming format, so that you can log in and compete with others on the same network across the nation. 

[antoniocinisi]

I tried my hand at arcade games but it didnt work for me. I sold the bar location I had with games poker machines dart board pool table etc.it did well but when it came time for repairs I had very little I could do myself in terms of repairs.I am down to 1 megatouch on location 2 arcades in a skating rink and one big buck hunter that I put at work that is doing ecspecialy well this time of year. I have 3 more megatouchs that I have for sale if anyone is intrested.new arcade games can do the same as the megatouches and save scores online and do all that etc.the split is usually 50/50 and some operators can get the location to split the license fee with them sometimes.

the era of the stand alone arcade is dead imo too but not so much if it combined with something like dave and busters.even if they lost money that is largely down to the econmy,video gaming and all the fun stuff is the first to go when it comes to cutting expenses at home.they even serve beer at the one in ST louis.also you pay no sales tax on video games.

the thing with arcades is eventually you will have to swap games at your locations for something new when whats there gets old.megatouchs and some other arcade games can be updated  to newer versions.

[ThankYouComeAgain]

Can someone appropriately define jamma board and megatouch?

[dogcow]

Can someone appropriately define jamma board and megatouch?

im pretty sure jamma is just like a standard interface for video game pcbs

[Roostyr]

Stand alone arcades are dead, it's very difficult to own an arcade as your main attraction. Arcade players are mostly impulse-buyers, similar to bulk vending. In the same respect that no one goes to the car repair shop to buy your gumball / skittles / etc.

As an impulse attraction - it needs to be where traffic and the target audience for the game(s) can be found.

The entertainment industry is still going strong, in my humble opinion, its just not as easy as it used to be.

I have no experience with Mega Touches or dart boards.

Pool table revenues have gone down with smoking bans. You may be able to find a good location, but its much harder than it used to be.

For video games you would be mainly targeting the teenage / young male segment of the market. I would advise against buying a new video unless you have an exceptional location. Many decent games can be found for $700 or less and do nearly as good in the right locations.

Merchandiser games can capture a wide range of players. Have a prize for all age levels to increase appeal to all markets. Solid pieces for a variety of locations.

Ticket Redemption games are where the money is currently.

You can build your own video game fairly easily if you want to keep it simple with a joystick or 2 and some buttons. You just need a cabinet (empty), a harness, and then games. Games run around $80 or so, and can be swapped quickly and easily within a cabinet that is set up correctly. Run Marvel vs Capcom 2 for a month or so, if its not performing swap to a different game. Hold tournaments to raise interest / awareness of the game(s) on location(s). This also allows you to change games in the location for a fraction of the price of buying a new game for the location.

Games will need to be swapped occasionally, or else interest will begin to wane. Once you have several games at several locations, simply rotate them out. Weed out under performing games over time and build a gaming empire. If your first few locations don't perform well don't give up, if you provide great service and get along with the owner(s) / manager(s) opportunities will come.

Sorry the post is a little scattered, if I had said everything I wanted to originally it would span a few pages.

-Roostyr

[Greatdane]

Can someone appropriately define jamma board and megatouch?

Megatouch game systems, which are coin-operated, touchscreen video games primarily found in bars, restaurants, and taverns. Megatouch games are developed by Merit Entertainment in Bristol, PA.^[1]

Japan Amusement Machinery Manufacturers Association often known as JAMMA, is a trade association based in Tokyo, Japan.

JAMMA is run by representatives from various arcade video game manufacturers, including Namco Bandai, Sega, Taito, Tecmo, Capcom, Konami, Atlus.

JAMMA began as a rights group in January 1981, but turned into an organization in June 1989.

As an organization, JAMMA is well known for its namesake wiring standard for arcade machines

The JAMMA wiring standard was introduced in 1985. Arcade cabinets wired to the JAMMA standard can be made to play all games built to this standard, simply by installing the circuit boards for the new game. By the 1990s, most new arcade games were JAMMA standard. As the majority of arcade games were designed in Japan at this time, JAMMA became the de facto world standard.

Before the JAMMA standard, most arcade PCBs, wiring harnesses, and power supplies were custom-built. When an old game became unprofitable, many arcade operators would rewire the cabinet and update the artwork in order to put different games in the cabinets. Reusing old cabinets made a lot of sense, and it was realized that the cabinets were a different market from the games themselves. The JAMMA standard allowed plug-and-play cabinets to be created (reducing the cost to arcade operators) where an unprofitable game could be replaced with another game by a simple swap of the game PCB, and an update of the artwork.

The JAMMA standard uses a 56-pin edge connector on the board with inputs and outputs common to most video games. These include power inputs (5 volts for the game and 12 volts for sound); inputs for two joysticks, each with three action buttons and one start button; analog RGB video output with negative composite sync; single-speaker sound output; and inputs for coin, service, test, and tilt (the former to accept game credits and the latter to maintain the board).^[

Later games (e.g.: Street Fighter II, X-Men) use arcade boards that incorporate extra connectors or utilize unused JAMMA pins to implement extra buttons, different controller types, or support more players. These games are sometimes referred to as JAMMA+.

Info from Wiki.