Arcade Collectors: Keeping The Coin-Op Scene Alive

Advances in home video gaming may have dealt arcade parlours a fatal blow many years ago, but the scene remains alive in the hearts of those who grew up when it was in full swing. Although the majority of amusements arcades have now closed their doors for good, many of the machines they housed remain in operation, in the safe hands of dedicated collectors.

These passionate individuals collectively form a vast community that single-handedly keeps the coin-op movement alive. We caught up with some of the scene's veterans at this year's Replay expo to find out what inspires their continued pursuit of the lost art that is arcade gaming.

Around the turn of the millennium, coin-op gaming was nearing the end of its life, but for the collectors, things were just getting interesting. Vintage cabinets, circuit boards and other essential parts began to appear more and more frequently on auction websites like eBay, their prices increasing relative to the level of demand. Their popularity peaked around the middle of the last decade before the momentum slowed somewhat. However, there are signs that this is about to change.

"Back in 1999, eBay UK would have two or three arcade machines on it, now it has around 250 at any one time. Stuff is so much easier to get hold of now," collector Luke Wells told Digital Spy. "Prices started off cheap, went up expensive about 2005 before going down again. Now they look as though they are on their way back up.

"I used to buy circuit boards for about £100 to £150, now you can get stuff for £30 to £40. They're on the increase now though, probably due to the amount of expos that are going on, there's pinball shows, Replay and others too."

Wells, whose collection spans some 85 cabinets, puts his enthusiasm for retro coin-op technology down to more than just nostalgia. He claims that the rarity of some cabinets and the aesthetics of others raises their value significantly in the eyes of collectors. "It started off getting the games I remember from being a kid, and then along the way I've discovered other games I didn't know about. Some machines are rare and desirable, so you want them in your collection, others are just nice pieces of art," he explained.

When asked which cabinet he considers the jewel in the crown of his collection, Wells expressed his appreciation for vintage Atari products. "Everyone asks, 'What is the one cab you'd keep?' I'd have to narrow it down to about about ten, I think. I like the early to mid-'80s Atari stuff, so Paperboy, APB, Championship Sprint, Gauntlet, things like that."

Of course, some arcade parlours remain in operation today. Though many of them are dominated by one-armed bandits and redemption machines, others are dedicated to serving up a slice of retro action. The Arcade Barn in Exeter is one of the most prominent retro arcades in the UK, filled wall-to-wall with classics cabinets from the '70s and '80s, including Star Wars, Pac-Man and Space Invaders. The establishment's founder Shaun Meldon told us that a yearning for the games of old influenced him to start collecting, adding that the prestige attached to high scores in the current climate has a part to play in the movement's growth.

"There's a big part of nostalgia there," he said. "Some of the Jamma cabinets are quite reasonably priced now, so that's attracted more buyers. There's also the fun as well, these games are quick and easy to play, and there's a lot of high score stuff going on today. There's a lot more kudos for getting high scores now."

Meldon, who owns around 40 cabinets in a collection worth "well into five figures", named his original Fire Fox machine as the pick of his horde. "It's a sit-down one by Atari. They only made about 350 because it was such a disaster. You don't find many of them as most were chopped up. I'll never part with that cabinet, I'll probably be buried in it."

The arcade collectors' scene has been around from some time now, but how have the advances brought about by the current home console generation impacted on the movement? Julian Kershaw, founder of the Jamma+ Arcade Video Game Collectors forum, is convinced that the movement continues to grow despite the strides the industry is making from a technological standpoint, but notes that the interest is showing signs of shifting away from early '80s hardware.

"I reckon there are more people interested, absolutely. I think the scene has changed though because when I first got involved it was more about machines from the early '80s, but we have a new generation on-board now who are interested in things like Street Fighter and modern shooters."

Like his fellow collectors, Kershaw also cited the nostalgic value of arcade gaming when asked what influenced him to build up his own collection of coin-op cabinets. "The fun of playing the machines as a kid, and not wanting to give any of that up. I just love playing the games. You think about your favourite games, and just want to revisit them. But you don't want to revisit in on Mame, you want to do it properly. It's memories isn't it? Not wanting to lose it. The ability to still play the games you like for real, rather than on a PC," he explained.

Kershaw named his Salamander cabinet as his prize possession, a game which was released on arcades by Konami in 1986 as a spinoff to Gradius. "It was built by Elecrocoin, but they had a UK licence to put Salamander into their machines. Yes, it's a Goliath cabinet, but it has the Salamander artwork on it. Lovely-looking thing."

It's online communities like Jamma+ and events like Replay that keep the arcade collectors' scene thriving. Jamma+ has around 2000 registered members, around 250 of which visit the site on a daily basis. Through forums like this one, coin-up fanatics can network, trade cabinets, and arrange meet-ups at expos and trade shows. "Without the forums, it would be incredibly difficult to get collectors together for an event like Replay," Kershaw summarised. The heyday of arcade parlours may be long behind us, but with the collectors movement going strong, they'll always be more than just a memory.

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