TWO people in home-made sleeping bags, heads stuffed into makeshift boxes, wriggle around on the floor. By twisting left and right they each move a caterpillar on a screen. A small crowd cheers them on. This is . Welcome to the future of the video game arcade.
鈥淕ames aren鈥檛 just about the things happening on a screen, they鈥檙e about the people playing them,鈥� says , director of the annual , which celebrates video games by setting up public game spaces across the city. 鈥淚n ROFLpillar only the players can see the screen. But they鈥檙e creating a performance that you watch.鈥�
Public gaming has come a long way from traditional arcades, with their rows of coin-eating cabinets. Over the last decade or so, with the rise of consoles and online play, gaming has become something we do at home, and arcades have mostly closed down in the West 鈥� although they survive in Japan. Now they are getting a reboot. The GameCity festival is just one of many events that aim to introduce the wider public to the variety of experiences that video games can now offer.
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A permanent space is next. We have live venues for music and film where people come together to share experiences, says game designer , who ran the experimental game studio until it closed last year. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 the equivalent for games?鈥�
Simons has one answer. In March, he will open the doors to the first , a five-storey building in the centre of Nottingham. It will be both a place to play games and a video game counterpart to the British Film Institute, with public lectures and exhibition spaces. The 拢2.5 million project 鈥� supported by organisations including Nottingham Trent University and the city council 鈥� is a far cry from the old arcades.
For one thing, the building itself will be playable 鈥� a platform for its own games. Many components, including the building鈥檚 lighting, sound system and temperature controls, will be open to manipulation. 鈥淲e鈥檙e building a PlayStation but it鈥檚 a building,鈥� says Simons.
At the end of this month, the first games designed specifically for the space will be announced. 鈥淏ut this can鈥檛 just be a thing for bearded men in their 30s to get excited about,鈥� says Simons. As a public space, the NVA is also aimed at families and schools. Simons is excited about commissioning celebrated game designers, but says it is equally important that a 10-year-old can come in and program the building鈥檚 LEDs to chase each other around the walls.
Screen-free gaming
鈥淭here are going to be a lot of games that people recognise,鈥� Simons says. Classic arcade games like Pac-Man could sit alongside console hits like Tomb Raider. 鈥淏ut this is as much about making,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he best way to learn about games isn鈥檛 always to play them. It鈥檚 to make them too. And this will be a home for that activity.鈥�
聯The best way to learn about games isn鈥檛 always to play them. It鈥檚 to make them too聰
The NVA may be the most high profile UK project to date, but there鈥檚 a big revival in arcades, says London-based game designer George Buckenham.
鈥淭here are at least four gaming bars in London now. That wasn鈥檛 the case a few years ago.鈥� The same is happening in the US, with venues like the LA Game Space and Barcade in New York.
Then there are events like Wild Rumpus, which Buckenham helps organise. This and other evening events are showcases for experimental games, like ROFLpillar, that use screens or controllers in novel ways. Many do without screens entirely.
鈥� a homage to gun-slinging Westerns 鈥� uses the PlayStation Move motion controller as a pistol in a game where the fastest-drawn controller wins. In , players must hold their Move controller as steady as possible while trying to jostle others into moving theirs 鈥� all to the accompaniment of J. S. Bach鈥檚 Brandenburg Concertos. Without the need for screens these games can be set up and played almost anywhere, even outdoors.
Similarly, 鈥� designed by Hide&Seek 鈥� uses Microsoft鈥檚 Kinect motion sensor in a game where players have to move objects out of the game space without being caught by a roving spotlight. It is played on the floor, again without need for a screen.
The mix of digital and physical elements helps make games more accessible. Unlike in traditional arcades, the idea is to cater for people who are not typical gamers, says Buckenham. 鈥淭hese weird, experimental interfaces are actually a great leveller. No matter how experienced you are, you鈥檙e still going to be doing the same ridiculous thing and you鈥檝e got a similar chance of winning.鈥�
聯The weird, experimental interfaces are a great leveller. You鈥檙e all doing the same ridiculous thing聰
As Simons notes, the performance aspect is often key. Only a handful of people can play a game at any one time, but watching can be as fun as playing. 鈥淥ne of the main things we look at for Wild Rumpus is this sense of spectacle,鈥� says Buckenham. 鈥淚t should feel like an event, a thing you can only see there.鈥�
For example, Buckenham has made a game called , specifically designed to be played in public spaces. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 really make sense other than that,鈥� he says. He has also made a version of the popular console game that is . In it, you bounce around the game鈥檚 pretty, pixelated world like a giant rabbit.
Being able to enjoy watching the games 鈥� even if you don鈥檛 play yourself 鈥� is important, say Simons and Buckenham. 鈥淥ne of the best things to hear is someone saying, 鈥業 didn鈥檛 think I was into games, but this is amazing鈥�,鈥� Buckenham says.
This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淩eturn of the arcade鈥�
