Hi,
Quicksilver Games have over 200 venues all over the country (arcade directory) with classic and modern arcade games. Are you suggesting there is more demand for classic slot machines?
Very much so.
For me one of the biggest mistakes the industry has made is thinking that increasing the stakes and jackpots will attract more players and increase takings. This is absolutely not the case as far as I'm concerned - all this is doing today is alienating players further due to a dire lack of value for money and leaving the industry to prey the few unfortunate addicts that remain. Hence you have arcades up and down the British Isles going skint and being sold, and the ones that remain are often empty, save for a few 'lifers' huddled round a B3. The other machines are simply warming the place up - nobody wants Category C any more, no matter how much the rules are bent in order to pay big lumps. I've often said that even having a Category C at all is a waste of time for as long as B3's are allowed in arcades, which economically is a bit of a shame because the operator can have as many Cat C games as they like, yet the players don't want them. They've gone up a level and are hopelessly addicted.
What the industry should be doing is reducing jackpot and stake values and bringing entertainment back, therefore reattracting the lapsed players of years gone by. If you think back to 15 years ago every arcade in the country was packed on weekends with people knowing that they were going to spend money, but at least get a good game and pass a few hours in doing so.
Ten years back I used to wonder whether I would ever be able to stop playing fruit machines due to the fact that they were so entertaining and exciting. But these days I don't want to go into an AGC and put £20 through a Red Gaming machine just to see board, or £40 in an Electrocoin Bar X 7 to see a win, or even go near a B3 despite the attractive jackpot. Yes I may win decent money on the odd occasion but to be honest sometimes I'm not interested in how much money I could win - I'm simply buying time. Now the thought of playing the machines of today gives me no excitement whatsoever - so I haven't had to cut down my playing time - the machines have done that for me.
That's why an arcade full of classic machines appeals to me and many others. It's a combination of nostalgia, fun and entertainment, safe in the knowledge that your money is going to last a reasonable amount of time.