> I was thinking more about the late 80s to the early 90s.
Then you're talking about a time when arcades were already past their peak, facing competition from consoles and PCs, forced to invent or refine some of these dark patterns in a declining market.
So when you asked whether the description of games today also applied to arcades you might have meant those arcades, and I don't deny that your impressions are real or accurate, but I stand by my claim that the description does not apply to arcades in general. When you include their heyday, the majority of arcades that have existed did not have much in common with the kinds of games we've been talking about.
Then you're talking about a time when arcades were already past their peak, facing competition from consoles and PCs, forced to invent or refine some of these dark patterns in a declining market.
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/50-years-gaming-history-rev...
So when you asked whether the description of games today also applied to arcades you might have meant those arcades, and I don't deny that your impressions are real or accurate, but I stand by my claim that the description does not apply to arcades in general. When you include their heyday, the majority of arcades that have existed did not have much in common with the kinds of games we've been talking about.