Besides being way cooler to look at, ’80s arcades were just something that couldn’t be replicated anymore. In the days before practically every home had a video game system, you went to the arcade with your friends to escape. You’d bash buttons furiously, trying to get the top score or stack your quarters on the machine to call dibs on the next round. Nowadays, with their all-digital offerings, arcades just aren’t the same. Even high-quality graphics don’t make up for the cool factor lost by modern arcades. Not to mention that these 21 games are part of the reason why the 80s were the golden age of arcades.
#1: Pac-Man (1980)
One of the video games that changed the game for arcades was Pac-Man. This simple yet iconic game involved Pac-Man, a circular character who would eat dots inside a maze while avoiding the ghosts — Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde. The Ghost Gang would chase Pac-Man and try to capture him. If they captured you too many times though, it was game over. Not only was this game fun, it was also the first to create its own mascot, giving hope for future memorable video game characters to come.
