arcade games

11 Stories

Arcade Game Record-Holder Is Stripped of His Scores

Group that sanctions records scrubs Billy Mitchell's marks after investigation

(Newser) - It's high drama in the obscure but passionate world of old-school arcade games. The organization that oversees records has stripped a top gamer of his high scores in Donkey Kong and Pac-Man, reports Polygon . The group, Twin Galaxies of Iowa, concluded after a lengthy investigation that Billy Mitchell did...

A Retro Game Is Suddenly Very Much in Vogue

Pinball is making a comeback

(Newser) - The old-school arcade game of pinball is resurging in popularity. The AP reports interest has skyrocketed over the last decade, with the number of players and competitions growing worldwide, per the International Flipper Pinball Association. There were 500 players in 50 competitions worldwide in 2006, according to the IFPA; in...

Oakland to Drop 80-Year-Old Pinball Ban

Machines were once considered moral menace

(Newser) - The California city of Oakland is about to finally scrap an anti-pinball law nobody has paid much attention to since World War II. The game was outlawed in Oakland and many other cities in the 1930s, when the machines didn't have flippers and were considered gambling devices, the San ...

After 32 Years, Town Lifts Arcade Game Ban

Marshfield, Mass. has a lot to catch up on

(Newser) - A Massachusetts town has decided it's time to finally lift a ban on arcade games it established when Ms. Pac-Man was new. At a town meeting, the residents of Marshfield voted 203-175 to lift the ban that was introduced in 1982 and went almost all the way to the...

Florida Gambling Crackdown Banned ... All Computers
Florida Gambling Crackdown Banned ... All Computers
LAWSUIT SAYS
Jul 10, 2013 9:33 AM CDT

Florida Gambling Crackdown Banned ... All Computers

Internet cafe ban so vague it made smartphones illegal

(Newser) - When Florida politicians banned Internet cafes earlier this year, the intention was to stop illegal online gambling. Only they may have accidentally banned a whole lot more. A new lawsuit against the state alleges that the ban was so hastily constructed and poorly written that it effectively bans any computer,...

30 Years Later, Pac-Man's Influence Endures

Arcade legend celebrates its birthday tomorrow

(Newser) - Today's teenage gamers probably aren't big on Pac-Man, but they might want to give thanks tomorrow as the arcade icon turns 30, writes Daniel Terdiman for CNET . It just may be the most influential video game of all time. Yeah, titles like Pong came first, but Pac-Man, with its deceptive...

NYC Surgeon Is New Donkey Kong King

Plastic surgeon Hank Chien topped record score during Feb. blizzard

(Newser) - Step aside, Billy Mitchell—the new “King of Kong” is New York City plastic surgeon Hank Chien, who beat Mitchell's Donkey Kong scoring record by 10,000 points. The arbiter of Donkey Kong scoring, Twin Galaxies, has verified Chien’s score on the classic arcade game. The real shocker:...

Playing Tetris Boosts Brain Power

Study claims game has building blocks for better grey matter

(Newser) - Playing Tetris leaves people's brains better-equipped to deal with more than just an onslaught of falling blocks, according to a new study. Researchers—funded by the video game's makers—took brain scans of adolescent girls before and after three months of daily Tetris playing and found that some parts of...

The Top Arcade Classics
 The Top Arcade Classics 
OPINION
Jul 7, 2009 7:15 PM CDT

The Top Arcade Classics

Star Wars impressed, but Donkey Kong was barrels of fun

(Newser) - They may seem primitive alongside your Wii, but lest we forget the glory days of arcade games, Peter Hartlaub counts down the best in the San Francisco Chronicle. The top five:
  1. Donkey Kong: 30 years on, “they’re making documentaries about this incredible video game,” whose barrel-throwing gorilla
...

Japan's Arcades Fall Before Mighty Wii

Kids can easily replicate atmosphere at home—and portable players have role, too

(Newser) - Japan’s arcades are in trouble, Reuters reports. For years, they’ve been immune to the ravages plaguing arcades elsewhere, but the $6.9 billion industry has met its match in the Nintendo Wii. A new generation of game consoles, coupled with an explosion of high-end TVs, has made the...

Arm Wrestling Game Breaks Japanese Arms

After three fractures, company blames "overexcited" players

(Newser) - Atlus Co. will remove all 150 of its "Arm Spirit" arm wrestling games from Japanese arcades after three broken arms have been reported. The company claims the recall is only a precaution, insisting that the machine isn't really that strong. "Even women should be able to beat it,...

11 Stories