Arcade Guides and Game Spotlights

Game spotlights

• Space Invaders
  A clear introduction to Space Invaders, including its 1978 arcade history, controls, design, beginner approach, and home-play considerations.
• Asteroids
  A clear introduction to Asteroids, including its 1979 arcade history, controls, design, beginner approach, and home-play considerations.
• Pac-Man
  A clear introduction to Pac-Man, including its 1980 arcade history, controls, design, beginner approach, and home-play considerations.
• Ms. Pac-Man
  A clear introduction to Ms. Pac-Man, including its 1981 arcade history, controls, design, beginner approach, and home-play considerations.
• Donkey Kong
  A clear introduction to Donkey Kong, including its 1981 arcade history, controls, design, beginner approach, and home-play considerations.
• Galaga
  A clear introduction to Galaga, including its 1981 arcade history, controls, design, beginner approach, and home-play considerations.
• Frogger
  A clear introduction to Frogger, including its 1981 arcade history, controls, design, beginner approach, and home-play considerations.
• Centipede
  A clear introduction to Centipede, including its 1981 arcade history, controls, design, beginner approach, and home-play considerations.
• Defender
  A clear introduction to Defender, including its 1981 arcade history, controls, design, beginner approach, and home-play considerations.
• Missile Command
  A clear introduction to Missile Command, including its 1980 arcade history, controls, design, beginner approach, and home-play considerations.
• Dig Dug
  A clear introduction to Dig Dug, including its 1982 arcade history, controls, design, beginner approach, and home-play considerations.
• Q*bert
  A clear introduction to Q*bert, including its 1982 arcade history, controls, design, beginner approach, and home-play considerations.
• Joust
  A clear introduction to Joust, including its 1982 arcade history, controls, design, beginner approach, and home-play considerations.
• Robotron: 2084
  A clear introduction to Robotron: 2084, including its 1982 arcade history, controls, design, beginner approach, and home-play considerations.
• Tempest
  A clear introduction to Tempest, including its 1981 arcade history, controls, design, beginner approach, and home-play considerations.
• BurgerTime
  A clear introduction to BurgerTime, including its 1982 arcade history, controls, design, beginner approach, and home-play considerations.
• Pole Position
  A clear introduction to Pole Position, including its 1982 arcade history, controls, design, beginner approach, and home-play considerations.
• Track & Field
  A clear introduction to Track & Field, including its 1983 arcade history, controls, design, beginner approach, and home-play considerations.
• Gauntlet
  A clear introduction to Gauntlet, including its 1985 arcade history, controls, design, beginner approach, and home-play considerations.
• Out Run
  A clear introduction to Out Run, including its 1986 arcade history, controls, design, beginner approach, and home-play considerations.
• Bubble Bobble
  A clear introduction to Bubble Bobble, including its 1986 arcade history, controls, design, beginner approach, and home-play considerations.
• Double Dragon
  A clear introduction to Double Dragon, including its 1987 arcade history, controls, design, beginner approach, and home-play considerations.
• Golden Axe
  A clear introduction to Golden Axe, including its 1989 arcade history, controls, design, beginner approach, and home-play considerations.
• Final Fight
  A clear introduction to Final Fight, including its 1989 arcade history, controls, design, beginner approach, and home-play considerations.
• Street Fighter II
  A clear introduction to Street Fighter II, including its 1991 arcade history, controls, design, beginner approach, and home-play considerations.
• Mortal Kombat
  A clear introduction to Mortal Kombat, including its 1992 arcade history, controls, design, beginner approach, and home-play considerations.
• NBA Jam
  A clear introduction to NBA Jam, including its 1993 arcade history, controls, design, beginner approach, and home-play considerations.
• The Simpsons Arcade Game
  A clear introduction to The Simpsons Arcade Game, including its 1991 arcade history, controls, design, beginner approach, and home-play considerations.
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
  A clear introduction to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, including its 1989 arcade history, controls, design, beginner approach, and home-play considerations.
• Metal Slug
  A clear introduction to Metal Slug, including its 1996 arcade history, controls, design, beginner approach, and home-play considerations.

Arcade guides

• The Golden Age of Arcades
  How the late 1970s and early 1980s created a shared public culture around coin-operated games.
• Arcade Origins in the 1970s
  A practical timeline from early electronic amusement machines to the first major video-game hits.
• The 1980s Arcade Boom
  Why cabinets spread through malls, pizza shops, convenience stores, and dedicated arcades.
• Arcades in the 1990s
  How fighting games, large motion cabinets, linked racers, and polished 2D action reshaped the floor.
• Arcade Game Genres Explained
  A plain-language guide to the major arcade genres and the control styles they usually require.
• Fixed Shooters Explained
  How limited movement, formation patterns, and escalating speed produce durable score-chasing games.
• Maze Arcade Games Explained
  Why maze layouts create readable decisions, repeatable routes, and strong character identity.
• Arcade Platform Games Explained
  A look at single-screen and scrolling platform games designed around short lives and visible hazards.
• Beat ’Em Ups Explained
  How cooperative side-scrolling combat works and why crowd control matters more than button speed.
• Arcade Fighting Games Explained
  An introduction to rounds, matchups, special moves, spacing, and local competitive play.
• Arcade Racing Games Explained
  How driving cabinets use physical controls, time pressure, and spectacle to create quick sessions.
• Light-Gun Arcade Games Explained
  How aiming systems work at a high level and what display changes mean for preservation.
• Trackball Arcade Games Explained
  Why trackballs excel at quick directional movement and precise cursor-like control.
• Spinner Arcade Games Explained
  A guide to rotary controls used for lane movement, aiming, and paddle-style play.
• Arcade Joystick Types
  Compare four-way, eight-way, analog, and specialized joysticks without overcomplicating the choice.
• Arcade Button Layouts
  How classic, Japanese-style, fighting, and multi-game layouts balance comfort with authenticity.
• CRT Versus LCD for Arcade Cabinets
  A balanced comparison of authenticity, safety, weight, lag, repairability, and availability.
• Arcade Cabinet Types
  An overview of uprights, cabarets, cocktails, sit-downs, candy cabinets, and large specialty machines.
• Cocktail Arcade Cabinets
  What makes table-style cabinets appealing and where their ergonomics can be limiting.
• Mini and Countertop Arcade Cabinets
  How smaller cabinets trade authentic proportions for easier placement and lower cost.
• Planning a Home Arcade
  Build a realistic room plan around circulation, power, sound, seating, maintenance access, and budget.
• Arcade Room Layout and Power
  A non-technical planning guide for cabinet spacing, outlets, ventilation, and safe household use.
• Buying a Used Arcade Cabinet
  A buyer-focused process for checking identity, condition, completeness, transport, and total cost.
• Used Arcade Cabinet Inspection Checklist
  A printable-style checklist covering cabinet structure, controls, display, sound, coin door, and paperwork.
• Arcade Restoration Priorities
  A sensible order of work that protects originality and avoids spending on cosmetics before reliability.
• Cleaning and Preserving Arcade Cabinets
  Low-risk cleaning and storage practices for artwork, wood, metal, plastic, and controls.
• Lawful Arcade Emulation
  A practical overview of hardware emulation, software rights, licensed collections, and personal responsibility.
• MAME Basics and Legal Considerations
  What MAME does, what it does not provide, and how to keep a home setup focused on lawful software sources.