I’m at the age where I clearly remember the games that started letting you continue if you put another quarter in. I knew what that meant and I hated them for what they were doing. I knew they now had a financial interest in makeing it harder to get by certain parts. It was the beginning of the end of me going to arcades on a regular basis.
One of the best posts I’ve seen on this subreddit in awhile. As a person who grew up in arcades I understood even back in the 80’s what the true business of video games would become. At the time owners of gaming cabinets could adjust the difficulty therefore making more money on these cabinets. Smash TV and other top down shooters were notorious for being quarter gobbler games. I recall spending 30 dollars to beat Smash TV. 30 bucks to beat one game, one time!
Microtransactions and DLC have come as no shock to me and even though I don’t always agree with them I still realize it’s in our control to buy them or not. I will never forget that over 30 years ago I spent 30 dollars to beat Smash TV one time. So 20 dollars (or less) these days for a DLC doesn’t seems like a big deal for all the entertainment I get.
Best friend and I spent $16 in quarters beating Bad Dudes vs. Dragon Ninja. We were so stoked and then it just ended with a message saying “Don’t Do Drugs”. That was the beginning of the end of arcades for me.
I remember in the late 80’s when i was but a wee fart there was a pizza place where i lived, Izzys Pizza, they had two arcade games. Robocop and another game that wasn’t worth my attention.
For one of my birthdays i was gifted a roll of quarters and off i went, Robocop was calling my name ever so sweetly. That damned machine took my entire roll and didn’t even let me pass the second level.
Either that or i wasn’t as good at the game as i seemed to think i was.
Not a microtransaction at all. You can’t put a shit ton of quarters in and get stuff that makes you more powerful. You just had to pay to play like everyone else.
Guys really lose their tiny minds about micro transactions like they’re a new part of gaming, I remember halo 2 making us pay for like 4 extra maps lmao this shit isn’t a recent thing
Yall think some games are bad now. Remember paying a dollar for a single life in a video game? Knowing they made the game as difficult as possible to make you spend more. Fuck dungeons and dragons in the arcade.
I think you have no idea what the game was at that time maybe, it’s not the same thing. 😉
In the cabinets paid to play a game of a game, the game lasted depending on HOW GOOD YOU WERE, and without GETTING ANY ADVANTAGE.
You didn’t buy game items, you didn’t buy game parts (dlc), you didn’t take advantage of buying things that improve your character with real money.
In short, you did not pay to make the game easier, which today seems to be of great interest since difficult things are opposed.
In practice …. NO SHORTCUT 🙂
we boomers didn’t invent this shit my friend, it’s not our fault this time: D
Except you got more game from it. Not useless bullshit.
Nah, that’s the first Pay To Play.
Definitely willing to shell our a roll of quarters instead of the bullshit credit cards they have now
only if you were bad
You were purchasing a limited licence to play a game. Not virtual items within a game you already paid for. Not the same. But nice try.
Not really. That quarter gave you the WHOLE game.
This person obviously has no idea what microtransactions is. Our local arcade was hacked and we played the first street fighter for months
First microtransactions in a game was probably an ea game like the sims
But micro transactions don’t give you access to the game the way this did. This was more like timed subscriptions caused by addiction.
If I bought the game and it still charged, this would actually be true!
Nostalgia
The first arcade game that I played that sucked my quarters like this was double dragon.
I’m at the age where I clearly remember the games that started letting you continue if you put another quarter in. I knew what that meant and I hated them for what they were doing. I knew they now had a financial interest in makeing it harder to get by certain parts. It was the beginning of the end of me going to arcades on a regular basis.
To be fair I lost my lunch money every week practicing Street Fighter: Third Strike for tournament weekends…
I miss arcades. Badly.
Not a microtransaction. Just a transaction.
This was also how the user interface for dating applications looked like back in the day.
I was the asshat with $5 worth of tokens lined up on the game window.
CEO of Activision: “Hey this gives me a great idea! $1 to save game, $3 dollars to load! let’s put it in Diablo IV.”
One of the best posts I’ve seen on this subreddit in awhile. As a person who grew up in arcades I understood even back in the 80’s what the true business of video games would become. At the time owners of gaming cabinets could adjust the difficulty therefore making more money on these cabinets. Smash TV and other top down shooters were notorious for being quarter gobbler games. I recall spending 30 dollars to beat Smash TV. 30 bucks to beat one game, one time!
Microtransactions and DLC have come as no shock to me and even though I don’t always agree with them I still realize it’s in our control to buy them or not. I will never forget that over 30 years ago I spent 30 dollars to beat Smash TV one time. So 20 dollars (or less) these days for a DLC doesn’t seems like a big deal for all the entertainment I get.
This is pay to play. And when you did you got a fully working game with access to all content.
Yeah that’s not a microtransaction…
You don’t know what “microtransaction” are, huh?
Best friend and I spent $16 in quarters beating Bad Dudes vs. Dragon Ninja. We were so stoked and then it just ended with a message saying “Don’t Do Drugs”. That was the beginning of the end of arcades for me.
🤖Do you want to play a game?🤖
Not… really?
Okay, this is gonna sound incredibly pedantic… because it is, but this is more like a subscription fee than a micro-transaction.
Micro transactions give you something beyond the ability to play the game.
Putting another quarter in, at best, lets you continue from where you left off after you get wrekt.
Macrotransaction
I remember in the late 80’s when i was but a wee fart there was a pizza place where i lived, Izzys Pizza, they had two arcade games. Robocop and another game that wasn’t worth my attention.
For one of my birthdays i was gifted a roll of quarters and off i went, Robocop was calling my name ever so sweetly. That damned machine took my entire roll and didn’t even let me pass the second level.
Either that or i wasn’t as good at the game as i seemed to think i was.
They aren’t microtransactions – this is short term renting.
Not a microtransaction at all. You can’t put a shit ton of quarters in and get stuff that makes you more powerful. You just had to pay to play like everyone else.
25¢ back then was big money.
25 cents wasnt all that micro back then
Guys really lose their tiny minds about micro transactions like they’re a new part of gaming, I remember halo 2 making us pay for like 4 extra maps lmao this shit isn’t a recent thing
Deposit 40 quarters to play
– Die instantly
Deposit 40 quarters to play
Bootlicker!
While it wasn’t a micro transaction, you could certainly make an argument for pay to win
Yall think some games are bad now. Remember paying a dollar for a single life in a video game? Knowing they made the game as difficult as possible to make you spend more. Fuck dungeons and dragons in the arcade.
Everyone arguing about what this should be called and no one mentions the word “rental”.
It was the first video game rental. You damn kids.
I just watched a video about an Arcade version of Double Dragon III that the in-game items need to be bought by coins as well.
The mental gymnastics this sub always does to justify their thinking of “older=better” is amusing.
I think you have no idea what the game was at that time maybe, it’s not the same thing. 😉
In the cabinets paid to play a game of a game, the game lasted depending on HOW GOOD YOU WERE, and without GETTING ANY ADVANTAGE.
You didn’t buy game items, you didn’t buy game parts (dlc), you didn’t take advantage of buying things that improve your character with real money.
In short, you did not pay to make the game easier, which today seems to be of great interest since difficult things are opposed.
In practice …. NO SHORTCUT 🙂
we boomers didn’t invent this shit my friend, it’s not our fault this time: D
Just a transaction. That happens to be cheap.
NOOOOO. but we GOT something out of that coin slot.
Boomer post to the max