Most Popular Arcade Games

1. Which of the following arcade games do you think are the most iconic? [Select up to three] (An arcade game is a usually coin-operated game designed for play at an amusement arcade)

At the top of the pile is the legendary Pac-man and with 36% of the votes going towards this particular game, it is the Namco-created game that saw from competition from the likes of Space Invaders and Mario Bros. 

Space Invaders would find itself positioned second with 27% of the vote – 9% more than Mario Bros in third. However, the Italian plumber did not get third place all to himself and with arcade games being considered as anything that is coin operated, it shares the mantle with Pinball.

Pinball in third, just a single percent higher than the iconic Nintendo game which is Tetris and with the blockbuster block-based game earning 15% of the vote, it sits above two interesting entries that round out the top six.

Going back to coin operated games of all kinds being factored in, it is fruit and slot machines that sit higher than traditional arcade games such as Donkey Kong and Street Fighter and although the two-machine based games have lessened in popularity they are still a staple of the British high street. 

2. When was the last time you played an arcade game? [Select best match]

Of the 2,000 people who were surveyed, 46% of them have not played an arcade game in the past year. A value that is greater than all of the values of people who have played an arcade game in the same 12 month period (total of 42%)

Of the categories that have played an arcade game in the past 12 months, the highest-ranking category was people who have played in the last month. This answer was recorded by 10% of the 2,000 surveyed but this was still 2% less than those who have never played an arcade game. 

3. Do you wish you could play arcade games more often than you do?

In theory, the fact that 46% of those polled have not played an arcade game in the last year could have been due to time constraints. However, this does not seem to be the case as 50% of those surveyed have no desire to play arcade games more often.

At the same time, there is still 33% who perhaps pine for a dose of nostalgia from time to time. The inability to find an arcade game could also be a reason as to why they cannot be played but at the same time, 18% of the panel had no preference either way. 

Then again, the lack of desire to play arcade games could be due to ability and this prompted the following question: 

4. How good or bad do you think you are /would be at arcade games?

33% of the 2,000 people surveyed had a neutral stance when it came to their ability to play arcade games and this could highlight a simple love for the pastime. By comparison, only 8% believed themselves to be very good at the likes of Pac-man or Space Invaders.

7% had no idea how good or bad they would be – this could be linked to those who have never played at all and therefore, have no idea how to gauge their own ability but at the same time a total of 29% were believed to be either bad or very bad.

Now we have an idea about ability, it is time to see what the favourite game genre is or was: 

5. What genre of arcade video games do/would you enjoy the most? [Select up to three]

Here we can see that brainteasers in the form of puzzle games sit at the top of the list with 29% of the 2,000 people surveyed choosing this as their favourite genre with the likes of Tetris and Bubble Bobble serving as prime examples.

This category was 6% higher than Shoot ‘em ups in second as the likes of Space Invaders and Galaga fend off Platformers such as Donkey Kong and Mario Bros. in third. Rounding out the top five where Racing Games and Fighting Games that each recorded 17% per genre.

However, these two genres still recorded less of percentage than those who consider themselves not interested in any kind of arcade game. 19% of the 2,000 surveyed suggested that arcade games is not something they would spend their spare time on.

Although 19% were not interested, 81% showed some form of desire towards arcade games and it leads us to this question: 

6. What feature/s do/would you value the most in an arcade video game? [Select up to three]

For 30% of those surveyed, the most important aspect to arcade games is the simple controls required to play the games. Usually two buttons and a control stick is all that required and not the button mashing or trigger selection that is required today.

That answer ranked just 1% higher than the nostalgia factor that comes with playing arcade games from 30 to 40 years ago and was deemed 9% more important than the sound and music from the games themselves.

In terms of soundtracks, it also allowed us to ask this question: 

7. Which arcade games do you think have the best soundtracks/sound effects? [Select up to three]

Top of the list is the iconic sound of the Mario Bros. game which saw 16% of survey rank this as the game that has the best soundtrack or sound effects. 4% more than the sounds of Pac-man and 7% higher than Mortal Kombat and Space Invaders who shared third place. 

Of course, there is no better feeling than getting the better of an arcade game and this is a feeling we attempted to sum up with this question: 

8. How often do you win when you play arcade games? 

Only 3% of those surveyed can consider themselves legends of the arcade as they win all the time but it must also be noted that 12% also win more often than not and can avoid the ‘Game Over’ screen with regularity.

At the same time, 9% of those surveyed have only ever met the same ‘Game Over’ screen as they have never got the better of games such as Mario Bros. or Donkey Kong – the same percentage of those who have never played an arcade game that they could win. 

Of course, arcade games are not all about the video element, they can be fruit machines played at online slot sites and it also served up this question:

9. How long do you typically spend playing arcade games, including fruit machines during a visit? [Select best match]

This time, only 1,753 people were asked the question and the most popular answer was anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour. Of those surveyed, this allocation of time picked up 35% of the results, 8% more than those who play for less than half an hour.

In terms of hardcore gaming territory, 15% deemed themselves worthy of that by playing for at least an hour but less than two. 3% went into even deeper hardcore status by playing for two or more hours but this was dwarfed by 20% who have no idea how long they play for. 

Now we know the amount of time played on arcades including fruit machines, we then asked the following question: 

10. How much money, if any, do you typically spend on fruit machines/ slot machines during a visit to the arcade? [Select best match]

Once again, 1,753 people were asked this question and the most recurring answer was a spend of £1-£10 which saw 31% of the panel select this option and if you are bunched together any spend between £11 and £40 that would only equate to a total of 30%.

Therefore, the spend of £1-£10 is what people largely seem to be the most comfortable with and only 4% of those surveyed choose to spend £40 or more. At the same time, just over one-fifth (21%) do not spend any money on fruit machines at the arcade.

Which means if 79% of the group are spending some amount of money, we should see what the levels of success are: 

11. Have you ever won on fruit machines/ slot machines?

1,384 people were asked this question and of those, 59% have had that winning feeling at least once. By comparison, 33% of those surveyed have never won on a fruit machine and 8% were not sure how they have fared.