Arcades' relevance is lost with home systems
Ever see the movie "Tron"?
Don't worry, I'm not going to fill this column space -- my last one of the year -- with mere pop culture references.
"Tron" was one of the first movies my family rented. It's a Disney movie featuring Jeff Bridges that was released in 1982. One of the first scenes takes place in a crowded video game arcade, a familiar sight during the Reagan presidency.
Kids (and adults) still love video games, but in the 1980s arcades were the cool place to hang. Parents grew sick of their children trading their allowance dollars for game tokens and wasting their after-school hours. Not that I have any idea what that was like.
Anytime you have a large group of kids together, adults grow concerned with troublemakers, and arcades were a target. High school kids clad in jean jackets roamed about the smoky rooms and plunked quarters in the new Pac-Man machine.
I remember going into an arcade with a White Sox hat and being asked by the "bouncer" to take off my lid. They were concerned about street gang shenanigans.
As technology improved, gamers didn't have to venture outside to enjoy the latest digital adventure. Much like the transistor radio revolutionized entertainment, smaller and cheaper circuit boards allowed gamers to purchase systems and play games from the comfort of their own homes.
Video game developers made games for the arcades first, then they made a home version to be played on consoles, like the venerable Atari 2600. Nowadays, developers don't have to worry about putting out an arcade version. They just pour their money and time into a home iteration.
Arcades grew to be an endangered species, sharing the same fate as disco and other fads.
What has this to do with Hoffman Estates? During the last two meetings, trustees have talked about the game room at the Putting Edge Fun Center.
The village restricts the number of "amusement devices" on a single site to 10. The owners of Putting Edge, 2535 W. Golf Road, want to increase that to 30 and have applied for a special-use permit.
Some board members remain concerned about teens loitering, and the village memo includes information on the center's security measures. According to the village's memo, "additional games could result increased parking demand, though many customers are not of driving age."
The only loitering village officials need to be worried about are teens waiting in line at electronics stores, waiting in line for new Nintendo Wiis or copies of Guitar Hero.
They'll go home and play these games under the same roof they share with their parents. Arcades are no longer a large source of revenue 25 years after "Tron."
Village Manager James Norris did make a relevant point, saying an amusement tax could be applied for amusements of all varieties, not just video game machines.
He alluded to taxing the concerts and other events taking place in the village's entertainment district at Prairie Stone, including the Sears Centre and Prairie Creek Amphitheater.
It's funny this comes up in December, because it's a holiday staple to see teens tear through gift wrap to spend hours in front of the television set with a controller in hand. Some will avoid lasers in a jungle adventure. Some youngsters will strum a toy guitar through a rendition of the Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black." Yep. That's the same song their parents grew up with.
And, with that, it's about that time. I'll be back in January. Happy holidays, folks.