What are non-video arcade games?

Non-video arcade games are exactly what they say they are, games that are not played on a video screen. This does not mean that these are limited to pinball machines only. As a general category, these will include all types of coin-operated games that are not played on a video screen. The non-video category will generally be divided into three main types, single player skill, competitive multiplayer, and pinball machines.

The single player skill category will include some of the more familiar carnival games, such as skeeball, Rapid Fire Basketball, and various shooting gallery games. This attraction of these challenges is based on the personal performance of the individual. The player’s ability to advance to more difficult levels or achieve a high score is not affected by a competitor, it is based on personal achievement. Your skill is measured by the same criteria in all games, how high you score in the amount of time provided or before you use up all your turns (for example, the fixed number of balls provided during skeeball). Also included in this category are Pachinko machines, although their success here is largely based on luck.

The most common type of non-video arcade games are competitive multiplayer games. Arcade games that fall into this category will include (but are not limited to) foosball, air hockey, electronic darts, tabletop shuffleboard, and coin-operated pool tables. In addition to the player’s (or team’s) ability to score high, there is also the more immediate satisfaction of being able to defeat your friends in a head-to-head competition.

Pinball machines naturally fall under the category of non-video games as well, but they also have the added distinction of being able to be both a single player skill game and a competitive multiplayer game.

Non-video arcade games may not be as technologically advanced, but they are just as exciting and competitive.