Amusement arcades are an important part of British culture, yet discussions of them tend to be based on American models. Alan Meads, who spent his childhood happily playing in British seaside arcades, presents the history of the arcade from its origins in traveling fairs of the 1800s to the present. Drawing on firsthand accounts of industry members and archival sources, including rare photographs and trade publications, he tells the story of the first arcades, the people who made the machines, the rise of videogames, and the legislative and economic challenges spurred by public fears of moral decline.
Amusement arcades are an important part of British culture, yet discussions of them tend to be based on American models. Alan Meads, who spent his childhood happily playing in British seaside arcades, presents the history of the arcade from its origins in traveling fairs of the 1800s to the present. Drawing on firsthand accounts of industry members and archival sources, including rare photographs and trade publications, he tells the story of the first arcades, the people who made the machines, the rise of videogames, and the legislative and economic challenges spurred by public fears of moral decline.
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