Arcade & Classic Games · 54

Arcade difficulty was shaped partly by economics: a machine had to be exciting enough to earn another coin without ending the player's turn so quickly that it felt unfair. Meanwhile, the mechanics tell a second story: Alternating two-player modes created competition without simultaneous hardware; friends could share one cabinet and still turn every life into a public performance. Three initials can contain an unreasonable amount of pride when they sit above everybody else's score.