Movies theaters to become arcades of the future?
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Feb 27th 2007 at 11:25PM }
Spain's Yelmo Cineplex company recently splurged on a "Cinegames" setup, converting one of its small theaters into a sizable LAN arena. Inside, some 50 17-inch LCD screens have been bolted to armrests, a gamepad dangling below each one. Once the fog and low smoke start to roll in, the black light and flashing green lasers get going, and the seats start vibrating, one gets a sense of why this innovative concept could reinvigorate the movie theatre business -- and resurrect the arcade. Developed by Enrique Martinez (pictured), Cinegames is slowly drawing crowds to an otherwise unprofitable small-screen theater at the Yelmo multiplex in Madrid. Aside from tourneys featuring chart-toppers like Pro Evolution Soccer (published by Konami -- not EA!), Martinez hopes Cinegames will appeal to educational institutions that could use the space for learning and testing; he's even marketing to corporate and senior citizen groups. If the concept takes off, Martinez plans to expand Cinegames throughout Europe, eventually hopping the Atlantic to target North American audiences. So how 'bout it? Would you desert your cushy spot on the couch and lose the Xbox Live headset to brush shoulders with your competitive peers? Tickets are only $4.
[Via The Last Boss]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jinkin @ Feb 27th 2007 11:33PM
Yes! Yes! A thousand times yes!
Sub @ Feb 27th 2007 11:44PM
Hell yes. It's a great idea, even if it is just a glorified lan center
silkylove @ Feb 27th 2007 11:46PM
Sounds cool. But without the cigarette burned cabinets, sticky buttons, quarter racks, and 80's hairband rock it's just not an arcade:(
you know @ Feb 27th 2007 11:54PM
$4 = cheep!
steve17 @ Feb 28th 2007 12:16AM
wow. 50 17" LCD screens arnt exactly dirt cheap. for $4 a ticket.
mko @ Feb 28th 2007 1:16AM
If you filled each seat 4 times a day (who knows!) that would be 16 bucks a day, so in a year a single seat could be worth $23,360 bucks in one year of use,
So assuming the each seat 4 times a day theory, one 50 seat theater could generate over a million bucks a year. Would that be enough to pay for the building and attendants, tech support, computers/lcds?? I don't know.
SirRoxen @ Feb 28th 2007 1:21AM
No PCs? :
SirRoxen @ Feb 28th 2007 1:23AM
Oh nm, guess I should have read the full article. :)
C. Baines @ Feb 28th 2007 1:45AM
Wow, this is such a great idea. And there is an abandoned movie theater out here. I think this could be a hit.
Tetelestia @ Feb 28th 2007 3:03AM
lol @ movies theaters
Dark-Pen @ Feb 28th 2007 3:32AM
I wonder why there's an image of the Heavy Rain tech demo in the back of that picture (or I think it is...)
nick @ Feb 28th 2007 9:59AM
yeh for halo 2 tourneys
Austin @ Feb 28th 2007 9:11AM
#6 - in the city most likely not. A better question is what does it have to do with movie theaters? Couldnt you just use any warehouse space or does he want you to be used to the fact that there going to screw you on the food.
Haj @ Mar 3rd 2007 8:57AM
Someone correct me if you know but didn't a theater in downtown San Diego (a few blocks from Horton Plaza) try this a couple of years ago. I swear I remember them advertising big screen counterstrike and halo tournaments.
alienclay @ Feb 28th 2007 10:29AM
what? leave the house to play games in a "rumble" seat? but ,.... i hear there are "people" outside.
that and my ps360 home theater that i paid a good chunk of change for would miss me. ...
i like the idea, but i'm not sure how far this goes, the reason arcades were cool were that they offered technology and graphics not available at home, but with next gen systems, arcades today seem to actully be lagging behind with old wornout harware littering the place and little developer interest as profits continue to fall. it used to be you would talk about the awesome game you played in the arcade and couldn't wait to see on a home console even though it would lose features. now it seems the reverse as even the arcade version seems dumbed down and less immersive with fewer features.
you could go with your friends and compete against a number of other gamers and 10-20 years ago, that was your only choice to find a broad range of competition. now with online gaming and ranking boards, you get to compete for the top score of not just one standup, but for the world. the only real arcade advantage here is that kicking someones butt in an arcade gives you an audience and the true rewards of bragging rights. but how long untill they find a way to deliver that experence online too?
my thing is, how does this improve on me being at home? the price is low enough, but i'm looking for that, "cool, now i have to go!" hook
Dan @ Feb 28th 2007 12:25PM
NO
Aux @ Feb 28th 2007 5:28PM
$4 for how much playing time? I think this would work for the new systems for people who couldn't afford to outright buy them, and maybe for new games that people want to try before they buy them.
Also, for me personally, I don't like to play games on xbox live with people I don't know. Most of my gaming online is with my friends, but back in my arcade days, I'd play with just about anyone in the place. Maybe people are craving that human interaction that you don't get through online play.