- Penny arcade
A penny arcade can be any type of venue for
coin-operated devices, usually for entertainment. This included early forms ofpinball andfortune-telling machinery of the 1930s andSlot machine s.Vending machine s may also be considered in this category. The name derives from thepenny , once a staple coin for such machines.The earliest penny arcades from the nineteenth century had machines called
bagatelle s, a game combining pinball andbilliards . Later, penny arcade machines grew closer to modern pinball. Penny arcades were once common atamusement park s andfair s but by the 1950s, such coin-operated amusements were generally replaced in midways by more modern games of chance and skill (redemption game s such as shooting galleries andskee ball ).Another form of machine found in penny arcades were
peep show machines (ancient usage of the term) which allowed the viewer to see various views of objects and later moving pictures.Slot machine s, love testers,fortune teller machines and other coin-operated devices were found in such venues.Penny arcades later led to the creation of
video arcade s in the 1970s.References
* Namerow, Wayne. " [http://www.pinballhistory.com/ The Pennyarcade Website] ". Retrieved
February 6 ,2004 .ee also
*
Pinball
*Musée Mécanique External links
* [http://www.annatar.freeserve.co.uk/antique_amusements/index.html A Collection of Antique Amusement Machines]
* [http://www.gameroomshow.com/penny_arcade.php Gameroom Show] , Penny arcade related website
*http://www.underthepier.com/15_history_intro.htm Illustrations of various machines
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