As someone who spent a large chunk of his childhood at arcades, I’ll freely admit that I was sad to see arcades dying such a sad death. It’s true that in many cities across the world, you’ll find niche spots where arcades might still be popular. In the city where I live, however, arcades are few and far between. I can think of only two notable arcades in the local area, one of which really doubles as a café. I know many gamers in my age group lament the loss of the arcade. It was a place where people gathered to have fun, hang out, and discuss games. But there are probably countless articles on the web you can read about how terrible it is that the arcade is dying/dead, and what we all miss about them. As much as it hurts me to admit it, there are a few things about arcades that I certainly won’t miss.

1.     The Germs

Every time there’s an outbreak of some worldwide disease that makes its way into media reports, there’s always panic. People stock up on hand sanitizer and face masks. Talk shows are flooded with experts who graphically describe how many germs the human hand comes in contact with, simply by touching surfaces in shared public spaces.

Remember walking up to an arcade machine and simply grabbing the control stick and jabbing at the buttons? There was no hesitation or fear on our part. But thinking back to the arcade experience, it occurred to me that hundreds of people a day could potentially have touched those controls before I did. What were they doing with beforehand? Eating? Smoking? Cleaning a toilet? Who knows? Just thinking about my childhood arcade experiences is enough to stir the hidden germaphobe (Let stand. It’s not a real word, but it’s hip enough slang that people get it) inside me.

2.     The Smoke

Sure, this isn’t really a complaint against arcades themselves, but back in the early 90s when I frequented arcades the most, smoking indoors was still a somewhat common practice. Nowadays, the city has booted smoking to the outdoors for the most part. But I have vivid memories of slouching into an arcade, and being confronted with an impenetrable fog of blue-ish cigarette smoke. I remember the rows of shady looking guys, sitting around all day playing bubble shooter games while filling dingy ashtrays with smoldering cigarette butts.

3.     The Bad Partner/Challenger

The arcade was an open gaming environment, in which you could instantly be paired up with a new challenger or partner at any time. This could mean a fantastic encounter where you’re paired up with a partner who seems to understand your every move. You’ll probably end up beating a particularly difficult game with that partner. Or maybe you’re bored of fighting computer controlled enemies. Perhaps a worthy challenger will step up and provide you with a white-knuckled fight to remember.

But sometimes, the partner or challenger you received just wasn’t up to snuff. I don’t mean they weren’t as skilled as you were. It could be that light gun shooting partner who dies within five minutes of starting the game. Or it could be that guy who is so clearly skilled at fighting games that he could do it professionally decides to sit down and destroy you within seconds. In either case, arcades always presented the opportunity for some incredibly unbalanced pairings. Now, this isn’t to say modern online titles don’t have this issue, but many games at least attempt to make some semblance of balance in multiplayer matches. At the arcade, anyone with pocket change could join in, for better or worse.

4.     The Money

If I went to the same arcade every week, and spent a dollar playing a single machine for an entire year, I would be out close to 50 dollars by the end of the year. That might not seem like much, but consider the fact that most people didn’t simply spend a dollar at the arcade every time they went. Throw in the fact that I can now buy some arcade compilation titles for much less than 50 dollars, and it makes me realize just how little I miss sliding quarters into arcade machines.

5.     The Crowd

I had a love/hate relationship with the crowd at arcades. When you’re doing well at a game, the crowd will inevitably gather around your machine, singing your praises or offering a word of encouragement. When you’re not doing so hot, people might stand around commenting about how bad you are at certain games. That obviously isn’t going to help you improve. In the privacy of our bedrooms and living rooms, sometimes we forget that others can be judging our performance. The arcade crowd critique has given way to the internet chat-flaming on many multiplayer titles, but rarely will you find a group of random strangers in a digital lobby so equally generous and venomous as they could be in person.

There are many things to love about arcades, and a long list of things that I’m secretly hoping will be preserved into the future. The list above contains things that I’d rather stay in the past.