[Primary Research] SEGA Arcade Case Study

After observing the SEGA Prize Zone Arcade located in the Galleria, Hatfield and asking questions to their employees about the arcade, I gained a better understanding of the running of the arcade and how it is operated.

How does it work?

Instead of using cash to play the games like in a more traditional arcade, most machines worked by using a SEGA top-up card given when you transfer a minimum of £5. You can continue to top-up the card as much as you wish in multiples of fives.

Similar to using an oyster card or a laundry card, by tapping the card on a reader on a specific game allowed the user to play the game.

Additionally, physical tickets are given once a player has played a game which can be cashed in and exchanged for prizes. The only exception to this is the grabbing machines and the 2P machines.

Why is it in the mall?

SEGA is a new addition to the Galleria opening in December 2016. 

I imagine it was added due to the amount of families with children that come to the Galleria. Although there is a cinema (Odeon) and a play area for small children in the main part of the galleria, there isn't any 'cool' places to go for early teens or slightly older children to have fun. Therefore the Sega store solves this problem buy offering a fun place to go with traditional arcade games.

Moreover you can also book to have a party at SEGA which is great for young people who love arcade games.

Hardware Solutions

I dislike the buttons used to operate the grabbing machine as you can only move right and up once. A joystick would have been a much better way to operate this machine, as the user would be able to position the grabber arm in exactly the right place before grabbing.

I like the guns used in the 'Luigi's Mansion' game as the aim of the game is to hoover up ghost's out of his mansion. Therefore I really like that the guns because of their design. They are specifically shaped like vacuum cleaners which fit the theme of the game perfectly and are visually exciting.

Gamification

The arcade uses gamification by offering you a prize for playing a specific game. Usually you would only play a game for enjoyment however SEGA uses gamification by giving you tickets to keep you engaged in playing the game repeatedly. The amount of tickets is determined by analysing the gamer's point score and performance.

Other ways that SEGA use gamification is in the coin machine and the grabbing machine. In these games you do not receive tickets but immediately win a physical prize if you win/play the game. These games are extremely addictive but while you can stop playing the grabbing machine, the coin machine is a continuous cycle where the gamer inserts coins into the machine to win more coins.

Commonly coins fall out of the machine as they have been pushed out by the previous coins inserted. Once these coins have fallen out, the gamer will often re-insert these coins to try and win even more coins. Gamification is used because when the gamer runs out of coins, small prizes such as paper money or physical items (five pound notes or key chains) in the machine tempt you into inserting more coins into the machine - especially if the prize is near the edge of the machine. 

What I would change

The only thing I would change about the store is the prizes. For the amount of money you spend to play the arcade games and the amount of tickets you receive from the games for the prize exchange, trading tickets for prizes becomes more expensive than buying the same prize online. Therefore, I would change this so that the prizes are of a similar worth to the amount of tickets cashed in.

Grabbing Machine - Hardware & Software Interfaces

The grabbing machine works slightly differently to the majority of the games machines as you do not receive tickets from playing these games. Your prize from playing is the toy inside the machine if you manage to grab it correctly.

Using your card, you tap the card reader (Hardware) which displays the amount of credits needed to play the game. Once tapped, the amount of points stored on your card is reduced and the software tells the game to activate as he gamer has paid.