Ever since we started in late 2012 till the final time I close down the doors, the journey has been amazing. Everyone seems to agree on one thing: the arcade is dead, and I'm actually okay with that. The statement doesn't really sting (anymore) because it's a fact and we could mention several reasons for this.
The economics aren’t there anymore and that's true.The Arc hasn't been getting much foot traffic as of late.To those who don't know, the Arc is kind of outside the city. Well, it's not that far (around 5 minutes tops) but people can get decisive when they need to do more work to play games so maybe people just found other places to play console games. This is also fine with me. In fact, I have been to as well as serviced a few other shops that have consoles as well and I am glad that they offer console gaming. Maybe because of the recent road construction on the Arc's street that people found it hard to visit. Less customers meaning less reason to keep the shop open for longer hours, especially with the sudden spike of elecrtic bills this summer but honestly, money is such a small issue when you watch people of all ages band together and see them get competitive or just hang out and talk about their favorite games and share their ideas and opinions with each other. Now, people may mention that "...but sir, the road has been fixed now! You can return to regular hours and --..." Let me stop you right there and move on to the next reason.
The community support isn't the same. This may seem unfair to the Arc faithful but it's true. Over the years, I have seen countless faces come and go at the Arc. Some have stuck around and have become a part of Bohol's local fighting game community (will be referred to FGC from here on out). Some have become some of my closest friends. There are a few others who visit because they just love gaming but truthfully, apart from these few people I mentioned, a lot of the regulars are gone now. I knew a lot of these "regulars". Some are not in Bohol anymore, looking for jobs and other competiton elsewhere and I wish them nothing but the best. Others have lost interest in fighting games or gaming in general and that's okay, hobbies come and go. What I'm trying to say is that it's hard to maintain a niche shop when your faithful have lost faith. Again, you might say "Sir, you can always build up a new community and start fresh!"...which brings me to my next reason which for me seems to be the most important.
I am burned out and distracted. The Arc isn't necessarily going through a very tough time and in fact, it's even poised for a makeover. A great opportunity to start out fresh and get a renovation but honestly, my drive isn't there anymore. Now, dont get me wrong, I still have the passion. I still love fighting games. However, I have too much on my plate as of late that I find it hard to devote both my time and focus to the Arc like before especially when I'm the only one running the whole show now. I will not go into detail about this and I hope everyone can respect my decision.
We're almost done! I'd like to give out rather specific reminders to Bohol's FGC and a few special shoutouts as well.
Bohol FGC!
In the coming months where I won't be busy anymore, I think I'll finally be able to get some play time with the most recent fighting games like SFV and MKXL so even though the Arc isn't going to be around anymore, hopefully we can still hang out and get some sessions in. It's only a matter of looking for a place to crash lol.
Special Shoutouts!
To my fam for allowing me to run the Arc for as long as it could. Thank you!
To Seddy Israel and Ricardo, two of my greatest friends and the Arc's first ever sponsors.
To Randz Revil for continuing the Tekken love and supporting us.
To Marcky D. Arcky! for helping me build up the SF scene here and also sponsoring events.
To Paolo, Julius and Arthur, you guys might not have been to the Arc and I'm sorry that it closed down before you could visit but you guys have been giving us help, support and shout outs for as long as I could remember. Thank you!
To Jade, Nino Prince and all the other regulars, thank you!
If you actually took the time to read all of that, thank you as well! You may or may have not been to the Arc but I'd like to thank you as well :D
In closing, here is my final statement: The concept of travelling to a destination outside of the home to engage in competitive gaming may seem outdated because of online play but it's such a worthwhile experience. Bohol Arcadium was built on that idea. On the internet, players can be anonymous. Things could be said that would never be said in person or, at the very least, would be lost in translation and could be simply brushed off. But when you meet people in person you want to present yourself in your best light. It's about humans. That was the Arc's main purpose and has always been the appeal of an arcade. The connection. That's never going to go away. It's here that friendships are won, rivalries settled and intense staredowns in front of the glow of the machines. Can it come back? That depends. Creativity will bring anything back. All in due time, I guess. But for now...
All I can say is thank you so much for the support all throughout the years. I'll see you guys around.
Chadymac Out.
