As many probably know by now, I have been contemplating the possibility of opening an arcade in the Lynnwood / Bothell area. I envision this arcade being a place for serious players to gather and socialize around their respective game genres.

As part of putting together a business plan and feasibility study, I'm trying to determine what machines I should purchase and what I have available to me. I've come up with this idea of asking the community if anyone who owns an arcade cabinet would like the opportunity to house it in this arcade, free of charge.

Let me provide you with an example of how I see this working. I'll use Laura, her Husband, and their Pop'n Music game as an example;

As the arcade owner, I would provide space and electricity for the machine, as well as a location with paying customers. As the owner, you provide initial delivery of the machine and all maintenance related issues. The benefit to the arcade is that I don't have to shell out a lot of money on a new product, yet the arcade still enjoys having your machine as a showpiece in the collection. The benefit to you is that you still have access to your machine, but you also have a chance to interact with the community and play against other people, as well as earning some money from your machine. The immediate owners of the machine (i.e. Laura and her Husband) would be allowed free play and allowed access to it anytime the arcade is open. Also, the revenue generated from the game will be split 50/50 between the machine owner and the arcade owner. The cost of maintenance & electrical will be deducted from the machine's revenue before the 50/50 split, which means the profits from the machine will be shared equally for both parties.

This is obviously a very rough proposal and it is not legitimate or binding in any way. I'm simply throwing this out there to get an idea of how receptive this idea would be to any arcade cabinet owners out there. Currently this arcade is only an idea I have on paper. Please let me know how you all feel about this and if you'd prefer sending me a PM regarding this, feel free to do so.