Arcadecore is an aesthetic that centers around how it feels to be a kid in the 1970s-2000s. This aesthetic includes cheap plastic toys, neon signs, pizza, arcade games like Donkey Kong and Pac-Man, the patterns on the carpet floor, etc. This aesthetic could also include clothes reminiscent of 1970s-2000s childhood such as Dunkaroos or a shirt with the Frosted Flakes mascot (Tony the Tiger) on it.
This article describes the idealized and slightly exaggerated traits of arcades in contrast with the real-world location. The photos here are more neon and vibrant than many real-life arcades, and would include images from other aesthetics, such as Synthwave and Nostalgiacore.
Visuals[]
Arcadecore visuals draw heavy influence from arcades of the 70s, 80's, 90's, and 2000s, which can include neon colors, arcade cabinets, ticket booths, arcade tokens, and other similar elements. Typically, a unique theme is incorporated into the design, most often from the Sci-Fi genre. Arcadecore can also draw heavily from the arcade pizzerias that were popular in the past such as Showbiz Pizza, Chuck E. Cheese, and businesses of that nature, as seen with the Five Nights At Freddy's franchise for example. Arcadecore can also involve laser tag-centric aesthetics.
Although mechanical operated arcade games existed since the 1900s, the modern arcade aesthetic originated in the 1970s with the invention of electronic pinball machines and video game cabinets. Arcades in the 70s tended to be decorated with bright colors with neon signs placed on the walls.
The decorating trends of the 80s were darker overall but incorporated more colorful elements. Combined with the different lights of the arcade games, an arcade tends to be incredibly multicolored and fluorescent. However, the lighting, walls, and carpets are often in a darker color, such as navy or black, in order to not drown out the lights of the games.
Other visuals/elements include:
- "The Arcade Carpet Pattern"
- Arcade cabinets
- Ticket booths
- Claw machines
- Arcade tokens
- Laser tag
- Pizza
- Arcade tickets
- Game tokens
- Pixels
- Joysticks/Fightsticks
- Lightguns (from retro shooter cabinets)
- 8-bit sprites and backgrounds
- Easy to play/hard to master games
- High scores
- 3-digit or more initials
- Vector graphics
- Ticket booths
- Neon lights
- Glowsticks
- Virtual reality headsets
- Malls
Fashion[]
Arcadecore fashion can be very low-key or very bright and flashy, but can draw inspiration from Mallgoth, Nostalgiacore, and Vaporwave, as well as various elements from the 80s and 90s.
- T-shirts/hoodies/hats with references to retro video games and nostalgic properties from the 70s-2000s
- Skinny jeans, shorts, or skirts
- Phat pants (JNCOs, Kikwears, UFOs, or Ghasts) and other clothing popular in 90s rave culture
- Cheap plastic jewelry you'd get at a ticket booth
- Glowstick jewelry
- Sneakers/Trainers (bonus points if they're light-up sneakers)
- UV-reactive clothing and dyed hair
- Fishnets
- Striped armbands
- Exaggerated neon 80's-centric fashion such as legwarmers, spandex bodysuits and leotards, big waist belts, asymmetrical/off-shoulder shirts, and high side-ponytails
Media[]
Video Games[]
- Space Invaders franchise (1978-present)
- Pac-Man franchise (1980-present)
- Centipede (1981)
- Donkey Kong (1981)
- Frogger (1981)
- Dig Dug (1982)
- Q*bert (1982)
- Super Mario Bros. (1985)
- OutRun (1986)
- Virtua Racing (1992)
- Dance Dance Revolution franchise (1998-present)
- Angry Birds (2009)
- Plants Vs. Zombies (2009)
- OvenBreak (2009)
- Arcade Jumper (2011)
- Coco Loco (2012)
- Five Nights at Freddy's franchise (2014-present)
- Cookie Run (2016)
- Friday Night Funkin' (2020)
- Pizza Tower (2023)
- Shadow Labyrinth
- Marvel: Cosmic Invasion
Film[]
- Tron (1982)
- The Last Starfighter (1984)
- The Wizard (1989)
- Toy Story (1995)
- Tron: Legacy (2010)
- Wreck-It Ralph franchise (2012-2018)
- Pixels (2015)
- Barbie: Video Game Hero (2017)
- Tron: Ares (2025)
Television[]
- Captain N: The Game Master (1989-1991)
- Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones? (2002-2003)
- Code Monkeys (2007-2008)
- The Goldbergs (2013-2023)
- Regular Show (2010-2017)
- Stranger Things (seasons 2 and 3) (2016-present)
- Oswaldo (2017)
- Hi Score Girl (2018-2019)
- Glitch Techs (2020)
Webfiction[]
- Homestar Runner (2000-present)
- Ctrl+Alt+Del (2002-present)
- Angry Video Game Nerd (2004-present)
- Dorkly (2010-present)
- LuigiFan00001 (2011-present)
Music[]
Music popular in the Arcadecore aesthetic community include Rock, Synthwave, Vaporwave, Eurodance/Europop, Chiptune, Future Bass, and EDM music.
Songs[]
- Cabinet Man by Lemon Demon
- Abington's Arcade by Teddy Hyde
- Pac-Man Fever by Buckner and Garcia
Music Videos[]
Spotify Playlists[]
Gallery[]
