Arcade

Arcade is a term used for several related concepts in architecture, commerce, and entertainment. In architecture, an arcade is a series of arches supported by columns or piers, forming a passage or gallery. The word comes from French arcade, Italian galleria arcata, from Latin arcus meaning arch.

Architectural arcades have appeared since antiquity, notably in Roman and medieval Europe. They may serve as covered walkways, porticoes, or shopping galleries. A shopping arcade is an enclosed or glass-covered passage with shops, often linking streets or courtyards and sometimes extending to multi-level shopping centers.

In popular culture, arcade refers to a venue of coin-operated entertainment machines, especially video games. Early amusements included pinball and electro-mechanical games; the video arcade boom of the late 1970s through the 1980s featured titles such as Space Invaders and Pac-Man. Although home consoles reduced their numbers in many regions, modern arcades persist, sometimes focusing on multiplayer experiences, retro collections, or virtual-reality games. An arcade game is typically a stand-alone cabinet with a screen, controls, and a coin mechanism designed for short play sessions.