The latest craze in arcade games is the multi arcade game. The purchase of such a machine allows for the buyers to save money on future machines by having all of their favorite games stored in a single machine. All of these machines usually one specific type of game in common: the shoot 'em up style. This trend goes all the way back to 1962 when the first shoot 'em up game was created. Spacewar! was the first shooting game created and it focused on a single spacecraft shooting down multiple alien spaceships at once.
Spacewar! was a breakthrough in gaming and the complexity of shoot 'em up games only continued to blossom. The common thread of a single shooter facing multiple enemies level after level remained. There are many different types of shoot 'em up style games and the first two in history were fixed shooters and rail shooters. The most famous fixed shooter game was Space Invaders, which is a classic title in most multi arcade game machines. A fixed shooter game means that enemies only attack in one direction, which allows the shooter to know exactly where the enemy is coming from. In rail shooters, the game follows a specific viewpoint and path for the shooter to follow. Imagine Star Fox as an example. It only allows the shooter to move in one direction at a designated speed determined by the game.
The popularity of shoot 'em up games and the reason they are still prominently featured in the multi-arcade games of the modern era can all be traced back to the emotions they evoke for the gamer. Every gamer is able to face obstacles and overcome herculean odds. Shoot 'em up games allow the gamer to become the hero and escape reality for hours at a time. As games continue to evolve, one thing remains certain: shoot 'em up games are here to stay.