Little Lark of London

“In a world where some may win and some may lose . . . ”

When you first step into the shipping container that holds Arcade, you truly feel as though you are taking a step back in time to the 1980s, where neon-coloured arcades were all the rage. Everyone’s bags are placed in a box at the front of the room and each audience member takes their place in front of an arcade machine, emitting a glowing light.

There is a moment in which the lights go out to simulate what the rest of the experience will be like, giving audience members one last chance to leave before the start of the 30-minute show. We are also given a brief tutorial on how to use the machines, with a singular button to press if we wish to respond “Yes” to a question and a token slot to insert a token when requested by the game itself. Figuring out the layout of the machine is essential, as you will soon be plunged into complete darkness.

Audience members play as Milk, a person in what appears to be a dystopian world torn apart by war. We must make decisions for Milk, using our free will over their life but, in some ways, it feels as though the game is in control, making one question just how much free will they have in the situation (or in any situation, for that matter). According to the show’s description, there are multiple endings that one can reach during the game. I personally found one of the endings almost immediately when I chose to open to door to Milk’s room and was greeted with a gunshot, which came as quite a shock! After the initial run, I was then able to survive until the end of the thirty minute slot of the show. 

Unfortunately, while the concept of the show is interesting, I struggled to find myself fully immersed in the world presented to me. Instead of feeling a range of emotions to match those that Milk was feeling, I found myself in a constant state of stress, wanting to keep Milk alive while trying to understand what was happening within the game itself. There is so much going on within the thirty minutes that it is impossible to really get a complete understanding of the plot, which adds to the confusion and stress of staying alive. Only having a few seconds to respond to questions or fumble the token into its slot also took away from the enjoyment of the experience as a whole, as these moments took away the agency of the player. 

Ultimately, ARCADE takes a fascinating look at video games and the subject of free will, but in keeping with its traditional setup of complete darkness one loses quite a bit of the atmosphere of the 1980s-themed arcade. With some more visuals, the show could truly be taken to the next level.

ARCADE ran until 26 August at Summerhall – The Terrace at the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. For more information, click here.