Medal game
Encyclopedia
Medal games are a type of game commonly found in arcades, especially within Japan
. In order to play a medal game a customer must first exchange their cash into medals (metal coins, much like an arcade token). The rate of medals versus cash varies from arcade to arcade, but usually the cheapest range is from ¥
300 all the way up to ¥10,000. While many of the medal games simulate gambling, the medals cannot be traded back in for any prizes or cash, so there is no chance to make back any of the money that has been traded into medals, only the chance to play more games with won medals.
There are many types of medal games, but the two main ones are the gambling type and the pusher game type.
style casino
(Electronic/Mechanical roulette
tables, video poker
, video blackjack
, slot machine
s, are all very common).
The other type is video horse racing
these are often set up in a quite lavish lounge set up, each player has a personal screen, with a usually padded chair, an ashtray and cup holders. All of these personal seats are in front of a very large screen displaying the virtual horse race.
In the Philippines, video horse racing is also known as "video karera." These games are often raided by police as some proprietors try to evade taxes.
Pusher games are often much more complex, often involving a plinko
style drop in which there are different slots the dropped medal can fall into, causing various in game effects. Some slots may have the machine drop in more coins, others may initiate a video slot machine built into the machine. From the video slot machine more coins and other bonuses can be awarded. Many pusher games are connected to one another, some even with shared platforms, to form mega jackpots, sometimes as many as 1,000 medals. Sometimes a video mini game can be activated, in which coins must be dropped/rolled to hit specific targets, or buttons on the machine must be pressed in order to play. (For example, a mini game could involve pressing a star shaped button to make Mario
jump and hit coin blocks, which could very well literally give you coins).
Another interesting aspect of the pusher games is that they are often themed on things that would be targeted towards children, such as Mario
or other video game and cartoon characters.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. In order to play a medal game a customer must first exchange their cash into medals (metal coins, much like an arcade token). The rate of medals versus cash varies from arcade to arcade, but usually the cheapest range is from ¥
Japanese yen
The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third most traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a reserve currency after the U.S. dollar, the euro and the pound sterling...
300 all the way up to ¥10,000. While many of the medal games simulate gambling, the medals cannot be traded back in for any prizes or cash, so there is no chance to make back any of the money that has been traded into medals, only the chance to play more games with won medals.
There are many types of medal games, but the two main ones are the gambling type and the pusher game type.
Gambling Type
The gambling type of medal games has two types of games, those that simulate a Las VegasLas Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
style casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
(Electronic/Mechanical roulette
Roulette
Roulette is a casino game named after a French diminutive for little wheel. In the game, players may choose to place bets on either a single number or a range of numbers, the colors red or black, or whether the number is odd or even....
tables, video poker
Video poker
Video poker is a casino game based on five-card draw poker. It is played on a computerized console similar in size to a slot machine.-History:...
, video blackjack
Blackjack
Blackjack, also known as Twenty-one or Vingt-et-un , is the most widely played casino banking game in the world...
, slot machine
Slot machine
A slot machine , informally fruit machine , the slots , poker machine or "pokies" or simply slot is a casino gambling machine with three or more reels which spin when a button is pushed...
s, are all very common).
The other type is video horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
these are often set up in a quite lavish lounge set up, each player has a personal screen, with a usually padded chair, an ashtray and cup holders. All of these personal seats are in front of a very large screen displaying the virtual horse race.
In the Philippines, video horse racing is also known as "video karera." These games are often raided by police as some proprietors try to evade taxes.
Pusher Game Type
These games are characterized by multiple levels filled with medals. Behind these platforms are mechanical "brooms" that push the coins forward. When a coin is dropped in, it falls onto one of the platforms and has the chance of pushing some of the other medals off of the edge and to the player. Timing in dropping the coin is a skill factor in the game.Pusher games are often much more complex, often involving a plinko
Plinko
Plinko is a pricing game on the American television game show The Price Is Right. The game involves guessing the prices of prizes to win "Plinko chips," which are later dropped down a large bean machine-style board to determine the contestant's cash prize...
style drop in which there are different slots the dropped medal can fall into, causing various in game effects. Some slots may have the machine drop in more coins, others may initiate a video slot machine built into the machine. From the video slot machine more coins and other bonuses can be awarded. Many pusher games are connected to one another, some even with shared platforms, to form mega jackpots, sometimes as many as 1,000 medals. Sometimes a video mini game can be activated, in which coins must be dropped/rolled to hit specific targets, or buttons on the machine must be pressed in order to play. (For example, a mini game could involve pressing a star shaped button to make Mario
Mario
is a fictional character in his video game series, created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation...
jump and hit coin blocks, which could very well literally give you coins).
Another interesting aspect of the pusher games is that they are often themed on things that would be targeted towards children, such as Mario
Mario
is a fictional character in his video game series, created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation...
or other video game and cartoon characters.