Before video arcade games, there were electromechanical arcade games. Periscope was from Sega, released around 1965 in Japan and 1966 in the US. It was Sega’s first coin-op arcade game, and put Sega on the map. Wikipedia says:

Periscope popularized the quarter (US$0.25) cost per play of arcade games in the United States.

It looked like this, in play,

Periscope play

They made large, 3 player ones! An absolute unit of an arcade machine,

3 player periscope

3 player periscope

  • Remember_the_tooth
    3·
    1 month ago

    I wonder if it was considered a success. I think arcade machines were supposed to pay for themselves in less than two years.

    • EnmebaraGuesser@piefed.caOPEnglish
      5·
      1 month ago

      I think it was. Wikipedia says,

      Periscope became a surprise success for Sega. It performed well in larger locations such as malls and department stores, which normally did not host coin-operated arcade games

      In March 1969, David Rosen said that Periscope “may well turn out to be the most profitable arcade game of the decade”. As a result of Periscope’s success, Sega created and exported between eight and ten games a year for the next two years

      I only know what I skimmed on some vintage arcade sites, but I have the impression that this game is why Sega succeeded in the early days of the company. It was an expensive cabinet, but it was also advanced and attracted a lot of players.