Golden age of arcade video games --------------------------------------------- Video games were well established in the U.S. amusement industry, but their popularity was second to stalwarts of pool and pinball. While video games had been introduced to Japan soon after hitting the United States, the Japanese arcade industry had remained focused on electro-mechanical driving/shooting games and a type of slot machine called the "medal game" that accepted and paid out in medals. (jan 1, 1978