It’s very possible, dear reader, that you haven’t thought about Dance Dance Revolution (DDR), the late ’90s arcade game that involves correctly stepping on a series of four arrows, in a very long time. Heck, maybe you’ve never thought about it. But I do, a lot. You see, my partner loves Dance Dance Revolution. Like has a tattoo of the game loves it. Had a DDR-themed birthday (as an adult) loves it. And he’s really good at it.
So when we learned that ARCstage, the first arcade in Alberta specifically dedicated to rhythm games, was having their grand opening, there was no question — we had to go.
Now you’re probably wondering, “What exactly is a rhythm arcade game?” Allow me to explain: a rhythm arcade game is a type of game where you have to touch sensors or buttons in sync with a pattern — often a musical sequence — that shows up on a screen. You might step on those sensors with your feet (DDR, Pump It Up), tap them with your hands (Sound Voltex, Wacca), or play a musical instrument (GuitarFreaks, Drummania). But what these games all have in common is that you get points by perfectly timing your movements with the beat. So as you might expect, they’re pretty active games, which is part of the reason that many of the gamers at ArcStage were wearing shorts.
“The temperature in here is 27 degrees,” my partner told me when we arrived. I asked him how he knew, and in reply he just showed me a screenshot of a digital thermometer that had been posted to the ARCstage Discord channel. Of all the social media platforms they have accounts on (Instagram, Youtube, X), Discord, the communication platform that allows users to chat privately or as part of online communities, is their most popular. At the time of publishing, the ARCstage community discord has 491 members (and counting).
ARCstage is located on the first floor of a fairly unassuming three-story office building on 124 Street — but inside, it’s all action. The walls have been painted black and the overhead lights are turned low, just like a classic arcade. The flashes and sounds from the various games fill the room — which was packed with gamers.
After we scoped out the space, my partner put his name down to play DDR while I looked for the owner. There were a number of staff helping gamers buy credits or beverages (typically water or electrolyte-infused sports drinks), but I guessed that the gentleman behind the counter with the salt-and-pepper beard — the only person in the room older than me — was the guy I was looking for.
“Are you the owner?” I asked. He said he was, introducing himself as Shawn Dupuis. I asked him how he’d come up with the idea for ARCstage, and he told me the credit actually belonged to Nova, his son. Nova had told him that there was already a substantial rhythm gaming community in Edmonton, which had largely formed online, and thanks to a recent trip to Vancouver Island, where he visited an arcade that housed a few rhythm games, Nova now knew how to source the hard-to-find games.
Dupuis had planned to use Nova’s idea as a way to teach him about the realities of opening a business — to show him that the idea probably wasn’t practical. But as they worked through the business plan and crunched the numbers, it became clear to Dupuis that the idea could work. They found the space, and all the pieces started falling into place.
ARCstage is home to games that, until now, you would have had to travel a long way to play. One gamer told me that before ARCstage, you would have had to go to Toronto, Vancouver or the United States to play many of the games they offer. “You can usually only find the odd rhythm game at a local arcade,” Dupuis told me, adding that they aren’t usually well maintained.
At ARCstage, the gamers treat the machines the way dedicated gym goers treat fitness equipment. They wipe them down after use, wear gloves when appropriate (available at the arcade) and they take turns, sharing games according to sign-up boards.
And they treat each other with the same respect. I was awed by the camaraderie, the friendliness and the sense of community in the space. It was clear that in opening ARCstage, Shawn had given home to a community that already existed in the city.
After my partner played a couple of rounds of DDR, the lights came up and Shawn gathered everyone in the space together for a group picture. We all clustered in front of the neon sign and yelled “ARCstage” in place of “cheese.” Then my partner and I headed back out into the cool September evening, carried by the contentment that comes from a good night out.
ARCstage
Westmount | 10612 124 St NW, Edmonton | arcstage.ca
