Adult video arcade
Adult video arcades are pornographic movie viewing areas where masturbation is tolerated and expected (and sometimes openly encouraged). They are almost always attached to a sex shop or an adult book store (ABS), where magazines, movies, and sexual aids are sold. An arcade, which is a type of Peep show, consists of typically a dozen or more private (or sometimes semi-private) viewing booths, containing a video monitor, a panel of controls, and a seat. Sometimes the booths have paper towels for the semen, and a wastebasket. Sometimes these booths are arranged in a maze-like fashion. Often the lighting will be dim, perhaps only red or green lights near each booth, indicating their availability. In their origin they were exclusively male. Even today (2016), women – other than the occasional prostitute or (escorted, for her safety) "hot" or swinger wife – are never patrons.[1]
In their origin, they operated under the fiction that videos were being previewed before buying. It was one film per booth, no choice after entering. While a few existed in the age of the 8mm movie, the relative simplicity of the VCR caused them to multiply. The source was now racks of self-rewinding VCR tape players, instead of the cumbersome projectors. Still, a system required a certain amount of maintenance – breakdowns needed to be repaired, and there were a lot of things to break – which implied good management.
Transactions
Movie time is purchased either by coin or cash activation within the booth, or by purchasing tokens or a block of time in advance.[2] Generally a selection of 15 to 50 movies running in DVD players is available for viewing, sometimes diverse (straight, gay, fetish), other times monotonously similar. On some systems four videos may be viewed simultaneously in quadrants of the screen. New video systems operate with computers and provide a selection of several thousand movies. The world's largest system is located in France, Paris (Date stamp Jan. 2011).
Fixtures
It is possible for arcades in Europe to have two-person booths, where the seating accommodates a pair sitting together. But this is unusual, and outside Europe unknown.
In the U.S., in some adult book stores, the arcades will have "buddy booths." These booths are adjacent, and allow for interplay between occupants. They may have windows so "buddies" may watch each other masturbate. Between other booths there may be glory holes for oral sex, tolerated by the management (which otherwise would seal the holes).[2][3][4]
If a glory hole is to be found between two booths in a video booth at an adult bookstore, the person who wishes to perform oral sex will normally be seated in her or his booth.[5] Although not a hard and fast rule, that seated (and sometimes kneeling) position commonly signals to others that they are there in order to perform oral sex – which allows those who wish to receive oral sex to take the adjoining booth. That second person, who wishes to have oral sex performed on them will take the adjoining booth and normally remain standing.[6] Most adult book stores require and enforce that movies be operating at all times while arcade booths are occupied.
See also
References
- ↑ Zeeland, Steven (1999). Military Trade. Haworth Press. p. 21. ISBN 0-7890-0402-X.
- 1 2 Simpson, Mark (2002). Sex terror: erotic misadventures in pop culture. Haworth Press. pp. 58,103,142. ISBN 1-56023-376-1.
- ↑ Adams, Nicholas (2004). My Black Book. iUniverse. pp. 124–130. ISBN 0-595-30781-7. Retrieved 2007-12-31.
- ↑ O'Hara, Scott (1999). Rarely Pure and Never Simple: Selected Essays of Scott O'Hara. Haworth Press. pp. 45–49. ISBN 0-7890-0573-5. Retrieved 2007-12-31.
- ↑ The Gloryhole FAQ by Lilfuzzyg (1999)
- ↑ Adams, Nicholas (2004). My Black Book. iUniverse. pp. 116–117. ISBN 0-595-30781-7. Retrieved 2007-12-31.
