Talk:Barcade

Re-posted Page with Edits, Had Possibly Been Removed in Bad Faith

I've edited this page before over the years as I've been to the Barcade locations many times (I am not an owner) and am a classic gamer in the NYC area. I've also been to many other arcade bars across the country as well, most of them clearly influenced by Barcade. This company is notable for its influence over an entire genre of nightlife. I've re-posted the page but spent some time trimming some items that yes, possibly did read as promotional. I've kept most of the sections about the company's history and its influence on arcade bars. Many of the links are not simply mentions of the bars in the press (as is accused below), but actual articles stating the notability of the company and its influence on gaming and nightlife culture.

Due to the trademark issues, its entirely possible that the unnamed editors nominating this page for deletion (or outright deleting it) have some affiliation to other arcade bars who may have had some trademark dispute with Barcade. If so, this would be editing in bad faith, as detailed here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Gaming_the_system

Liefoflife (talk)

The person who removed the ad copy is me. I'd like to see proof that Barcade "is notable for its influence over an entire genre of nightlife" from a source that isn't the owners, somebody who has been there, or fluff pieces by east coast culture writers who are unaware of bar or arcade history outside of the NYC region. For the record, I'd never heard of it before I came to this page, and I'm not an arcade owner. My edit was done purely to avoid turning this page into an advertisement for the owners and the bar, which much of the language, the opening essay, and the fawning coverage conveyed. It was a very clear violation of WP:SOAP. Note that I do not think it should be deleted, just significantly revised and with better-followed encyclopedic protocol. If you'd like to talk about why I made the changes I did, I can provide for you an itemized list of problems with each sentence and source, but I'd rather not. The gist is: none of the references are credible, the article goes into way too much detail over petty points (where and when a new location opened up isn't the purvey of wikipedia), and much of the language is far too congratulatory of the bar. This is an encyclopedia. Let's have some standards. Dragonmaw (talk) 00:31, 5 July 2017 (UTC)

Wow. Let's talk about it, please . You didn't check any of the sources, but are rather making sweeping generalizations based on someone who took this page down probably in bad faith due to trademark disputes. You write above that "none of the references are credible"... okay, these are the sources cited which form the content you are repeatedly removing:

NBC News, Esquire Magazine, Paste Magazine all citing Barcade as one of the top beer bars in the country, Yahoo News and Wall Street Journal citing them in 2007 and 2016 as reviving arcade culture, an Inc Magazine feature piece about the company titled "Building a Retro Nightlife Empire", 2 mentions in Polygon, one in Crain's, an article from ESPN about the world record holder in Donkey Kong learning to play DK at Barcade's machine when he first started playing video games, articles from a number of local press (not their own local press) in other parts of the U.S. by arcade bar owners citing that Barcade was their influence in opening their establishments.

How are these not credible? If you think "much of the language is far too congratulatory" go ahead and revise it. To say that its not credible is just lazy on your part. If you click on the sources and look at the articles, they are not mentioning the bar in passing, they are legitimate news stories. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Liefoflife (talk • contribs) 21:03, 5 July 2017 (UTC)

Further, the person removing this page "24.143.97.69 (talk)‎ . . (1,871 bytes) (-21,792)‎ . . (it most certainly looks like advertisement, and "arcade bars" were in operation long before barcade. local fluff pieces do not establish notability. please refer to talk page for discussion)". Arcade Bars were in fact not in operation long before Barcade - see the references cited:

Alternative Press = http://www.altpress.com/features/entry/behind_the_bar_cade_explosion

Yahoo.com = https://www.yahoo.com/tech/the-coin-op-comeback-classic-arcades-get-an-extra-212140083.html Parade Magazine = https://parade.com/477226/alison-abbey/get-your-game-on-at-these-arcade-influenced-bars/

Alternative Press cites "It started with Brooklyn’s Barcade, which opened in 2004 as a craft beer bar that also offered a wide selection of arcade games."

Yahoo article cites "Barcade is among the oldest throwback arcades, and arguably the one that kicked off the trend to revive the experience of playing classic coin-op games in a dedicated space. The concept is simple: marry the best part about bars (the booze) with the best part about arcades (the games), and let the people play."

Parade cites "Credited as the original arcade bar, Barcade opened the doors to its first location in Brooklyn in 2004. Since then, they’ve trademarked the word and left their mark on the world of recreational gaming with multiple locations across four states, each touting a serious selection of old-school arcade games, exclusive beers and special events." — Preceding unsigned comment added by Liefoflife (talk • contribs) 21:08, 5 July 2017 (UTC)

What exactly is the problem here? Dragonmaw says "I'd like to see proof that Barcade "is notable for its influence over an entire genre of nightlife" from a source that isn't the owners". I believe proof is in the references cited which are not mere mentions of the bar from the "owners" or "east coast culture writers" but from writers and media from all over the country in markets where there is no Barcade, writing about their influence. There is no Barcade in Boston, yet here is the Boston Globe in an article about "adult arcades" saying "It makes sense to first mention Barcade":

https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/travel/2015/09/19/get-your-donkey-kong/sDDUlaXqOH2u6PaljKzY3K/story.html

Barcade is not in Denver. Here, this Denver Post article about a local arcade bar says "The guys from Barcade in Brooklyn are the pioneers, for sure. They started in 2004, and now they're opening locations in Philly and Jersey City.":

https://web.archive.org/web/20121114061204/http://www.denverpost.com:80/popular/ci_17952476

Looktasty.com in Chicago writes about its local arcade bars, "Headquarters opened last October as a craft beer/cocktail bar and video arcade inspired by Brooklyn’s Barcade.":

http://www.lookytasty.com/2013/04/05/headquarters-looks-to-become-largest-pinball-arcade-in-midwest/

Seems pretty obvious that the Barcade entry is well referenced. I'd like to see some more contributors come to its defense here because something kind of stinks about these edits taking place on this page, considering the trademark history with the company. Thesandworm (talk) 02:24, 6 July 2017 (UTC)

I did check the sources. You'll note that not a single one references their claims that "Brooklyn's Barcade was the original"; they are all made without sources. From personal knowledge, at least one chain - GameWorks - is both a full bar and full arcade, and was founded in 1999. Assuming we don't look at local arcade bars such as Shorty's (here in Seattle, also founded in the 90s), that's at least one chain who did Barcade's gimmick before Barcade. Let's assume GameWorks doesn't exist for the sake of argument, though.

As for your sources, I'll go in depth:

https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/travel/2015/09/19/get-your-donkey-kong/sDDUlaXqOH2u6PaljKzY3K/story.html

Barcade is mentioned primarily because they trademarked the word "Barcade". This piece only talks about the popularity of arcade bars and some selection of games at Barcade. No history beyond the basics (founded in 2004).

https://web.archive.org/web/20121114061204/http://www.denverpost.com:80/popular/ci_17952476

A single arcade owner said "Barcade was the pioneers" in a general article about classic arcade games. No fact-checking. Not a reliable source.

http://www.lookytasty.com/2013/04/05/headquarters-looks-to-become-largest-pinball-arcade-in-midwest/

Owner says he is "inspired by Barcade" in the context of a piece about a different bar. While more notable than your other sources, still not enough.

http://www.altpress.com/features/entry/behind_the_bar_cade_explosion

Fluff culture piece, no sourcing on "Barcade started arcade bars"; it is a straight assertion.

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/the-coin-op-comeback-classic-arcades-get-an-extra-212140083.html

Another fluff culture piece.

https://parade.com/477226/alison-abbey/get-your-game-on-at-these-arcade-influenced-bars/

Another fluff culture piece, again crediting Barcade as "the original" without sourcing.

I can do this for almost every single source on the original page. You can source culture pieces written by Arts writers trying to meet a deadline all you want, but that doesn't make Barcade "the first". I do concede that it is influential - as mentioned below - and so I think it's worth keeping this page. But there's some serious notability problems with all these references, and if you want to establish a timeline where Barcade is "the first arcade bar" you need to reference sources with stronger proof than the above.

As for the language used in the main page, I'll break it down line by line.

The original Barcade opened in 2004[2] in a former metal shop at 388 Union Avenue in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn and featured a unique combination of vintage arcade games and rare American craft beers.

It's not a unique combination, as mentioned; at least one other arcade chain did this exact premise five years before Barcade. That's making a qualifying statement without facts. "Vintage" and "rare" are subjective terms and inappropriate for neutral tone.

The company is owned and operated by four long-time friends, brothers Kevin Beard and Scott Beard, Pete Langway and Paul Kermizian, who is also the director of the 2004 documentary film American Beer[5] about the American craft beer industry.

Only thing not notable in this sentence is the American Beer documentary, which is better suited for a Trivia section

Some examples of the arcade games originally featured at Barcade in Brooklyn are Tapper, Q*bert, Donkey Kong, Tetris, Robotron: 2084, Centipede, Super Mario Bros., 1943, Berzerk, Frogger,[6] Rampage, Tetris[7] and Star Wars.[8][9]

Irrelevant information for an encyclopedia, better suited for the Barcade company page (which is linked).

In 2010, the brand expanded into Jersey City, New Jersey,[10] [11] and the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[12] [13][14] Barcade later opened two locations in Manhattan [15] with one at 6 St. Mark's Place, a building with a long and varied history, most recently having housed Kim's Video and Music and before that the New St. Marks Baths.[16] [17] Over the next two years, locations opened in New Haven, Connecticut[18] [19] and Newark, New Jersey.[20]

When and where specific chain locations opened is not relevant for an encyclopedia; again, better suited for the Barcade company page.

Many world record holders and world-class gamers were known to be found at the Brooklyn location.[21] Plastic surgeon and Barcade regular Hank Chien set the world record in Donkey Kong with a score of 1,061,700 in March 2010. Chien can often be found at Barcade, practicing his skills on the Donkey Kong machine, wearing his operating scrubs.[22] Thirty-eight-year-old George Leutz set the world record on Q*bert in February 2013 with a score of 37,163,080 after spending years practicing on the machine in Brooklyn's Barcade.[23] Joshua Lombay set the world record for the 1984 Midway game Timber in June 2013 with a score of 9,767,550 after having discovered the game and playing for the first time at Barcade in Brooklyn.[24]

"Some world record holders frequent our bar" is not notable enough for an encyclopedia. If one of these world records was achieved at Barcade, it would be notable enough for inclusion, but, again, in a Trivia section, not the introductory paragraph.

Barcade first filed for a federal trademark of its name for use in bars and restaurants on July 20, 2007,[25] and the mark quickly became well known, even in markets outside of where Barcade operated.[26]

Definitely not appropriate for an introductory paragraph, and conflates the term "barcade" with the trademark "Barcade". Arguably suitable for inclusion in a Trivia or Trademark section, but I wouldn't include it in this page because it makes presumptions about the trademark that is wildly inappropriate for an encyclopedia.

By 2012, the success of the Barcade chain had inspired other similarly themed bar and arcade combination businesses to open in other cities in the U.S.,[27][28] with many of these places citing the original Barcade location as their inspiration.[29][30][31][32] New arcade bars directly inspired by Barcade opened in Las Vegas, Denver, Kentucky, California, Maine, Iowa, Vermont and Oregon.[33][34][35][36] Two opened in Chicago in one year, one of them dubbing itself a "Beercade"[37] and the other, called Emporium, being opened by a former Barcade employee.[38] Very similar to Barcade, Emporium "follows that well-oiled model almost identically, serving up about three dozen classic arcade coin-ops plus numerous beers on tap."[39] Soon, even regular corner bars started to add vintage arcade games in an attempt to cash in on the trend,[40] and Details Magazine named arcade bars as one of the hot cocktail trends to watch in 2015.[41]

While interesting enough, this section is not suitable for an intro, and makes qualitative assertions about other bars that are unsuitable for an encyclopedia.

A few of this new wave of bar and arcade businesses attempted to use the Barcade name,[42][43] causing confusion as to who was operating these locations, but Barcade successfully defended its trademark in these instances.[44][45] Other new arcade bars launched with similar names, figuring out ways to not infringe on the trademark. In addition to the "Beercade" in Chicago, a San Francisco company launched as "Brewcade" in 2014.[46] The press and industry looked for other names to call these arcade bar hybrids, with the DNA Association branding them "social-tainment" and also referring to them as "game bars".[47] Most began referring to them as "arcade bars",[48][49] and Barcade is typically credited with having been the first "arcade bar".[50][51][52][53]

A graf on Barcade's trademark enforcement is certainly not suitable for an intro, and is only arguably notable. I know the Barcade boys are notoriously litigious of their trademark, but it's in poor taste and certain inappropriate for Wikipedia to clearly take their side in said disputes, as this graf does. Possibly suitable for inclusion under a Trademark section, but with better sourcing and stripped of fluff.

Barcade gained publicity by operating on 100% wind power which the company purchases through green energy providers.[58] The Brooklyn location obtains its power from wind-generated turbines located in upstate New York,[59] the New Jersey and Philadelphia locations from a combination of wind generated turbines in New York and Pennsylvania.[60]

Not notable. If we put every business that ran on wind or solar power on Wikipedia, we'd be drowning in fluff.

Barcade has collaborated with several American craft breweries to brew exclusive beers that are only available at Barcade locations. These beers are brewed in small quantities and are only available for a limited time. In 2013, Barcade collaborated with The Harpoon Brewery on Sriracha Blonde, a blonde ale brewed with Sriracha hot sauce [61] and also with Victory Brewing on Fall Bockwards, a 7.5% strong bock.[62] Sixpoint Brewery brewed a two-year-long series of exclusive beers called "The Barcade Beer Project". The beers were re-releases of Sixpoint beers that were brewed in 2004 and 2005 but had since been retired. The series included highly regarded beers such as Black Soul Porter and Bolshoi Imperial Stout.[63][64] Barcade later collaborated with Captain Lawrence Brewing Company for Black and White IPA, Cape Ann Brewing for Pepper II, a Saison brewed with fresh peppercorns, Greenport Harbor Brewing for Goth Logger, a German style Schwarzbier brewed with cocoa nibs, and Smuttynose Brewing Company for Coily, a saison brewed with Italian plums, vanilla and cinnamon.[65] In late 2016, Barcade and Shmaltz Brewing Company collaborated on Pastrami Pils, a pilsner style lager meant to evoke the flavors of a pastrami sandwich.[66] In 2017, Sly Fox Brewery and Barcade collaborated on Chest Bockwell, a dunkel bock brewed with chestnut flour.[67]

This is straight up advertising for Barcade's beer collaborations. Unsuitable for an encyclopedia, better suited for the company site. Worth noting that "Barcade sometimes partners with craft brewing companies to create exclusive beers" would be a perfectly acceptable entry in Trivia.

In September 2007, the owners of Barcade opened The Gutter, a bar with eight regulation-size 10-pin bowling lanes. This was the first bowling alley of any kind or size to open in Brooklyn in nearly 50 years.[68]

Irrelevant, cross promotion for another business.

The end result of this is that, despite all the constant reference pieces from Arts and Culture sections and magazines, there is almost no proper sourcing to determine if Barcade is the first arcade bar. Furthermore, this article is a clear violation of both WP:SOAP and WP:TRIVIA, with unqualified and improperly sources statements combined with overly positive verbiage.

While I definitely don't think this article should be deleted, it can't exist in the form that it previously did. So I cut it down to its encyclopedic core, and I welcome you to make additions (with proper sources and encyclopedic language) that fit said core.

The only thing fishy to me is how many people are willing to allow such a clearly bad encyclopedia entry stay so bad. I suspect there is some brand loyalty going on here, and while I don't judge if you like Barcade or not, it's inappropriate to allow such clear bias to creep into an encyclopedic entry.

I will probably add the aforementioned Trivia section later today. But I plan on reverting every attempt to return this article to its original state. It needs a significant overhaul, in terms of references (seriously, over fifty references for a mere five hundred words means you're trying to hide its non-notability), structure (gigantic intro needs to be broken up), and tone (too effusive). Dragonmaw (talk) 17:25, 6 July 2017 (UTC)

"I know the Barcade boys are notoriously litigious of their trademark, but it's in poor taste and certain inappropriate for Wikipedia to clearly take their side in said disputes, as this graf does." This pretty much gives you away. Clearly you, or a place you hold dearly, has been on the wrong end of a recent trademark dispute and you've found a forum where the rules of the game allow you to be vindictive and petty. Since you hail from the Northwest, I'd like your take on this page for comparison:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_Kontrol

Ground Kontrol is a stand alone arcade. It wasn't the first arcade. It wasn't the first arcade bar. Its just a well known place in Portland, which is home town to a lot of gamers and writers (much like NYC). Their page contains far more promotional content, even going so far as to list the music the DJ's play on different nights of the week, and a current and frequently updated list of the games that are on the floor of the arcade. It's basically their website. I'm interested to see you take on their page with as much fervor as you have taken on this one.

As someone who yes, is loyal to this brand, I'm being defensive. But, I see some of your points and I've been editing some links and cleaning up a few things and will continue to do so. I suggest if you'd like to make some edits, go ahead, but to wipe the whole page because you've decided the information is "irrelevant" is irresponsible if you care about Wikipedia as much as you claim. This page has been here for years and is well referenced. Just because you've decided that since you're "from Seattle" you don't like the credit this company gets for reviving the classic arcade culture currently being celebrated across the U.S. shouldn't give you the right to just wipe it. As I said, make some edits. Or show me you'll do the same with the GK page.

Thesandworm (talk) 18:55, 6 July 2017 (UTC)

As far as I'm aware, no arcade bar I frequent has been the target of a trademark dispute of any kind, and I'm certainly not an arcade employee. Is saying Barcade is notoriously litigious really that controversial? It's right there on the page that they often litigate based on the "Barcade" trademark.

I don't like that Ground Kontrol page, and it's definitely one of my favorite arcades. Much like this one, it's very effusive and borderline ad copy. The aforementioned "music played on particular nights" is an especially bad. I might end up editing it after this page gets up to snuff. I don't wanna do a line-by-line dissection of how bad it is in another article's talk page, though.

My wipe was never intended to stick; I just wanted people to reconsider this page and its awful terrible no-good construction. Much like how you think I "gave the game away" in saying Barcade is litigious (which is awfully presumptuous of you, assume good faith buddy), I think you gave your game away; this brand is clearly one you admire and enjoy. While there's nothing wrong with that, we must hold ourselves to a higher standard as encyclopedia editors. Dragonmaw (talk) 21:08, 6 July 2017 (UTC)

I completed my final edit for this page. Here's primarily what I changed:

One reference per sentence, max. The old edit page was unreable with references, and most of them didn't matter. I tried to keep the best references for each claim. Please, don't overload with references; it makes the page unreadable when there's sixty references for less than a thousand words.

I removed the majority of the "new bars" and "trademark" sections, as they conflate the rise of arcade bars in the United States with the personal reach of Barcade. I tried to edit these bits down to their most important details, and trimmed the refs down.

Lots of removals of sentences with five refs that serve mostly to fill the air with articles about Barcade. This sentences have been condensed into their broad strokes, and refs consolidated down to the most relevant one. Let's try and make this the standard, please; if you have to have five references for a claim, that means none of your references are notable enough and that the claim should either be reworked or removed.

Addition of several sections, as well as populating them with information that was formerly in the intro.

If you have a problem with these changes, please say something here before reverting. It's good manners. Thanks! Dragonmaw (talk) 21:30, 6 July 2017 (UTC)

I'm going to let this edit sit for a couple of days and see what other editors have to say. I think you have revealed a tremendous bias which is evident in your comments above. I think it hinders your credibility, both about this page and about GK. I hope other editors see this and feel the same way. That said, I will consider your comments as I likely put a bunch of this content back in over the coming days.

While it may appear that you are doing the right thing by Wikipedia by cleaning up the references here, I think its telling that you tackled this page in one manner and the GK in another. I've just looked at your edits there and in comparison, they are incredibly tame. As an example, here you've removed a whole section about the 6 or 7 locations Barcade has opened as it has expanded throughout the east coast. For GK, you've left a 3 paragraph section in place about the "remodel" of their one location. And why - because a local Portland builder won an award for the bathroom design at the Oregon State Fair (or some such equivalent)?

Thesandworm (talk) 23:04, 6 July 2017 (UTC)

I'm at work. I only removed the stuff from the Ground Kontrol page that wouldn't require a massive rewrite, because I spent long enough today editing this page. Be a little patient? I didn't finish my edits on this page for several days after the original trim.

Also, if you want to cast aspersions as to my credibility, that's your prerogative, but it's awfully rude and totally off base. I'm not going around complaining about how all the editors in favor of the original way this page was constructed are regulars of this bar, fans of the brand, or the owners, because I'm assuming you worked on this page in good faith. I think it's super disrespectful to be making assumptions about why I'm editing given that I've been nothing but cordial and responsive, and even encouraged talking about it here in the talk page, and even took your complaints in stride to reach a compromise. Don't be a jerk.

Dragonmaw (talk) 23:44, 6 July 2017 (UTC)

Fair enough. I just never assume good faith on the internet. :) Thesandworm (talk) 00:55, 7 July 2017 (UTC)

Oh my god. Seriously? You guys are exhausting. The whole point of this was to update the format because you wanted some shit in a trivia section and you thought there were too many references. As I said above I've been a regular at this bar and am NYC area gamer. I AM the kind of person that is going to be passionate about maintaining a page like this. Mainstream editors are going to care about the pages for WWE, LeBron James, and Star Wars (and Jeremy Lin!). There needs to be some bias for more niche entries like this.

That said, this format isn't horrible. But this is too stripped down and it doesn't capture the influence this company has had on an American nightlife culture and gaming culture. You say above that Shorty's in Seattle was around before Barcade? That's true, but they were not influential on arcade and arcade bar culture in the same way. Their pins are in shit shape too. The model that everyone is copying is Barcade's, not a stand alone dive bar in Seattle with some pins. The fact is there may be other people who had some games in a bar first, but the arcade bar model that is exploding right now was started by Barcade. The references are solid as they were listed before. I'm fine with this reduced page, but I'll be putting some of them back. This is too reduced Liefoflife (talk) 00:39, 7 July 2017 (UTC)

The problem isn't just in format, it's also in tone and methodology. There's too much information here that barely matters.

For example, where the other chains are located is irrelevant; does Wendy's list every location on its page? The trademark details are also irrelevant, other than Barcade owns the barcade trademark and that they defend it. The trademark bit is a bit of a problem, because it conflates Barcade the bar with arcade bars in general.

No, but Wendy's is a bad example though. McMennamin's does:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMenamins

Goose Island Brewery does:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goose_Island_Brewery Liefoflife (talk) 02:28, 7 July 2017 (UTC)

And those pages shouldn't list locations either. "Other pages do it" is not a good justification for keeping up poor editing practices. Dragonmaw (talk) 16:21, 7 July 2017 (UTC)

The biggest methodological problem is "influence." Influence is a tenuous concept that is often more defined by perception as reality. Using this page to claim that Barcade is a very influential bar without a properly researched article on the history of arcade bars in the US is irresponsible, as it implicitly supports the assertion that this bar is "historically influential" rather than the (much more easily verified) "regionally influential." I certainly don't think it's appropriate for one of the bar's regulars to edit their Wikipedia page to say as such. So I removed it.

The overall point here is that this article needs a lot of work to meet notability and neutrality guidelines, and constantly re-adding fluff information won't help.

"fluff information" is just your opinion and you're one editor. I'm another and there are others still on here who disagree. Based on the Wiki guidelines for references, I think the ones I'm keeping are all valid. Youv'e gotten this page seriously reduced in scale and you've probably improved it. Just leave it at that and be happy. You're overreaching. Liefoflife (talk) 02:28, 7 July 2017 (UTC)

24.143.97.69 (talk) 01:26, 7 July 2017 (UTC)

This was me. Some more clarification on edits I just made:

I removed the iPhone app bit because it's not relevant or important to this page. Lots of businesses have apps.

I trimmed the additional locations bit, since the first expansion is notable, but the rest aren't.

Again, I removed the bulk of the trademark bit, because it's a weirdly full-throated defense of Barcade's trademark and that's inappropriate for an encyclopedia.

Foursquare awards are not notable.

Only one world record regular should be named. Just because they go to the bar doesn't mean we should name each one. Exception: if the world record was achieved at Barcade, in which case it absolutely should be included.

Why? Is there a Wiki page that says only one video game world record holder that learned how to play the game at one arcade bar can be listed on a site? Get over yourself. LOL. Liefoflife (talk) 02:28, 7 July 2017 (UTC)

I'm done editing this page, mostly because I'd rather not deal with a clearly-biased editor who has been astoundingly rude, but I'll respond to this:

No, it's because where a world record was practiced is not notable for videogame records; where it was achieved is. I left one reference as a compromise, because I am trying to accommodate your perspective, even though I don't agree with it.

You are taking these edits way too personally, probably because you are a regular at this business. To quote you: "Get over yourself." Dragonmaw (talk) 16:21, 7 July 2017 (UTC)

To go on a tangent: I think you're right, it's important to have editors who are passionate about a particular topic and willing to put as much information on the page as possible. The unfortunate truth, though, is this makes for bad encyclopedia pages, because the entries end up reading like ad copy and not like a neutral recounting. So we sift through, find what's relevant and notable, and throw out the rest.

I think I've been very fair here. None of the edits I've made are ones you wouldn't see from a professional newspaper editor, and I strove to include as much information as I could independently verify and write in an encyclopedic format.

As long as we maintain encyclopedic guidelines, I'm happy. Convince me why we should keep the trademark section, and why it's important to note Barcade's historical (which is debatable) instead of regional (undeniable) influence, and I'll go with it. But I have yet to see any strong arguments for either.

Dragonmaw (talk) 01:37, 7 July 2017 (UTC)

Nah, I think you're wrong about the importance of these reinstatements. You don't have a long history on Wiki. You didn't make a revision from 2011-2017 so like the other editor above, I think your edits stink. You've got some dirty laundry going here. I call bullshit. Liefoflife (talk) 01:52, 7 July 2017 (UTC)

If you'll notice, those other edits were also removals based on notability as well. And I think it's astoundingly rude to assume I'm editing in bad faith, especially given that you admitted you are only editing this page because you happen to like this bar.

Also, wouldn't it be a sign of good faith that I actually logged in to edit this page, instead of editing anonymously like I did on other pages for years? Sorry that I didn't keep up on logging in, I guess.

Dragonmaw (talk) 02:00, 7 July 2017 (UTC)

No, I don't think its a sign of good faith that you logged in. I think its a sign of bad faith that you started this by not logging in and then switching. You can't change Wikipedia completely so don't start here. See my comments above about other company pages that cite locations. You're totally off base here. Liefoflife (talk) 02:28, 7 July 2017 (UTC)

Here are a few other influential regional chains with similar pages. Have at it!:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinosaur_Bar-B-Que

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimaldi%27s_Pizzeria — Preceding unsigned comment added by Liefoflife (talk • contribs) 02:38, 7 July 2017 (UTC)

I know you were being snarky to try and show that this page shouldn't be held to a better standard, but I went ahead and edited those pages, as well as Ground Kontrol, to better fit encyclopedic standards. This time I preemptively compromised a bit, since getting into another long argument with an intransigent editor is not the highlight of my day Dragonmaw (talk) 17:20, 7 July 2017 (UTC)

Honestly, I was not trying to be snarky in this case. I found those pages to show examples of other regionally based yet famous companies whose pages contain similar content. As I said earlier, there are always going to be editors who care about particular niche topics that will be maintaining these pages. As the other editor said, I've defended this page to the death, but I probably wouldn't have taken that hardline stance if you hadn't used a chainsaw as your first tool. "Preemtive compromise" is probably a good idea moving forward. For me, any updates I make in the future will be in this format and I'll keep these comments in mind about content and references on this page, and any other I may work on. Liefoflife (talk) 12:06, 8 July 2017 (UTC)

I don't think either of us pass the bias test, so I don't think this should go do a dispute resolution, but we should ask for an RFC here. Liefoflife (talk) 02:48, 7 July 2017 (UTC)

It's fine. In a sign of good faith, assuming the page is done as it is now (after your last edit), I'm done editing. Thanks for at least compromising. Not every page can be perfect. Thanks for pointing me to other pages in need of work. Dragonmaw (talk) 04:17, 7 July 2017 (UTC)

Removed Ad Copy

Unlike others in this talk section, I think it's valuable to have this page, since Barcade is notable in that it is a chain of bars and is fairly popular, but I removed all the ad copy. The glowing writing style, constant citations of positive articles, and full-throated (and weirdly specific) trademark defense section says to me that this was written by the owners to promote themselves, which is a clear violation of WP:SOAP. I have trimmed the article down to its neutral, encyclopedic core. This isn't to say that this is all that can appear on this page, just that there needs to be stricter adherence to encyclopedic values. Please discuss this edit before reverting. 66.162.136.21 (talk) 18:29, 30 June 2017 (UTC)

This was me, by the way Dragonmaw (talk) 18:36, 30 June 2017 (UTC)

This reads like any other Wikipedia page about a business. FlakePilssken (talk) 21:29, 5 July 2017 (UTC)

I disagree. Compare this page to a similar arcade page, such as GameWorks, and spot the differences.

Game Works does not have references that can compare at all in terms of its effect and influence on culture, see:

https://www.polygon.com/features/2013/2/26/3992898/the-rise-of-barcade

https://www.inc.com/articles/201108/building-a-retro-nightlife-empire.html — Preceding unsigned comment added by Thesandworm (talk • contribs) 19:48, 6 July 2017 (UTC)

Those are both profile pieces by enthusiast press, and are not particularly well-sourced. They certainly wouldn't meet standards for inclusion for a normal encyclopedia. Good for context (Barcade is definitely influential on some arcade bars, don't get me wrong) but not justification for the monstrously huge intro graf and petty detail this article used to have Dragonmaw (talk) 22:02, 6 July 2017 (UTC)

And here is where we just have a difference of opinion. And since this isn't an encyclopedia, but Wikipedia, we are going to be editing and un-editing this page against one another for a long time. Looking forward to it. Thesandworm (talk) 23:46, 6 July 2017 (UTC)

Untitled

this page should be deleted. barcade is nothing more than a standard hipster dive bar with old video game consoles. There are hundreds of bars just like it in NYC, only without the video game machines. It is simply not notable, or even worth going to. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.108.63.204 (talk) 23:01, 28 November 2009 (UTC)

Nominated AfD

Stumbled across this article. It's clear this was written as an advertisement by the owners. I have nominated it, as well as it's "sister" page, "The Gutter" bowling alley, which is blatantly cross-advertised. Most of the "references" are just links to articles about the games (i.e., "The bar sports Tetris" --> link to article about Tetris).

No substance, not notable, and not encyclopedic beyond repair, IMO. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.138.56.88 (talk) 03:48, 13 December 2010 (UTC)

All of the references in this article are specifically about or at least mention Barcade by name and are from well established media like the NY Times, Fox News, MSNBC, Yahoo and the NY Daily News. The reference about Tetris in fact mentions Barcade in the opening paragraph so please get your information right before you go nominating things for deletion. 68.236.181.16 (talk) 00:58, 30 December 2010

Barcade is widly considered one of the best beer bars in the United States. As noted, it has been featured by worldwide media and it's current expansion into NJ and PA clearly establish that it will have a growing presence. Deletion now will only result in a future reinstatement. To describe the page as an advertisement is basically a statement that any wikipedia entry about any business, entertainment(ie movie, play, etc.) or commercial enterprise of any kind is an advertisement. AngerHeSmiles (talk) 18:14, 1 January 2011 (UTC) (UTC)

Which is where the word "notable" comes into play. Clearly Wiki editors have become much more lenient with this word if any hole-in-the-wall bar can qualify for a dedicated page. Ask yourself if this page would be made by someone other than a regular or a proprietor. But don't fool yourselves into thinking a non-franchised mom-and-pop bar should has the same notoriety as a large corporation.75.138.56.88 (talk) 22:18, 20 February 2011 (UTC)

The negative comments and requests for deletion seem far more pesuasive than the retorts. This article indeed seems like nothing more than an ad. And it could continue for miles with hundreds of citations of articles mentioning the place and still not rise to encyclopedia worhy status. Sorry to see it here. Actio (talk) 05:06, 10 March 2017 (UTC)

The negative comments and requests for deletion are 7 and 8 years old at this point. I think you're response is quite late to the party. This page shouldn't go anywhere. References cited are mostly from major and national publications. FlakePilssken (talk) 21:31, 5 July 2017 (UTC)

External links modified

Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 9 external links on Barcade. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:

• Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20101222082854/http://www.blackbookmag.com:80/article/nyc-bars-to-entertain-holiday-visitors/23796 to http://www.blackbookmag.com/article/nyc-bars-to-entertain-holiday-visitors/23796
• Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20100528135900/http://philly.brownstoner.com:80/2010/04/brooklyns_barcade_eyeing_a_fis.php to http://philly.brownstoner.com/2010/04/brooklyns_barcade_eyeing_a_fis.php
• Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20111013201730/http://www.metro.us:80/philadelphia/local/article/994375--barcade-bringing-together-video-games-beer to http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/local/article/994375--barcade-bringing-together-video-games-beer/
• Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20130321004801/http://www.grantland.com:80/story/_/id/9053237/q*bert-video-game-marathoning-trend-aftermath-king-kong to http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9053237/q*bert-video-game-marathoning-trend-aftermath-king-kong
• Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20130704085715/http://www.twingalaxies.com:80/article/2394/joshua-lombay-timber-world-record-falls/ to http://www.twingalaxies.com/article/2394/joshua-lombay-timber-world-record-falls/
• Added {{dead link}} tag to http://projects.registerguard.com/web/business/27998185-41/arcade-games-vintage-eugene-alley.html.csp
• Added {{dead link}} tag to http://www.denverpost.com/popular/ci_17952476
• Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20141007024335/http://www.geekexchange.com/insert-coins-drinking-and-playing-at-the-geekiest-club-in-las-vegas-47117.html to http://www.geekexchange.com/insert-coins-drinking-and-playing-at-the-geekiest-club-in-las-vegas-47117.html#axzz2O5r4MZQt
• Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20130526134805/http://www.amny.com/urbanite-1.812039/here-are-the-best-places-in-new-york-city-according-to-foursquare-1.4537572 to http://www.amny.com/urbanite-1.812039/here-are-the-best-places-in-new-york-city-according-to-foursquare-1.4537572
• Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20131206133040/http://sixpoint.com/blog/ai1ec_event/black-soul-porter-release-party-barcade-phl/?instance_id= to http://sixpoint.com/blog/ai1ec_event/black-soul-porter-release-party-barcade-phl/?instance_id=
• Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20130411060329/http://www.twingalaxies.com:80/the-williams-manufacturers-challenge-at-barcade-brooklyn-march-16th-2013/ to http://www.twingalaxies.com/the-williams-manufacturers-challenge-at-barcade-brooklyn-march-16th-2013/

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true or failed to let others know (documentation at {{Sourcecheck}}).

This message was posted before February 2018. After February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than regular verification using the archive tool instructions below. Editors have permission to delete these "External links modified" talk page sections if they want to de-clutter talk pages, but see the RfC before doing mass systematic removals. This message is updated dynamically through the template {{source check}} (last update: 5 June 2024).

• If you have discovered URLs which were erroneously considered dead by the bot, you can report them with this tool.
• If you found an error with any archives or the URLs themselves, you can fix them with this tool.

Cheers.—InternetArchiveBot (Report bug) 07:00, 27 October 2016 (UTC)

RfC

Editor Dragonmaw removed most of content on this page about 10 times in its near entirety, first using unsigned IP address, then later while signed in under user name Dragonmaw (admitted to using unsigned address previously). I and others have taken his/her criticism of the page and made edits to try and improve (and reduce) it, but no reference appears to be strong enough for him/her. Other editors had appeared at different times to undo Dragonmaw's edits, but have since moved on. We need other opinions as this is getting out of hand. Liefoflife (talk) 02:57, 7 July 2017 (UTC)

• Comment Most of what has been removed by User:Dragonmaw is plain advertising, as such asserts WP:NOTADVERTISING. Advertising is against Wikipedia Terms of Use, and such violations risk losing Wikipedia licence to operated as an NGO or Charity. Any information about a business which includes: shareholder information, billing, finances, office locations, expansion plans, investor reports, share price fluctuations, company expansion or contraction, or associated company entities which are not notable, are considered advertising. scope_creep (talk) 12:37, 7 July 2017 (UTC)

  I've removed the advertising about other companies, and the company, which is non notable. scope_creep (talk) 12:39, 7 July 2017 (UTC)

  I've removed Trivia 2. It uses barcode as it's own references, which is clear violation of WP:NOTADVERTISING, and a non notable entry, not about the company. scope_creep (talk) 12:56, 7 July 2017 (UTC)

  I was going to leave this page with your edits (they were good enough for me) but the Foursquare awards bit bothered me, as Foursquare awards are algorithmic, not given by a person or organization. That doesn't seem notable to me. Removed them with the comment that if someone wants to replace them, they should use magazine awards. Dragonmaw (talk) 16:57, 9 July 2017 (UTC)

• Those were excellent edits, and very much needed. This should be an article, not an advert. That is not a choice; that is one of our core principles. --Orange Mike | Talk 17:03, 8 July 2017 (UTC)