I remember it was not really a surprising set of metrics: gameplay, graphics, and fun.

It was about having an experience you couldn’t have at home (or anywhere else) because the games were always noticeably ahead of the curve.

It’s hard to communicate how impressive it was since we’re in the diminishing returns era for graphics. But a jump from Pac-Man to Rush 'n Attack or Contra, and from that to Street Fighter II, and from that to Ridge Racer, and so on was so imagination-bending.

Maybe like if you could play an actual Pixar movie as a game? Something like that. As a kid, the arcades in the 90s-00s were really amazing places.