Oh yeah there's nothing more immersive than being surrounded by dozens of people with music on a loudspeaker and dozens of other games and conversations drowning out the one you're playing.
Honestly uh, this is actually quite immersive yes. Just the ambience of an arcade can get me excited because more often than not you're surrounded by people who also love games. Like, real games. And a million shitty, snotty kids. Also immersion has many forms. If an arcade game does a good job of transporting you into another world with its unique control scheme, that's immersion. Sitting in a giant virtual-on cabinet is an amazing fucking experience no matter how loud the dave&busters may be.
I think you're confusing my point. I never said this is what arcades are now, I'm just explaining why everyone rolls their eyes at mobile titles and never at arcade ones. Is this point of view outdated? Debatable.
I can't believe we're having this discussion honestly. Why would you ever want to play a mobile game over House of the Dead, Marvel vs Capcom, virtual on, or DDR? These games can still be found in arcades across the country.
