Hobbies And Interests
Game Quality
The first factor to consider when working out the value of an old arcade game is, is it a well-regarded game? Quality trumps rarity. During the 1980s, hundreds of games were released into arcades by numerous manufacturers eager to cash in on this new medium. Many of these games were poorly designed and hold little replay value today. While classic titles like "Q*Bert" or "Moon Patrol" remain captivating to today's audiences, a title commonly regarded as having inferior game play, graphics or sound will fetch a lower price with collectors who like to play the games they collect.
Historical Significance
Research the history of your game: a game like "Donkey Kong" may seem like a perfectly average platform-jumping game. However, when you consider that it was created by the man who went on to create Super Mario, and pioneered many features of the genre, a good-quality stand-up cabinet of this widely-available game is still valuable. A game with a legacy will often fetch a higher price than one with no historical pedigree.
The Cabinet
The average upright cabinet for the average older arcade game will fetch in the ballpark of $200 as of 2010, if it contains a working game. However, this price is lower if the cabinet is not a "dedicated" cabinet: that is, if the cabinet wasn't designed and built to house that game. "Double Dragon" flooded the arcades in the mid 1980s and is not hard to come by nowadays--but the cabinet for "Double Dragon," emblazoned with graphics in the style of the game, will fetch up to $300 in good condition.
Special Cabinets
It's one thing to find a custom-designed cabinet for a game like "Galaga" or "Frogger." But if the game in question has a truly unique cabinet, prices can be far higher. Games like "Dragon's Lair," which feature special technology requiring a uniquely designed cabinet, can be worth around $1,000. If a game features peripherals like a track-ball or light-gun, and these peripherals are built into the cabinet, it can raise the price far above the $200 baseline for old arcade games.
Condition
One of the most important factors is the condition of a game. If the cabinet is an original that is so scraped and dented from years of play and multiple re-locations, its value will diminish significantly. Check for screen burn: if the game's original operators left the game on 24/7, the score will be burned into the screen, diminishing value. An original dedicated cabinet for a much-loved game will be no more valuable than a middling second edition if the quality of the former is far less than the latter.