Game Centres In Decline

[Mulboyne]

Asahi: Game centers fight uphill battle
The success of Nintendo Co.'s Wii and other home videogame consoles may eventually mean game over for operators of arcades. A looming economic slowdown is stealing away even more customers. Sega Corp., the market leader for videogame arcades, said since last year 110 outlets had closed or would do so by the end of 2008. Namco Ltd., the second-largest player, will close about 60 outlets in the same period. Most of Namco's closed or closing outlets are small and mid-size arcades. In one of Namco's arcades in a shopping district in Osaka's Kita Ward on one recent weekday afternoon, only four men were playing videogames. "Many have told us that they cannot afford to play because they cannot find a part-time job," said a clerk at the outlet...Sales at Sega's amusement facilities dropped 11 percent in the April-December period in 2007 from the same period in the previous year. The figures compare sales at the same outlets that were operating during the two surveys. Capcom Co., which specializes in large-size videogame arcades, reported a drop of 13 percent...more...

[canman]

This might sound strange but I feel a little intimidated when I go into a game center these days. No longer are there any simple games where you put inyour Y100 and start to play. Most of the games require cards or other devices. Now it could be because I'm getting old, but even my 18 year old doesn't go that often. And on a side note, it was very interesting to see when some of his friends came over to hang out, they didn't gravitate to the PS2 , but they all played and enjoyed the old Nintendo 64. I think games and consoles are becoming way to complicated and difficult. Only Nintendo Wii seems to be more simplified and easy for all kinds of users.

[Takechanpoo]

[Neo-Rio]

pong got a foothold in bars because it was painfully simple.
Nobody wants to play chess when they're socialising and drunk.
I bet the Wii is a hell of a lot of fun when you're drunk.

[ttjereth]

This might sound strange but I feel a little intimidated when I go into a game center these days. No longer are there any simple games where you put inyour Y100 and start to play. Most of the games require cards or other devices. Now it could be because I'm getting old, but even my 18 year old doesn't go that often. And on a side note, it was very interesting to see when some of his friends came over to hang out, they didn't gravitate to the PS2 , but they all played and enjoyed the old Nintendo 64. I think games and consoles are becoming way to complicated and difficult. Only Nintendo Wii seems to be more simplified and easy for all kinds of users.

We have a Sega World right down the road from us and 80% of the floor space is taken up by those collectible card based games and pseudo gambling machines. There aren't any classic type video games which consist of a screen, some buttons and a joystick in there at all.

The only reason I go into an arcade any more is to play the UFO catcher games, but I don't tend to play them in the traditional arcades because they generally have them rigged so that you have to knock/drag/whatever the prize into place instead of actually being able to use the mechanical claw to pick them up...

I think a big part of the declining customers trend is their own fault.

[Kanchou]

There are a lot of games you just can't do with a console, like good racing games, interactive games (like shooting with special effects, boxing games, etc), plus the game centers give otaku a place to meet and compete, which they probably wouldn't bother to do if they just played on consoles.

Perhaps they should reduce game prices and rely on advertising instead? Advertising is the lifeblood of everything nowadays... including a lot of non-traditional media delivery (ie, full episodes of TV shows online for free).

[kusai Jijii]

[Neo-Rio]

I want my air hockey and fussball tables.

[Kuang_Grade]

It also seems that hasn't been a 'hot' arcade game for a while...A few years back you could count on updates to fighters or a whole new version of DOA, Virtua Fighter or Tekken fairly regularly but that doesn't seem to be the case now. And while Sega still seems to have success with some light gun games like Ghost Squad and House of the dead 4, it seems like alot of focus in going into the collectable card games, which I have no doubt are extremely effective at sucking money out the very small portion of users who actually play them but are terribly intimidating towards non-hardcore gamers (and I'm not sure if I've ever seen a woman playing one of them although I've seen a few playing Derby's Owner Club but that game is an industry in its own right). While overall economic issues are always a factor in any industry, I suspect the fact more and more content that used to be arcade exclusive (such as old retro games and even raiser sim games like idolm@ster) can now be purchased/downloaded for the Wii/PS3/360, often at very attractive prices, is clearly a factor as well.
http://www.yukan-fuji.com/archives/2007/03/xbox_live.html

Previously, users would have had to wait for a new version upgrade to get new content/costumes/ect, while now they can just pay a little more at home and get those new features downloaded to their home console. 800 yen won't get you far in an arcade, but it will get you a virtual console Sega Master system game on your wii that might keep you busy for a while and you get to keep it when you are done. Likewise, one of the key arcade experiences, competing against other human opponents is no longer a unique arcade experience. Online console gaming, even for twitch games such as Virtua fighter, has progressed to such a state that it can be a fair approximation for the arcade experience of competing head to head as well as offering new game play options that aren't in arcades.

[ttjereth]

It also seems that hasn't been a 'hot' arcade game for a while...A few years back you could count on updates to fighters or a whole new version of DOA, Virtua Fighter or Tekken fairly regularly but that doesn't seem to be the case now. And while Sega still seems to have success with some light gun games like Ghost Squad and House of the dead 4, it seems like alot of focus in going into the collectable card games, which I have no doubt are extremely effective at sucking money out the very small portion of users who actually play them but are terribly intimidating towards non-hardcore gamers (and I'm not sure if I've ever seen a woman playing one of them although I've seen a few playing Derby's Owner Club but that game is an industry in its own right). While overall economic issues are always a factor in any industry, I suspect the fact more and more content that used to be arcade exclusive (such as old retro games and even raiser sim games like idolm@ster) can now be purchased/downloaded for the Wii/PS3/360, often at very attractive prices, is clearly a factor as well.
http://www.yukan-fuji.com/archives/2007/03/xbox_live.html

Previously, users would have had to wait for a new version upgrade to get new content/costumes/ect, while now they can just pay a little more at home and get those new features downloaded to their home console. 800 yen won't get you far in an arcade, but it will get you a virtual console Sega Master system game on your wii that might keep you busy for a while and you get to keep it when you are done. Likewise, one of the key arcade experiences, competing against other human opponents is no longer a unique arcade experience. Online console gaming, even for twitch games such as Virtua fighter, has progressed to such a state that it can be a fair approximation for the arcade experience of competing head to head as well as offering new game play options that aren't in arcades.

Lack of content/unique content is definitely a factor.

Another big reason you used to go play in the arcade was because it was always a generation or two ahead of what you had at home, but not anymore. Fighting games like street fighter, virtua fighter, tekken and the rest are just as good on home consoles now, if not better (because of extra content like you mentioned above, like the console specific extra characters in the Soul Calibur games and such).

The card games are insane. My wife has a friend from university who plays them with one of his friends. He has his own business but is single and still lives with his parents and has no actual expenses (his parents pay for everything). According to him he has spent well over 1,000,000 yen on cards for the games...

[GuyJean]

They need to introduce 'game girls' to cheer you on.. Like 'booth babes' or 'maids'. Some would dress like game characters, others would be 'token chicks', spreading their tokens..

Hire cheap high schoolers and let them play for free.. Just tell them it's a 'club activity'.

GJ

[dimwit]

They need to introduce 'game girls' to cheer you on.. Like 'booth babes' or 'maids'. Some would dress like game characters, others would be 'token chicks', spreading their tokens..

Hire cheap high schoolers and let them play for free.. Just tell them it's a 'club activity'.

GJ

But isn't that your solution to everything? Not that I have any problem with it.

[GuyJean]

But isn't that your solution to everything? Not that I have any problem with it.

Hey, I know what works!.. on me.

GJ

[Taro Toporific]

....The only reason I go into an arcade any more is to play the UFO catcher games...

Your Boobie prize via Mil's flickr photostream

[dimwit]

I stopped going there once they pulled the lobster catchers. Damn Killjoys.

[RAMOS]

the ge-sen in that pic looks awfully familiar... might it be in akihabara???

[Mulboyne]

[wuchan]

I have noticed that there are far fewer people in the game centers lately. People seem to be using the UFO catcher and coin machines a lot less. Some games are still very popular like the music based games and the fighting games. Namco came up with a great idea a few years ago, a ranking system for tekken that records your wins and losses and ranks you against the other card holders. It made things much more competitive and helps you know if you are going to waste 100en by getting destroyed in two rounds. Many other games have card systems now too.

[prolly]

it's the smoking (panchinko nearby, usually on an adjacent balcony or open floor) that wards me from going to game center

[Kuang_Grade]

I've got a feeling that alot of my old haunts are going to be gone the next time I'm in Tokyo....While I'm sure the economy is having its impact (as well the previous mentioned demographic and lack of compelling new products), I wonder if variable pricing could have some value here. While arcades have pretty much died off in the US, there are a few outposts still left...mostly larger multi-purpose entertaiment centers such as dave and busters (which has a resturant, small bowling alley, bar, darts, and arcade games), many of which use prepaid mag strip cards that allow for varible pricing-each game cost so many credits, but the $/credit exchange level can be varied based on purchase amount (more $ gets you a better exchange rate) as well as a fequent player discounts. On slower nights, they also offer 'all you can play' promotions where for a fixed price, say $10 or $15, you can have unlimited play for a fixed period of time using these prepaid cards. There was a large arcade in Akihabara that used something similar using a large RF tag when it first opened in 2004, but when I visited it again, they had stopped using it and had gone back to using coins.

And it looks like the western media is focusing on SEGA side of things but I wonder what the level of weakness there is on the Sammy pachinko side.

[Mulboyne]

Asahi: Game pensioners give arcades a bonus life

Amusement arcades, once the preserve of the younger generation, are looking to pensioners to boost their flagging popularity. According to the Japan Amusement Industry Association, the spread of game consoles and Japan's aging population have hit arcades hard, with more than one in five arcades closing between 2004 and 2009.

The one ray of hope for the industry is its growing popularity among older people. An official of the Hello Taito Kameari amusement arcade in Tokyo's Katsushika Ward says it has seen a steady increase in senior customers over the past two years, with 80 to 90 percent of weekday customers now in the older age bracket.

On a weekday afternoon in mid-August, more than 10 old people were playing video games at the center. Chieko Kofuji, 76, sat on a tatami-matted bench at the amusement arcade and chatted to Matsu Noda, 86. They have become good friends since meeting at the arcade. "I would grow senile if I stayed at home all by myself," said Kofuji, whose husband died 10 years ago. "But I can forget everything while I am here playing games."

One of the most popular machines is a token drop game, played with game tokens rather than real coins. Customers feed in tokens into the machine and hope they will push other tokens from moving platforms into the payout box. An experienced player can enjoy the game for a few hours with 1,000 yen ($13).

Many of the customers stay for hours, drinking tea and eating boxed lunches between their game sessions. "The arcade is providing a forum for conversation," said Yasuaki Sakai, head of the arcade.

In fiscal 2009, there were 19,213 arcades in Japan with total revenues of 504.2 billion yen. Both figures represented a drop of more than 20 percent from fiscal 2004, but the industry is looking to capitalize on the interest from older people.

Adores Inc. has started offering free tea and cake at some of its outlets and lends reading glasses and blankets to customers. Bandai Namco Group, which operates about 200 arcades in Japan, gives free tokens to older people who bring fellow seniors to its outlets, and some arcades are offering massage chairs to relax old bodies.

Taito Corp. has put tatami matting on the benches in all its 20 outlets across the nation, and game machine maker Konami Digital Entertainment Inc. has started selling coin drop machines with on-screen explanations in large letters. Seiji Yasumura, a professor of public health at Fukushima Medical University, says these games have their merits. "For old people who tend to stay at home, game arcades provide an opportunity to meet others, which acts as a good stimulus and is good for health, too," he said.

[Coligny]

Many of the customers stay for hours, drinking tea and eating boxed lunches between their game sessions. "The arcade is providing a forum for conversation," said Yasuaki Sakai, head of the arcade.

I think they are fucking with us... or never stepped into a japanese arcade... The only noisier place might be an F1 racetrack during a grand prix...

[BigInJapan]

I think they are fucking with us... or never stepped into a japanese arcade... The only noisier place might be an F1 racetrack during a grand prix...

Or one of these...

[Bucky]

Gawd, I remember in '78/'79 when Space Invaders first came out. Entire game centers would be devoted to shooting aliens.

[matsuki]

[Buraku]

Kojima Productions threatens legal action against misinformation on Shinzo Abe assassination
https://www.videogamer.com/news/kojima- ... ssination/

I'm guessing that kick on the bag is Korean TKD you rarely ever see Karate do the insane stunty exhibitionist moves

[Coligny]

But there were many social media posts comparing the assassin’s likeness to that of Hideo Kojima. And this then led to the spread of misinformation. Far-right French politician Damien Rieu retweeted images of Kojima, with the caption “The extreme left kills.”

Rieu then deleted the tweet, and eventually released a statement of apology:

Translation in Rieus shit for brain:

“All them chinks looklike a same to me. Is okay for apologies if I eat some instant noodles ?”