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Japan resident here. I grew up in the arcade scene in the US. It was the thing to do when we were kids. Sadly, it began to die just as I entered university age.
by distantaidenn 5y ago
Japan resident here. I grew up in the arcade scene in the US. It was the thing to do when we were kids. Sadly, it began to die just as I entered university age. I moved to Japan in my mid 20s and was thrilled to see arcades not only plentiful, but also decently packed.
Before online play was ubiquitous, there was always a line of people to challenge. I loved it! But yeah, the scene is rapidly approaching what I saw back in the US. Even before the pandemic, the scene was dying out. I suppose this is just the nail in the coffin.
On the other hand, I've also lived in South Korea and visit quite often (only a 2 hour flight). The arcade scene is HUGE. It reminds me of its heights back in the US. The places also offer offer a huge variety -- from your typical fighting, MOBA, and crane, to darts, basketball, and target shooting. And oh yeah, little 2 person karaoke booths. It even seems like a popular date spot for young couples. There is also a huge growth in VR arcades and retro arcade bars. The latter is pretty awesome. They'll typically have some retro console/emulators set up, and you pay a flat fee (and a drink minimum) for unlimited play. Can't wait to get back!
- toyg 5y ago> I've also lived in South Korea and visit quite often (only a 2 hour flight). The arcade scene is HUGE. I wonder what the difference is. Just a tax thing, or novelty...?
- fxtentacle 5y agoI believe it's a culture thing. The more wealthy the average citizen becomes, the less they need to share with others. And once you're starting to get used to having everything to yourself on-demand, it becomes difficult to accept that in an arcade, you might have to wait for someone else to finish playing before it's your turn.
- lrvick 5y agoThis is real. I don't have arcades near me, so I converted my garage to an arcade. I think a lot of private collectors like me are sweeping up old equipment that doesn't have a profitable public home anymore. Would -love- to open a non-profit retro arcade/hackerspace in the peninsula area some day if I can secure a building somewhere, but in the mean time I'll just keep collecting equipment to selfishly enjoy at home.
- chucksta 5y agoI coincidentally, was looking for a DDR machine yesterday. How do you fine your cabinets (any not just DDR)? It seemed there were a couple small national sites, and one or two local, and their inventory was it
- lrvick 5y agohttps://www.vintagearcade.net/ https://www.vintagearcade.net/ - ships anywhere. Also Ebay and Craigslist. Not a cheap hobby though by any means.
- Larrikin 5y agoI'm fairly removed from the scene at this point but Bemani arcade games have been thoroughly cracked for years. Most of the serious players now just buy custom controllers and if they really want fit them in custom cabs. I don't think Konami cares so long as you aren't posting videos on YouTube or setting the games up for profit. They don't sell the games to consumers anymore.