4 ms·

Arcades are cool, but they're too damn expensive. Make each game 5c and I'll play all the time.

bryanlarsen 14y ago
I suspect that one of the major reasons why arcades are still viable in Japan but not the US is because each play costs 100 yen, well over a dollar. At 25 cents a play, I suspect that most of these places make the majority of their profits from beer & food. If you're too cheap to pay 25 cents for a game, I suspect that you're too cheap to buy your food & drink at the arcade. If so, the arcades are probably glad they don't have your business.
- evoxed 14y ago
  Maybe I'm just going at all the wrong times, but any Taito Station pretty much hovers between 1-10% capacity (maybe 20% on weekends). I think they could certainly benefit from cheaper games, if only to give the kids on the way back from school a quick thrill with any spare coins they've got. Even making them 50円 would go a long way, since a 100 would get two games. I don't know about others, but I would never start a game if I only had one shot. Two tries, especially if a friend could go as well, would be good enough to draw me in to even the lamest pinball machine. Note: I'm in Yokohama. I don't frequent arcades much so don't know about Tokyo, though I'll be in Diver City tomorrow to check out the ROUND1 (I heard it has a set rate for the facility).
  - larsberg 14y ago
    I was just in Tokyo. Even during the daytime, the Taito Stations (at least in Akiba and Shinjuku) were over 20% capacity. And on weekenights and weekend evenings, particularly in Sinjuku, it was well over 50% of the machines in use. It felt more full than that, though, because there are lots of observers for whatever that 8-on-8 online mech game was and the new Hatsune Miku/vocaloid rhythm game. Even the crane games are pretty heavily packed. My only major complaint, as an American, is that they reeked pretty heavily of cigarettes (though not as badly as pachinko parlors). It was like being taken back in time 5-10 years, back before major cities started mandating non-smoking environments.
DavidAdams 14y ago
I spend a lot of time here with my kids: http://nickelmaniagames.com/ http://nickelmaniagames.com/ My 10 and 12 year old boys like playing the old games just as much as I did when I was their age 30 years ago.

I suspect that one of the major reasons why arcades are still viable in Japan but not the US is because each play costs 100 yen, well over a dollar. At 25 cents a play, I suspect that most of these places make the majority of their profits from beer & food. If you're too cheap to pay 25 cents for a game, I suspect that you're too cheap to buy your food & drink at the arcade. If so, the arcades are probably glad they don't have your business.

evoxed 14y ago
Maybe I'm just going at all the wrong times, but any Taito Station pretty much hovers between 1-10% capacity (maybe 20% on weekends). I think they could certainly benefit from cheaper games, if only to give the kids on the way back from school a quick thrill with any spare coins they've got. Even making them 50円 would go a long way, since a 100 would get two games. I don't know about others, but I would never start a game if I only had one shot. Two tries, especially if a friend could go as well, would be good enough to draw me in to even the lamest pinball machine. Note: I'm in Yokohama. I don't frequent arcades much so don't know about Tokyo, though I'll be in Diver City tomorrow to check out the ROUND1 (I heard it has a set rate for the facility).
- larsberg 14y ago
  I was just in Tokyo. Even during the daytime, the Taito Stations (at least in Akiba and Shinjuku) were over 20% capacity. And on weekenights and weekend evenings, particularly in Sinjuku, it was well over 50% of the machines in use. It felt more full than that, though, because there are lots of observers for whatever that 8-on-8 online mech game was and the new Hatsune Miku/vocaloid rhythm game. Even the crane games are pretty heavily packed. My only major complaint, as an American, is that they reeked pretty heavily of cigarettes (though not as badly as pachinko parlors). It was like being taken back in time 5-10 years, back before major cities started mandating non-smoking environments.

DavidAdams 14y ago

I spend a lot of time here with my kids: http://nickelmaniagames.com/ http://nickelmaniagames.com/ My 10 and 12 year old boys like playing the old games just as much as I did when I was their age 30 years ago.