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Japanese gaming arcades are on their last life

japantimes.co.jp

51–60 of 74 posts

Re: Japanese gaming arcades are on their last life

#52
post #15

Having lived in Japan for the past decade I can say that game centers (arcades to those outside Japan) have changed. I remember playing rhythm based games (pop-n-music, taiko drum master, etc.) and some fighting/shooting games for a few years. But, within the last two years or so, the NFC card requirement for almost all games has come to fruition. Wanna play that racing game? Gonna need to "grind" a vehicle and save…

I suggest trying to find a "retro arcade" which has older machines, often with discounted rates (eg, two credits for 100円 for a game which originally just gave you one). Obviously these will usually be in more out-of-the-way places than standard arcades; I fondly recall one from my days in Nagoya that was on the top floor of a shopping center that had to have been built in 1975 at the latest. Granted, I'm sure some o…

Here in Sweden, mainstream arcades disappeared in the late 90s. But you can still find some hidden away, ran by enthusiasts. Especially pinball, probably because the experience of real steel balls bouncing around is hard to replicate satisfyingly on a screen.

In my city of 80k, there is an arcade with at least 20 pinball machines. https://m.facebook.com/matchstickpinball/

A slightly smaller city 2 towns over has an arcade with over 80 pinball tables and several original classic arcade videogames, like Pacman, Missile defence, Mario Bros, Asteroids. I think there’s a Sega Rally machine too. https://www.pinballseye.se/

Re: Japanese gaming arcades are on their last life

#53

What does this mean for Round 1? It seems to be making inroads in the US.

Quick appreciation, I'm very thankful of Round 1 for bringing a variety of rhythm arcades to the US (Wacca, SDVX, IIDX, Project Diva, DDR, more arcades that I don't remember the names)

Re: Japanese gaming arcades are on their last life

#54
What was the biggest game ever in the arcade scene? I remember in Akihabara in the 90s they were screening Virtua Vighter matches outside because the crowds were too big to fit into the arcade centers. The loser had to make place for the next guy in line and there seemed to be no limit of new contestants. I tried my luck (not skill) a few times and IIRC even won once.

Re: Japanese gaming arcades are on their last life

#55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Never realized until now that MOBA is a pretty terrible acronym unless you already know what it means.

There's an even worse alternative acronym for this genre, which shall not be named.

DOTA? I guess that’s not necessarily worse. It just points to a very specific kind of game.

Re: Japanese gaming arcades are on their last life

#56
post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

MOBA=Multiplayer online battle arena

Never realized until now that MOBA is a pretty terrible acronym unless you already know what it means.

The words "Team", "Hero" and "Action" are conspicuously missing from the acronym MOBA.

Given that the phrase "multi-player" traditionally didn't say anything about playing on the same side, I'd say that Starcraft fits the bill just as well as League.

Re: Japanese gaming arcades are on their last life

#57
post #2

I certainly miss 90’s arcades but what made them special was limited access (my parents would only take me every now and then) and the gap between arcade and consumer hardware. There was a little bit of socializing but it was mostly with the friends that came along. I wish location-based VR experiences like The Void would become a modern substitute but the economics don’t seem to work.

There's a massive gap between arcade and consumer hardware today, too. The arcades are filled with machines from a good 20 years ago, pushing less polygons than a PS2. Why would I pay good money to play with extremely outdated hardware?

Re: Japanese gaming arcades are on their last life

#58
post #54

What was the biggest game ever in the arcade scene? I remember in Akihabara in the 90s they were screening Virtua Vighter matches outside because the crowds were too big to fit into the arcade centers. The loser had to make place for the next guy in line and there seemed to be no limit of new contestants. I tried my luck (not skill) a few times and IIRC even won once.

I think the Street Fighter consoles enjoyed huge popularity...

Re: Japanese gaming arcades are on their last life

#59
post #15

Having lived in Japan for the past decade I can say that game centers (arcades to those outside Japan) have changed. I remember playing rhythm based games (pop-n-music, taiko drum master, etc.) and some fighting/shooting games for a few years. But, within the last two years or so, the NFC card requirement for almost all games has come to fruition. Wanna play that racing game? Gonna need to "grind" a vehicle and save…

I suggest trying to find a "retro arcade" which has older machines, often with discounted rates (eg, two credits for 100円 for a game which originally just gave you one). Obviously these will usually be in more out-of-the-way places than standard arcades; I fondly recall one from my days in Nagoya that was on the top floor of a shopping center that had to have been built in 1975 at the latest. Granted, I'm sure some o…

Not per se out of the way, you just need to know how to look for them.

ゲームセンター

Not Arcade, it means something different - architecture.

There you go. I was playing DDR for 50 JPY per 3 dances, one credit.

Re: Japanese gaming arcades are on their last life

#60
post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's an even worse alternative acronym for this genre, which shall not be named.

DOTA? I guess that’s not necessarily worse. It just points to a very specific kind of game.

Nope, not that one ...
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