photo by Dick Thomas Johnson
What makes Japanese gaming arcades so different than those in overseas? There always are expert techniques and entertaining spirit behind it. Let’s explore Japan’s Arcade Game Culture.
Game Masters Attracts Lots of Respect from Others
When you visit a game arcade in Japan, you occasionally encounter someone who strikes you with awe. They absolutely master their favorite games, and are called “God” by other youngsters with so much respect. Not just in a game arcade, Japanese high schoolers also play TV games their home. There are some sort of hierarchies among them depending on how good they play TV games.
Not Just a Place, It’s a Community
Practically, there is no need to go to a game arcade to play games, as home video games and phone game apps are flooding all over Japan. To survive in this highly competitive game industry, game arcades gradually transformed from just a place to play games to game people’s community. Each arcade try to make their place different by setting a monitor to watch someone plays, showing a live report of a match, or holding a game competition. Also movies from game arcade are often posted online websites and it creates active online communications.
Game Arcade after Office, Nothing Unusual
Game arcades in overseas countries tend to be naughty ones’ hangout. Some foreigners feel weird seeing office workers playing games in Japanese game arcades. But it is nothing weird in Japan. They visit a game arcade after office or even in one of the gaps between works. Normally they are good players with long experiences. It would be good fun to play a game with them.
Everyone Goes to Game Arcade, from Kids to Elderlies
Compare to overseas game arcades that has quite limited type of customers, Japanese ones has a variety of customers from kids to even elderlies and that often astonish foreigners. Japanese game arcade is accepted by many people as a dating spot of young ones, a leisure destination to take children during a holiday, a socializing place of elderlies, or many other purposes.
Japanese Game Arcade is Huge!
It is nothing like a little gaming area attached next to a café or bar as you see in overseas all the time. It is so huge that it surprises foreigners quite often. Japanese game arcade is not really a little shop, but an amusement park. “Everyday UFO Catcher Amusement Gyoda”, that has 300 crane games installed, has been recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records. Also, Japanese crane games are known for loose grip.
Variety of Games, from Fighting Game to Cockpit-Type Game
Arcade games in overseas countries are mostly video-game type. So the varieties in category, shape, type and effects of Japanese arcade games often mesmerize foreign tourists. Lots of them just can’t resist those machines and just hang out at a game arcade without seeing anywhere else.
Well, This is Today’s Tale,
Many foreigners seem to be wondering “Why Japanese game arcades never go out of use?” The reason is that those game arcades constantly developed its business with entertaining spirits to be open for many types of people. Come and visit Japanese game arcades and enjoy games.
