December 21, 1998

Japanese Arcades
Gamer James Teal shares his experiences of years of visiting Japan

Music Reviews
Resident Evil 2
Night Warriors


Playtests
Metal Slug 2
Street Fighter EX 2
Fencer Musashiden
Kagero: Deception II
Einhander


Game Pick
Masato Natsumoto's SNK Manga

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.Top Ten
Japan's Top Games

Programmer and gamer James Teal shares his experiences of years of visiting Japan


When comparing a Japanese arcade to an American one, the first difference that one notices is the greater number of sit-down machines. There are a few stand-ups but they are the exception, not the rule. This adds a different dimension to many head-to-head games, in that most of them will have one player seated on either side of the machine with their own screen. Quite often you may never even know who your opponent is unless you stand up to peer over the machine to see. This keeps players from bumping elbows and interfering with each other during play and also adds a level of anonymity to game play. Some players adjust their playing style if they know their opponent ahead of time. Players seldom seem to ask permission to join in and challenge; it appears to be an accepted fact that if you are playing at a sit down head-to-head machine you are prepared to face all comers.

The preponderance of sit-down machines also allows for much better spectator viewing, since the player is seated and not blocking as much of the screen. Crowds can actually gather on both sides of the machine for intense battles between two experts. I have even witnessed teams of players taking turns, as if rotating through a batting order. The dual screen setup also allows for both characters (in the case of a fighting game) not having to be on the same screen at the same time. As seen in Capcom's X-Men: Children of the Atom, when one character would super jump, each player's screen would follow their own character's progress indicating their opponent's location with an arrow. The separate screens also made Spiral's invisibility much more effective.

One of the next major differences I noticed was the clientele. Japanese Arcades seem to attract an older audience. While I seldom saw any school children, it was not at all unusual to see any number of businessmen "virtually slugging it out" after work. Suit, tie, briefcase and tokens. Some of them are actually quite good too (in fact, I picked up my palm up joystick grip from a salaryman). The majority of the arcade customers still seem fit the "male between ages 12 and 25" stereotype, though. This is a reality that I suspect is unlikely to change anytime soon.

The tendency toward an older audience may be due to cost. Most games in Tokyo and Yokohama start at 100 yen (around $1). There are a few smaller arcades with 50 yen machines that can be found. I have heard that in less populated areas the prices actually can drop as low as 10 yen, but I have yet to travel far enough to confirm this.

One other side effect to the age issue is the presence of "adult games". Some arcades have none, others too many. I saw various forms of strip mahjongg, strip ja-ken-po (rock-paper-scissors), a Qix-type game where captured areas reveal a picture underneath, and a variety of other puzzle games I could not even begin to describe. Some of these game machines actually dispensed prizes (I don't even want to imagine). Due to the differences in national censorship laws, this is one category of game I never expect to see in mainstream arcades here in America.

I believe one of the best aspects of Japanese arcades is the service that the machines receive. Dead buttons and unresponsive joysticks are not tolerated. Hardware discrepancies seem to be taken care of within two to three days at most. This keeps at least one level of player frustration down to a minimum and may be a key to running more successful arcades.


Photographs from Gamest Magazine ©1998 Shinseisha Inc.



© 1998 Viz Communications, Inc.