Shopping Guide
Arcade. What comes to mind when you see this word? Beat ‘em up games where victory or defeat can be decided in the blink of an eye? Racing games with such splendid handling and physics it’s like driving the real thing? Or maybe token games where you can experience a wide range of emotions as you either win big or lose it all. Even though the genre that comes to mind may vary by person, what is consistent among gamers is the excitement they naturally feel when they see or hear the word arcade.
On Feb. 15 and 16, an event stuffed full of this kind of excitement, the Japan Amusement Expo (JAEPO) 2013, was held. We attended the event to bring you a report of the second day.
JAEPO is an exhibition for companies in the arcade business that primarily focused on large arcade machines. To that end, the spacious Makuhari Messe in Chiba was filled with rows of varied and elaborately designed machines. Such a sight was a spectacle. Just on the day we attended, there were over 12,000 arcade fans in attendance, their eyes sparkling as they gazed upon the new games.
Many game companies also had booths at the event. Among them were frontrunners such as KONAMI, BANDAI NAMCO, and SEGA, who each had a large screen and stage set up at their booths. Companies fought with all their might to introduce and promote their new games, with some even enlisting the help of performers. With such appeal, their messages were clearly conveyed.
Prize goods of figures and stuffed toys being displayed also caught the attention of many attendees. The crane game area was packed with people standing in line awaiting their chance to win these prizes. The quality of the figures was so high, no one would think they would be given out as prizes. It’s easy to imagine that once these prizes are introduced into arcades, fans from all over Japan will be emptying their wallets in a fervent attempt to win them.
Companies that produce maintenance parts for these games, such as washing machines to keep the coins for token games clean, button replacement housings, and crane game machine keys, also drew in interest. These parts are things that customers never really think about but they are essential to arcades. The companies that make these parts may be in a thankless role, but they are the backbone of today’s arcade industry.
There are no doubt many people may have the impression that arcades are only for young people. However, at JAEPO, many attendees were parents accompanying their children. These parents were playing games and having fun together with their kids; it was a wonderful sight. If JAEPO had one thing to teach to attendees, it was this: arcades are places of enjoyment for people of all ages. We left JAEPO excited more than ever about the future developments of the arcade industry.
