Proposal: Shooting Game Tournament Live! (2008)

[PC Engine Fan X!]

For sven666,

Sounds like your arcade, when it was still in business, was better than most USA arcade hangouts period -- tis a shame. Today's Japanese gaming centers are the places to be at..... ^_~

oh it most certainly was, we opened it and aimed for japanese standards and at its prime id say ours was even better or atleast equal to most japanese arcades.
people travelled all over nordic europe even to attend (mostly bemani fans) and ofcourse the SF3:3S cabs were always packed.

nowdays its all sold tho, i only have my personal collection left.
the guys i ran it with still have a few cabs for the occational fair but nothing much and no shmups.

Hmm, I wonder if such a Japanese styled arcade would work and thrive in the USA? Or is that just wishful thinking?

Sure, I've been to a few cool Japanese game centers back in early 2000 -- the atmosphere and vibe I felt was cool being in such a Japanese arcade hangout. To see & play Success Corp's Psyvariar Medium Unit on Taito Egret cabinet setup was pure heavenly bliss! ^_~

[Twiddle]

Hmm, I wonder if such a Japanese styled arcade would work and thrive in the USA? Or is that just wishful thinking?

Most people in the US are value-minded. They would rather play a game they can keep for forever for $20 to $60 (one time payoff of that much for how long the game is intact) regardless of how long they'll actually play it, than a game that costs 25 cents to a dollar (potentially infinite payoff) for an average of minutes a play. Compare to arcades in Japan or online game cafes in Korea and other asian countries, where it's more appealing to most customers of the aforementioned to play a game for a limited time for magnitudes less money than the cost of actually owning it and/or the hardware they're on.

[Dave_K.]

Most people in the US are value-minded.

If thats true, then why are bars profitable in the US? Certainly you can buy a six pack for nearly the same cost of a single beer at a bar (ok maybe a mixed drink) and just drink it at home.

In the right social setting, a business with arcades games can be profitable in the US. I've mentioned this in various threads before. Make money on the strippers and booze...the arcade games are there to just help pass the time.

[answerthesun]

Most people in the US are value-minded.

If thats true, then why are bars profitable in the US? Certainly you can buy a six pack for nearly the same cost of a single beer at a bar (ok maybe a mixed drink) and just drink it at home.

In the right social setting, a business with arcades games can be profitable in the US. I've mentioned this in various threads before. Make money on the strippers and booze...the arcade games are there to just help pass the time.

I agree with Dave, where I used to work we had a small XBox and PC LAN set up with some games. Almost all of the kids who came in had their own games and systems at home but because of actually being right there with the people and being able to interact beyond that mic they would much rather drop a few bucks and play for a couple hours.

[Sonic R]

Most people in the US are value-minded.

If thats true, then why are bars profitable in the US? Certainly you can buy a six pack for nearly the same cost of a single beer at a bar (ok maybe a mixed drink) and just drink it at home.

In the right social setting, a business with arcades games can be profitable in the US. I've mentioned this in various threads before. Make money on the strippers and booze...the arcade games are there to just help pass the time.

Bars offer 1 thing that is not at home (for folks who are regular at the bar) -- the opposite sex. People frequent watering holes to interact with the opposite sex. Alcohol is ease the tension that is around when interacting with unfamiliar men and women. Sure there are business where their are games and booze, but those games are of a different kind. My friend and I used to visit a bar just to play Derby Owners Club (Sega/Hitmaker). But no one else ever play the game but us, some time there were drunk people sitting on the empty stools but they face away from the screen while they drink and hit on women.

There are business like Dave and Busters and Gameworks but do the fellowship of Shmups.com fancy the games they offer? Gameworks shootie list consist of Galaga Won't find Cave latest game there and it wouldn't be played by the average American Then there is the occasional arcade around here (my wife use to work at one til it close) and they mainly had ticket games so children could redeem prizes.

[Twiddle]

Most people in the US are value-minded.

If thats true, then why are bars profitable in the US? Certainly you can buy a six pack for nearly the same cost of a single beer at a bar (ok maybe a mixed drink) and just drink it at home.

In the right social setting, a business with arcades games can be profitable in the US. I've mentioned this in various threads before. Make money on the strippers and booze...the arcade games are there to just help pass the time.

That doesn't take to account consumables and the social aspect, as the kind of people I'm talking about are the modern kind of gamer that shuns social interaction for 10 hours in a day on an MMORPG like Eve or World of Warcraft.

Add a bar and you attract different kinds of people, as described by Sonic R here, most of which only try out a game for shits and giggles. They prop up places with arcade games in them, of course, but the arcade game part becomes pretty much a side thing after a certain point. The sports bar is the most populated area in the Dave and Buster's here while I have to bug the staff of how the Virtua Cop 3 gun is calibrated wrong or how the buttons on one of the cabs on the back area aren't working at all and have it fixed after an unpredictable amount of time.