book discussion: Arcade Mania! by Brian Ashcraft

[gojira]

Hi, I could not find a thread with a discussion about the book "Arcade Mania!" so I thought I start one.

I just read this book: "Arcade Mania! The Turbo-charged world of Japan's Game Centers", Brian Ashcraft with Jean Snow, Kodansha International, 2008. (2000 Yen).

Ashcraft is a contributor to Kotaku and lives in Osaka I think. The book is organized like a Japanese arcades sometimes is, the chapters correspond to floors:
chapter 1 is about crane games
ch. 2 print club
ch. 3 bemani
ch. 4 shooting games (!)
ch. 5 fighting games
ch. 6 mahjongg
ch. 7 dedicated cabinets
ch. 8 retro games
ch. 9 trading-card/arcade hybrids

Regarding arcades and arcade-games I did not find any obvious factual errors in the text, it's informative but the references about Japan are mostly wrong (for example Ashcraft writes that arranged marriages are still "very popular" in Japan, this is complete bullshit of course). Hoever, Ashcraft shows a good overview about the types of games that are played in Japanese arcades nowadays, and the content is very recent and up-to-date; there are some sections on history of jap. aracdes as well. I do not like his writing-style at all (ALWAYS "gal" instead of "girl" etc).

The interviews and portraits of the players and people in the industry where very interesting, though. I liked to read about Caves' Tsuneki Ikeda, as I am a devoted player of his creations, especially Mushihime Sama

The pictures (fotos of arcades and machines as well as artwork) are very good, and there are really many pics in this book.

I live in Japan myself for about three years now and regularly go to the arcade, and I have same private pictures I took in arcades which are at the same place and even shot from exactly the same angle as some pics in the book, so "Arcade Mania!" did not contain much new information for me.

Overall, I'd say this book is a nice present for someone who has an interested in arcades, japanese arcades, shooting games, or any combination of this , although the book has several weaknesses; the pictures are the best aspect of this book I think, and they are well-selected and plenty.


To those who have already read this book:

1. in the beginning Ashcraft writes that there are arcades where video-recorders are hooked up to the machines so that players can record their games. WHERE??? I have never seen this, but would definitely want to use it.

2. Also, this "Shooting Love" competition in Shinjuku he talks about, is this a regular event? Where can I find out more? (tried googling in Japanese but could not find out too much).

3. The most interesting thing I learned from this book was not shooting-game related, namely the "Pierimo" (page49) thing, a system that could make 3D-scan of your head and the manufacture a sculpture of you, you g/f, anyone, off-site. For 2000 Yen. Sounds too good to be true? I guess because he writes the service has been discontinued. Again, I could not find much info about Pierimo on the net, but it was interesting.


Anyway, I would love to read your opinions on the book!

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Is this Japanese game center book available for purchase in the USA? Sounds like that it just came out recently.

I've been to the Namco Wonder Tower in Kyoto...very nice game center. Plus taking the escalator to the next floor up is always a treat. Treat the customer as a welcomed guest and ensure that they have a good time is always good for business. Have never seen such a multi-storied arcade hangout in the USA, especially one with escalators/elevators either. Only in Japan could such places exist. ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[MX7]

I've had my eye on this for a while, ever since reading a review of it in Edge a while back. When I get some money, I'll grab it for sure

[kazuo]

AFAIK it has not been released in the states/in english yet. gojira, was the version that you read in english or japanese?

http://tinyurl.com/6fuwek

I preordered it not long ago from Amazon, figured for $10, why the hell not, and if it sells well it will encourage similar literature to be published.

[No_not_like_Quake]

Ashcraft, the guy from Kotaku? Hmph, I'm not convinced he knows what he's talking about.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Ashcraft, the guy from Kotaku? Hmph, I'm not convinced he knows what he's talking about.

If you've spent some time at those cool Japanese game centers, you bound to formulate your own opinions about them. Compared to the current American arcades that exist today, there isn't anything like them period. As Gaijin Punch once said, "It's all about the latest and greatest" and the Japanese game centers are THE place to be at if you want to try out them out however quirky and weird some of the arcade games may be. When the asking price is at 100 yen, you'd want to make sure that your single credit lasts as long as possible, especially if others are waiting their turn. ^_~

And have you ever been to a Japanese game center yourself, No_not_like_Quake?

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[FIL]

The man who brought us the breaking news that Nintendo made playing cards and countless stories about boobs.

[No_not_like_Quake]

Ashcraft, the guy from Kotaku? Hmph, I'm not convinced he knows what he's talking about.

If you've spent some time at those cool Japanese game centers, you bound to formulate your own opinions about them.

And have you ever been to a Japanese game center yourself, No_not_like_Quake?

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

My concern over Ashcraft's knowledge and writing abilities is legitimate.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Ashcraft, the guy from Kotaku? Hmph, I'm not convinced he knows what he's talking about.

If you've spent some time at those cool Japanese game centers, you bound to formulate your own opinions about them.

And have you ever been to a Japanese game center yourself, No_not_like_Quake?

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

My concern over Ashcraft's knowledge and writing abilities is legitimate.

I see your point. But you still haven't answer my question about if you have been inside a Japanese game center. That, I'd like to know. The general atmosphere, mood, and wide selection of Japanese arcade games would put most Western arcades to shame. Sure, the comparision of Japanese game centers to the USA's arcade hangouts really doesn't merit comparision because each caters to a very specific clientele in terms of demographics, salary, age, etc. ^_~

I made small chat with a local arcade distributor employee and he said that most arcade games that do make money nowdays are the racing/driving games and the shooting games (light-gun based ones). This fact would pertain to USA arcades in general and that is very true. Unless an independent arcade was around, it would cater to what draws the money in and what's new and popular at the current time. I've seen many local arcades come and go...it's all part of the business cycle as usual. ^_~

It's been said that if your own small business can survive the first five years of being in operation, then you're better off than most small business owners who tend to fold in the first two to three years right off the bat.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[JoshF]

Book is a joke. I really want to learn about arcade gaming from Kotaku. Chapters devoted to Print Club and UFO Catcher? Book is a joke.

[LaserGun]

It's Slowtaku in print form

[henry dark]

I've been to many game centres in Japan, and sorry to burst your bubble, but they aren't the mystical Nirvanas of peace and bliss some seem to be building them up as.

Unless you like rows and rows and rows and rows of faceless, identical fighting games and three dusty shooters in the corner that is.

[No_not_like_Quake]

If you've spent some time at those cool Japanese game centers, you bound to formulate your own opinions about them.

And have you ever been to a Japanese game center yourself, No_not_like_Quake?

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

My concern over Ashcraft's knowledge and writing abilities is legitimate.

I see your point. But you still haven't answer my question about if you have been inside a Japanese game center. That, I'd like to know. The general atmosphere, mood, and wide selection of Japanese arcade games would put most Western arcades to shame. Sure, the comparision of Japanese game centers to the USA's arcade hangouts really doesn't merit comparision because each caters to a very specific clientele in terms of demographics, salary, age, etc. ^_~

I made small chat with a local arcade distributor employee and he said that most arcade games that do make money nowdays are the racing/driving games and the shooting games (light-gun based ones). This fact would pertain to USA arcades in general and that is very true. Unless an independent arcade was around, it would cater to what draws the money in and what's new and popular at the current time. I've seen many local arcades come and go...it's all part of the business cycle as usual. ^_~

It's been said that if your own small business can survive the first five years of being in operation, then you're better off than most small business owners who tend to fold in the first two to three years right off the bat.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

No, I've not been to Japan. I'm only really familiar with the North American arcade circa late 80s to mid 90s. The atmosphere of a Japanese game center is alien to me, aside from seeing pictures on the internet. They look cleaner.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

I've been to many game centres in Japan, and sorry to burst your bubble, but they aren't the mystical Nirvanas of peace and bliss some seem to be building them up as.

Unless you like rows and rows and rows and rows of faceless, identical fighting games and three dusty shooters in the corner that is.

It also depends on what Japanese game center you go to for the shmup based ones. ^_~

[GaijinPunch]

Chapters devoted to Print Club and UFO Catcher? Book is a joke.

It's not a selective history. Like it or not, Print Club & UFO Catcher saved *most* arcades in the last 10 years. In fact, the only ones you can find w/o these annoying machines are ones entirely devoted to retro games which are very few and far between.

[JAPJAC]

Well it should of been. That has always been the case the World over and doesn`t make it a good reason to write about it in my opinion. If I wanted to write a book about the heyday of S/E English arcades which were fantastic for 10 years from the mid-eighties (we had 99% of the great stuff from Japan), would I bother to talk about Fruit Machines, Kiddie Rides and Pushers aswell? Hardly. That is not what I was interested in then or care to remember now.

Those machines were not for those actually interested in gaming arcades then, so why would they write about the current equivalents regarding Japanese arcades now? I don`t understand who this book is written for? What are they trying to convey about Japanese arcades? Are they trying to get non-Japanese people interested in Japan`s arcades? One look at the cover and contents would have the average reader thinking "Oh, they are just as crap there now as they were here then, then." One look at the cover even; "Can`t wait to read about what Japanese arcades are like now, oh, Street Fighter 2 and Space Invaders still."

That is a massive shame.

A potentially wonderful subject matter and the authors managed to produce an uninteresting read wasted mostly on uninteresting chapters.

I learnt from the Yu Suzuki (my gaming hero) interview that he is responsible for Hang-on, OutRun, Afterburner, Space Harrier and likes Van Halen (?). Nuff said.

This book is a wasted opportunity ruined by clueless writers. All flash Japanese lingo ability with no actual knowledge or experience. That is really obvious to me.

I hated it but I am glad it was produced so someone can do a more capable job in the future and hopefully avoid the same naive approach.

Some of the factory produced slide screenshots are lush though to be fair.

The most embarrassing part was where the author seemed to fall in love with some sad, ugly, middle-aged female who spends most of her free time playing UFO Cathers. One would of thought that anyway from the space he wasted on her. This sort of behaviour from said female isn`t normal, clever or indeed good.

I have read the book from cover to cover.

[henry dark]

I've been to many game centres in Japan, and sorry to burst your bubble, but they aren't the mystical Nirvanas of peace and bliss some seem to be building them up as.

Unless you like rows and rows and rows and rows of faceless, identical fighting games and three dusty shooters in the corner that is.

It also depends on what Japanese game center you go to for the shmup based ones. ^_~

Yeah of course thats true. As long as people realise that Hey! is the exception rather than the rule.

[gojira]

kuzuo, yes I bought the english version of the book.

henry dark: yes, they are chains like ADORES which have one or two floors Tekken 6 only, then this weird horse-racing sim where you have to stroke your horse on a touchscreen, then Magic Quiz Academy, and that's it. I agree that these places suck hard, but I don't even think about ADORES and similar chains when I am going to the arcade. It's like a totally different thing. There are chains like ADORES which are I-don't-know-what and there are arcades. I agree that HEY in Akihabara is the exception, but I think it's obvious to everyone who has been there that HEY is an extreme in terms of game selection (and noise level, haha), but there are countless cool arcades spread all over Tokyo, it's just that they are not so famous because they are smaller. Even some of the really small arcades in the side streets sometimes have an amazing collection of games. So why don't you just ignore the big chains and search for the amazing arcades you can discover.

[innerpattern]

So why don't you just ignore the big chains and search for the amazing arcades you can discover.

if I ever get to Japan I will!

[PC Engine Fan X!]

In the October 2008 issue of Otaku USA, on page 134 and 135, there's a two spread about Brian Ashcraft's "Arcade Mania!" book and the following article written by himself word for word in it's entirety:

--------------------------------------
Tales from the Game Center

Inside Japan's lovable and grubby arcades

Brian Ashcraft

It's the dead of summer, and the urban the Japanese is unbearable. Looking for a place of refuge, I duck into an arcade, or "game center" as the locals call it. I'm greeted with the stale smell of cigarettes and b.o. There's an ice cream (vending) machine, and a skinny dude in a Guns 'n' Roses shirt licks chocolate ice cream. A short walk from the station, this Sega arcade is stuffed in the red-light district, where salarymen walk hand-in-hand to love hotels with frumpy girls that could be their daughters. Directly across from the Sega game center is a Korean BBQ restaurant owned by former Sega "image character" and current bikini model Yuko Ogura. I know that because her face is plastered all over the damn place. She's since been replaced by more wholesome (and less spacey) Satomi Ishihara. But, here Ogura is in spirit, fittingly. You can take the girl out of the Sega, but you can't the Sega out of the girl. Or something.

Inside the arcade, dudes are lined up for Street Fighter IV, which hit game centers only weeks earlier. Besides the obvious Street Fighter arcade appeal, the game has an interesting way of matching players: Four cabinets are linked together, so in verus mode, you don't know if it's player next to you, across from you, or kitty-corner. Western arcade fighting games traditionally have the one-player and two-player joysticks right next to each other so players know exactly who they are playing against.

Japanese arcade fighting games have two seperate cabinets put back-to-back so you cannot even see the player you are playing against -- and it's considered rude to look over the cabinet to see the individual you just trashed (or who trashed you)! Back when Street Fighter II was first released in 1991, the Japanese arcade version had the one player and two player joysticks next to each other, but an enterprising game center owner figured that if you connected two cabinets, Japanese players were more willing to face off with random strangers. Loser pays! And right now, the guy in front of me has his ass handed to him, and he gets up from the Street Fighter IV cabinet, and I sit down and keep playing until I get my ass handed to me and get back in the back of the line. Office ladies race by with a stack of cards to card-based game Sangokushi Taisen, which has players manipulate chipped cards on a reader surface. Their actions correspond to the in-game action in real time. This genre is so popular that revered RPG maker Square Enix has filled game centers with a card game of its own, The Lord of Vermillion. There are benches where people wait and smoke and smoke some more.

At a nearby cabinet, a dude with a criminally bad haircut shoots the crap out of shooting game Raiden IV. Near the door, teens pound out the arcade version of Gameboy rhythm game Music Heaven, and there's a row sticker picture machines. Arcade staffers empty ashtrays and wipe the nerd sweat off the cabinets with towels. There are lights and flickering screens, and this is where I come when I want to get away. Not even just to play the games, but to be in the moment and to swim in the atmosphere. Video games don't have movie theater releases, they have arcade ones. And playing a game in an arcade is akin to watching a film in a theater. There's something to be said about sitting on a velvety game center stool and waging your way through Ghost 'n' Goblins while you hear sneakers squeak on polished linoleum.

While American video game arcades got their start in bars, Japanese ones did not. Back in the early 1970's, Atari founder Nolan Bushnell tested Pong in a Sunnyvale, California, bar. The story goes that during this location testing (video arcade gaming's first!), the game suddenly died. The reason? The machine was filled with so many quarters that it shorted out. Pong was imported to Japan, but video arcades didn't take off until 1978 when Taito's Space Invaders invaded Japanese wallets. The game was so successful that it caused a national hundred yen (coin) shortage! Coffee shops that installed tabletop Space Invaders cabinets were dubbed Invader Houses, and the entire nation downed cups of sugary milk tea as it blasted space aliens.

For companies like Taito, Capcom, SNK, Sega, and Namco, arcade game is part of their corporate identity. Sega and Namco both got their start in the postwar years, making mechanical games and rides that went into amusement areas on the roofs of Japanese department stores. If, say, these companies stopped making arcade games, they'd be turning their back on their own heritage. (In the US, it would be like famed PC developer Valve suddenly quit making computer games!) It's this arcade heritage that keeps game centers going. As a SNK exec told me: "If we didn't release The King of Fighters XII in arcades, nobody would buy the console version."

Over the course of the past year, year and a half, I've been spending every day in an arcade for a book I wrote called Arcade Mania on, well, Japanese arcades and the nerds who inhabit them. Arcades like this. And not just looking or playing, but talking to players. Great players. Talking to them about what games they play, why they play and how often. And the best of the best. And the best arcades, to boot. While doing the book, it seemed like every other week I was on a bullet train to Tokyo to check out a game center or interview someone or I was back in Osaka talking to game developers or a sticker picture model or something. In an age where consoles and portables dominate, there's still so much love and craft in arcade gaming. While console games routinely get shipped with bugs or need patches, arcade games have to be perfect if they want to get that continue from the player. "You know how we know if a game is good?" one developer asked me. "If the change box is full." And those words still stick as I insert coin after coin after coin.

The heat outside this game center is oppressive.
--------------------------------------

After reading this magazine article complete with five pictures, it seems to me that it would've have been more interesting if Mr. Ashcraft had used a MiniDV camera instead and just made a video documentary along with writing his book. Words in printed form can only say so much but with video and audio content is even better. Sure, one would have to ask for permission to film and get proper credit in the end credits portion of the documentary. A book + DVD documentary set would be have been better IMO. I also get the impression that this particular Arcade Mania! book has been an on-going project for the last twelve to eighteen months (assuming if that is correct according to the above article). ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Octopod]

That is some shitty writing. Hopefully the book is better?

[PC Engine Fan X!]

That is some shitty writing. Hopefully the book is better?

I agree with you on Mr. Ashcraft's shitty writing style, Octopod. Some folks have the gift of writing and for others, they do not.

We'll have to see how the upcoming USA edition of Arcade Mania! turns out. ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[OneEyedJack]

The man who brought us the breaking news that Nintendo made playing cards and countless stories about boobs.

Nintendo made countless stories about boobs?

[Mortificator]

Justin Bailey.

[Ed Oscuro]

It's the dead of summer, and the urban the Japanese is unbearable.

the urban
the japanese
the ever

I appreciate GaijinPunch's info on the UFO Catcher and Print Club stuff, but surely those could be condensed into one chapter.

Then another chapter could be dedicated to something exciting, like super-arcades (the Namco places with the Galaxian3 installation.

[powerfuran]

1. in the beginning Ashcraft writes that there are arcades where video-recorders are hooked up to the machines so that players can record their games. WHERE??? I have never seen this, but would definitely want to use it.

The Mikado, in Shinjuku, allows you to do so. You have a dvd recorder attached to a certain cab, put in a blank dvd and record your stuff. Plus, I'v seen some guys last week recording with their own videocamera plugged to some input in the cab, they were playing Battle Garegga.

Also the Alpha Station, a couple miìnutes walk from JR Shin Ookubo station, has 8 cabs linked to 2 dvd recorders. You just select the cab, put in the blank dvd, same as above. The Game Newton in Ooyama (Tobu Tojo line) has this stuff to record your runs as well.

There are many others, but these are the ones I go every now and then.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

1. in the beginning Ashcraft writes that there are arcades where video-recorders are hooked up to the machines so that players can record their games. WHERE??? I have never seen this, but would definitely want to use it.

The Mikado, in Shinjuku, allows you to do so. You have a dvd recorder attached to a certain cab, put in a blank dvd and record your stuff. Plus, I'v seen some guys last week recording with their own videocamera plugged to some input in the cab, they were playing Battle Garegga.

Also the Alpha Station, a couple miìnutes walk from JR Shin Ookubo station, has 8 cabs linked to 2 dvd recorders. You just select the cab, put in the blank dvd, same as above. The Game Newton in Ooyama (Tobu Tojo line) has this stuff to record your runs as well.

There are many others, but these are the ones I go every now and then.

And how are these candy cabs hooked up to the DVD recorder machines? (I assume that the arcade RGB signal is converted to NTSC signal via RGB to NTSC transcoder already inside the cab, right?)

If one is going to use a MiniDV camcorder to record such A/V footage of arcade shmups, it's best to use a tripod to make sure that it's absolutely still. And use a "shotgun microphone" to home on the audio portion coming from the cabinet's speakers setup and to minimize such background noise during recording. ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[GaijinPunch]

If I wanted to write a book about the heyday of S/E English arcades which were fantastic for 10 years from the mid-eighties (we had 99% of the great stuff from Japan), would I bother to talk about Fruit Machines, Kiddie Rides and Pushers aswell? Hardly. That is not what I was interested in then or care to remember now.

*I* being the operative word that paragraph. Seriously, I agree... I don't give a fuck about that stuff either, but if the book is to be an accurate potrail of arcade history, it should be mentioned. Print Club came to the rescue not once, but at least 3 fucking times since the late 90's. I think it would be more accurate if it was described from the operators point of view rather than the customers though.

DVD Recorder

Mikado uses only a TV + VHS Combo. No DVD recorder. A few other arcades do this, but again, they are the exception rather than the rule. Technically I'm sure there's some type of copyright violation going on there. Not like there's danger of getting in trouble though.

(I assume that the arcade RGB signal is converted to NTSC signal via RGB to NTSC transcoder already inside the cab, right?)

The signal is already NTSC. It is hooked up by (at best) S-Video, transcoded of course.

[JAPJAC]

I don`t know where you got this `history` angle from mate. The book is very much about the present. I don`t know if you have actually read it but one could just reap all of the enjoyment out of it from just standing in the shop for 10 minutes and browsing through.

[powerfuran]

Uhm, I was pretty sure the Mikado stuff was the same as Alpha station. Maybe I'm wrong, I was pretty tired when I got there last week. Btw I don't know about the copyright issues, they just put a panel saying "you can record your plays here, but at least bring your own recordable media"---> dvd, in the case of Alpha station.

For the videocamera thing: the guys weren't recording the video of the cab filming it, they used it like a dvd recorder: there was some cable connection coming out from the cab and plugged in the camera. The camera was just simply laying on the floor. I didn't notice that at a first glance, I thought it wasn't working, Ram told me they were recording.
I don't know anything about video signals, so I guess people who are more experienced can give a proper answer, like Gaijinpunch.