In many places, arcades seem to have nearly, if not completely, vanished.
Yet, in Japan, they continue to hang on.
In a recent Kotaku story, Brian Ashcraft explores why arcade gaming is Japan is thriving.
As The Financial Times reports in a recent piece on Japanese arcades, there were 44,000 of them during their mid-1980s heyday, Ashcraft states.
Today, the Japan Amusement Industry Association says there are 4,856 registered arcades across the country.
There also another estimated 9,000 locales, each having under 50 machines.
Even though there are fewer arcades now than in decades past, new games and cabinets continue to hit game centers, such as Dissidia Final Fantasy, Pokken, and KanColle, a title so popular that it drew lines upon release.
Continue reading the story here.
