COVID-19 threatens 'game over' for Japan's arcades

More than half of a typical arcade's takings are now from claw-crane toy machines

Published: February 10, 2021 11:00 AFP and Compiled by Christian Borbon, Senior Web Editor

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Evenings are normally the busiest time at Mikado, a retro gaming arcade in Tokyo, but these days the shutters come down early, leaving "Street Fighter" fans out in the cold. Image Credit: AFP

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Bright, noisy arcades are still a neighbourhood fixture in Japan, but they have been disappearing as business is hit by virus-curtailed opening hours. Image Credit: AFP

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"This is when the place usually starts to fill up," laments Yasushi Fukamachi, a manager at Mikado, whose 250 vintage machines attract nocturnal students and office workers who have just clocked off. Image Credit: AFP

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It is approaching 8pm and a few dozen gamers wearing face masks are fighting it out on joystick classics, eking out their final minutes of fun before being shooed out. Image Credit: AFP

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Since early January, Tokyo and other parts of Japan have been under a state of emergency to bring down surging virus cases. Businesses are told to close early, with possible fines for those that refuse. Image Credit: AFP

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But unlike bars and restaurants, arcades like Mikado do not receive government cash as compensation for lost income. Image Credit: AFP

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A woman playing a game at the Mikado game centre in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo. Image Credit: AFP

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Several arcades went bust following Japan's first state of emergency last year, which saw most of them close completely for two months, and those that survived are now struggling. Image Credit: AFP

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By late December, as COVID-19 cases soared in the capital and elsewhere, this dipped to around 50 percent. Image Credit: AFP

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Customers stayed away despite anti-infection measures, from plastic barriers between machines to the daily disinfection of 100 yen coins for the slots, he added. Image Credit: AFP

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