Nicholas’ Travel Abroad

            While gaming stores and street kiosks are popular places for people to show off their talent at playing video games, the best place is still the arcade.  While the arcades are quickly dieing the in United States, they are still thriving in Japan.  A recent article in the Chicago Tribune spoke about the dire situation the American arcade is facing.  Young people in America just don’t seem to have an interest in social gaming anymore; this has been a long-standing problem since the introduction of home consoles.  In the beginning the arcade games offered a higher quality experience; this drew people from their homes to go to the local arcade.  As console began to compete and then super cede the experience offered at the arcade visitors began to dwindle.  Many attribute the continued success of the Japanese arcade to the constant advancement of the machines, but the social nature of gaming in Japan is another reason.  Japanese gamers don’t enjoy Online gaming as much as their American counterparts, in favor of a social experience. 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/explore/chi-arcades-end-0605jun05,0,3830088.story