Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

Text: remnant thoughts (Sunshine Student)

Edited by Mu Feng

Introduction on March 1, 2023, the iconic arcade shop building at the exit of Electrical Street in Akihabara Station in Japan took off its red coat and changed into a white suit. This historic moment makes many people regret that times have changed.

The author spent the peak period of the epidemic in Japan, witnessed the closure of the frequently visited arcade hall, and witnessed the opening of the Super Nintendo Park at Universal Studios in Japan.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. For players who love ACG culture, it is regrettable that many changes have taken place in Japan in the past two years, but at the same time, there are a lot of things to look forward to.

Disappeared in 2020, Sega announced the full sale of its arcade business to GiGO,2022 on January 28, 2008, GiGO announced the formal completion of all the handover business, and many arcade halls headed by Akihabara removed the familiar blue SEGA signs and replaced them with a new LOGO.

But only half a year later, on August 12, 2022, GiGO announced that Hall 4, the iconic arcade store in Akihabara, would be closed on September 25, 2022 due to the expiration of its rental contract. Subsequently, Bandai announced that it would enter the building and start business as "Namco Akihabara" from March 1, 2023.

▲ 's newly dressed Namco Akihabara is holding an opening commemoration. Although GiGO transferred Hall 4 to Bandai only because of the rental contract, it is an undeniable fact that Japan's entire arcade industry is in decline. With the aging of Japan's population and the popularity of home phones and mobile games among the younger generation, young people gradually lose the habit of going to street machine stores to play games.

▲ according to the survey data of Japan Software selling Co., Ltd., the number of arcade shops in Japan continues to decline. I first visited this famous No. 4 Pavilion Street machine store about 10 years ago. At that time, a small half of the doll catcher area on the first floor was occupied by "LoveLive!", which was on the rise in popularity at that time.

On the ground floor is the fighting game street area, surrounded by dim lights and noisy music, while seeing Japanese fighting game enthusiasts waiting in an orderly line beside the frame to show their skills. Some defeated players will wipe the buttons with their own handkerchiefs before getting up before leaving their seats.

Although we fight each other to the death in the game, it is orderly outside the game, so the author has to sigh that the cultural heritage of the birthplace of the fighting game is really admirable. Now this kind of scene is disappearing unconsciously.

In addition to the street machine shop, the game-themed coffee shop must also be one of the goals for many players to travel to Japan. However, it is a pity that the themed cafes of several major Japanese game manufacturers have moved or closed down one after another in the past two years.

The SE coffee shop, which also has a branch in Shanghai, has closed its shop in Osaka. Capugong Cafe first moved from Shinjuku in Tokyo to Saitama Yuegu. Saitama closed on January 31, 2023, and now moved to Tokyo Ikebukuro to reopen.

The SE coffee shop in ▲ Osaka and the Capkon coffee shop in Saitama no longer exist. Gunda, once one of the landmarks of Akihabara, quadrupled the AKB48 coffee shop next door on July 31, 2020. But on November 2, 2021, a year and a half later, it was suddenly announced that Akihabara, Taisha, Fukuoka and Osaka would be closed before January 30, 2022. In a lot of regret came down the curtain of 12 years.

▲ 's once Akihabara Cafe is now a store for thousands of generations to go to the game-themed cafe with like-minded friends and spend a period of time surrounded by the game atmosphere. I also went to the SE Cafe with my friends during the theme of "Heart of the Kingdom". After ordering sea salt popsicles, I was lucky to win the lottery.

Although the prize is only a coaster, it has become a happy memory shared by the author and my friends. It is indeed a pity that the chances of experiencing this kind of luxury time are gradually diminishing.

The moment ▲ won the prize, it felt as if he had really rekindled the world of the game, and it was a pity that some of the shrines worth going to ACG were gradually disappearing. But for the post-80s and post-90s players. Japan today may still be a good place to remember childhood.

Two years ago, Nintendo and Sony launched replicas of past game consoles such as the mini FC and the mini PS. Now there is an official simulator on NS, and senior members of PS + can also play games on the platform in the past. All the signs have once again confirmed the old saying that good games are never out of date. And Japan's unique "medieval" culture also makes the popularity of old game stores enduring.

According to a survey by the Nippon Keizai Shimbun, the price of popular old games has nearly quadrupled in a decade. A store called Super Tudou is one of the typical old game stores. Here, you can find all kinds of old generation console games such as FC, SFC, N64, PS, PS2, GBA, Sega MD and so on. There are even old games that have not been opened. Whether they want to commemorate the collection or make up the ticket price, these old game stores are worth going to Taobao for players who want to "remember their childhood". Here, there may be unexpected gains.

▲ has branches in Akihabara, Ikebukuro, Nagoya, Osaka and other places.

The original "DQ" and "FF" of ▲ SFC can be said to be the treasure trove of old games, in addition to old games, the reproduction of old toys has also become a craze in recent years. First of all, I have to mention the four-wheel drive racing car, which is very popular because of the animation "four-wheel drive brothers". Whether it is the protagonist Xiao Lie Xiaohao's "Sonic War God" and "charge War God" series, or the "Spider King" and "Big Mac" used by the villains, they have once again appeared on the shelves of major shopping malls. In order to make it more convenient for customers to debug their cars, many shopping malls offer free racing tracks for trial runs.

▲ Xiao lie Xiao Hao's chariots are all available in all ages.

▲ 's free-to-use racing track in Baxi, Osaka, is exciting just to watch. If the four-wheel drive racing car is the representative of "fun" with friends, then one of the representatives of "alone Lele" electronic pet "Tuo Ma Song" has also changed a lot in the past two years. In the first month of its release, Tuomagozi sold out all 1 million of its first batch of products. Supply fell short of demand for several months. Wandai also wants to strike while the iron is hot and continue to increase orders.

People who have played ▲ must have had the experience of being annoyed by negligent care that led to the death of their pets to the west, but what they never thought was that because the original target group of Tumagozi was female high school students, and the craze of Japanese female senior high school students was also famous for "come and go quickly", so the craze of Tuomagozi is also fleeting. But even if the boom is over, past orders will continue to arrive, eventually leading to a large inventory residue problem, resulting in a total operating deficit of about 6 billion yen, and was forced to stop production in 1999.

Fortunately, Wandai learned the lessons of that year and redeveloped the hand-phenotypic Tuo Ma Song, adding functions such as full-color screen, touch screen operation, voice interaction, and so on. The new Tuo Ma Song once again captured people's childlike innocence and once again became one of the most popular goods. Recently, with the cooperation of well-known comics and animation, it also blew a retro whirlwind.

At that time, most of the student players who had limited pocket money in their hands were obsessed with what to buy, but now most of them have entered society. With independent financial ability, many people want to make up for their childhood regrets.

Although basically did not actually play, but as long as you see, it will awaken the gradually forgotten childlike innocence, but also remind yourself that happiness is sometimes very simple. And this kind of psychology must also be one of the main reasons for the craze of reproduction.

As soon as the ▲ was announced, the author decided to buy the wave messenger replica model. I believe that the post-80s and post-90s generation must be no stranger to this character. It is true that they are happy to recall their childhood, but in the past two years, there have been many new places for players to visit in Japan.

Most people must have heard of the Super Nintendo World that USJ, the Osaka-based Universal Studios, opened in 2021. But for players, the charm of today's USJ is more than just a super Nintendo world.

In addition to the existing Malio Park, ▲ is also expected to open the Qigang Park in 2024. From March 1, 2023, USJ started a brand-new float parade-NO LIMIT! Float parade. Many characters of Mario racing rushed out of the track in the game and came to our eyes. Pikachu, fire-breathing dragons and other people are also here to dance. This is definitely a dream time for players to forget all their troubles and indulge in revelry.

The familiar gate of ▲

If you think it's not fun to just watch floats, then there is a VR version of the monster hunter project, "Monster Hunter World: ice sheet XR Walk," waiting for players to challenge. This project is the same as the game, which can be challenged by a team of up to four people. The weapons provided are swords, swords, hammers, axes and heavy crossbows. After deciding on the shape and armor, you have to go to the world of monster hunters as a rookie explorer.

▲ 's lovely Elu cat came to meet the newcomers on a hunting mission. At the moment of entering the ice sheet world, the author and teammates could not help exclaiming that the degree of restoration was too high. What appears in front of me is a vast white world of snow and ice. When the author waved a Tai Dao which is longer than his height, a kind of dream came true. When the beasts, who are usually only in contact with the game screen, suddenly appear in front of their eyes, in addition to looking up at their huge figure, they are also intimidated by their forceful courage.

When you win after experiencing a fierce battle, you can also feel a sense of achievement that is incomparable in the game. Anyone who has come into contact with the "Monster Hunter" series is worth going to experience for yourself.

▲ this project does not accept on-site queuing, must make an appointment to buy tickets in advance, players who intend to experience it should also remember to buy tickets in advance with the release of "Heritage of Hogwarts", many players must once again indulge in the wizarding world. USJ also began its new campaign to meet magical creatures on March 17, 2023. In this activity, you can get close contact with winged animals, sniff and other lovely magical creatures, and experience the feeling of being cured by magic.

▲ Japan's well-known comedian band "sickle weasel" has also come to support magical creatures. In addition to USJ, there are two places full of magic in Japan today. One is the stage play "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" being staged at the ACT Theater in TBS Akasaka, Tokyo.

The stage play has been staged in Britain, the United States, Australia, Germany and other places, and now it has finally landed in Asia. All the roles are played by Japanese actors, and one of the actors playing Harry Potter is Ryuya Fujiwara, who played the live-action movie Yagami Light. In order to welcome this stage play, the ACT Theatre in TBS Akasaka was specially renovated and transformed into an exclusive theater for the stage play.

▲ Fujiwara also plays the Harry Potter plot 19 years after the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, when Harry Potter's youngest son, Albus Severus, is about to travel to Hogwarts to start his magic school life. When he parted at the station, Albus worried that he would be assigned to Slytherin, but that worry eventually became a reality.

Coupled with the halo of the son of Harry Potter, he was out of breath, making Albus's life at Hogwarts not going well, becoming increasingly grumpy and strained with his father, Harry Potter. One day, after learning that Cedric Diggory had died after being sent to Voldemort by a door key with Harry Potter, Albus decided to make up for the mistakes made by his father Harry Potter and embarked on a journey of unknown time.

▲ Akasaka, now Tokyo, has been played up by the wizarding world of Harry Potter, and the "Journey to the Warner Brothers Studio in Tokyo: the production Showcase of Harry Potter", which will open on June 16, 2023, is also a must-see. This is the second Harry Potter production exhibition in the world after London. The exhibition area, with a size of about 90,000 square meters, perfectly recreates the world view in the film, and a large number of costumes and props actually used in the film will be displayed. Tickets will officially go on sale on March 22, 2023.

After June 16, ▲ will be able to go to the world in the movie to find out the magical heart ignited by Hogwarts. I believe he will be able to renew his enthusiasm in these places.

Conclusion: the consumption habits of players, the content provided by game manufacturers and the goods provided by merchants are all changing all the time. If you visit Japan after two years, you may inevitably have a sense of "things have changed," but no matter how the times change, the happiness brought by the game culture will never change.

This article comes from the official account of Wechat: UCGmedia (ID:UCG_Media), author: remnant

Welcome to subscribe "Shulou Technology Information " to get latest news, interesting things and hot topics in the IT industry, and controls the hottest and latest Internet news, technology news and IT industry trends.