Quote:
Originally Posted by ArcadeOperator
I'm opening up a arcade state side in a pretty good market for it, but I am also interested in reaching out to female gamers. I know that lots of girls in Japan visit arcades and game a lot an am somewhat looking to replicate that over here. I know a lot of it has to do with culture, but I feel I can appeal to girls over here with some degree of success.
So my question is for either people who are familiar with the arcade scene in Japan or maybe to some Japanese girls themselves on the forum. What games do Japanese girls generally play? I know puzzle and music games are big for them, but what else and what games in particular? Are they more into games that have cute prizes (like those ticket games)? Pachinko?
Would just like some general advice on how to appeal to this market. Thanks.
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Not sure if it helps, but I only ever entered an arcade for a) the gatchapod phone-charm machines and b) purikura. Purikura are probably out for the US market as you'd have to import a booth from Japan (and translate it!) plus all the general sundries for it, and it would end up too expensive for both you and the customer. There were a couple in london, but it was about £5-£7 a pop.
I would also pay attention to how you dec the place out. Make sure the entrance is well lit and isn't completely done up with images that'd mostly appeal to guys. I'd go into an arcade that looked safe, fun and neutral, but i'd think twice about stepping into one where the door is closed and the glare of the outside makes the interior look like a dark hole stuffed with guys hunched over booths and plastered with pictures of soldiers and girls in bikinis. It kind of screams "they're either going to be mean to girls/new gamers, or try and perve on you," which is a huge stereotype but you know what, has a nugget of truth in it.
Pachinko is pretty lame in my opinion. It's vertical pinball, only you can't really control the ball. The one I used to go by was mostly filled with older people; old ladies, salarymen. It was always busy, but it wasn't especially considered hip.
Also, hire some female employees. I go into video game stores every now and then and it's often all guys, which is then a bit of a lottery if you need to ask advice. Sometimes it's fine, other times it's an unbelievable sham.
Uh, but mostly I agree with MMM, girl gamers who acutally frequent the arcades are fairly rare. Most of them probably stick to home-console play.