Arcade Mania: The Turbo-charged World of Japan's Game Centers: Ashcraft, Brian, Snow, Jean: 9784770030788: Amazon.com: Books

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Arcade Mania: The Turbo-charged World of Japan's Game Centers Paperback – January 1, 2009

by Brian Ashcraft (Author), Jean Snow

30 ratings

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Home of Sega, Nintendo, and Sony, Japan has a unique and powerful presence in the world of video games. Another thing that makes Japan unique in the gaming world is the prevalence of game arcades. While the game arcade scene has died in the U.S., there are 9,500 "game centers" in Japan with more than 445,000 game machines.
Arcade Mania introduces overseas readers to the fascinating world of the Japanese gemu senta. Organized as a guided tour of a typical game center, the book is divided into nine chapters, each of which deals with a different kind of game, starting with the UFO catchers and print club machines at the entrance and continuing through rhythm games, fighting games, shooting games, retro games, gambling games, card-based games, and only-in-Japan games.
Covering classic games from Space Invaders to Street Fighter, games that are familiar to Americans in their home console versions (Rock Band, Guitar Hero and Dance, Dance Revolution), as well as the unique, quirky games found only in Japan, Arcade Mania is crammed full of interviews with game makers and star players, and packed with facts about the history, background and characteristics of each game, all lavishly illustrated with photographs and game graphics. This book is a must-have for gamers everywhere.

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Print length

192 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Kodansha USA
Publication date

January 1, 2009
Dimensions

7.4 x 0.5 x 5.2 inches
ISBN-10

4770030789
ISBN-13

978-4770030788

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Editorial Reviews

Book Description

A tour through the fascinating world of Japan's thriving game arcades

About the Author

Osaka-based co-author BRIAN ASHCRAFT is the editor of Kotaku, one of the biggest gaming blogs on the net (one of the top 20 most popular blogs in the world, according to the website Technorati: http://technorati.com/pop/blogs/) with approximately 750,000 hits (23 million readers) per day.

Based in Tokyo, JEAN SNOWs art, design, and media-themed blog (www.jeansnow.net) boasts about 3,000 readers per day. Both are experts on the Japanese gaming scene, and are experienced writers: in addition to their blogging activities, Ashcraft is a contributor toWired Magazine, and Snow has a column on design in The Japan Times.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kodansha USA
Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 1, 2009
Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 192 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 4770030789
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-4770030788
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.3 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.4 x 0.5 x 5.2 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,631,323 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,979 in Video & Computer Games
- #3,548 in Computer & Video Game Strategy Guides

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30 ratings

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Brian Ashcraft
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Brian Ashcraft has authored six books, including The Japanese Sake Bible, Japanese Whisky, Japanese Tattoos and Arcade Mania. Previously, Ashcraft was a contributing editor at Wired Magazine, where he has covered topics ranging from digital filmmaking and liquor chemistry to Japanese politics and robotics, and a senior contributing editor at Kotaku, where he covered Japanese culture. His work has also appeared in Popular Science, The Guardian, The Japan Times and design journal Metropolis Magazine as well as publications in the United Kingdom, Portugal, Italy and South Africa.
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Jean Snow
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5 customers mention "Readability"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book readable and enjoyable, with one customer noting its fantastic writing.

"...The fantastic writing is, happily, equaled by the great photography, layout and artwork...." Read more

"...I've long been a fan of Japanese games and culture, and this game got nice and in depth with each genre, enough to make me want to go right to Japan..." Read more

"...Not nearly as interesting a read but still very informative and enjoyable." Read more

"...Great read. Great stories, lots of pictures. A+ read." Read more

4 customers mention "Information content"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book informative, with one noting it is serious but not a textbook.

"...A lot of information, even for a fan who thought he knew his stuff!" Read more

"...Not nearly as interesting a read but still very informative and enjoyable." Read more

"...Serious but not a textbook. Small enough to carry with you, for when you have that urge to muse on the entertainment industries of other countries...." Read more

"Great fun, interesting read...." Read more

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JDW
What a treat!
Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2009
Verified Purchase

It's so great to see the support this book is getting, including a video review from David (CheapyD). The bubbly, happy feeling I get from the sense of community showing up to bat for Mr. Ashcraft is also the giddy, joyous sensation I get from the book itself, a tour of the Japanese childhood I always wanted but never got. BUT, not only that, these arcades still exist in Japan!

Please let Brian Ashcraft tell you all about them.

The book is impeccably organized, and the presentation (printed in Japan) is fantastic. If this is your first book "from Japan," you're in for a happy surprise. Everything from the dust jacket to the paper and ink are pristine. As soon as I saw Kodansha was the publisher, I knew this would be the case and that the work of Brian, Jean, et al, would be well taken care of. The fantastic writing is, happily, equaled by the great photography, layout and artwork. I simply can't recommend this book highly enough.

If you're interested, even to the slightest degree, in Japanese culture or Japanese video games, even if you prefer to do your gaming in the comfort of your home, you'll devour this adorable little (though information-packed!) volume. And if you already have interest in game centers, you're probably going to study this thing and read it multiple times, as I have, as much for the acumen and style as for the captivating aesthetic.

Thank you so much, Mr. Ashcraft, and big kudos to Jean Snow as well. Nothing would make me happier than to see these books to keep coming from my ludicrously talented peers (are they still my peers if I'm completely outclassed?). I've never been so proud.

Jesse Dylan Watson
____________________
The Bonus Chance Blog
[...]

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drl
Gamer's Paradise
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2009
Verified Purchase
I was tempted to pre-order this book when I first read about it, but never got around to checking it out. Luckily I stumbled upon the book on Amazon and read some good reviews on it, so I took the gamble.

It was worth it!

I've long been a fan of Japanese games and culture, and this game got nice and in depth with each genre, enough to make me want to go right to Japan to play, or wish that American arcades would be reborn like their Japanese counterparts! A lot of information, even for a fan who thought he knew his stuff!

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Christopher Wheat
Game library worthy
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2014
Verified Purchase
This has found a spot in my video game libarary of art books, history books, and so forth.

Pick it up and read it... If you enjoyed other books such as video gaming history or ridding the light you'll enjoy this. Not nearly as interesting a read but still very informative and enjoyable.

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Douglas A. De Guzman
Great fun, interesting read.
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2009
Verified Purchase
As a fan of video games and the history of it, I have not read too much abou the Japanese Arcade culture and history. There are a few about Amreican arcade history that I have read but the Amreican history of arcades has nothing on the Japanese arcade culture. Great read. Great stories, lots of pictures. A+ read.

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Hal
Great book!
Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2009
Verified Purchase
Clear and concise, but contains a large amount of information. Serious but not a textbook. Small enough to carry with you, for when you have that urge to muse on the entertainment industries of other countries. I don't even play arcade games, and I thought this book was great.

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KNDY
This book is absolutely fantastic and definitely a must own video game book for fans of Japanese video gaming and more!
Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2008
I've always been fascinated with the video games that have come from Japan and it's no secret that I play a lot of the imports (good and bad) and even in Tokyo, well take some time playing at the video game arcade machines at the local arcade or on the second-story of a grocery store in the middle of nowhere.

When you're in Japan, may it be at Sega Joypolis or a dingy arcade, you can't help be mesmerized by the various types of machines available for people to take part in. The types of games that are attracting various gamers and there is just so much available, to cover the various machines would be a major task.

That was until I read "ARCADE MANIA!" by Brian Ashcraft (with Jean Snow). I'm literally in awe of how much coverage was featured in this book. The first thing that caught my attention was the hip layout but most of all, the people featured in the book and the history behind the various arcade machines.

Brian Ashcraft's work for Kotaku.com and Wired Magazine is well-known, along with Jean Snow who also writes for Wired Magazine's Game|Life blog. Both men delivered in what probably is one of the best written books on video gaming.

Chapter 1 features "CRANE GAMES". I have to admit that when I'm in Tokyo, I spent a bit of money trying to get some of the items at these various crane games. Because the prizes offered are not always stuffed animals but some prizes are just rare items specifically for the crane game (or UFO catcher). And in Japan, when you think of crane games, you think of Yuka Nakajima.

Just reading this chapter and reading the interview with Yuka Nakajima giving her game tips, seeing the various photos of UFO catchers and also the competition between Yuka Najajima and Aya Toyoda was surprising to find its inclusion in this book but immediately, I liked where this book was heading.

Chapter 2 then goes into sticker-picture machines aka Purikura machines. If you are into Japanese pop culture, may it be a trip to your local Japanese mall in America or somewhere in Japan, it's quite fun to get a group of friends and hit the purikura machines. But what was cool about this chapter was the interview with Sakurina, a model for "Koakuma Ageha" magazine who was discovered by a scout because of purikura and now she's featured outside a variety of those machines.

Chapter 3 goes into rhythm games and its history in Japan and an interview with Aaron Chmielowiec who scored a AAA on "Dance Dance Revolution" and his ability to remember patterns (including the algorithms of "Pac Man" when was younger). This chapter was pretty cool because it features quite a bit on various rhythm-based machines including "Taiko no Tatsujin" and "Rhythm Tengoku".

Chapter 4 features shooting games (aka shoot `em ups or shmups). From the history of "Space Invaders" to "Ikaragua" to the "Shmups skills test". There is a lot of cool information on the genre in this chapter and I really enjoyed the interview with Kenta Cho who is known for his doujin software such as "Gunroar" and "Tumiki Fighters".

Chapter 5, my favorite chapter, covers fighting games. From "Street Fighter II" to SNK games and the popular PC game "Melty Blood", I just felt this chapter was well-written. And there was one key thing that definitely caught my attention in this chapter and that was the interview with Daigo Umehara and also a piece on his battle with Justin Wong at EVO 2004 (Evolution is a competitive fighting tournament that primarily featured fighting game competitions at the time).

I was at the event to interview Daigo (and the other Japanese fighting game competitors) at EVO 2004 and was also to see that comeback against Justin Wong which was detailed in the book. It was one of the most impressive competitive battles I have seen in my life and both Daigo "The Beast" and Justin Wong are two competitive individuals. To find that certain match included in this chapter was truly awesome. Wasn't expecting to see it mentioned at all but just shows how thorough Ashcraft and Snow's coverage was in each chapter. Awesome!

Other chapters include "Games of Chance" (for those who love mahjong games), "Dedicated Cabinets" featuring specialized games from gun games to driving games and a cool interview with Sega's Yu Suzuki. There is a chapter on "retro games" and a cool interview with Goichi Suda (Suda 51) of Grasshopper Manufacture fame. And a well-written in-depth chapter on "card-based" games

I can't tell you how impressed I was with this book. Brian Ashcraft and Jean Snow have done a great job with this book which was well-researched, good selections for their interviews and just a wealth of information that this book has... I'm very impressed of how well-written and well-researched this book truly is.

I've read a good share of video gaming books and to have one written about the Japanese arcade game industry but also how it seems to crossover to the video game console systems, I have no doubt that people who are fans of Japanese video games of various genres will surely find this book, not only just a good read but it's absolutely fantastic. Definitely an A+!

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Logan N
quick arcade session
Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2009
the books size is a little odd for my taste and it seems more like a quick refresher. most gamers will be left wanting a little more in depth knowledge.

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2 people found this helpful

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Cheap Ass Gamer
Arcade Mania is great fun for gaming fans!
Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2008

The media could not be loaded.

Although arcades are all but gone in the USA, but they still live on in a big way in Japan. Take a fun trip through Japanese game centers with Arcade Mania!

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88 people found this helpful

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Adrian
Buen libro
Reviewed in Spain on July 20, 2013
Verified Purchase

Libro curioso e interesante si te gusta no solo los videojuegos sino también la cultura japonesa. Muy ilustrado y sencillo de comprender con un nivel medio de ingles.

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Zsolt Murányi
Very Japanese
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 21, 2017
Verified Purchase
Nice little colorful book depicting the world of Japanese arcades including game machines, sticker machines etc. Has a follow-up book from the same author which is about Japanese schoolgirls.
The book is published by Kodansha in very Japanese style, complete with dust cover.

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Federico B.
Pessime condizioni
Reviewed in Italy on October 23, 2021
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Purtroppo il prodotto è pieno di macchie e pieghe

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Federico B.

Pessime condizioni

Reviewed in Italy on October 23, 2021
Purtroppo il prodotto è pieno di macchie e pieghe

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david perrier
Arcade
Reviewed in France on November 3, 2019
Verified Purchase
Rétrospective du jeu d’arcade en anglais
Photos N/B le seul petit bemol

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Mirai
Four Stars
Reviewed in Canada on October 14, 2015
Verified Purchase
great!

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