Retro Video Game Bars/Cafes in Japan

[treismac]

http://points-tv.com/?p=10

Oh, to one day make a pilgrimage to Japan and check out Akihabara, the mecca for retro video games and electronic/otaku stuff in general, and visit places like these cafes! It's one of my day dreams to open one of these in my hometown one day. I think these cafes elevate the cultural level of retro video games above the hermit subculture stigma by bringing retro games alongside such common cultural communal practices as drinking alcohol and coffee in social settings. Mind you, I happily play cartridge based video games by myself with no shame, but I am still a little romantic about the idea of the original Nintendo among other vintage systems having a larger appeal to gamers. I had to throw a Retro NES Party to cajole friends into humoring me and playing classic games with me. Who the f*ck throws a Halo Party to get buddies to play with them, you know?

Does anyone live in a city that has a retro video game bar/cafe? If so, what is it like?

Also: Here are some pics of posters I made for the retro video game party. Enjoy!

[Lady Jaye]

Not strictly classic gaming, but there's the Foonzo in Montreal. They mostly have modern stuff like Xbox 360s converted into mini arcade cabs and running the new Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter IV games. But they also did have a N64, a Wii connected, as well as older consoles (TG-16 and NES) hooked up before. The place changes constantly so it's really YMMV in terms of classic games.

They also have a great free Wi-Fi connection (great to work on stuff if you bring your laptop) and their coffee and bubble tea offerings are delicious and affordable. They have an alcohol licence, so the place is for adults only (18 and over, 18 being the minimum drinking age in Quebec).

http://foonzo.com

Their website is mainly in French but the owners are fluent in both French and English.

[treismac]

Not strictly classic gaming, but there's the Foonzo in Montreal. They mostly have modern stuff like Xbox 360s converted into mini arcade cabs and running the new Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter IV games. But they also did have a N64, a Wii connected, as well as older consoles (TG-16 and NES) hooked up before. The place changes constantly so it's really YMMV in terms of classic games.

They also have a great free Wi-Fi connection (great to work on stuff if you bring your laptop) and their coffee and bubble tea offerings are delicious and affordable. They have an alcohol licence, so the place is for adults only (18 and over, 18 being the minimum drinking age in Quebec).

http://foonzo.com

Their website is mainly in French but the owners are fluent in both French and English.

I have a deep abiding love for Street Fighter, so Foozo's website grabbed me with its whole "We have tons of Street Fighter to play" features. Just today I was talking with my biggest SF rival over the phone who now lives across the country. Dammit. Anyway, the place looks rocking in its photos in the gallery (good thing gallery and gallerie are cognates, eh?). I could see myself soaking in the ambiance as a drank a bubble tea while laying waste to competitors in SF. One of the non-social reasons I have for wanting access to a retro gaming bar/cafe is to simply just have another cool environment to play video games in. This one would do nicely. Is it as big as it looks or am I being tricked by camera angles?

[Lady Jaye]

It's rather big. There are two sections actually: one with the video games and the café section with the tables and couches where you can play one of the board games on hand or bring your Magic cards or read one of the comic books available. I've played Munchkin a couple of times there with some friends, and it's perfect for that.

The only downside especially if coming to do some work on the computer is that it gets very noisy when there's a lot of people.

[treismac]

The only downside especially if coming to do some work on the computer is that it gets very noisy when there's a lot of people.

I suppose that it is to be expected. If there were more typical cafes in the area, I don't imagine a video game cafe would be a person's first choice for a place to do work on a computer.

[Drixxel]

I had a cool time at a video game bar in Hiroshima, but the name escapes me. Tokyo gets a lot of attention because of Akihabara and what have you, but Hiroshima is worth checking out for its retro game shops and this notable video game bar (plus, it's considerably easier to get around Hiroshima than Tokyo). The friendly owner of the place had a large Famicom & SFC collection which the lucky patron had access to courtesy of a personal sized LCD TV paired with a console that could be setup wherever. I was doing reasonably well at Makai Mura before the beer took hold.

[Haoie]

Any girls in skimpy maid outfits at these cafes?

Oh come on, you were all thinking it.

[Hemloco]

Hey Everybodeh. I invite you to check out the video game bar I opened in Osaka 9 months ago. It is called Space Station (named after the neighborhood arcade of my childhood). There is no website but you can check out the place by searching for the public Facebook group "Space Station Osaka" If any of you are in town please come by. 100 yen discount off your first drink if you mention this Digitalpress post

[Drixxel]

Osaka's a neat town, I'll be sure to stop by Space Station if ever I find myself in that part of Japan again. Your bar sounds like a cool place, based on this friendly write-up on HG101, and congrats on your first 3/4 year!