Japan’s gaming arcades face extinction as pandemic weighs heavy on an industry in decline

Evenings are normally the busiest time at Mikado, a retro gaming arcade in Tokyo, but these days the shutters come down early, leaving “Street Fighter” fans out in the cold.Bright, noisy arcades are still a neighbourhood fixture in Japan, but they have been disappearing as business is hit by virus-curtailed opening hours.“This is when the place usually starts to fill up,” laments Yasushi Fukamachi, a manager at Mikado, whose 250 vintage machines attract nocturnal students and office workers who…

Read the original article at South China Morning Post