I have long lamented the demise of the video arcade, but in Japan they live on. This is a wonderful account of Japanese arcades and their patrons. The book covers the genres of games and speaks with key players, both literally and those involved in the industry. Topics include UFO machines (claw grabbers), photo machines, shoot em ups (aka shmups), fighting games, and more. I was particularly interested to read about the machines that require special playing cards to be used.
