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Namco Pushes Counter-Strike LAN Centers In Japan
Thanks to GameSpot for their extended four part series discussing Namco's attempt to launch gaming-specific LAN centers as an alternative to arcades in Japan. The company has made moves to "..license Counter-Strike from Valve Software, create a localized version called Counter-Strike NEO for Japanese gamers, and install specially designed [PC setups] running the game in Namco's LEDZone LAN arcades." Although PC gaming is still weak and arcade gaming strong in Japan, Namco has put a lot of effort into these gaming-only PC LAN centers, which even have a "subwoofer mounted flush with the floor in front of each seat... so gamers feel each gunshot and explosion through the soles of their feet." Namco also mentions Counter-Strike NEO shows gradually increasing revenues, as opposed to Japanese arcade games, which "...are most profitable shortly after installation, and then suffer declining revenue until the arcade owner replaces them."
Posting anonymously... because this is what anonymous posting is for:
I used to work at a LAN center. The store-level management was superb, but the network-wide management was absolute crap. The most successful LAN center has to cater to it's individual target audience - different locations breed different types of gamers.
Our LAN center worked great holding fun, informal events and having open servers where everything went. Company policy clamped down and slowly killed the customer base. I left the company because I moved, but the profits are half what they were at the time I left. Sucks real hard.
The other big issue is obsolescence. People don't realize how fast gaming techonology dies and is reborn in the newest, $1000 form. When you *never ever ever* spend the money to upgrade, you find yourself without a reason for your customers to game with you. The biggest draw of the traditional arcade is new, inventive gameplay with technology one can't find anyplace but the store. That, and the social aspect - but the internet and voice chat are slowly killing that draw for the LAN crowd.
The campus arcade replaced a bunch of it's larger games (DDR and the like) and put in a few rows totaling 30 or so networked computers running CD, Starcraft, Warcraft, Wolf*, etc. It's amazing how busy the place has been since they made the switch. We're even getting high school kids that make the trip out here to play the games... it's funny: I would have thought that by now everyone has a semi-powerful computer and high speed cable connection at home. I guess not!
On my last visit to taiwan, which isnt that far away from japan, Lan-cafes or lan party pubs seemed to be a booming biz, and most people go play there than at the arcades just because you pay the hourly rate and play whatever games you want. amazing how diffrent these two gamer cultures are when separated by a little water. Oh and last I check CS is still quite popular, but I dont think they should have payed to put their little name on it...