ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an analysis of the game centre Sega Ikebukuro GIGO in Tokyo. It primarily discusses the influence of spatial structures on play dynamics in terms of the compartmentalization of players and experiences in large-scale industrial game centres. After introducing Ikebukuro as a central district of the Japanese media mix, the chapter explores operator strategies to unify and segment the space of the arcade, especially in relation to sonic ambiance and interpretation of gendered interests. This is followed by a discussion of cabinet sliders as a form of cultural interface through an examination of the game Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Arcade as a specific case study.
Drawing on the works of Habermas on the public sphere and Anderson on the concept of imagined communities, the chapter concludes with a reflection of the individualizing effects of the emergence of national networks in the context of the increasing interconnectivity of games and venues uniting, but limiting its audience to, Japan. Concerns are raised about this displacement of ludic engagement from the local towards a mediated and controlled environment while also acknowledging player strategies for the repurposing of these conditions.
