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mai on 25 July 2014
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robzo100 said:

 

  • Arcades started in America and pinball machines were essential their predecessors.  But when did Arcades start in Japan?  And was the overlap unrelated?

I'd guess arcade fever hit Japan somewhere at release of Space Invaders. Not that it was the first arcade in Japan as many Japanese "gaming companies" (or essentially a coinop machines manufacturers or operators) at the time worked on that market well before that, Sega and Namco to name the few. You might aware of Sega's EM machine Periscope, in the US known as Midway's Sea Wolf afair, it's even known over here as "Sea Fight". And of course we have Pachislots since pre-War years all over Japan.

If you're interested in American arcades well-well before the EM machines and pinballs, I'd suggest a vol. 1 of never finished Illustared Historical Guide to Arcade Machines by Richard M. Bueschel. If you're interested in Pinballs -- Pinball Book by Marco Rossignoli.

robzo100 said:
  • But why Japan?  Why did home console gaming appeal so much to Japan and the US?  Was it beause they were economically stable enough to have a financially able customer base?  Why didn't Europe catch on fire with this new entertainment like America (maybe "American consumerism?).

Europe did catch on this new entertainment and in fact had quite a few development studios and strong communities in the early years of what you call modern-day gaming. But it was a PC-land in the early 1980s, the time arcade golden age was at near end and home consoles never pick up in there until Sega's efforts.