Fans of Sega meet at the close of one of Japan s most famous game rooms

On September 20, the Gaming Room Sega Ikebukuro Gigo from Japan closed, more than 28 years after its initial opening. While Japan s playroom industry has been fighting during the Coronavirus pandemic, Kotaku and Famitsu affirm that the closure actually happened because the building lease ended. Apparently, the nine-story building will suffer renovations. A massive crowd met outside the location on its last day of work, and a countdown was carried out for the closing of the Game Room. Then, the manager of the Game Room climbed a staircase to discuss the history of the site and the feelings of him on the closure.

If I was in my power, I would like to stay open forever in this place and greet the happy faces of our wonderful customers, said the manager. Unfortunately, at this time, it turned out that the game room closed.

On the last day of activity of the Game Room, the employees used shirts that thanked the players for their sponsorship during the last 28 years. The gallery opened for the first time in July 1993 and since then it has been a basic element of the region. Given the size of the crowd that attended closing, the game room clearly meant a lot for many people! You can find a video meeting on the Tweet embedded below.

池袋 セ ガ 閉 店 セ レ モ ニ ー w pic.twitter.com/rj5gl5fnng

• mini (@pubg mini) September 20, 2021

The game rooms were once an important part of the videogame industry, and its general impact has been enormous, presenting the players franchises that still exist until today. Games such as pac-man , donkey kong , street fighter II , and moretal Kombat continue to have a profound influence on popular culture long after the debut of their game rooms. While the influence of game rooms has decreased in North America and Europe over the past 25 years, they remain a great attraction in Japan. The closure of Sega Ikebukuro Gigo will be a great disappointment for many country players, as well as for tourists who visited the place while they were in Japan. Hopefully, the closure is not a signal to come.

Have you ever had the opportunity to visit the Gallery? Are you disappointed by your closure? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter in @marcdachamp to talk about everything related to games!