While many businesses are seeing a shaky recovery from the pandemic, gaming arcades in Richmond are in full swing – almost.
“It’s crazy busy on the weekends, so I go to the arcade on weekday afternoons to avoid the crowds,” said Justyn Houle, an arcade enthusiast.
Houle is currently on vacation, so recently indulged himself with a four-hour long gaming binge at E-Spot, a longstanding go-to location for arcade games in Richmond.
Walking through rows of vintage games with colorful screens dazzling with players' scores, Houle said spending time in an arcade is not just about gaming, it’s also about connecting with like-minded people.
“There’s nothing that can fill that desire for a mix of unique games and the social aspect of playing and talking about these games with your friends,” said Houle.
E-Spot opened in 1994 as a pool and snooker club. Since then, it has expanded to include retro arcade games, dart machines, Mahjong tables, and computer gaming stations.
“Business is kind of back to normal now,” said Eric Lee, the owner of E-Spot. “Since April, hundreds of gamers come to play on weekends. Our revenue is back to 85 to 90 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. ”
According to Lee, a majority of his customers are college students and he’s seen a big influx of them since the school year wrapped up in April.
Another popular Richmond arcade Sandbox VR is also fully booked on weekends.
According to the latest report from Statistics Canada, revenue from the arts, entertainment and recreation sector rose 13.5 per cent in March - the largest growth rate since July 2020.
Even the higher prices aren’t damping enthusiasm.
To make up for losses from the pandemic, cope with rising inflation and compensate for an increased minimum wage, Lee has raised the price of some games as well as snacks.
Lee said the prices for the older games remain the same, but he’s increased the price of newly-arrived rhythm games that cater to players who are into Japanese anime culture.
“The newer ones are definitely more expensive,” said Houle. “But I don't really mind, because they are very unique and usually exclusive to Japan. You can’t find them in any other places here.”
“Some people like to listen to music and dance to it. I like to listen to music and press buttons,” said Houle.
