Meeting the London Arcade-Goers Keeping Rhythm Action Alive

Often the proving ground for a band of boozed-up friends to show that they're not actually that drunk and definitely have style, rhythm games have been a feature of the medium for almost two decades now, if we're taking 1996's PaRappa the Rapper as the title that kickstarted this whole keep-the-beat scene. Some rhythm action series never seem to end: The likes of Just Dance and Guitar Hero have been through myriad changes, but they're still around, playable on today's most-modern consoles.

One side of the genre that's not changed particularly is the presence of foot-stomping rhythm games in arcades worldwide. Chances are you've seen one, even if you didn't step up yourself—the Dance Dance Revolution, Beatmania, and the drum-pounding Taiko no Tatsujin series have been relative mainstays in coin-op corners since the late 1990s.

The popularity of these machines might not be what it used to be in Europe, but there are still passionate players out there who keep coming back for more, solo or with friends, gently inebriated at the end of a night out or getting warmed up for a big one to come. The games often begin easy, levels beatable by even the least-rhythmic performer. But crank up the difficulty and you see spectacular shows of hyper-speed precision and awesome finesse like those caught in VICE's mini-documentary on Tokyo's Dance Dance Revolution hardcore (which you can watch below).

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In Soho, in the very center of London, is an arcade tucked beneath a casino. It's the sort of place that even the locals can walk past without a second glance. But dip inside Las Vegas Arcade and you'll find all manner of old-school arcade delights, from sit-down driving games to light-gun shooters and, naturally, a selection of rhythm action attractions. And it's this latter corner that's often the busiest, friends and strangers alike finding an audience for their dancing skills.

"I've noticed as a whole that communities built around music games are really friendly," Ben, the community manager at the arcade, tells me. "Even when the group is a small one, it's like being a family. Everyone knows each other's name, and they accept people of any skill level."

That's easy to see when you're there. Everyone gets offered a turn. The top players help the amateurs, and there's always a little competition between friends. I was offered a go and thoroughly humiliated myself in the most fun way possible—even when you're terrible at these games, they remain superbly enjoyable.

All Photographs courtesy of Las Vegas Arcade

I speak to an experienced rhythm-action gamer, Mimi, who draws a small crowd as she's playing in the Las Vegas Arcade. I ask about her connection with these kind of games.

"It started in my childhood, around age six perhaps. Even though I wasn't serious back then I really enjoyed PaRappa the Rapper. I got more specifically into the genre around 10 or 11, when I played Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan on the Nintendo DS, and some other rhythm games for the console."

Mimi is a part of the Dutch Dance Dance Revolution fansite ddrnl.com. "My introduction to the Dutch DDR community was about two years ago, at a convention. The Dutch DDR community runs these set-ups at conventions and one of my friends often participated in tournaments. This seemed a lot of fun, and I was eager to participate as well after that."

"The community died a bit a few years ago," she continues, "but it gained life once again when DDR setups started appearing at other conventions, and small events. Today, the community is slowly growing again, and it's a fun and friendly one, too."

Ben's been watching over the British arcade scene for a while now, and saw the numbers of rhythm action gamers fall because of poor Western support for the small but committed communities.

"The hardest hit that music game fans have had to endure is the lack of official presence from the companies behind the games, in the past six years. Outside of some exceptions like (Pump It Up makers) Andamiro, most other companies have been publishing to Asia and America only, and have abandoned Europe for various reasons. Maybe previous games didn't sell well, or there have been licensing issues, I'm not sure. But being able to import some machines has helped keep the local communities alive."

And they are very much alive. Mimi's friends at ddrnl set up the Netherlands' part of the 2016 Pump It Up Festival, a fan-run tournament encompassing events across the world. Las Vegas Arcade hosted its own part of the tournament, too.

Despite the hurdles that European fans of arcade rhythm games need to jump through, small communities like the one in Soho remain active and passionate about them. For many, it's hard to get access to these machines, but it's heartwarming that their efforts are keeping the games in circulation, and such commitment could yet lead to a significant resurgence in the scene, someday. Because who doesn't want to be able to witness sights like this halfway through a London shopping trip?

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