Gameworks is clearly a very active arcade. It seems like every time I step in there, they've rearranged the entire floor - and they're always adding new machines. They just spent a fortune on a whole set of Hummer driving machines, and now DDR X. I honestly can't see those drivers making a ton of money for them.
Of course, getting a new IIDX machine is a huge investment, and therefore a risk. $14,000+ for a machine with only a hardcore fanbase. Again, it's like Pop'n - the only people playing it are newbies (who touch it once, then leave), a few VERY casual players, and then a bunch of hardcore players. If they got, say, Gold or DJT, and charged $1 per credit (wishful thinking), there would have to be 38 plays per day for a year, JUST to pay for the machine. So it's a hard sell.
But clearly, GameWorks doesn't seem too strapped for cash. It's a tough situation - they clearly care, but maybe not enough to justify a new, really expensive machine in this economy. They do have a feedback/email system on their website, which I tried once about this same topic, but I never got a response. I guess the key would be to find the person who's in charge of actually selecting the machines they have in the arcade, rather than just some random dude who happens to be selling game cards.
Seattle really needs a big push to get IIDX into GameWorks. GW is a fricking machine, I'm sure it has the resources, but the owners just may not be convinced yet - or do they even know that a bunch of people want this machine in there? We'd need to be able to contact someone on the inside...
Oh, and I second your call for some decent shmups. I'm just getting into Touhou, and got Ketsui Death Label for the DS a few weeks ago (I can nearly beat Very Hard, that game's a bitch).
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