are beatmania machines illegal in the U.S.?

[Alex]

Originally Posted by ΩOMEGAΩ

thanks for the support guys.

Location is my biggest issue, and even though its a long term project, and is still a while away. I should still think of places to place the arcade.

also there is NO WAY I would dish out 100k just to start an arcade. This is going to start out small, then work its way up. Not only that, I am also probably going to get some hlep from other companies to get imported games that are already in the U.S. Which i can already say namco is going to help me, they are selling a beatmania club mix for like only $700 in the U.S.

we are really getting off topic here, but I really like talking about opening an arcade. if theres a moderator out there, and wants to lock this, could you move it, and just rename the topic or something, or do i have to start a whole new topic?

to be painfully honest, beatmania club mix isn't going to make you ANY money. :/

Anything even vaguely profitable is gonna run you multiple thousands of dollars, like a modern DDR or a beatmania IIDX mix.

[Kσn]

Originally Posted by Dewgy

to be painfully honest, beatmania club mix isn't going to make you ANY money. :/

Anything even vaguely profitable is gonna run you multiple thousands of dollars, like a modern DDR or a beatmania IIDX mix.

no I am going to buy it, then upgrade it, I can obtain a 7th mix pretty easily now, so i hope in the future I can too.

[ThatsGobbles]

I think he was referring to 5-key beatmania machines in general, sadly.

[WEABOO]

...basically anything with beatmania in it wont bring in very good money (even IIDX). The Happy Sky we had here barely raked in profit aside from the good players who would play, and that was like 10.

The dancing games though, thats where the profit is at

[afex.racer_X]

FYI 100k is not overkill to start an arcade with a decent amount of games. Keep in mind you won't only be paying a few thousand dollars a game, you'd also be paying rent, electricity, and other bills depending on what the landlord already takes care of. Employee's (as it was mentioned before), upkeep. So many other aspects other than just arcade games. Two guys here that i know bought an arcade, fully loaded about 50-120 games. Cost them around 800k. I'm not putting you down and i give you the best of luck just don't expect it to be cheap. You're looking at anywhere from 5k - 12k a month rent alone for a decent sized building, also not to mention Bemani games are probably one of the most expensive ones out there. Anyway's best of luck on your business venture.

[tomokosasaki]

Yeah it says about the machine is only for use in Japan. All the titles, and even the name of the machine is not licenced outside of Japan.

This is the reason that DDR in Europe is NOT called DDR, as it was infringing another company using "DDR".

[HioMrSan]

It makes me laugh everytime I hear about people who "want to start an arcade" and have no idea what they are doing. I mean sure we all have dreams, but just grow up a bit.

1. No one cares about Bemani (Sorry they don't)
2. Assuming you actually have the funds to buy Bemani, what else are you going to buy when you realize a bunch of DDR Kids and a couple IIDX players can't actually keep you in business?
3. Redemption is pretty much the only thing that makes money. Aside from a few games here or there, most of the money made is through all those ticket games.
4. Can you even fix the machines that break down? Even with just a few people a year that’s still 60k-100k ish just in salaries every year. Not to mention renting space, and other utilities.

P.S. - Prepare to be willing to lose nearly everything you got ( your house namely) when the bank claims their collateral. If they'll even lend you anywhere near enough money to buy an arcade or start one.

There is a reason most small businesses fail, and an even greater reason for Arcades.

Originally Posted by dog

I'm more meaning that if you did have enough money to open arcade, you'd realize that actually opening an arcade might not be the wisest thing to do with your assets.

The man speaks the truth.

EDIT: Oh wait, you're 15. Sorry for shattering some childhood dreams or something. BTW - There is no Santa Claus.

[Kσn]

I do realise beatmania is not a great game to get prfit, I know, because the theme prak I go to has hiphopmania complete mix 2. No one plays it but me, sometimes after I play it people will however.

also I know 100k would make a decent arcade, but this is going to start off really small, and start at a mall maybe and work its way up to its own building when it becomes more known. Plus alot of the games are coming used, and from namco arcades, because they agreed to help me with my arcade (yes I know, they put crappy sensors & arrows on the DDR machines, I will make sure they wont for mine however).

I am just getting kind of scared that if I do get a beatmania machine, it will break and I wont be able to fix it. You know what i mean?

also hio mr san. I know I am 15, but my friends Dad heard my idea, and he said I should start planning now, and find games people are interested in around my age, and as games progress, because he owned an arcade once too.

[HioMrSan]

...theme prak I go to has hiphopmania complete mix 2. No one plays it but me...

Hence, it’s an incredibly stupid idea to spend good money on something that just isn't going to make a profit.

...but this is going to start off really small, and start at a mall maybe and work its way up to its own building when it becomes more known.

Call up your mall and ask them about any openings. If 1 unit of space will make your jaw drop, ask them the costs needed to remodel and expand into other units. There are many different sizes and your rent will be based on that size. Most likely, you will pay a small fortune per month to have it in a mall.

I am just getting kind of scared that if I do get a beatmania machine, it will break and I wont be able to fix it. You know what i mean?

Exactly. A good guy around my area charges around $120 per hour, give or take, on labor to fix private pinball machines. People will pay it too. Usually big places like Betson won't even help you unless you have some working arrangements with them.

...but my friends Dad heard my idea, and he said I should start planning now, and find games people are interested in around my age, and as games progress, because he owned an arcade once too.

Call me up in 20 years when the bank manager won't laugh his ass off at such an idea.

There usually isn't any "lets look for games to appeal to the modern youth!" It’s usually "buy the same old same old and get the most for our money". Notice how many Time Crisis 2's there are? You realize the insanely high cost for new games? Nearly 20k on Need for Speed Underground, and it still hasn't paid itself off. We have a Space Harrier, which still hasn't made money after how many years now? Why do you think you see so many arcades with games that are 10-15 years old?

Not to mention, you want stuff for parents and their children. The money comes from mommy and daddy taking their brat into the arcade when they go shopping. “Here’s 5 dollars little Billy, go play ski-ball and token eater ticket games”. Those few dollars and quick spending are your bread and butter. Not the DDR Kids.

Go save your money and buy a nice car or something. Hell, get a motorcycle. Plenty of better things to do with money.

[D3m0n533d]

100k is a moderately equipped arcade (that's going through bad sources like Channel Beat, who will likely dick you over. I saw that happen a couple of times.), not even something really extravagant. Some of you guys really aren't seeing the whole picture, which I didn't either. The space alone, especially if you end up in a mall, is stupidly expensive if you want to be in a reasonably good location (unless you get lucky). Some of the larger kiosks in a mall, not even one of the actual shops themselves, can run upwards (totally dependant of the mall, for example, Opry Mills, which is the "big shit" mall here, does this) of 20k per month. That's not an exaggeration, either. A friend of my family's here who started his own makeup line rented one for about four months, which ended up in him having to refinance his house to pay the rent for the large kiosk. Mall rent can be horribly overpriced. Then you have to think about the crowds in the mall, what kind(s) of crowds come to that mall, are there lots of troublemakers (gangs and so forth), will you need to have a serious security system (yes), how much will have to go into remodeling, etc. IF, and that's a capital "if", it's done right, you can potentially make a lot of money running an arcade. I'm just trying to say that anyone going into such a business needs to know all the costs involved and be able to handle that before getting in over their heads. It's a sucky thing to see an arcade go down the tubes. I've worked at two as both were doing so (no, it wasn't my fault), and now all we have are dumb little "mini" arcades where little wannabe gangstas harass the hell out of you whenever you try to play something. It's not cool.

And by all means, I totally wish the best of luck with opening an arcade. Especially if you come to Nashville and open one. Just make sure you know everything you can about everything that's going to have to be taken care of all the time, make sure you've got a good head for money, learn some basic electronics if at all possible so that you don't have to shell out tons of money for repairmen (believe me, some of the companies charge a pretty penny for their workers to repair troublesome machines), be able to do everything you can that would be required in the day to day workings of your arcade. You'll save money, you'll learn more, and you'll save money, while saving money (did I mention that you'll save money?). Good luck, and if you want it bad enough, then you can do it. There's always a way.

[Kσn]

Originally Posted by D3m0n533d

100k is a moderately equipped arcade (that's going through bad sources like Channel Beat, who will likely dick you over. I saw that happen a couple of times.), not even something really extravagant. Some of you guys really aren't seeing the whole picture, which I didn't either. The space alone, especially if you end up in a mall, is stupidly expensive if you want to be in a reasonably good location (unless you get lucky). Some of the larger kiosks in a mall, not even one of the actual shops themselves, can run upwards (totally dependant of the mall, for example, Opry Mills, which is the "big shit" mall here, does this) of 20k per month. That's not an exaggeration, either. A friend of my family's here who started his own makeup line rented one for about four months, which ended up in him having to refinance his house to pay the rent for the large kiosk. Mall rent can be horribly overpriced. Then you have to think about the crowds in the mall, what kind(s) of crowds come to that mall, are there lots of troublemakers (gangs and so forth), will you need to have a serious security system (yes), how much will have to go into remodeling, etc. IF, and that's a capital "if", it's done right, you can potentially make a lot of money running an arcade. I'm just trying to say that anyone going into such a business needs to know all the costs involved and be able to handle that before getting in over their heads. It's a sucky thing to see an arcade go down the tubes. I've worked at two as both were doing so (no, it wasn't my fault), and now all we have are dumb little "mini" arcades where little wannabe gangstas harass the hell out of you whenever you try to play something. It's not cool.

And by all means, I totally wish the best of luck with opening an arcade. Especially if you come to Nashville and open one. Just make sure you know everything you can about everything that's going to have to be taken care of all the time, make sure you've got a good head for money, learn some basic electronics if at all possible so that you don't have to shell out tons of money for repairmen (believe me, some of the companies charge a pretty penny for their workers to repair troublesome machines), be able to do everything you can that would be required in the day to day workings of your arcade. You'll save money, you'll learn more, and you'll save money, while saving money (did I mention that you'll save money?). Good luck, and if you want it bad enough, then you can do it. There's always a way.

you do put up some good pints, and I thank you. I really still want to make this happen.

also the arcade would open in liinois. I have no idea where, charlestowne mall (porbably ver cheap rentaing) has A TON of places to open an arcade, but no one goes there! There stratford mall, but it may be pricey. then theres would field... BUT WAIT! Gameworks across the street has 4 DDR machines, and Guitar freaks! location... location... location...

[rockfreak101]

Hey man, if you are even humoring the idea of getting a space at Woodfield ,or anywhere in chicagoland for that matter, you better be willing to pull out the big bucks. That is prime real estate, high traffic, high volume malls. They cater to Corporations which are capable to cope with the lease rates out here. Small buisnesses always get raped unless you have GREAT starting capitol! We may seem all very synical but its sadly the truth. If you ever get the startup capitol or the knowhow to pull this off go you. But its going to be one hell of an uphill battle. If you ever think you can try to talk to a supplier, from a private party stand point, and tell them to not put cheap/ready parts into machines, ex: pads and microswitches like you've earlier stated, you have another thing coming to ya. You have much to learn but you got passion. Maintaining that passion is key to making this a posiblity. Your 15, I think every one of us at one point have dreamt of having our own arcade, we just came to grips with the cold hard reality of life. Know your electronics! Thats a place to start.

[Enderkask]

I'd highly reccomend taking an entrepreneurship class at a local college. This will inform you of all the risks and things you may not know about starting a business. Business law is extremely complicated, and if you don't educate yourself even a little bit, you're setting yourself up for failure.

Many people have already stated the overhead costs of running an arcade, however, here are some other costs besides rent and salaries you may not have thought of.

Insurance: You will need a good insurance agent that can provide you with coverage for a multitude of things that can go wrong at your arcade. If someone injures themselves on a DDR machine, or drumsticks from Drummania fly out of someone's hands and hit another patron in the eye, or any number of injuries from that can happen, you can, and will, be sued. Unless you want to lose everything you worked for right away, you will need a comprehensive insurance plan to cover any lawsuits.

In addition, you will need insurance to cover damage that comes to your games. Fire, Theft, and Vandalism can and do happen. If someone breaks your new IIDX monitor, when a fight breaks out, you'll need insurance to cover it unless you want to spend a lot of money on a new one.

You will also probably want insurance against acts of nature. This deals with location but tornado, flood, etc. can ruin your business.

You may not think that you need these things, but if you don't want your bank to repossess your car/home/other collateral at the first instance of bad luck, you will.

You will need to hire an accountant. Tax law changes every year. You want someone who's job it is to know these changes inside and out, you won't be able to do it personally with the worries of running an arcade. It doesn't need to be someone that comes in to work every day for you, but it is expensive to pay them just a few times a year. A good accountant can also save you a lot of money in the long run.

You will need to hire a lawyer. I do not know the laws of your particular state, but it is almost always best to incorporate your business, as opposed to forming a sole proprietorship. It's more expensive, requires a lawyer, but the advantages are very good for anyone seriously considering any kind of business venture (again, your state may differ). You will also need the lawyer for dealing with lawsuits and insurance comapnies for the numerous problems mentioned above.

To enter any business venture without considering all of these costs, in addition to overhead, is foolish. Others have stated that you will need $100k to start this -- consider that a minimum.

Like I stated at the begining of this post, a class at a community college will greatly help you expand your knowledge of the risks and costs in such a venture.

Besides that, no one likes playing old bemani. When I travel to Toronto a few times a year, I always laugh at the Pop'n 6 machine at one of the arcades. Even on freeplay night, it's never touched.

I know you're saving money now, but if you really want this dream to happen, I'd suggest going to university, getting a good job that pays good money, and with that income behind you, open up the arcade as a side project. You will need to hire more employees to run it, but you can still decide what games get added, you won't depend on it for your main income so having a revenue stream in the red won't be as detrimental to your well being.

[Kσn]

wow thats quite a list. Thanks! Now I plan on doing that EnderKask, like I said, i want this to happen.

also rock freak, beleive me, its not going in woodfield, man that would probably cost 100k on the spot!

[Lvng]

Don't get a IIDX yet. Wait until you have money to waste, because like said, it won't make money. We'll love you for bringing IIDX near us if you are near us, but you won't get much profit.