As we know, many different parts of the the world are experiencing an economic slowdown and when this happens, it’s natural for many kinsd of industries to be hit hard. We’ve been hearing of layoffs and closures of many businesses, even in the game world (in fact we have some news on a couple of amusement related businesses in Japan closing which I’ll post later). But historically, entertainment, especially out-of-home entertainment is known to do all right or good during recessions as people look for an escape. Such is the case in India right now, where there is a slowdown occurring in that country too but the amusement industry there is bucking the trend and continuing to grow at a rate of 10% -15%. One interesting note made in the article we’re gleaning this information from is that the sector began to market aggressively and that is definitely paying off.
It does make me wonder about how the amusement industry as a whole is doing in the US and Europe right now – from my small business perspective, things at my arcade have remained steady after December was one of our best months yet and I haven’t been able to really market at all since November as my hands are tied with the forced move which can occur any day now. While I have had a few regulars stop coming frequently due to economic circumstances in their personal lives, I have also gained new customers who come just about every day. Either way, I don’t see my arcade as being a casualty of the recession anytime soon, and when I pick up BlazBlue and Guitar Hero along with the new location, I think that we will continue to grow. I hope that the same can be said for other arcades around the country as well as this year unfolds.
