{"id":93047,"date":"2019-05-05T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-05-05T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/news\/2019\/05\/feature_what_itrs_like_to_run_an_online_game_store_in_japan"},"modified":"2019-05-05T17:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-05-05T17:00:00","slug":"feature-what-its-like-to-run-an-online-game-store-in-japan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2019\/05\/05\/feature-what-its-like-to-run-an-online-game-store-in-japan\/","title":{"rendered":"Feature: What It\u2019s Like To Run An Online Game Store In Japan"},"content":{"rendered":"
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While a great many of the world\u2019s best games come from western developers, for a certain sector of the gaming world, Japan is where it\u2019s at. Not only is it the home of Nintendo, Sony, Sega and Capcom \u2013 as well as numerous other key players in the industry \u2013 but in the \u201880s and \u201890s it was the source of many of the world\u2019s most acclaimed console titles. The balance may have shifted slightly in recent years with western studios like Rockstar, Bethesda and Epic Games becoming global giants, but Japan\u2019s gaming heritage still commands massive respect from players \u2013 and as a result, Japanese gaming gear is in constant high demand.<\/p>\n

This situation has seen a new breed of online gaming store appear in the Land of the Rising Sun; operated by westerners with the intention of exporting games and gear to willing buyers outside of Japan, these stores have thrived in an era where the web has enabled sellers to focus on reliable pricing and detect trends and hot products.<\/p>\n

Steve Bruni is one such individual. He runs his own game store from Japan<\/a>, sourcing retro and modern gaming gear and shipping it all over the world \u2013 a vital conduit for those who aren\u2019t lucky enough to live within a stone\u2019s throw of some of Japan\u2019s most well-stocked retail stores. Keen to learn a little more about what it\u2019s like to run your own game store in console gaming\u2019s motherland, we spoke to Bruni about how he got started, the challenges he faces and what the future holds for his operation.<\/p>\n

Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you ended up running a games store in Japan?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My story is really simple. I started playing games on a Commodore 64 and all I wanted to do is to have fun. The collectors \u2018pathology\u2019 started with my first job (and salary). I started working in a video game shop in my home country at the age of 15; this would have been the Playstation \/ Nintendo 64 period. During that time I started to understand how easy it was to import games from Japan, but also how much margin rival stores were getting from these imports; some were charging 50, 100 and even 200 percent on top of the cost price \u2014 it was really crazy.<\/p>\n

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I decided to move in Japan and with the help of some friends I started my own business here<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

We started to import stuff from USA and Japan and sold them at very competitive prices, but we knew it wouldn\u2019t last forever. In the PS2 era, we had to fight with the big chain supermarkets, which were selling domestic games very cheaply; we were not able to survive just on import sales alone. After that, I decided to move in Japan and with the help of some friends I started my own business here. I can say I\u2019ve been really lucky starting a job connected with my passion. I also collected a lot of arcade machines when I was back home; I had a big room in my house kitted out like an amusement centre. I had everything from a Sega Naomi to a Blast City cab, Scud Race Twin, Daytona USA 2, House of the Dead<\/strong> and many others. Unfortunately, a large part of this collection had to be sold before I moved to Japan.<\/p>\n

You’ve got an impressive selection of games in your store covering a wide range of systems. How easy is it to source your stock in Japan?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sometimes it’s easy, sometimes it\u2019s not \u2013 it’s all based on finding good stuff at shops at the right time, or bumping into old collectors who sell their games in one job lot; the latter is really expensive for me, but is worth the effort. There are many resellers here who go around every morning the moment the shops open, buying all the good stuff. Luckily, I live outside Tokyo in an area where stuff can be found at better prices than in the center of Tokyo, but these shops are not easy to reach without a car. The reason most foreign buyers dont visit such stores is because it\u2019s a pain to get to them every day. But as the saying goes, no pain, no gain, right?\ufffc<\/p>\n