Nintendo Fans Flock to Tokyo Gaming Parties

Square Enix's Dragon Quest lures hard-core players, but the Nintendo DS's mainstream appeal draws non-gamers to Tokyo's electronics district

By Kenji Hall

"I heard this was the mecca." That's how a petite 24-year-old woman—a self-described infrequent gamer—explained her decision to grab her Nintendo DS gaming console and head to the Yodobashi Camera store in Tokyo's Akihabara electronics district one recent Sunday afternoon. Her idea of mecca: On the sidewalk near the store entrance, more than 150 people playing Dragon Quest IX: Hoshizora no Mamoribito ("protector of the starry skies"), a game of monsters, swords, and dungeons, on portable DS consoles.

They stood, leaned against the building, or sat, staring at their machines, occasionally flicking at the buttons or the touchscreen. One man lounged on a stowaway canopy chair he had brought. A few had parked themselves inside a café facing the sidewalk. Akihabara seemed a good place for it: Crammed with shops selling electronics, anime, and manga, the district is a magnet for Japan's nerdy hobbyists and collectors, known as otaku.

The gathering might have been dubbed a gaming party if not for the fact that there was nothing social about it. Except for a few young couples and families, nobody spoke to anyone else. They drew bemused looks from passersby and occasionally spilled into the walkway, forcing store officials to make an effort at crowd control. The scene was strangely reminiscent of the silent raves in New York, San Francisco, and London, in which people met at public spaces to dance to music playing on their own Apple (AAPL) iPods.

Dragon Quest's Popularity

Over the past two months, thousands have made the pilgrimage to Yodobashi Camera's sidewalk. Some were lured by word of mouth. The young woman, who clutched a pink Nintendo DS wrapped in a furry case the shape of a teddy bear's head, said friends had told her about it. Many others read about it online on blogs or news sites, or came across it by chance. "We've had people fly from Hokkaido," Japan's northernmost island, said one store official, who asked not to be named because the store's policy was not to comment. "We had four guys pull up in a car from Nagoya," a city three hours' drive away.

Although it's not well-known overseas, the Dragon Quest franchise has a huge following in Japan. Since the original was released in 1986, every addition to the series has sold 1 million units—the benchmark for a hit game—ranking among the industry's top-selling titles.

In the game, players navigate characters through a fantasy realm full of monsters. Players can buy armor, weapons, and other items. As they go, they pick up experience points, gain strength, and discover new levels. Dragon Quest IX differs from past versions because it taps the DS's wireless antenna. Typically, the antenna links devices for multiplayer action or connects users via Wi-Fi to the Internet for downloading games or online play. With Dragon Quest IX, the DS wirelessly locates nearby machines and automatically sends or receives items such as treasure maps and clothing. So newbies can get help from seasoned players who have already unlocked secrets. The chances of rare finds are better when more players are around. And because there's no messaging function, players never know who is on the other end, skirting privacy concerns.

Analysts were predicting strong sales for Dragon Quest IX but were unprepared for the game's instant popularity. Dragon Quest VII (Dragon Warrior VII overseas), released in 2000 for Sony's (SNE) PlayStation console, holds the series sales record, at 3.9 million units. Dragon Quest IX, priced at $62, already looks set to shatter that.

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