Why are physical media and retro game shops so popular in Japan compared to other countries?

>Why does the 2nd biggest game market have a lot of game stores?

>small living spaces so people can't keep everything around forever, meaning a constant supply of good retro vidya instead of shelves being filled with FIFA 2007 and other shit that no one wants
>people handle their stuff with care so used games aren't scratched to hell and the boxes are in good shape
>spots with dense population so running a game store might actually be profitable

>>11810450 (OP)
Notice how half of all video games are made from japan?

>>11810450 (OP)
Bot post.

>>11810486
No, half of all video games are not made by Japan.

>>11810450 (OP)
Japanese like physical things (robots over non-corporeal AI, companies still sending faxes etc)

>>11810450 (OP)
>why is the UK full of steam engine museums?

>>11810450 (OP)
Higher tier of culture

I don't think they're really that popular, actually. There really aren't that many.

>>11810450 (OP)
It's the place where all the good retro games come from. Until PS3, Japan was the leading game developer.
Also anti-piracy laws and a general sense of responsibility and unity. Noone gives a shit in the west, because western politicians hate their countries anyway.

>>11810450 (OP)
Cause its the country this shit was manufactured in.

>>11810450 (OP)
They have a lot more stock? Kinda obvious.
The games were made in japan for a Japanese audience, of course they are gonna produce more for their domestic market.
It's why JP imports are cheaper than NA and EU games.

>>11811374
This. You'd be surprised by how much that matters. Like there are a shitload of /toy/ stores around Cincinatti with amazing stuff, because that's where Kenner used to be based out of.

Japanese have small houses and apartments, plus a pretty annoying culture of trash disposal, so there's always been an active economy with functional used physical goods.
Sadly though, they don't mind letting digital things disappear or be sunsetted forever.

Big market, small geographic area with dense population, high foot traffic in urban areas, low crime/product theft, people who took care of their old things and were perhaps more likely to resell than throw away, minimal games rental market BITD, higher concentration of people who don't know or care about the value of old games so they're more likely to sell it all to a gamestore than try to get top dollar from online sales.
The USA has a large population, but it is very spread out, so opening a game store in most places means you will only have a very small local market.

>>11810735
>I don't think they're really that popular, actually. There really aren't that many.
You're a moron. There's a bookoff in every bumfuck inaka town and half of it is usually games.

>>11810450 (OP)
It's a mystery...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yg-RO5_Po0M

>>11810490
Probably

>>11811640
There really isn’t but go off.

All of >>11810467 plus Shinto beliefs around the soul of objects leading to a culture that values things instead of everything being disposable.

Japan doesn't emulate, they never heard of Bleem and therefore still think emulation is illegal.

>>11811624
>high foot traffic in urban areas, low crime/product theft
This in particular