You may already be familiar with Victor Alonso's Los Ultimos Game Center, a Spanish book that catalogues some 25 arcades in Japan (and their terminals) through more than 200 photographs carefully chosen by the author.

This first book was a huge success, both commercially and critically, to the point of being distributed all over the world even though it was only published in Spanish. Victor Alonso has therefore decided to go one step further by offering a new edition in English and Japanese.

This ‘Black Label’ edition is more than just a ‘simple translation’: the quality of the photos has been improved. It also includes a small ‘zine’ containing photos of a nocturnal videogame adventure in a drive-in that left its mark on the author.

To keep up to date, two rooms have been removed from the book (because they have unfortunately closed), but they have been replaced by two new locations that were not included in the first edition.

In 280 pages printed on high-quality paper, you can admire arcade rooms and machines. As the author is above all a photographer, his attention to detail allows him to capture the unique atmosphere of these spaces in the best possible way.

As Victor Alonso points out, this book is also a means of opening up a personal and collective reflection on the passage of time and the disappearance of these places that are part of Japan's heritage (despite the fact that arcades were a worldwide phenomenon in the 70s and 80s).

They were places for sharing, discovering, scoring and meeting new people, and were often the birthplace of many of today's legendary games (Space Invaders, Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Street Fighter, Dragon's Lair, Bubble Bobble, Out Run, and dozens of others).

The crowdfunding will help finance the production of this ultimate version. A total of €30,000 is expected to be raised, with the campaign closing on 14 February.

If you would like to support the project, please visit this address. You can pledge as little as €8 for the e-book in PDF format or €50 for the physical book. Early Bird’ offers for the first entrants mean that you can obtain these rewards at a lower cost. Of course, premium entries are also available with personalised dedications.

Photos: Victor Alonso