Tokyo Friendfinder
In one of the most peculiar tech-related stories we’ve seen in recent weeks (not including satire, of course), a Japanese games company has recalled dozens of its arcade machines to stop them breaking players’ limbs.
The company in question - Atlus Japan - is in the process of removing [PDF link, Japanese] all 150 of its ‘Arm Spirit’ arm wrestling coin-op machines from arcades across Japan after reports that people have been getting more than they bargained for when, literally, chancing their arms.
According to AP, three players have ended up not with either humiliating defeat or the joy of beating a plastic bicep, but with actual broken arms. Given that the opponents featured in the game include drunks, dogs (really) and French maids, the injuries seem somewhat surprising.
Responding to the scare in typically patronizing corporate speak, a spokesperson said: “The machine isn’t that strong, much less so than a muscular man. Even women should be able to beat it … we think that maybe some players get overexcited and twist their arms in an unnatural way.”
If Atlus really thinks its customers are stupid enough to break their own arms without outside intervention, then perhaps they’re in the wrong business.
(Crossposted to Tech.co.uk)
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11:31 PM 
Mark Hiratsuka •
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Gaming | Japan | WTF? 
Tagged with:
arcade games
arm wrestling
safety
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