THE country which gave the world classic arcade games such as "Space Invaders" and "PacMan" is facing a demographic crisis, with a dwindling birth rate and ever-swelling numbers of elderly people.

So Japan's amusement arcades, once an exclusive resort of youth, are increasingly becoming the abode of the old, The (London) Times said today.

According to the Hello Taito game centre in the Tokyo suburb of Kameari, as many as 90 per cent of its weekday visitors are over 60 years old.

In an effort to encourage elderly customers, the company is making concerted efforts to appeal to this unfamiliar demographic.

Metal stools have been replaced by benches covered with old-fashioned tatami mats. Seaweed tea, popular among retired people, is provided free, as well as blankets and reading glasses. Even the deafening noises emitted by the arcade machines have been turned down to a minimum out of consideration for geriatric sensibilities.

As a result, it has become not just a place to push coins into slots but an informal social gathering place for old people.

"I know everyone here, and for me it's a very nice place," said 85-year-old Hisa Nakatamari, whose husband died five years ago, and whose grandchildren have left home and gone to university. "I live alone, and once I've done the housework there's not much to do. There are clubs for old people but it's much more interesting to come and play here."

Mrs Nakatamari and her peer group do not, on the whole, favour the zombie-splattering and space invader-shooting machines, but rather so-called "medal games", in which purchased tokens are rolled on to moving shelves in an effort to dislodge still more metal pieces.

"I'm in a good health," she says, "but still, it's good exercise for my fingers."

It is also a potential salvation for an industry in decline. According to the Japan Amusement Industry Association, the number of game centers is down by a fifth over five years, as young people increasingly entertain themselves at home with the likes of the Sony PlayStation and the Nintendo Wii.

Originally published as Japan's arcades now filled with elderly gamers