Particularmente, sempre foi muito curiosa a experiência de acompanhar canais e ouvir podcasts brasileiros de videogames que pareciam relatar vivências de um outro país, falando de consoles contemporâneos que eu nunca nem tinha visto de perto e jogos de acesso inconcebível na minha realidade.

Glad you liked it :)

Oh, cool! Is there any material with information about this?

Muitíssimo obrigado, Felipe!

(If you want to try your hand at Google Translate, I wrote a story for @manualdousuario.bsky.social about how video game rental stores are using social media to stay popular with the public: manualdousuario.net/game-houses/)

Want to learn more about all this?

Check out the documentary Um real a hora, now available for free on YouTube with English subtitles.

(RTs are greatly appreciated.)

I hope you enjoy it!

youtu.be/H4ZAEhuZpjA

My focus was on the Metropolitan Region of Aracaju, in the state of Sergipe, but there’s so much more out there.

Some passionate individuals in Brazil still keep establishments of this kind alive, often without significant financial return.

Video game rental stores and internet cafes are crucial for understanding Brazil's gaming culture, and it’s somewhat alarming how little documented information exists about these spaces, especially rental shops.

Maintaining these places is expensive, and those who still run them often do so as a hobby.

Expensive alternatives, like high-tech game houses, are emerging. But it’s not the same, is it?

These spaces face an uncertain present and a future that doesn’t look very promising. Smartphones are the main gaming platform for Brazilians.

It’s also important to highlight that these places provide access to games at a low cost. Owning a console — especially one from the latest generation — or a computer to play on is out of reach for many people in Brazil, where the minimum wage is R$ 1,412 (about USD 245).

These are spaces where, for instance, diverse types of bonds are created and strengthened, expression and consumption trends emerge, in addition to being an alternative in the context of low public investment in leisure.

"There’s no park, no sports court, but there’s a video game rental stores."

People don’t go to these places (video game rental stores and internet cafes) just to play.

They also go for the dynamics and social interactions that happen in these establishments. There’s a complex web of relationships influenced by economic, geographic, social, and cultural factors.

Gosto muito dele. É uma certa anomalia dentro do meio AAA. Recomendo bastante

É sim KKKKKKKK

g1.globo.com/google/amp/s...

Quando Pokémon Ruby saiu, eu tinha 2 anos. Nunca vi de perto o cartucho, nem mesmo o GBA. Mas, 12 anos mais tarde, tal qual a experiência proposta pela Nintendo, iria carregá-lo no bolso, com uma ROM traduzida do jogo, um emulador mobile e o meu primeiro celular Android. Tenho boníssimas memórias.