This article was originally published for Site of the Gaming Dead, a now-defunct video game blog, on July 1, 2010. I have recreated the article here, complete with images (when possible).

Greetings, fellow gamers–and perhaps some of you are anime lovers as well! Senior editor Adam and I are at North America’s biggest anime (and manga and video game and Asian culture, and…etc.) convention, Anime Expo, this Fourth of July weekend, taking place at the Los Angeles Convention Center in sunny downtown Los Angeles.

Plenty of video game fans are also Japanese anime and manga fans, or vice versa, and no self-respecting anime con would be complete without an array of gaming exploits, whether in the form of new things to try and buy in the Exhibit Hall (a.k.a. place to blow all my money), tournaments to participate in inside the AKSYS Games console gaming room, or…hey, aren’t we missing something here?

Rumors abounded prior to the con that just like last year, the arcade might be canceled, though exact reasons why couldn’t be shared. Theories ran from budgetary reasons to staffing concerns, and with Anime Expo having experienced a whole host of changes from last year’s con to this one, you can be sure that not all of the changes will be for the better, or at least, not entirely behind-the-scenes. We, of course, had our fingers (and toes) crossed that one of the changes wouldn’t be an absent arcade since there’s no better place to work off all that Pocky than in the arcade playing a rousing round of Dance Dance Revolution.

As of late this afternoon, however, there’s good news for arcade gamers: the Anime Expo arcade will be run by Arcade Infinity, one of the best-known arcades in the greater Los Angeles area. AI’s been hit by some monetary problems lately, so hopefully participating at AX will net AI enough money to stay alive as an arcade outside of cons and similar venues.

Arcade Infinity, a Rowland Heights-based arcade, is home to popular and hard-to-find titles ranging from BlazBlue: Continuum Shift to the Beatmania games Drum Mania and Guitar Freaks. They’ve also got quirky classics like Typing of the Dead, along with plenty of other titles, so we’re definitely looking forward to seeing what they bring to AX’s arcade.

We GDers at AX wish AI the best of luck and can’t wait to see them–and you!–at the con! Stay tuned for more video game news, reviews, and more from Anime Expo in Los Angeles, California.