My Third Place

Back when I first moved out of home to Sydney I found a really cool venue called Purikura Photo-land, or Puri for short. They'd just gotten a Beatmania IIDX cabinet and two Sound Voltex cabinets from Konami Japan. I'd never heard of or played either game before. But they looked insane.

I stared, watching the people there playing Beatmania for a couple of minutes before one of them, in a really friendly tone, asked if I'd like to play. I'd played a few rhythm games before, but never at the level I just watched them play at. But I said "ok" and they helped navigate me through the menus, set up an account, and configure my settings - All while a dreaded 60-second countdown loomed between each menu!

Once I picked a song I had an absolute blast. It was some of the most fun I'd ever had playing a Rhythm game, and I could see the potential as a game that I could potentially play ... forever.

After I played my credit I asked the twins who'd just helped me if there was any online community and was told that there was a Facebook Chat. I didn't have Facebook, so we had a quick back and forth to try and find some shared social platform, so we could at least add each other and stay in touch. We ended up all having WeChat accounts, which they found funny - "The white girl with WeChat" was how they described me to the guys in the Facebook group at the time which I also found funny.

Coming to Puri became a routine for me, I eventually made a Facebook account just for the chat and connected with heaps of really cool people. On weekends, at its peak, there would be at least ten to fifteen of us all hanging around, waiting to play (and sometimes we'd talk!).

Through the people here, I got into the wider Sydney arcade scene, which had really only just started growing as both Sega & Konami had expanded their online services to Australia.

It was a great community, and without Puri, I never would have met all the amazing people I now call some of my closest friends or even my partner. It was a place we could all easily meet up, go for dinner and hang out. And without this community, I don't know where I'd be, or who I'd be right now. It was the first group of people since moving out of home I could really call close friends.

Over the next 5+ years, the foot traffic dwindled. Newer, shinier arcades opened around the city pulling more people. They had convenient cards¹ you could load with money, so you didn't need to carry coins. And they had more variety.

I'd still go to the new venues to hang out with people, play new games, and just chill. But I'd always end up coming back to Puri. They were a quieter, cheaper, and safer-feeling venue. The big open atrium above the cabs and the low foot traffic made the place feel ... homely. It was always a constant, and a safe place I could fall back on that wasn't my shitty apartment or office at work.

Sadly, as of the 21st of June 2025, Puri staff have quietly let us know that they're selling all their Rhythm game cabs. There's no known date when they'll be sold, or when their last playable days are. But they've said they'd let us know when it is, so we can all get one last game in.²

It felt weird getting emotional over a venue selling machines. I genuinely got really upset, like losing a close friend.

Reflecting, it felt weird to hold a place in that high of regard. But it had been a constant in my life, every weekend, every tough day after work, and whenever I was down in the shits. I knew I had a place where I could rock up with change, hang out with friends and kill a couple hours. There are other venues, yes, but the rhythm game setup at Puri meant a lot to me. Even after a majority of the community went elsewhere.

It's not really anyone's fault that Puri is selling the machines, it makes sense as a business. They take up valuable floor space, and they probably don't pull in much money anymore. But that doesn't make it any less sad.

I genuinely don't know where my next "place" will be. All the other arcades are crowded, cramped and noisy³. I'll probably still go to get a few credits into certain games and hang out with friends. One of them just got Gitadora Drums, which I've been waiting for somewhere to get for years. But with the only other location that has a Beatmania IIDX cabinet charging $7 for a premium credit, when Puri charged $3, I definitely see myself playing BMS at home a lot more than before.

I'll miss Puri. A lot.