A confrontation between customers and staff at an arcade centre has sparked widespread attention after a video of the incident went viral on social media.
The dispute allegedly began when arcade staff reprimanded two male customers for playing a racing game aggressively by knocking and hitting the machine. Staff claimed they heard repeated banging sounds and switched off the machine to prevent potential damage.
In the viral video, a female staff member is seen warning one of the customers that recording her without consent could be reported to the police.
“Don’t come so close. If you record me, I can report you to the police,” she said while pointing at the man who continued filming.
The two customers denied the accusations, insisting they did not play roughly or damage the machine.
“I have many friends in the police, I’m not afraid. You can check the CCTV. If I really hit the machine, I’ll pay RM500,” one of the men said in the video.
He added that he had apologised and claimed he was unaware of any specific rules prohibiting the way he was playing.
A second arcade staff member, believed to be the manager, explained that employees had heard suspicious knocking sounds coming from the machine and decided to turn it off as a precaution. The staff also said CCTV footage could not be shown to customers on request due to standard operating procedures (SOP).
In the video caption, the customer who recorded the incident claimed they were merely playing the popular arcade racing game Wangan Midnight like any other patron and were shocked when the machine was switched off without explanation.
He argued that racing arcade machines naturally produce noise during gameplay and that staff should have communicated more calmly before taking action.
“The steering wheel, pedals and buttons naturally make noise during normal play. If the machine isn’t supposed to make any sound, then how are we supposed to play?” he questioned.
He added that customers pay to use the machines as designed and urged arcade operators to treat patrons with respect rather than making accusations without clear explanation.
The video has since garnered more than 4.4 million views in under 24 hours, drawing mixed reactions online. While some netizens sympathised with the customers, many defended the arcade staff, saying employees were simply doing their jobs to protect the equipment.
“Hopefully the staff member reports this to the police,” one commenter wrote.
“Arcade games aren’t competitive machines. If you want to play seriously, buy one and play at home,” another added.
