What began as an argument among several young men playing video games at the Milky Way Express arcade and the facility's manager Sunday night escalated into brawl involving more than 20 people, some armed with knives and batons, Xinhua, the Chinese news agency, reported.

Chongqing police said the identities of the dead have not been released. They have ordered inspections of all video arcades and Internet cafes in the city in the wake of the melee, Xinhua said.