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Atari, C.A. Robinson Lend
a Hand at Special Olympics
The weekend of June 25, 26, and 27 had
special meaning for those participating in
the Special Olympics held at Drake Sta-
dium on the University of California Los
Angeles campus.
The celebration of individuals with an
IQ of 75 and under has been an annual
event since 1968. "Traditionally the men-
tally retarded are isolated, shipped off,
closeted, shunned by peers and the ob-
ject of ridicule and abuse," said Jerry
Poe, executive director of Special Olym-.
pies. "Here they are given the opportun1-
ty to do the things denied them."
.
Atari was one of the many companies
helping out with the Special Olympics.
According to Poe, "We try to enlist the
support of all kinds of industries, and the
response has been excellent. We think
it's a part of an ever-heightening aware-
ness by business that Special Olympics
is here, worthwhile, and helping the men-
tally retarded."
Atari representatives participated in a
parade and assisted Special Olympians .
in playing video games set up 1n an Atari
...
J
Don Osborne presents Rater Johnson, V.P. and National Head Coach of California Special
Olympics, with check from Atari as Ron Maysak looks on.
Fygar congratulates a happy but exhausted
Special Olympian.
Teenage Economic Power
have more sophisticated expectations
than they did ten years ago. They are
seeking products and services which_ pro-
vide greater diversity to maintain their
psychological as well as p~ysical well-b~-
ing. An example of why coin-operated vid-
eo games fill these needs comes from
some recent comments by a group of
teenagers who say: " The attraction of the
games comes from the fact that they (the
teens) continually transform thems_elves
as they prog ress into the game. D1sc1-
pline and concentration, combine~ with
increasing excitement and enthusiasm as
one improves, make games rewarding to
play.''
The above statement was compiled
from teenage boys. Teenage girls are
often uncomfortable with playing video
games. Girls are generally attracted to
game rooms as a place which provides
opportunities for social interaction. So un-
less games are exciting to play and pro-
vide opportunities for interaction, money
is more likely to be spent at concerts,
movies and restaurants. However, both
teenage boys and girls are spending
more money each week now than ever
before.
It is assumed, therefore, that the eco-
nomic spending power of teenagers will
continue to be a major portion of the pre-
dicted 218 billion dollars Americans will
spend this year on recreation alone-ac-
cording to U.S. News and World Report
this is one dollar out of every eight dollars
to be spent this year'
This is the second in a series of articles on
Youth Lifestyles by Graduate Student Brenda
We/ls-Flexer.
When teenagers have a dollar in their
purse or pocket, how do they spend it?
According to the Rand Youth Poll (a poll
conducted every year on teenage spend-
ing and economic power whose results
are most often quoted in national maga-
zines and newspapers) teenagers 13 to
19 years spend up to $21 a week in 1981 .
Of the 3,201 teens surveyed in this poll, a
major percentage of their weekly income
(from allowances and part-time jobs) was
spent on food, entertainment and clothing.
Teenage spending in 1981
In 1981 teenage boys spent most of their
weekly allowance on entertainment and
food, whereas girls spent more on clothing
and grooming aids. Both boys and girls
over the age of 16 also spent a major por-
tion of their money on automobiles. An
average of $5.36 a week was spent on
entertainment with $1 .35 of that amount
spent on coin-operated video games. Boys
ages 16 to 19 spent the most, $2.30 a
week, which is a 30% increase from last
year's Rand Youth Poll on coin-operated
video game play by this age group.
Teenage population in the next decade
The teenage population doubled in size
between 1950 and 1975, resulting in an
increase in the amount of youth-oriented
products on the market. However, since
1975 there has been a decrease in the
teenage population and forecasters p_re-
dict that this decline will continue until
1992 when the teenage population will
begin to increase again. The decline in
teenage populations should have de-
creased teenage economic power but
that hasn't been the case. Teenagers are
spending more money now than ever be-
fore for a variety of reasons.
Why Teenage Spending Will Increase
Some of the factors which indicate that
teenage spending will increase include:
52% of the working force are women;
the mothers of teenagers have more
money available for weekly allowances.
Teenage consumers are attracted to
the many new products and services now
on the market which are youth-oriented.
The reduction or elimination of public
recreation prog rams has provided a mar-
ket for more commercial recreation to
provide leisure time activities for teen-
agers.
. .
Rising inflation has caused und1sc1-
plined spending. There is a general feel-
ing by the nation to "spend money if you
have it," something which teenagers are
doing every week.
Portrait of a Teenage Consumer
Teenagers are better educated now and
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