Atari Coin Connection

Issue: Vol 6 Num 07 - 1982 September

Volume 6 Number 7
September /October 1982
Farrand
Appointed
Division
President
ohn S. Farrand was recently
named president of Atari's Coin
Video Games Division. For the
past four months, Farrand has
been executive vice president of
the division .
As the new division president, Farrand
will oversee all aspects of manufacturing,
engineering, sales and marketing for the
Coin Video Games Division. He will re-
port directly to Raymond Kassar, presi-
dent and C.E.O. of Atari.
"Having almost twenty years of exper-
ience in this industry, Farrand has shown
an in-depth understanding of the chal-
lenges that await. He brings to this posi-
tion the ability to conquer these chal-
lenges," said Kassar.
Prior to joining Atari, Farrand spent
sixteen years at England-based Music
Hire Group, one of the largest private op-
erating companies in the world. As presi-
dent of Music Hire, he was responsible
for all aspects of the manufacturing, dis-
tribution, and operation of their amuse-
ment products. Before that, he was an
engineer at High Fidelity, an England-
based electronics company.
Youth and Community Resources
This is the third in a series of articles on
Youth Lifestyles by Graduate Intern Bren-
da Wells Flexer.
The Typical Video Game Player
The typical video game player, the young
single male, is more likely to play games
because his life-style enables this free-
dom. He has more discretionary income
and fewer outside commitments than fe-
males or other age groups. Frequent
players enjoy the opportunity for self-
expression, the competitive challenge,
and the social interaction of the video
games. These are also the youth who
seek excitement and thrills.
A recent Omnibus Study indicates that
youth ages 13 to 20 are the most fre-
quent players and the 16 to 18 year old
single male as the primary consumer of
video games.
Problems Faced by Youth
Unemployment, drugs, peer pressure, ex-
cess leisu re time, and just plain growing
up are a few of the problems faced by
the teenager of the 80's. They live in a
more complex society than those of us
who grew up in the 60's or ?O's. How-
ever, in spite of more outside problems,
teenagers of today are·still not too differ-
continued on next page
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1
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Taste The Thrill of
Atari At McDonald's
Atari, Inc. and McDonald's Corporation
recently launched the largest joint pro-
motion in Atari's history. "Taste The Thrill
Of Atari At McDonald's", a spectacular,
nationwide contest, began August 15th
and will continue through mid-October at
participating McDonald's stores.
During the promotion, over 500 million
"Scratch-And-Win" cards will be given
away at more than 5,600 McDonald's lo-
cations. Each card is based on one of
four Atari coin video g.ames or home
cartridges-Asteroids ~ Centipede T~
Missile CommandT~ and Star Raiders T~
Players must scratch the card to reveal
two prizes that match, without getting
"ZAPPED". Participants in the contest
may win an ATARI home video game,
ATARI 400™ or 800™ Home Computer, a
Cabaret Centipede T~ or one of thou-
sands of McDonald's food and drink
prizes. In addition, there's a chance to
win one of 50 grand prizes-a Deluxe
Home Entertainment Center consisting of
an ATARI 5200™ home video game and
cartridges, and ATARI 800 Home Com-
puter with accessories, a Cabaret Centi-
pede, and a large screen television.
"We are delighted to have joined
forces with McDonald's in this kind of
promotion," stated Don Osborne, Vice-
President of Sales and Marketing. "I feel
it will not only create additional exposure
of video games to players of all ages, but
will also reinforce the fact that the games
provide wholesome entertainment for the
entire family."
Centipede
Named ''Game
of the Year''
by Operators
Youth
TM
ATARI Centipede was recently voted
"Game of the Year" for 1981 -82 by the
Southeastern Michigan Game Operators
Association. In a ceremony held in
Livonia, Michigan, Hank Heiser of Bally
Midwest, Inc. presented Bob Harvey, Re-
gional Sales Manager, with the award.
The ceremony was a part of the 1982
"Empire Follies", an annual fundraiser or-
ganized by Hank Heiser to benefit the
"International Order of Al Hombra". This
year's event attracted over 800 people
and raised more than $45,000 in contri-
butions for aiding retarded children in
Michigan.
Hank Heiser presents Bob Harvey with
"Game of the Year" award for Centipede.
\
,
.,
continued
ent from the past in that they still seek
recognition and acceptance by their
peers. They can be defiant of authority
(adults who supervise and control their
daily lives) and they are inclined to make
"spu r of the moment" decisions, seek
high-risk activities and enjoy challenging
and competitive activities.
For those businesses seeking the
teenage consumer and providing com-
mercial recreation geared to the inter-
ests of this age group, it is important to
provide an environment conducive to
positive social activities. There is a differ-
ent set of values emerging among
today's young adults. Value is now placed
on the following: participatory activity;
small primary groups; control over envir-
onment; momentary interests and experi-
ences; and a desire for immediate satis-
faction.
Teenagers are better educated, under
more stress, more affluent and discern-
ing, and more pleasure-oriented. These
values are conducive to an interest in
coin-operated games.
Community Resources
In every community there are resources
(agencies, institutions, or organizations)
concerned with serving the teenagers of
their city or town. These resources can
be a tremendous support to a commer-
cial recreation business seeking the
teenage consumer if there is good com-
munication established between the two.
Some examples of the types of re-
sources which may cooperate with local
businesses attracting the teenage con-
sumer are:
• County Offices or City/Town Halls.
• Youth Serving Social Service Agen-
cies (i.e. Youth Employment Service,
Crisis Counseling Centers, Mental
Health, etc.).
• Police Departments (often they have a
Youth Services Detail with police of-
ficers assigned who are sensitive to
youth needs and interests) .
MIUIONS Of DOLLARS
IN AJAR! PRIZES
CASH RfBATES FROM AJAR!
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• Youth Commissions whose members
are advocates for youth.
• Public Park and Recreation Agencies
(often working cooperatively with com-
mercial recreation businesses).
• Churches.
• School and/or parent-teacher asso-
ciations.
• Charitable organizations (i.e. Lions
Club, Jr. Chamber of Commerce, etc.).
Lastly, the most valuable resource in
the community are the teenagers them-
selves. The avid video game players may
be your best resource to support the in-
dustry.
AND
Dig Dug™• and Fygar™ recently visited
Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour and Restaurant
in Woodland Hills, California to celebrate
the grand opening of Farrell's expanded
coin video gameroom. "It was great fun!"
exclaimed Dig Dug, upon his return to
Atari headquarters. "We really enjoyed
meeting our fans and showing them the
excitement of the Dig Dug game."
• Dig Dug is engineered and designed by Namco. Ltd.
Manufactured under license by Atari, Inc.

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