Automatic Age

August, 1939
AUTOMATIC AGE
We Face The Future w ith
Confidence and Optim ism !
H IS
T
m o n th
A u to m a t ic
A G E c o n f id e n t ly
and
op­
t i m i s t i c a l l y b e g in s it s f i f ­
te e n th
year
of
s e r v ic e
c o in m a c h in e i n d u s t r y .
r e v ie w
th e p a s t w ith
to
th e
A n d we
a c e r t a in
se n s e o f s a t is f a c t io n a s w e r e a l­
iz e
how
m uch
th e
past
fif t e e n
y e a rs h a v e a d d e d to th e s ta tu r e
o f th e in d u s tr y .
I f A u t o m a t i c A g e has been
even a sm all fa c to r in th e in ­
d u s try ’s unprecendented g ro w th
d u r in g th is pe rio d— and i f o u r
efforts to help b u ild a n in d u s try
have been recognized by th e sub ­
s ta n tia l people in the in d u s try —
th e n we can feel th a t we have
accom plished so m e th in g m ore
th a n the ro u tin e p u b lic a tio n o f
a tra d e paper. W e like to feel
th a t operator-subscribers re g ard
A u t o m a t i c A g e as so m e th in g
m ore th a n tw elve m agazine s
w h ic h th e y can get fo r $ 1 per
year. A n d we like to believe th a t
o u r advertisers re g a rd A u t o ­
m a t i c A g e as som e th in g m ore
th a n a d v e rtis in g space w h ic h
can be h a d f o r $55 per page. W e
like to th in k o f ourselves as a
dependable fr ie n d to both sub­
scribers a n d advertisers, an d
not ju s t a business acquaintance.
W e often chafe a t th e re­
s tra in ts w h ic h prevent us fro m
b e in g a la rg e r m ag azine , a finer
m ag azin e , a m ore valuable serv­
ice to the trade.
I n the sam e
w ay, m ost every o p e ra to r m u s t
resent th e re striction s w h ic h
prevent h im fr o m b eing th e col­
o r fu l figure— th e coin m ach in e
m a g n a te — he w o u ld like to be.
M a n u fa c tu re rs also m u s t be
g uide d by c u rre n t m arke ts and
co nditions and m ost o f th e m , no
doubt, regret th a t k e e p in g fa c ­
tories on a p a y in g basis dem ands
th e ir f u ll tim e an d energies. A ll
o f us m u s t feel p re tty m u c h the
sam e a b o u t o u r actu al accom­
p lish m e n ts w hen we co ntrast
th e m w ith the th in g s we w o uld
like to be able to do. B u t w a n t­
in g to do b ig g e r th in g s is a fine
s p ir it f o r all o f us to h a v e ; it is
a reserve o f p o te n tia l energy
th a t is only w a itin g its chance
to serve us. Today we are all
tr y in g to pierce the fo g o f con­
fu s io n an d u n c e rta in ty a ro u n d
us a n d lo o k in g fo r a safe route
to expansion an d security. The
whole w o rld is in th is fo g — n o t
ju s t the m em bers o f the coin
m ach in e in d u s try . B u t the fo g
w ill be dissipated, ju s t as d a rk
days alw ay s pass, a n d ju s t as
lean tim e s alw ay s yield. A fte r
the present siege o f tension is
broken there is every reason to
expect g reater p ro spe rity fo r
th is in d u s try , a n d fo r all in ­
dustries, th a n we have ever
kno w n .
O f a ll the in d u s trie s in the
w o rld, the coin m ach in e in d u s ­
tr y has the greatest o p p o rtu n ity
before it. N o oth e r in d u s try is
© International Arcade M useum
13
so flexible, so responsive to im ­
pro v e d conditions, or better pre­
pare d to cash in q uick upon a n y
“ b re a k ” o f luck. N o other in ­
d u s try h as a better o p p o rtu n ity
to create new business. I n fa c t,
m ost oth e r in d u s trie s m u s t de­
pend alm ost e n tire ly up o n a re­
v iv a l
o f general
p rospe rity .
Som e in d u s trie s m u s t depend in
t u r n up on related ind ustrie s.
The coin m a c h in e in d u s try has
alw ay s created its ow n oppor­
tu n itie s — by fin d in g a new a d a p ­
ta tio n f o r th e m ag ic coin chute,
by c re a tin g a new “h it ” am use­
m e n t device, or by d e sig n in g
im p ro v e d v e n d in g or service
e q u ip m e n t th a t w ill g a in new
locations.
The long-aw aited “ b re a k ” fo r
the coin m ach in e in d u s try m a y
come before th is * appears in
p r in t. T h in g s can h app e n th a t
fa s t in th is business. A new idea,
a ne w m ethod, a new service—
th a t is all th a t is needed.
There are lo n g and sou r faces
in several C hicago factories. I t
w ill be so m u c h m ore p leasant
w hen they are s m ilin g a g ain . A t
th e sam e tim e , le t us n o t fo rg e t
there are also m a n y o p tim ists
a m o n g us. I t w ill be an optimist
w ho w ill fu r n is h the m uch-
needed “ s p a r k ” th a t sets off a
new a n d prosperous era.
* * *
“Manufacturers of games do
not seem willing to meet with
each other and talk things over.”
A p ro m in e n t m a n u f a c t u r e r
m ade th is sta te m e n t to the
w r ite r recently. H e ad m itte d
t h a t th is was the p rin c ip a l cause
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