Eighty-four
THE P 'ACIFIC COIN MACHINE REVIEW
FEBRUARY,
1935
• Jennings Out For Championship •
Game Design Principles
Needed In Making Winner
By
DOUGLAS R. WISER
OF CALIFORNIA GAMES COMPANY
In the early days of marble game manu-
facturing the procedure of designing a
game suitable for the purpose was prob-
ably an item of only slight interest to
the manufacturer, his chief problem at
that time being one of mechanics, con-
struction and marketing.
Eventually, however, all manufacturers
became equally efficient in overcoming
these obstacles and began to look for
other ways of making more interesting
games.
One manufacturer developed a game
where each hole automatically registered
its score when a ball was placed therein.
At the end of the game the player had
his score right in front of him and all he
had to do was add it up. Another manu-
facturer furthered this idea and built a
game with a "totalizer," or device for
adding up in succession each number as
it wa~ made. Shortly after this, there
appeared the first principle of progres-
sive scoring. The use of this idea in marble
games made a tremendous hit and swept
the industry off its feet.
Following this came intricate boards
that popped balls up from under the
playfield automatically and afterwards pro-
jected them around the field into a scor-
ing unit. On the heels of ball poppers,
ball ejectors, and the progressive score
idea (to which some manufactures still
adhere tenaciously) came the idea of
electrical "ball throwers" which did not
throw balls out of holes but into them.
Although the "out" hole was still retained
on many games, it soon became common
practice to permit the player to recover
his "out" balls if he placed a ball in the
right hole provided for the purpose.
The Research Department
The designing of more interesting
games has become more important to
manufacturers and many factories have
a special research or designing department
set aside for this purpose. It was soon
learned that if a game is to be successful
with the public it must follow certain
"game principles." For instance, if a
game is put on location with two odd-
colored balls, one doubling the score of
the pocket played and the other subtract-
ing, a similiar game with only one odd-
colored ball doubling only, is found to
be a better game and earn more money.
Hence, this simple test might illustrate
the principle of "never take anything
away from the player or never force him
to make something he doesn't want."
At the present time there seems to be
two definite types of pin games: the pay-
out game and the novelty high score
game. Novelty games must stand mainly
on their suspense and cleverness of action
and furnish an amusement incentive as
well as a "win" incentive. On the payout
game the player is attempting to win free
games in whatever manner possible and
is probably not as interested in being
amused, In building the novelty game an
important consideration is the use of the
featured gadget. Too much use of it will
spoil the player and too little use will
antagonize him. Sometimes games come on
the market that do everything but make
the marbles talk but lack player appeal
because it is almost impossible to obtain
the highest numbers, although it is possible
to make winning scores.
So if you plan to make novelty games,
make them mean something to the player
besides popping balls or whirling disks.
The story of play and novelty features
of a marble game may in themselves ap-
pear interesting and "sure· fire stuff" to
some manufacturers. In fact, many compan-
ies advertise that they have tested models
of their games in the field and found them
to be overwhelmingly successful before they
ever started manufacturing on a large scale.
This may be true and . a good idea from
the sales standpoint, but if a proper study
is made of the principles involved in cre-
ating a game it is not necessary to test
it so extensively, as it leaves the operator
with the impression that perhaps you, as
the manufacturer, do not know what you
are doing, and have to resort to a hit or
miss proposition. If the game is a hit, you
go ahead; if not, then you say no more
about it.
Success Due to Study
It is doubtful if the average player or
operator of amusement games realizes what
a long and difficult process is involved in
creating his game. Before starting to make
any game a manufacturer must spend much
time and money in studying the games on
the present market. Even unsuccessful
games must be thoroughly analyzed in an
effort to discover weaknesses or errors.
Ideas, which must be accumulated out of
thin air, must be assembled by the dozens.
Afterwards they must be organized into a
simple, interesting and unified game. In
organizing such ideas, the fact that they
are new does not necessarily make them
worthwhile, as a proper combination of old
ideas sometimelil has value and might result
in a successful game.
In the research department of the Cali-
fornia Games Company the most common
method of judging the value of an idea
hegins first with a visualization of the idea
itself and all its related forms that con-
stitute "game sense." Rough drawings of
individual units are prepared and turned
over to a competent mechanic or engineer
who makes precision drawings and working
models. Several such models of individual
units that illustrate the actions in different
forms might be made and tested before
anyone of them is actually placed on the
key game board used as a production
model. Even after an entire game board .
is worked out and completed at a cost of
many hundreds of dollars it might be
discarded or set aside in preference to a
newer or more original idea. In our experi-
1llental shop, however, we seldom start to
spend much money on work of this kind
unless there is some certainty that we are
on the right track.
Five Principles Essential
To be successful a marble game must
follow certain definite principles of game
design. These principles are originality,
timeliness, beauty, suspense and simplicity.
In addition to these basic requirements, a
game must be constructed well and operate
with mechanical precision; and although
some units of the game may be compli-
cated mechanically, the game as a whole
must be simple and understandable to the
average player.
It is hard to define originality by saying
that it is something new since many ideas
may be new and different but not neces-
sarily good. Originality goes far beyond
the meaning of the word "difference,"
Seasonal timeliness of a game is not of
great importance since many football
games are now appearing on the market
at the close of the football season, and
baseball marble gaJ1les have made their ap-
pearance in off seasons and scored big
successes. The right mQment to release a
eert::tin game depends a great deal on the
attitude of the public. For example, a game
dealing with politics and elections might
have gone well with the public during the
last general election.
The beauty of cabinet and playfield de-
sign has been somewhat overlooked in the
past by some manufacturers but now seems
to be receiving more attention. If players
are to be attracted to a marble game, the
cabinet itself should be the first thing to
secure interest. It, as well as the game
itself, should be an original and new cre-
ation in modern design-and if possible it
sliould be the outstanding piece of furni-
ture on the location.
Suspense Important
The theory of suspense in games should
Iile as important as suspense in a motion
picture. If the entire story were told in
the first reel the last five reels would be
dead·heads. It is almost necessary now to
carry suspense to the very last ball. A sig-
nificant step in this direction was the in-
troduction of the "out hole return" feature
Jennings Basketball Team, considered one of the strongest teams in Chi-
cago, is making a bid for the Chicago Industrial League Basketball Champion-
ship, which is an annual event among the largest corporations in the city.
During the last few weeks they have defeated Dole Valve Company of Chi-
cago, Allied Screw Company, Coyne School of Engineering, and Chicago Print-
ers All-Star Team in succession.
Every member of the team is employed by O. D_ Jennings & Company.
From left to right, front row, George Reed, left guard; Leo Vergin, left for-
ward, Captain; Dan Igyarto, left forward; Andrew Carmichael, left guard. Top
row, CI ifford Jecmen, center; Howard Bersted, left guard; Ken Morley, Coach;
John Nimeth, right forward; Ray Hermann, left guard.
Synchro Fully
Gustafson Has
New Ticket Game
Mechanical Game
SEA TTLE-Announcing to the operator
new ticket game moderately priced Al
Gustafson, popular jobber of Seattle and
Portland, is announcing BAG DAD in the
current issue of THE REVIEW.
According to Al the game is a honey.
It has a new type of cabinet and blazens
a new path in coin machine construction.
Al expects to be able to start deliveries
on the new game about the middle of
February and operators are anxiously look·
ing forward to seeing a sample of the
new game.
II
•
Gaffney Joins
Eric Wedemeyer
NEW YORK-James C. Gaffney, for-
merly of the International Mutoscope Reel
Co., Inc" was appointed general manager
of the Eric Wedemeyer organization as of
January 15th.
His wide acquaintance and enviable rep-
utation in the coin machine field should
prove valuable assets to the Wedemeyer or·
ganization.
which enabled the player to recover several
balls with the last ball played. This idea
also provided a novelty action feature that
has been widely utilized by many manufac-
turers.
In making a marble game readily un-
derstandable to the player the manufac-
turer in reality prolongs its life and in-
creases its popularity. In this respect unity
and coherence work hand in hand with
simplicity. If all classes of players can
see the meaning of a game at first glance
the chances are better that more people
will play it.
A discussion of the essen tials of game
designing could be endless, as it is prob-
ably one of the most involved of profes-
sions. Today going to the left and tomor-
row to the right, and next week might find
us way back where we started five years
ago. But it seems that now, with the wide
distribution of games throughout the
world, there is a definite place for amuse-
m'e nts of this kind and the future holds
much promise for the wide-awake and alert
manufacturer.
LOS ANGELES-Synchro, the new game
of the Pacific Amusement Mfg. Co" is
entirely mechanical according to Herb.
McClellan. "It presents an entirely new
type of action," said McClellan, in de-
scribing the various features of the game.
•
Pretty Redhead
in Double Harness
SAN FRANCISCO-The redheaded sten-
ographer who is so popular with the boys
down in the offices of the Advance Auto-
matic Sales Company was married on
January 22nd and is now Mrs. Jerry Aloy-
sious Callahan, Esq.
After the ceremony she hied off with her
new hubby and, as Lou might say, "left me
in the lurch for a week while she revelled
in the joys of holy matrimony."
Best wishes of the S. F. operators go out
to Mrs. Callahan and her husband.
•
Skill Lite-A-Line
Legal to Operate
LOS ANGELES ~ DispelliI\g rumors
afloat that the skill Lite-A·Line game of
the Pacific Amusement Mfg. Company is
not a legal game, Herbert McClellan, Pa-
cific coast manager for the firm, states
emphatically that the new skill model
Lite-A-Line can be operated anywhere for
the game combines every principal known
to skill game manufacturing.
•
Wedemeyer Gets
California Games
LOS ANGELES-Arrangements were
made here during the recent visit of Eric
Wedemeyer, whereby the Wedemeyer of-
fice at 2401 Main Street, Houston, Texas,
will represent the California Games Com-
pany in the sale of their products in the
states of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and
Oklahoma.