AFTER PIN GAMES ... WHAT?
·
AND THEY REPLIED:
.'
E
NDEAVORING to present to the na-
tion's operators a cross-section of
opinion on the question of the day,
THE REVIEW asked a representative manu-
facturer, two distributors and an advertis-
ing executive: "After pin games . . . what ?"
Their interesting replies offer a well-
balanced word picture mirroring the coin
machine industry in its own eyes :
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Manufacturer, A. S. Douglis, Daval
Manufacturing Company, Chicago: In the
opinion of the writer pin games are still
a long way from being out of public fa-
vor. The public has grown to expect a
lot more of pin games now than they
were satisfied with in the early stages.
This part of it is the same as the automo-
bile industry . . . the model "T " Ford
provided all the thrills and satisfaction
the public desired 'way back in 1914,
1915, etc., but who wou ld be satisfied
with one now in comparison with the
speedy 8, 12 and 16-cylinder cars on the
market today?
There are also definite cycles of popu-
larity in the amusement game field, the
same as in styles of wearing apparel.
Every once in a while the cycle turns all
the way back and begins all over again
with something that was popular years
ago. Bagatelle games are known to have
been popular many, many years back,
farther than the writer can remember, and
even after the public is all through wi th
pin games it is very likely. that after a
few years' lapse they wi ll come back
again stronger than ever- no doubt in a
different form- but come back they sure-
ly will.
In the meantime, the remedy already
is at hand. The popularity of counter
games is on the definite increase. Opera-
tors everywhere are finding out that coun-
ter games not only are equal ling the
profits of the best days of the pin game,
but are less expensive, easier to carry
around, easier to place and replace, and
require practically no servicing.
In my opinion, every good operator
ought never to "put all his eggs in one
basket" anyway, for in addition to pin
games he should have a counter game in
every location, also straight merchandise
vendors-such as peanut and candy ma-
chines, scales, phonographs, etc., and
wherever possible to spread out his terri-
tory into several- different towns and even
states so that different type equipment
readily can be switched from one terri-
tory to another, the same as from one
location to another.
The operator who will work a long
these lines always will be sure of making
a living- if not with one type equipment,
then with another; if not in one terri-
tory, then in another.
To me it seems that the future has un-
limited possibilities for the better opera-
tor who knows the value of diversifica-
tion and making friends of his customers
and trying to give the public full value
for their money at all times.
We here at D ava l believe in practicing
what we preach. Therefore we are mak-
ApriL
1936
ing not only' straight amusement and pay-
off pin tables put a large variety of coun-
ter games, and are a lso developing a
4-way bulk vendor which soo n wi ll be
placed on the market, and other items
of amusement and vendor type.
Advertising executive, William Gersh,
manager Automatic D epartment, Byrde,
Richard & Pound Advertising Agency:
Paul W. Blackford, genial publisher of
THE REVIEW, writes to ask me, "After
Pin Games . . . What?" The inclusion
o f the dots in that short sentence and
the smash effect of the word " what" with
the ensuing question mark is, to say the
least, [:ather startljng and somewhat fear-
some.
Having for many years traveled about
the country contacting members of this
industry, it always has been my fortune ,
at certain slump intervals, to have ques-
tions of thi s character sprung at me, and
usually in a manner as startling as Mr.
Blackford 's.
Those years have come and gone, and
a lot of water has passed under the
bridges, and we' re sti ll here, and, what
is a more remarkable sign of the grow-
ing pains of this industry as well as its
natural progressiveness and restlessness,
this same question continues to pop up
every now and then seemingly to irritate
the publishers and editors of our trade
media.
_
It may be that this question makes fine
editorial copy, but it does seem that when
the cobbler is busy mending shoes he
doesn ' t think about when he may lose
his cobbler shop. At least tqis is the
natural tendency. All humans who keep
themselves sufficien tly busy earning a liv-
ing forget the fearsome " ifs" of possible
future events .
William Gersh
But again such a pacific condition
wouldn't make , good copy for any maga-
zine. We may as well then plunge into
Mr. Blackford's question and do as much
prophetic guessing as the next fellow, as
to what may enter the industry after pin
games.
First, many salient facts must be ad-
mitted. The market for coin operated
amusement equipment has grown to such
giant proportions that it offers a more
lucrative, more fertile field than it has at
any time in the history of the industry.
Very few connected with the industry
ten years ago even imagined that almost
every little store in this tremendous coun-
try would have some type of coin oper·
ated amusement device in it.
Therefore, with so large a fie ld the
average manufacturer can be more optim·
istic for profitable future developments of
products than he cou ld at any other time
in the history of coin machine manufac-
ture.
These facts are also well known to the
industry: That the tremendous success
and continued popularity of pin games
has created a definite desire on the part
of the genera l public for coin operated
amusement. This desire presents a finan-
cially ptofitable field for future cultivation.
There is an existing certainty, because of
this fact, that any popular coin operated
amusement device which will as greatly
attract the fancy of the public wi ll a lso
prove unusually profitable to the coin ma-
chine operators.
Now to more important matters of
cause and effect. What has happened to
pin game play? Why do such keen Stu-
dents of coin machine matters as Mr.
Blackford ask such questions? Have
there been, or are there at present, definite
signs that pin games are finished as a
profitable am usement device as far as the
coin machine operators are concerned?
Would a change in the present method of
pin game operation revive the play suffi-
ciently to bring back the profitable days
of 1933, 1934 and 1935 ? Is legal inter-
ference creating a lack of play by fright-
ening away the players? Or are there a
hundred other interfering factors hamp-
ering profitable operation of the games,
and is the blame therefore attributable to
.existing conditions and not to the games
themselves? Or, has the public just
simp ly tired of seeing a marble spin and
dance about a board?
A hundred and one factors enter into
consideration prior to an intelligent an-
swer to Mr. Blackford's question. In the
mind of this writer there is a certainty
today that the play is just as great as it
ever was, but that due to the tremen.lous
percentage being paid to locations by the
majority of the operators, and also due
to the increased percentage of payout to
attract more play, and the fact that the
COSt of the games has risen so greatly,
an economic situation has been created
wherein profitable operation is question-
able.
.
The game of the future, after pin
(S ee "After Pin Games" on page 26)
COIN
M ACHINE
REVIEW
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