Play Meter

Issue: 1975 January - Vol 1 Num 2

'Our image is improving because the younger generation doesn't take things at face value.'
things a t face value" ever-improving soc ial
connotations to indu stry t rm
and increasing
co m m u n i ty-mindedncs
among ope rators and
distributors are already helping the indus try to
overcome socia l stigma that have long muzzled its
image.
And equall y important, Granger tressed i th e
expan ion of tate and local operat rs' associati n
which ha helped indu try I aders in battles such as
the copyright law, while making favorable
impression on the nation s lawm akers.
I ndustry terminology like the differen e in
connotat ion between terms lik e "juke box' and
'coin-o perated phonograph' or 'arcades" and
'family fun centers" attracted Granger' comments.
"Some people in MOA have uggested changing
the term 'juke box' to 'coin-operated phonograph , '
Granger aid. 'But I ay no. Let s stick with th
term juk box and someday soon it will be a
perfectly accepta ble term. It s as Am erican as apple
pie. You don ' t try to think of a different term for
ho tdog ; a hotd og is a hotdog."
THE RECORD-BREAKING crowd of 3,259 MOA conven-
tion-goers buzzing all around them, MOA Executive Vice
President Fred Granger and Play Meter Editor and Publisher
Ralph Lally discuss the image of the coin amusement
10
Bu t
on erning other term
which have
consi tently brought bad vi ion to certain egments
of c mmunitie
everywhere, Granger took a
different vi w .
" If you call an arcade an 'amu ement cent r' r a
family fun center,' it is received much easier than it
was as an arcade,' he said. "Of course it actually is
abou t the same thing, and ha the same kind of
equipment, but pe pIe tend to think of an arcade as
a place down in the bad part of town, with p ep
-shows and a ll that kind of tuff, while they think of.
a family fun center a a place for mom and dad to
take the kid fo r healthy entertainment."
He pointed out that an expanding new market for
these' family fun centers' is opening up in shopping
malls, where an "arcade would never have been
welcomed.
'But the image of the industry is alway im-
proving even without our help,' Granger continued .
"Of curse, the younger genef b cause the younger members of the community -
this younger generation - doesn't take things at face
industry in the press lounge . Granger said upgrading the
industry's image will garner heavy attention from MOA
during the coming year. (Del Leggett - Staff)
value. They're forming their own opInIons about
things, and that is helping us all the time."
He also said he feels the caliber of businessmen
involved in th industry is improving and pointed
out that operators are better educated, more in-
volved in commW1ity affairs and generally better-
rounded citizens than ever before.
'When I went to work for MOA 1 actually had
people ask me que tion like, 'Fred, do you really
think you're in with the right group of people?'
, Ar:d I'd tell them then as I do now, that 1 really
couldn't think of anybody 1 would rather be
associa ted with who 1 'd enjoy more. These are the
most interesting people I've ever known, and again
that sounds rather corny and like a cliche, but it s
the truth."
As the only real full time poke man for the MOA,
Granger said hi relations with the press - especially
the consu m er-orien ted press - are an im portant part
of his job.
" I'm alway happ to help the press in any wa I
can 'he said, "becau e only by giving the press your
time. and only by making yourself acces ible to the
pre , can you tell your side of the story. And the
press. :-vith few exception, has treated me fairly."
He blamed mGst of the American stigma of
di tru t toward the music and games industry on
that 'out-dated frame of reference" that he had
referred to earlier.
' People equa te this business with ou th ide-
Chicago-type places, and with tavern that are not
top-caliber around cities. But 1 think we wi ll b gin
to see that feeling disappear. And, of course, other
people have alway
known this business in a
different light. For instance, 1 had to work my way
through college because my father lost everything he
had in the depression, and I remember jukeboxes
from my younger years as a poor man's entertain-
ment, although 1 really don t like to use that term .
But that was what it always wa to thousands of
people.
"And now, of course, our equipment is seen in
some of the best restaurants and hotel and night-
clubs in the c untry, especially with the intro-
duction of the furniture-style models.
Granger concluded by saying that he feel the
best way to carryon the cam paign to upgrade the
indu try's image is through the expansion of state
and local associations, and working on a local level
to educate the public and the legislators in the
indu try and it ' workings.
He emphasized the "grassroots" approach to all
problems, whether they be of a legal or a ocial
nature. He said he is convinced that this is the way
to give the industry an increasingly favorab le image
to people throughout the country .

CHAMPION SOCCER
The World's Most Complete Line of
Table Soccer
Equipment
I' 0lnl
A
~~ODUCT
MIRCD GAMES, INC.
Phon e (602) 944-5578
1960 W. North Lane
Phoenix, Ari zona 85021
11

Download Page 12: PDF File | Image

Download Page 13 PDF File | Image

Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).

Pro Tip: You can flip pages on the issue easily by using the left and right arrow keys on your keyboard.