Editorial
90mes beonstolk shoots for stors
"The coin amusement machine industry will some-
day rival the movie industry for America's leisure-time
dollar. "
We've been hearing that statement with more and
more frequency of late and it's no small wonder why.
Look at any of the news articles or features we've run in
Play M eter since January and you'll notice that games
of all sorts are gaining acceptance in areas previously
unheard of.
Kiddierama in a bank. Atari, Bally, Williams in
airports. New manufacturers as well as established
ones in hotel lobbies, exclusive night clubs and dinner
clubs with sophisticated games. All manufacturers in
po h, clean, enjoyable family fun centers.
I't's easily seen that the coin-operated games industry
i going places--fast. And not a small part of that
forward movement is due to theexpansionof game.
concepts brought on by the introduction of digital
electronics into the industrv.
The minaturization and more varied performance
capabilities of "computer" technology ha. brought the
visionary to an industry that for too long eeem. to have
felt it had reached its utmost potential. That's changed,
fortunately, and the change is noticeable in everyone
we talk to.
Industry old-timers and new-comers alike launch into
conversations of the exciting potential floating around
today for the operator who is imaginative and
profit-minded.
What's even more encouraging and pleasing is
reading news articles like a Copley News Service story
which recently quoted William Doughty, chairman of
the board of Western Investment Counsel Inc. of
Phoenix, as believing that the nation's "big money"
interests are moving out of traditional stocks and
investing in entirely different types of companies--
specifically the entertainment field.
The big money in the country--the established
investment fortunes of people like Hunt, Hughes and
Mellon--appears to be betting its bankroll on young
people who are now coming into power, particularly in
the recreation-entertainment and information gather-
ing fields, Doughty said in the news article.
If some of that money finds its way into the coin
machine industry, we could see an even faster and
larger rise in the importance of fun centers and other
coin amusement concepts.
All we can say is "Keep on Playin'."
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