FROM THE EDITOR
Setting aside the remote possibility that medical
science will have come up with a method of
extending the average human life expectancy
beyond 100 years, one can be reasonably certain
that by the year 2077 no one reading this article
will be alive. Agreed that's not a very cheerful
thought to bring up, but it reminds us that the
world around us and things in it will survive us
all. That happens to include the coin-op amusement
business and the AMOA or whatever the industry's
national association will be called in the year 2077.
This obviously conjures up the thought, what will
the AMOA show be like in 2077? What will our
children's children see and hear at Expo 2077? Will
the pendulum of progress swing to the point where
machines are designed to play games of humanoid
sports, as the cover of this month's issue depicts?
It may not be possible to describe the 2077
AMOA show in today's terms. An adequate
description would probably be beyond our com-
prehension. But it does appear that some things
are certain to happen by the year 2077, and the
things I'm referring to are not beyond our com-
prehension; quite the contrary, I'm referring to
things the industry is faced with today. Today's
problems will have been solved-- commissions,
taxes, economics, security, and the like.
It is fairly certain that there won't be any
operators alive who will still be operating on a
50/50 commission structure. The Tri-Centennial
operator of 2077 will have a very reasonable and
workable system which I prefer to call the
"Variable Commission System." This is a com-
mission arrangement whereby the commission on
each machine varies. A very costly, short-lived
arcade piece, for instance, might go for anywhere
from five to ten percent for the location owner;
and a rather inexpensive, low maintenance piece,
on the other hand, might go for up to fifteen or
twenty percent to the location owner.
I would also venture to say that future operators
won't be wasting a lot of time counting money on
location. In fact, the whole collection process will
probably take a little less than five minutes. Two
electronic devices both keyed differently-- one kept
by the operator and the other by the location
owner-- will activate a memory device on a piece of
equipment. All pertinent information regarding the
immediate past performance of the machine will be
printed out in duplicate instantaneously, indicating
total plays, replays, extended time, and of course
an earnings breakdown complete with commission
computation. The collector will simply make out a
check payable to the location owner and leave
with the money in a self-contained locked box.
The AMOA show of 2077 will no doubt be the
biggest ever. There will be two shows actually--
one in March to start the arcade season which will
be moved from city to city and the other in the fall,
4
as is the custom today, and held in the fair city of
Chicago. Why will it be the biggest show ever?
Because the industry will still be in a stage of
growth. In fifty years this industry has been able
to attract roughly six percent of the general popu-
lation. By 2077 that figure will have at least tripled
and have a not-so-mere 82 percent left to grow.
Hence, the biggest show ever.
And will there be a NAMAMOA [National
Automatic Merchandisers Amusement and Music
Operators Association]? Probably not, the two
associations will probably have gone their separate
ways. NAMA will likely continue to have a music
and games exhibit if the response from this year's
show is any indication. NAMA members who hap-
pened to notice the amu ement exhibit area were
delighted with it because it was so interesting and
it kept their children amused. The exhibitors, on
the other hand, had mixed feelings on the subject.
Half said they would come back next year, and
the other half said they wouldn' t. Since NAMA
has nothing to lose and everything to gain by
having them back, they probably will.
What will the machines at the 2077 show be like
is any body's guess. Equipment may not have
evolved to the point where machines are playing
each other on other machines, but it would be safe
to say equipment will exist that is far beyond our
wildest dreams.
What will the Expo issue of Play Meter be like
in 2077? Hopefully, it will be a lot like this, only
bigger and better. Because as the industry gets
bigger and better, so does Play Meter.
Since this is our fourth AMOA Anniversary
Issue, I would like to extend my sincere ap-
preciation to all our subscribers here and abroad
who have given us the loyal support over the
years. I am especially grateful to the ten-plus per-
cent of our U.S. subscribers for participating in
Play Meter's annual subscriber poll. I am pleased
to announce that the results of the poll are in this
issue. I can proudly say that it is by far the most
comprehensive and most significant survey ever
undertaken by a trade journal for the industry.
Rather than the opinions of manufacturers and
distributors, the Play Meter poll reports facts and
figures reported by legitimate operators from all
across the nation. We welcome anyone to challenge
the poll's findings and deeply appreciate the hun-
dreds of subscriber operators who participated
and helped make this survey possible.
A final note, we look forward to meeting with
you at our booth [C-57] at the AMOA show in the
Continental Room on the upper level. See you
there.
, ~cr-
--'
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Ralph C. Lally n,
Publisher & Editor
November, 1977, PLA Y METER