the money in the machine for them. Then, if it still
doesn't work, and they don't want to play another
game, we'll give them their money back. There
again, though, I think tokens will help us in that
control too.
PLA Y METER: Do you have change machines or
do your people dispense change?
PANITZ: We have change machines. And now that
we're going to tokens, we'll be programming our
change machines to give them.
PLAY METER: Do you lease any equipment?
PANITZ: No, we tried it, but because of our ability
to keep equipment and move it around, it doesn't
pay for us to lease it. It works for many people, I
know. But it doesn't necessarily work for us.
PLAY METER: Besides having X number of
pinball machines and X number of arcade pieces, is
there any type of machine or table game that is an
absolute must for arcade operations?
PANITZ: That's one of the things we've been
kicking around because of the initial cost factor.
Cost doesn't necessarily mean you're not going to
buy it. If you can take advantage of it and use it in
more than one spot, then it can be good for you. But
if I'm going to invest $6,000 or $8,000 in a piece of
equipment and then can't get it into a discount store
when I'm finished using it someplace else, where
am I? Square footage in mall locations is around
2,000 square feet, and that means if I have a huge
piece in there and it takes up the space of three
games, how better off am I? Does, it book three
times as well? You're paying X number of dollars
per square feet; so space becomes very valuable. So
I feel sometimes that I'd be better off buying three
$2,000 machines than one $6,000 piece. At least that
way I have the advantages of three players. Sure,
many times on the big piece you may be able to get
the fifty-cent play initially, and then you have to go
down to your quarter. But as far as games like pool
or air hockey or foosball-I don't think there's a
requirp.ci piece like that that's an absolute must for
an arcade. Something people should realize,
however, is that you can't have all winners in your
store, you have to have some fillers too because
when you're slow, it'll be the newer pieces or the
ones that are visually exciting that are going to
book for you. But when you're busy, it makes no
difference what you've got in there.
PLA Y METER: What are your feelings about the
advent of solid state?
PANITZ: The exciting thing about this business is
that we're getting into all this solid state, and we
have to learn it. The computer age is a
youth -oriented age. Therefore, I think youth should
be an important factor in this business today. I'm
not saying the older guys aren't good because some
of them can adapt quite readily to logic; but today
you have to think differently, you have to be able to
approach the problem differently.
PLAY METER: Are you expecting to see the cost
of solid state equipment come down?
PANITZ: I don't know why it should come down.
Nothing else has ever come down before. Have you
ever seen the price of anything that has had its
price come 'down? I can't really be naive and feel
that it's going to come down. At this point, if it
stays the same, I'd be happy. Then if it could only
get better as far as quality, I'd be ecstatic.
92
PLA Y METER: How would you apprai e t he
quality of equipment that's coming out righ t now?
PANITZ: We're not happy wit h it. I think t here' a
lack of pride in workmanship . We have a lot of
trouble with pieces right out of the crate . I'm not
singling out any manufacturer because I think it's a
basic weakness in all manufacturing. And I'm not
just talking about American manufacturing. The
Europeans and Japanese are no better when it
comes to this. Manufacturers just don't do it right.
There's no reason why we should open a machine
and spend literally three, four hours searching
down a cold solder joint. It's unfair. With the prices
we pay and the cost at which we have to keep our
people, we can't have a piece tied up because of cold
solder joint. I don't think all these problems are a
result of solid state because we've had problems
with the electro-mechanical also. And I can't say it's
just in the amusement machine industry, because
we have it also in automobiles and appliances. H's
just gotten to be a way of life.
PLAY METER: Do you think that manufacturers'
move towards service schools is a step in the right
direction?
PANITZ: That's a positive step, yes. But until just
a few years ago, we had no input from them at all.
Now I think they have come to the realization that
they have got to give us help.
PLA Y METER: What would you like to see done as
far as the manufacturing of the equipment is
concerned?
PANITZ: Number one, I would like to see a better
metering control. Number two, a sensible approach
to a cashbox, something that is more secure and
also has a greater capacity because we don't open
the machines every day and collect. But of course
now that we are going to tokens, that doesn't
become a problem for me any more. And number
three, a realistic approach on fixing these things.
They do break. And we are only human, and we do
not have little midgets that go around. We have to
get into them and service them. But there's no
reason for somebody who has been making
machines to come up with a terrible coin mech
because then we're at their mercy. What's the
sense in having a metering device that can be
disconnected by the mechanic? After all, why put a
meter in? Why put a cash box in that only holds
$120. Is that all the confidence they have in their
machines? Or why is it that on some of these
machines you literally have to be a magician to get
into it to fix it, or your guy needs four hands. This is
a gripe that we have as people in the business, but I
don't think enough is being done about it. Even
ome guys who have been making games for quite
some time suddenly come up with innovations that
are terrible. Sure, I believe change is great, but
let's make it a good change. I realize you're going to
make some blunders, but maybe a little more
research will show up some of these problems . I
think manufacturers would be smart if they came
out to the people who live with these problems all of
the time and not just test them with a distributor.
They should go to the people who have to live it and
breathe it. Sure, maybe some of the comments
they'll get will be far out, but maybe they could pick
up information from us. A little bit on that score is
coming, but not enough.
PLA Y METER, Apn1, 1978