Play Meter

While the 1978 A .M.O .A . Show may have offered little in the way of big surprises ,
it was not without a good number of innovations . With so many manufacturers
continuing to copy one another , it was reassuring to see a number of companies who
still recognize the need for good , old-fashioned innovation . Indeed , an industry that is
prey to the whims of the consumer must be innovative above all else .
The introduction of video games will probably rank as the decade's number one
innovation . No one can doubt the vast number of new locations and players they
brought to this industry .
But what will most likely run a close second will be the advancement of solid state
pinball . Already this innovation has increased the average earnings of a pingall game
by almost fifty percent. Because of this innovation , the possibilities for future pingames
are now limitless .
Now all the new phonographs feature solid state popularity meters that simplify the
record changing and programming process . The new Rock-ala phonograph has
taken the system one step further and offers an external digital readout that displays
the three most played records on a particular phonograph .
A new innovation in games also took place this year when several manufacturers
introduced driving games that featured unique projection systems that will no doubt
spark a new era of realism in electronic games. With all that can be put on film these
days , the possibilities for new game concepts are now also limitless . And , of course ,
this year's show also marked the advent of solid state pool and new hopes for fifty -cent
pool.
Other innovations surfacing at this year's show were games that appealed to other
population groups such as children, women, and old people . Such games broaden
the industry's player population thereby benefitting everyone from the operator on up
to the manufacturer. On the other side of the coin , there were games that were
designed for the more seasoned players. Such games are essential in order to maintain
the present player population . Without the more sophisticated game , experienced
players are more likely to lose interest . Service and supply companies were not
without their own innovations . New merchandising techniques such as the use of
tokens generated a great deal of attention . More and more service equipment and
testing devices are being developed to reduce downtime in the field and to enable
on -location repair of most solid state equipment.
Going almost unnoticed was yet another innovation which may have some
far-reaching effects on this industry in the years to come . It was tucked away in a small
corner of the Cherry Group booth. It wasn 't a new game or a new system but a new
manufacturing concept - a universal game cabinet. The Cherry Group , exclusive
importers of Atari equipment in England and Scandinavia , displayed a current Atari
game enclosed in a re-usable cabinet. When it comes time for an operator to buy a
new game , all he does is buy the PC board, a new instruction panel, and new
graphics . An interchangeable drawer assembly enables the operator to change the PC
board and the player controls at the same time . The name of the machine and the
screen graphics can be changed just as easily .
ObViously what this innovation does is to take the operator out of the moving
business and the manufacturer out of the cabinet business . Such an innovation can
easily save the industry millions of dollars in the purcha~e price of new equipment not
to mention the millions of dollars that could be saved in freight costs and warehOUSing .
And it doesn 't have to stop with video games . Pinball cabinets , as well, can be
standardized for re-use, enabling the operator to purchase only a playfield , a
backglass, and a new PC board . The universal cabinet can save this industry a
tremendous amount of money . And that , my friends. is what innovation is all about.
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Ralph C. Lally II
Editor and Publisher
PLAY METER, December, 1978