Play Meter

Issue: 1982 February 15 - Vol 8 Num 4

Letters to
the editor • • •
warranty issue with each unit. We
request that future references to our
product reflect the above.
Mik e Mac k e
Exec u tive Vice P resi den t
Digital Controls, Inc.
Atlanta
[Ed. Note: The above writer refers
to the "New Product" item in Play
Meter, November 15, 1981.]
H igh on scoring
Longer life yet
Is pinball dead?
If the object is to make all the
money you can, then why alienate
the customer that only likes to put
his quarters in a pinball because he
doesn't like the intensity of playing a
video game?
When you have saturated the
video market, where will you turn to
make more money?
Phil Barnett
Service Manager
Sun Fun Amusements
Satellite Beach, Florida
[The dialog on pinball's fate
appeared in the January 1 issue,
with surrebuttal in the issue of
February 1. We welcome further
commentary from our reader/
operators on the viability (or the
opposite) of the game.]
Factory clarification
This letter is intended to clear up
several inaccurate statements in
your issue dated November 15, 1981,
that have only recently come to our
attention.
On page 72, an introduction article
was printed in reference to our pro-
duct Little Casino. Apparently, in
this article representatives of Shanco
International Ltd., a former distri-
butor of Little Casino, referred to
themselves as being the manufac-
turer of our product. This is a false
statement.
Little Casino is owned and manu-
factured by Digital Controls, Inc.,
Atlanta, Georgia. Further, Digital
Controls, Inc. is the sole party
responsible for warranty and service
work. This is clearly stated on the
copyright notice displayed on each
unit and on the manufacturers
PLAY METER, February 15, 1982
I am writing concerning your high
score on Crazy Climber. You
indicated the world's record on
Crazy Climber was 231,000 points
by Kim Rodoflich.
I run Fantasy Island Game Resort
in Alcoa, Tennessee and one of my
regular players has achieved 302,600
points on Crazy Climber. He com-
pleted all four buildings and half way
up the third building the second time
around. His name is Rocky
Montgomery, age 19. He has been
playing the machine everyday for the
last three months.
Please be in touch if this is a
record .
Jeff T ipton
Fan tasy Is land Game Resort
Alcoa, Te nnesse e
[ Congratultions to player Rocky on
~~
his high score.
D ue to the large number of
marathon high-score achievers and
tournament champions currently,
however, we are not a final authority
on record scores. Players and/or
arcade operators are advised to
contact a representative of the
manufacturers, who will be
interested in the high mark achieved
on their machines. Play Meter,
meanwhile, welcomes news ' of
individual high scoring events, with
the understanding that this maga-
zine cannot "referee" whose is the
highest score.
But we recommend that Rocky,
after three months, get some extra
sleep. He has definitely set an
awake ness record.
-ed.]
Something on your mind you want to
uent? Got a gripe? Full of praise? Haue a
question? If you haue comments on the
coin operated entertainment industry,
write to Play Meter. Our "Letters to the
Editor" columns are dedicated to you,
the operator/ reader.
All/etters must be signed; if requested,
only initials will be used or the name
withheld from print. Please include
return address (although, for the sake of
your priuacy, addresses will not be
printed.) All letters subject to standard
editing. Be concise.
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For further information, c all Pete Entringer (collect)
5
,
Ohio cities debate rules
for amusement game locations
By Bill Kurtz
"If these people weren't
allowed to play video
games, they might go
down to the corner and
buy 'grass' or go buy
porno magazines. I just
can't believe councilmen
are putting these games
in the same class as
alcohol and firearms."-
Shaker Heights operator
6
A public hearing to discuss licensing
regulations for video and pinball
games in the Cleveland suburb of
Shaker Heights, Ohio drew camera
crews from two local television
stations, several reporters and more
than 100 residents to a January
session.
The proposed legislation (which
was not to be voted on until the end
of January) would limit operation to
10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through
Thursday and 10 a.m. to midnight on
Friday and Saturday. The ordinance
would also impose a $100 fee per
machine and require businesses to
obtain a special use permit from the
city for more than one game.
The ordinance would also require
the games to be placed "in a position
where they are visible to the owner
of the business" who would have to
present a floor plan of his shop
before the special use permit is
approved, according to the city's
assistant law director. Violation of
any of these restrictions would con-
stitute a first degree misdemeanor
and result in the revocation of the
permit. The legislation would apply
only to amusement devices and
would not include jukeboxes and
vending machines.
The city council scheduled a dis-
cussion of the proposed ordinance
again at its next meeting on January
25 before taking a vote.
Shaker Heights now has about 30
video and pinball machines in nine
locations. The proposed ordinance
would cover only machines in
secondary locations where the
games are a convenience to cus-
tomers rather than in game rooms
(primary locations covered by a
separate ordinance), of which the
city has none.
One council member admitted
that having the restrictions apply to
businesses with more than one
game, rather than four or more
machines as originally proposed,
was done simply to get game
operators and store owners to come
in and express their views.
"Coin-operated video machines
are a fact of life. They're going to be
somewhere," Mayor Walter Kelley
told council, urging passage of the
ordinance because of what he called
"the difficulty of drawing the line
between primary and secondary
use. "
Marty Goldfarb, of All-State
Vending, mentioned the Mesquite,
Texas case which will be coming
before the Supreme Court, saying
the hours of operation proposed in
the Shaker Heights legislation would
restrict adult use of the games in
locations open past 10 p.m. week-
nights.
The owner of a delicatessen with
two cocktail videos in the bar area
told council he agreed with Goldfarb,
citing the difficulty of telling adults
they wouldn't be permitted to play
the games after 10 p.m. The city's
assistant law director responded by
saying that businesses in that
position could apply for a variance to
allow late-night operation of the
games in adult locations .
Opposed to porno
All of the complaints about the
games allegedly received by council
members concerned rowdy behavior
by youths at a 24-hour doughnut shop
with four video games. The owner of
the shop told council that the games
provide an outlet for customers. "If
these people weren't allowed to play
video games, they might go down to
the corner and buy grass or go to the
drugstore and buy porno magazines,"
he said. "I just can't believe council
members are putting these games in
the same class as alcohol and fire-
arms."
The chief of police told council
that he didn't see any correlation
between the games and residents'
complaints. "I'm not so sure in my
own mind and my own heart that the
PLAY METER, February 15, 1982

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