game devices are the problem. It's
the stores themselves," he said.
One resident compared the pro-
posed legislation to "the witch hunts
of New England" and asked the
seven council members if they had
ever played the games. One member
admitted that she hadn't, while five
others declined to answer or said
they couldn't remember.
The remaining council member,
who said he favors restrictions on
the games, said "I play a pretty mean
game of Pac-Man although my son
can still beat me," but said he still
supports the ordinance because of
all the time and money he said his
son spends with the machines.
Another council member said that
while she thought some restrictions
should be placed on the devices , she
opposed any regulations governing
hours of operation and suggested
reducing the proposed $100 licensing
fee to $50.
A neighboring suburb of Shaker
Heights, Cleveland Heights, last
month imposed a $100 per game
licensing fee on all machines in that
city. The ordinance also prohibits
game rooms within 1,000 feet of a
school boundary and prohibits the
games from operating during school
hours . The councilman who
sponsored the legislation said he
intends to propose additional
changes in the city's zoning code to
further tighten restrictions on elec-
tronic games in thll future .
Cleveland Heights council also
recently rejected an application from
a businessman wanting to open a
game room, citing complaints from
elderly residents about potential
traffic problems at the proposed
location.
Court challenge
Also in northeastern Ohio,
another city ordinance restricting
the use of electronic games may be
contested in court.
Northfield Village, near Akron,
last summer passed an ordinance
prohibiting anyone under 18 from
playing amusement games before 3
p.m., when schools close. After 3
p.m., they can play only if accom-
panied by an adult. Roy George
Music and Vending Company, which
owns many of the games in the
community, filed suit shortly after
the ordinance was passed, claiming
the new law was hurting its business.
Summit County Common Pleas
Judge Theodore Price said he may
wait until the Mesquite decision from
the U.S. Supreme Court before
making a ruling. However, Price has
refused to issue a restraining order
against Northfield Village, although
city officials have agreed not to make
any arrests until Price reaches a
decision.
The mayor of Northfield Village
has compared video games to the
Pied Piper because of what he calls
their "hypnotic effect" on young-
sters. "All the kids in town , it
seemed, were operat ing the
machines. We felt like they had to be
controlled," he said.
Shaker Heights' council is also
exploring the possibility of opening a
city-run game room to provide
revenue for the recreation depart-
ment. The idea was suggested as a
way of supervising the community's
youngsters.
"Put Pac-Man in the middle of the
high school gymnasium and you
won't be able to keep the kids away
from school," one councilman said.
The city's recreation board is now
investigating the benefits and pro-
blems of opening such a game room .
[Ed. Note: Play Meter will continue
tracking local legislative and court
problems of coin operating with an
aim of useful example to be applied
widely in defense of games '
operation.]
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PLAY METER, February 15, 1982