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1983 was painful,
but the industry matured
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This past year has certainly been one to remem-
ber. The industry went through some very painful
growing pains in the form of descending earnings, the
shakeout, legislative problems, game piracy battles,
"gray area" games, and a festering lack of confidence
in the industry.
Play Meter has condensed the year's activities in
this issue, giving an overview of what occurred and
what is ahead .
In the past we listed the top 10 stories of the year
in order of their importance. We have taken a differ-
ent approach this year since there were man y
important activities resulting from declining
revenues .
Though the year could be called a major setback
for the coin-op industry, it is not the first time the
industry has endured setbacks, nor will it be the last.
Public awareness and media coverage have brought
the industry's problems to the general public like
never before.
Depending on who was voicing the opinion ,
video games were called everything from the games
of the devil to the games which help children prepare
for the computer age . Major newspapers found the
subject of video games too good to pass up and
seldom did .
Earnings figures, once private industry infor-
mation, became everyone's topic of conversation. As
a result, governmental bodies laid claim (o r tried to)
to a good share of those exaggerated figures.
But industry members know that they will be
here tomorrow to face the next chapter in the con-
tinuing saga of the coin-op industry. Those same
people once faced the chapter of wall games. The
problem of not being able to get enough of them
became a problem of where to store all those games
no one wanted anymore. Said Bill Craven s of
U niversal ," At least they were flat and could be stored
on top of each other up to the ceiling! "
And who co uld forget the drop in electro-
mechanical pins with the introduction of solid-state
pins? Those with electromechanical pins had no
market for the obsolete games and certainly couldn't
store them on top of each other to the ceiling!
The industry has had some hard knocks, but each
one has been only one scene in a much larger pla y.
Those who found solid-state pins the best thing to
happen in a long time cou ld hardl y have imagined the
takeover of pins by video, let alone dream about
something like a laser game. We, too, will see inno-
vations that are impossible to dream about now.
Laser games will be another chapter. Operator s
should remember the hit sy ndrome of the video
game boom years and take heed in purchasing laser
games. Laser games are new, sophisticated video
games, but they, too, will settle into their niche .
History has a way of repeating itself if nothing is
learned , but operators who want to stay a viable part
of the industry learn from past mistakes and diversif y
their routes. They put more stock into the basics of
the industry-the pool tables, jukeboxes, pinballs,
and even cigarette machines-the old reliables, the
steady earners.
This year in review issue takes you through 1983
in an effort to condense the issues and activities that
played major roles in guiding the industry to its
pre se nt point.
Many of the top stories from last year were still
making headlines but taking on new meanings this
year. Last year legis la tive activity stiffened, and city
co unci ls tried to regulate the coin-op business .
Legislative problem s thi s year were severe, but taxes
and high license fees repla ced other forms of
restrictions.
The top stories of last year were the saturated
market, declining co llections, and the shakeout. Thi s
year these issues were highl y intensified .
Pla y Meter called 1981 " th e year the industry
found itself. " Thi s year will probably go down in
history as the year th e industry found itself every
whi ch way but up.
Valerie Cognevich
Editorial Directo r
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6
PLAY METER. December 15. 196J