Play Meter

A cause the industry
should rally around
Operators of coin-operated
amusement equipment probably have
at their disposal one of the most effec-
tive means of helping locate missing
children in the United States today.
Video games .
A recent one-hour national telecast
can probably best illustrate how a con-
certed effort by our industry can help
combat one of the most terrifying
crimes today- kidnapping. The special
one-hour telecast showed pictures and
told the stories of several missing chil-
dren ; and , within hours after the tele-
cast, two children - both sisters- were
recovered. In their case, they had been
abducted by their father who had kid-
napped the two girls after a court
decided against giving him custody.
Ironically, the two girls didn't even
know they were missing. Their father
just told them their mother didn't want
to see them again . It was only by
chance that they even learned they
were, in fact, missing. Both of them are
teenagers. There are thousands of
similar stories in the United States.
According to nearly all published
reports, the biggest percentage of
missing children are victims of
parental abduction like these two girls.
Still more missing children are, in fact,
runaways . And the rest are kidnap
victims, abducted by strangers - that
is, someone other than the children's
natural parents or guardians.
In all three cases, we in the coin-
operated amusement industry have an
opportunity to help locate missing
children. A volunteer organization
formed by video operators has set up
toll-free hot line numbers to help in
this cause. The group is called the
Video Operators Childrens Alert Line
(VOCAL) , and VOCAL has won the
endorsement and support of industry
groups and associations. It's time for
us to do our part.
VOCAL has embarked on an
ambitious program of printing posters
of two missing children along with per-
8
sonal information about those two
missing children. Also, the organi-
zation has set up a toll-free hot line to
help locate these children.
What VOCAL hopes is that every
operator in the country will place these
posters on the sides of their games in
the hope that someone playing the
games will recognize one of the faces
and help locate a missing child. And,
quite frankly, the VOCAL program
has excellent chances of success
because our games are located where
children congregate. And , if a child is
the unknowing victim of an abduction,
as was the case mentioned earlier, it's
possible the child can be reunited with
his family. And in the case of runaways
and stranger abductions, these posters
might also help locate a missing child.
For a long time now the coin-
operated amusement industry has
been like a rebel without a cause, it's
been an industry without a purpose .
Video games are a waste of money,
they say. A waste oftime. Video games
have been criticized as being totally
without socially redeeming value .
And, now that the industry has settled
down to a more moderate level of busi-
ness, a lot of industry people are like-
wise doubting their purpose.
But whether the video game vigi-
lantes like it or not, the fact remains
that our video games are in nearly all
the places where children congregate .
And it's simply because of that that
this industry has an opportunity to
demonstrate that video games can help
with a great social problem.
But, in truth , a program like this
can work only if the entire coin-
operated amusement industry gets
behind it and works to make it happen .
So Play Meter magazine will reprint
the VOCAL posters in each twice
monthly issues of Play Meter . We ask
you to photocopy these posters and
place them on your machines and to
rotate the posters (perhaps with each
machine collection). With that kind of
saturation, chances are we can help
find some missing children.
You will find the new VOCAL
poster in each issue of Play Meter .
There is no copyright problem. In fact,
VOCAL asks you to photocopy the
poster and post it in a prominent
place-like on your video games.
Additionally, to show a consoli-
dated industry effort on this behalf,
Play Meter is asking for poster spon-
sors. At the bottom of each poster,
Play Meter will print the name and
logo of the manufacturer, distributor,
or operators' association or organiza-
tion that donates $250 to sponsor a
particular poster.
Please note none of this money will
go to Play Meter. In fact, those who
wish to sponsor a poster, should make
their checks payable to the Hide and
Seek Foundation. Those wishing to
maintain anonymity can request per-
haps a line such as "This poster spon-
sored by the coin-operated amusement
industry" or some similar language.
This money will go to help defray the
costs of maintaining the toll-free hot
line.
We ask all industry organizations-
public, private, profit, non-profit- to
support this worthwhile industry
cause. If ever there was a cause which
is perfectly suited for the coin-operated
amusement industry, this is it. The
physical placement of our machines in
locations which children frequent, and
children's attraction to them attest to
the good results our united industry
effort may achieve .
As operators, we must post these
posters on our machines.
As distributors, we must encour-
age our operators to post the posters.
As manufacturers, we must support
financially a cause which helps accen-
tuate the positive about our industry.
Perhaps no longer an industry
without a purpose, we as an industry
now have an opportunity to demon-
strate our social responsibility.
•
PLAY METER. June 1 5. 1985