UP FRONT
Systems and a whole lot more
Systems have become the next generation of
video games . No one could deny that Nintendo's VS
System has given the industry a welcomed boost.
Sen te , though off to a shaky start, has taken pride in
offering a multitude of system games to loyal
customers . And Atari 's two systems , and
accompanying games, are worthy of the Ata ri name .
Even Cinematronics , with its Cinemat System , is
hoping to give operators what they need to survive .
A nd no doubt more systems will make their debut at
the upcoming AMOA show .
However, a caution flag should be raised . This
industry has too long followed the hit syndrome .
One factory takes a chance on something new and
different , only to be the first of a string of companies
producing the same product w ith few variations . We
witnessed this peculiarity early in video game
history . Space games begot space games which
begot space games .
When Bally had the foresight to offer something
diverse in its mega hit , Pac -Man , rumblings of dis-
belief sprang from indust ry circles as to the
potential of a cartoon , maze game when the space
oriented games such as Astero ids and Space
Invaders topped the charts . However, players only
knew that they liked th is new cutesy game with the
memorable fuzzy character.
Before long , the hit syndrome was in evidence
as cartoon maze games dominated the market.
Players liked them , too- that is for a while . Pretty
soon , these games were not new and exciting, but
almost every factory had their own cutesy game for
the market .
We again witnessed the hit syndrome, at its
most obvious , when rumors of laser games saving a
dying industry were heard by everyone but the
players . The scramble of factories to ready for
AMOA '83 their own laser offering was the epitome
of the hit syndroma. Not only did lasers not save the
industry, but the industry survived in spite of this
new technology .
So as we reminisce about the phenomenon of
the hit syndrome, systems are making their
presence felt in the marketplace . But we wonder
what impact or effect systems will have on the coin-
op industry . The impact so far has been positive .
Operators sing the praises of these miracles
offering a low cost way for them to offer players new
games . And the games are good .
PLAY METER. October 1, 1985
But there 's a touch of deja vu here . Data East
foresaw a market for systems several years ago and
introduced its Deco System . Sega/ Gremlin also
recognized the potential and it too made inroads
into systems . However, as sharp as these com-
panies were on the concept, in actuality no excep-
tional games were ever made for the systems .
Operators were left with the feeling that the
factories promoted systems but introduced all the
good games in dedicated form. And though these
companies were fortuitous in their assessment of
the kit market , their actions seemed to belie their
predictions .
Since Data East led the way in the system
concept and the reality of its predictions has materi -
alized , some find it ironic that Data East has chosen
to introduce only dedicated games . However, this
factory may have perceived that if everyone else was
following the hit syndrome into systems , someone
would need to fill the void for dedicated games .
After all , in the words of our coinman this issue ,
systems are not all there is. Data East has been
extremely successful with its dedicated games . And
in a diverse marketplace like this one , there must be
a variety.
A medley of equipment must be the key . Ques -
tioning operators, and listening to their multitude of
answers , is the best guage to the reality of the
industry . And though 20 operators may give 20
different opinions on what's right and what's wrong
and why , one common thread is the need for games
that will entertain players . Players don't care if they
play a system , a conversion kit , a laser game, a dedi-
cated game or some other innovation . But they
demand fun and entertainment worth the quarter
they are willing to pay .
And operators demand equipment that can
meet the challenge from players . No one in this
industry has a crystal ball to foretell the future , but
all of us who have experienced the thrill of the video
boom and the agony of the crunch , will never forget
the past , or overlook the opportunity to learn from it .
Valerie Cognevich
Editorial Director
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