an Elton
Elton John
John as
as Capt.
Capt. Fantastic.
Fantastic. In
In video
video it
it was
was a
a
an
smiling yellow
yellow face,
face, the
the "smile
"smile button"
of another
smiling
button" of
another
age, that
that gave
gave way
way to
to another
another yellow
yellow fellow
fellow known
known
age,
as Pac-Man
Pac-Man who
who helped
helped open
open the
the flood
flood gates.
gates. And
And
as
of heros
heros wasn't
wasn 't too
too bad
bad either,
either,
his supporting
supporting cast
cast of
his
led by
by the
the likes
likes of
of Donkey
Donkey Kong,
Kong, Frogger,
Frogger,
led
Centipede, Defender,
Centipede,
Defender, and
and many
many others.
others.
Even when
when things
things began
began to
to turn,
turn , the
the equipment
equipment
Even
was pivotal.
Or, in
this case,
was
pivotal. Or,
in this
case, the
the equipment
equipment was
was as
as
much to
to blame
blame as
as anything
anything else.
else. How
How many
many times
times
much
or the
the same
same mazes
mazes
can the
the same
same theme
theme be
be exciting,
exciting, or
can
(only with
with different
different characters),
characters), side-to-side
side-to-side action,
action,
(only
and all
all the
the other
other variations
variations on
on a
a theme?
theme? The
The
and
sameness only
only served
served to
to point
out that
that the
the industry
industry
sameness
point out
couldn 't rest
rest on
on its
its laurels
laurels and
and that
that true
true players
players
couldn't
wanted
better
challenges.
wanted better challenges.
The games
games were,
were, and
and always
always have
have been,
been, only
only
The
the
most
easily
recognizable
symptom
of
a
deep-
the most easily recognizable symptom of a deep-
rooted problem
prob lem that
that always
always has
has plagued
plagued the
the
rooted
industry
and
will
continue
to
until
some
forward-
industry and will continue to until some forward-
thinking people
people act
act to
to change
change the
the situation
situatio'1 once
once
thinking
and
for
all
.
But
it
won't
be
a
simple
task
to
address
and for all. But it won't be a simple task to address
important issues
issues and
and find
find the
the solutions.
solutions.
the important
the
Let
me
offer
a
couple
of
examples
of what
what I I am
am
Let me offer a couple of examples of
driving
at.
I
have
more
equipment
in
my
house
than
driving at. I have more equipment in my house than
any of
of the
the arcades
arcades in
in the
the surrounding
surrounding area.
area. My
My
any
selection
of
games
is
newer
and
in
better
condition
selection of games is newer and in better condition
than any
by and
large-in a
than
any I I have
have discovered-
discovered-by
and large-in
a 100-
100-
radius
o'f
New
York
City.
But
I
can
accept
the
mile
mile radius of New York City. But I can accept the
argument that
that operators
operators have
have been
burned so
so many
many
argument
been burned
times
that
they
don't
want
to
risk
any
more
money
times that they don't want to risk any more money
on new
new equipment
equipment until
until they're
they're more
more confident
confident that
that
on
business
has,
in
fact,
stabilized
at
some
acceptable
business has, in fact, stabilized at some acceptable
level. Of
Of course,
course, new
new equipment
equipment might
might help
help that
that to
to
level.
happen
to
a
great
extent,
but
we'll
save
that
happen to a great extent, but we'll save that
discussion for
for another
another time.
time.
discussion
"It has
has been
been easy
easy to
to lose
lose sight
sight of
"It
of the
the
critical
issues
that
really
have
never
critical issues that really have never
been resolved,
resolved, even
even though
though since
since I've
I've
been
been watching
watching the
the industry
industry much
much of
been
of
what
has
happened
has
been
good."
what has happened has been good."
When I I moved
moved to
to the
the small
small town
town of
of Cheshire
When
Cheshire I I
was told
told that
that there
there were
were no
no gamerooms/arcades/
gamerooms/arcades/
was
family amusement
amusement centers
centers in
area
family
in the
the immediate
immediate area
to open
open one
one up
up in
in town
town
and that
that someone
had tried
tried to
and
someone had
but was
was turned
turned down
down by
by the
the community
community fathers,
fathers, who
who
but
thought it it not
not in
in the
the best
best interest
interest of
of Cheshirites
Cheshirites and
and
thought
the Cheshire
Chesh ire youth.
youth. I I took
took the
the response
response in
in stride
stride
the
had heard
heard it it all
all before,
before, dozens
dozens of
of times
times in
in
because I I had
because
dozens
of
communities.
It
i
ust
wasn
't
important
dozens of communities. It just wasn't important
enough, and
and more
more often
often than
than not
not I I would
would shrug
shrug my
my
enough,
shoulders
and
chalk
it
up
to
sti
lted
ideals
and
shoulders and chalk it up to stilted ideals and
PLAY METER,
METER. June
PLAY
June 15,
15, 1986
1986
misplaced apprehension
apprehension of
of those
those who
who decide
decide on
on
misplaced
such things
th ings as
as arcades
arcades and
and school
school busing.
busing .
such
But when
when a a friend,
friend , an
an operator
operator in
in New
New York
York City
City
But
and one
one of
of the
the better
better people
people in
in this
this industry,
industry, met
met
and
resistance to
to opening
opening a a new
new location
location in
in Manhattan,
Manhattan, I I
resistance
had to
to sit
sit back
back and
and really
really collect
collect my
my thoughts.
thoughts.
had
Here we
we have
Here
have one
one of
of the
the largest
largest metropolitan
metropolitan
centers in
in the
the world,
world, an
an area
area in
in which
which every
every day
day
centers
brings new
and bouti-
bouti-
brings
new ventures-from
ventures-from restaurants
restaurants and
ques to
to high-rise
high-rise condos,
condos, expensive
expensive department
department
ques
all manner
manner of
of entertainment.
entertainment. We're
We're
stores, and
and all
stores,
"The developments
developments of
"The
of the
the past
past decade
decade
were
directly
attributable
to
particular
were directly attributable to particular
It was
was never
never the
the industry
industry
games. It
games.
as a a whole
whole that
that commanded
commanded all
all the
the
as
attention."
attention."
talking about
about the
the range
range from
from legitimate
legitimate Broadway
Broadway
talking
plays
to
the
sleaziest
displays
this
side
of
Amster-
plays to the sleaziest displays this side of Amster-
real
plight
of
the
arcade
is
one of
of
dam.
And
here
the
dam. And here the real plight of the arcade is one
facing
guarded
acceptance
and
something
less
facing guarded acceptance and something less
than an
an open-arms
open-arms attitude
attitude about
about its
its freedom
freedom to
to be
than
be
located
in
highly
trafficked
commercial
areas
of
located in highly trafficked commercial areas of
Manhattan.
Manhattan.
Despite the
success and
Despite
the industry's
industry's past
past success
and
changing
social
values
across
the
board,
somehow
changing social values across the board, somehow
coin-op games
games are
are still
still an
an annoyance,
annoyance, an
an enterprise
enterprise
coin-op
not
to
be
trusted
or
allowed
to
move
freely
in a
a
not to be trusted or allowed to move freely in
supposedly
free
society.
And
it's
not
just
in
New
supposedly free society. And it's not just in New
york. I've
I've seen
seen it it before
before and
and have
have written
written about
about it
it
York.
before.
But
this
time
there
is
a
difference,
because
before. But this time there is a difference, because
the industry
industry is
is as
to blame
any misguided
misguided
the
as much
much to
blame as
as any
public
official
who
has
ru
led
against
a
new
location
public official who has ruled against a new location
and
the
right
to
operate
a
business
as
long
as
not
and the right to operate a business as long as it it is is not
injurious
to
the
people
around
it
who
may,
or
may
injurious to the people around it who may, or may
not, want
want to
to frequent
frequent it.
it.
not,
But
we're
sitting
here
in 1986,
1986, and
and I I can't
can 't believe
bel ieve
But we're sitting here in
how
far
the
industry
hasn't
come
to~ard
gaining
how far the industry hasn't come toward gaining
respectibility. And
And we
we worry
worry instead
instead about
about the
the next
next
respectibility.
new game
game that
that might
might mean
mean a a few
few extra
extra dollars
dollars in
in the
the
new
cash box.
box. What
What about
about tomorrow?
tomorrow? Can
Can we
we all
all 'be
'be so
so
cash
blind that
that we're
we're willing
willing to
close our
to the
crisis
blind
to close
our eyes
eyes to
the crisis
that has
has always
always been
been in
in front
front of
of us?
us?
that
shake my
my head
head in
in honest
honest disbelief
disbelief at
at the
the inepti-
inepti-
I I shake
tude and
and lack
lack of
of accomplishments-long-term,
accomplishments-long-term ,
tude
black-and-white, tightly
tightly defined,
defined, beneficial
beneficial actions-
actions-
black-and-white,
of any
any of
of the
the industry's
industry's alphabet
alphabet soup
soup of
of governing
governing
of
now the
the AAMA,
AAMA, was
was
bodies. The
The AGMA,
AGMA, which
which is
is now
bodies.
more aggressive
in playing
itself up
more
aggressive in
playing politics
politics to
to set
set itself
up as
as
some kind
kind of
of irreproachable
irreproachable monarchy
monarchy than
than in
in
some
paving any
any new
new roads
roads for
for the
the industry
industry and
and helping
helping
paving
the operator
the
operator succeed
succeed in
in his
his business.
business.
All
the
associations'
public-relations hype
hype is
is a
a
All the associations' public-relations
83