Play Meter

f ROM THE EDITOR Notice anything different? H ave you ever been talking with a friend when he says, "Hey, do you notice anything different about me?" Immediately, you start really looking at him. You probably think he looks better (or worse) but you just can't quite put you finger on what's different. It's the overall image that has changed. I'm about to ask you the same question about Play Meter. Do you notice anything different? Before you start searching all over the book for the answer, I'll make it easy. Look at the cover. Can you see a change? It's our logo. We have been thinking for quite some time about making this giant step in modernizing our logo, but believe me it is a big step to make. We started last year by having the new logo on our envelopes and letterhead. It was for two reasons: To see if we really liked it as much as we thought we did. And, to gradually introduce it to our customers. Well, we do like it as much as we though we would, and are very pleased with how it looks on the magazine. We have also introduced some new graphics that are designed to publish a "reader friendly" magazine (isn't it wonderful to learn new terms at seminars!). A trade magazine deals with one specific in- 6 PLAY METER 1990 Directory dustry; publishers need to refrain from "too fancy" graphics that take away from the content. Our art director, Jane Nisbet, has been with us about a year and a half and brought with her some excellent ideas and concepts that we have been tremendously pleased with. We have gotten quite a few compliments on the magazine and pass those on to Jane, who is the creative genius behind the changes. In this issue we present our State of the Industry report. In the last few months the industry has been abuzz with talk of how awful things really are. Operators are disappointed with equipment, distributors are frustrated because equipment isn't moving like they think it should, and manufacturers continue struggling to introduce games that will revive the industry. But this is nothing abnormal in this industry. It has its ups and downs all the time. We just like to see the highs outnumber the lows. The comments at the back of the report from operators are enlightening. They range from "too many morons in the business" to "it couldn't be better." For every negative aspect we can name, there are positive ones that give us faith that the industry will continue to support those that have made it their life's work. I'm positive enough to believe it. We survived the '80s as the industry changed and grew more than it had at any other time in its history. As we look forward to the '90s, we can only speculate on what adventures and technology are awaiting us. We should all be excited to know that there are bound to be things we can't even imagine right now. One of my favorite stories appeared in a Reader's Digest several years ago. A car manual from the '20s boldly stated that since there were so many improvements on the latest models there were no foreseeable additions to be made in the future. Therefore, it added, this manual should be complete for all automobile owners in the future! Let's not be quite that shortsighted when it comes to thinking that what we have seen in the coin-op industry will be all we will see in the future. D Valerie Cognevich Editor