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f ROM THE EDITOR • FOUNDER Ralph C. Lally II Looking back can help plan the future • PUBLISHER Carol P. Lally • EDITOR Valerie Cognevich • MANAGING EDITOR Bonnie Theard • NEWS EDITOR Christopher Caire I t' s the beginning of 1991 as you read this latest State of the Industry report. There may be some surprises, some number you can't believe. It's like that for me, too, as I attempt to make some sense out of the responses we get. There's always the joker who tries to screw up the numbers by claiming he's making $2,000 average per week from his video games, or the guy who pencils in that his videos are only making $1 per week. Thank goodness for you guys who take this seriously. I can tell by looking at the surveys sent back that some of you don't take it very seriously. I wish I could make it different, but at least enough take the time to make it a worthwhile project. These numbers are only averages to give us all an idea of where our industry is now compared to previous years and give us a tool to help plan for the future. Jack Rodios of Cash Box Australia magazine said in a recent editorial that it is a "waste of time to look back at the year that wasan exercise of utter futility. ' ' He's right in a way , but maybe we should understand why . When looking back it is tempting to focus on the bad things that 6 PLAY METER l 99 l Directory • happened. It can hold us back from new opportunities awaiting. If we try too hard to make sense of everything that happened, and then put too much effort into trying to make it ''right,' ' then yes, I agree that it's fruitless to look back. On the other hand, if we can take a look behind us and learn from all the experiences of the past year in an effort to make the next year even better, then we owe it to ourselves to look back. We can track trends or fads, we can plot the equipment that remains steady, and we can see an overview of the industry through the figures from operators. That's not a waste of time. It' s been proven over and over again that when operators are healthy, the industry is healthy. I think the comments from operators are the most telling of all. I know I felt that I knew them a little better after reading what they had to say. D ART DIRECTOR Jane Z. Nisbet • PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Mary Henderson • CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Irving Blackman Charles Ross Frank Seninsky • TECHNICAL WRITERS Randy Fromm Mark Gavett • EUROPEAN CORRESPONDENT David Snook • ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Renee C. Pierson • DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING Ron Kogos • CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING Carol Lea LeBell • CIRCULATION MANAGER Renee C. Pierson • Valerie Cognevich Editor EDITORIAL OFFICES 6600 Fleur de Lis New Orleans, LA 70124 (504) 488-7003 FAX: (504) 488-7083 •