Play Meter

f ROM THE EDITOR Don't settle for satisfied M y daughter and I were shopping the other day. I guess it could be compared to fishing for the guys-you know, bonding. It's a chance to talk and get to know each other a little better. And you know what? It's amazing how nice a teenage girl can be when she has her eye on some new clothes! Anyway, we passed by the make-up counter and I remembered I needed to get some mascara-for you fishermen, that's black stuff for eyes. As I automatically asked for my favorite brand, my daughter rolled her eyes at me. "What' s the matter?" I asked . She replied, ''Mom, you always use the same make-up. You've been using that same brand since before I was born. You go straight for that counter and never even glance at the other counters. Don't you ever try anything else?" I countered that I didn't have any problems with the make-up and I've been satisfied with it. "Maybe you are satisfied with it, but are you really happy using it? Aren't you ever curious about what you might be missing?" she questioned. Actually, I hated to tell her that I hadn't thought about it at all. I have a lot of things to worry about and my make-up is way at the bottom of my list of priorities, if it's on the list at all. No, I had never had the lady behind the make-up counter show me what' s new. While I was trying to justify myself by explaining how I didn't see any reason why I should move on to sorµething else, I suddenly realized that she might have a point. I was satisfied, butl didn't know ifl could say I was happy with my make-up. I PLAYMETER 10 JUNE1991 wasn't looking for something to make me any happier. But here's a teenager telling me that maybe I was limiting myself. Going a step further, had I lost my sense of adventure? I remember when I was a teenager with every brand of eye shadow, blush, mascara, and lipstick on my dresser and still checking out everything new. Mindy, I said, I guess kids can open their parents' eyes sometimes. I marched right over to the other brands of make-up counters and looked at all they had to offer. After oohing and aahing all the new discoveries, it was inevitable that I ended up trying something new. I am now sporting new mascara, a different shade of shadow, and even different lipstick. Watch out, I look great! But the funny thing is that I just love my new make-up! I can honestly say I'm happy with it. Sure, I was satisfied with the old; I'm having fun with the new. I remember years ago an operator told me that if you are satisfied, then you may be on the road to self-destruction. Of course, he wasn't talking about make-up, but it makes sense for lots of situations. If you are satisfied and feel comfortable and secure, you lose motivation to improve and to achieve your goals. We all have goals, for our businesses and our lives, and we must constantly be driven to find more to keep us motivated. The coin-op industry is a perfect example of needing that constant renewal, being willing to try the new, and even offering something new . We've seen many new concepts reviving our industry : video games, solid-state pinballs, laser disc games , color monitors , better graphics, and new technology. There are very few players out there who are willing to be satisfied with the same thing for very long. They certainly are not like me buying make-up. No, they are constantly trying new things , searching for something that's more fun and challenging. Are we satisfied with our businesses? An operator at a recent state show was talking about making a transition to computer. " I was satisfied with our old way of doing things ," he explained . ''However, my son kept insisting that we needed to upgrade and update our route . So I gave in and I'll be damed if I didn't have to admit that he was right!' ' How many times have you shied away from something because you were satisfied with what you had or what you were doing? I know you'll have to answer honestly at least several times. The coin-op industry has its ups and certainly its downs , but there are things out there guaranteed to give players their playing high. The recent ACME show gave all ofus the encouragement we need to keep moving ahead. We were fortified by promises of things to come . There was optimism and good games-who could ask for anything more! Valerie Cognevich Editor