Play Meter

fROM THE EDITOR Ever have that feeling of deja vu? A few years ago my sister and I raided my mother's cedar chest-the one she got before she met my dad. It was chock full of stuff she had been saving since high school. There was the front page of a newspaper about Roosevelt, a Happy Birthday card to baby Valerie from my grandma, and a goingsteady bracelet from a boy she didn't marry. Then we spotted something really interesting. My mom had saved some of her high school clothes. We laughed until we realized that her old clothes were the same fashions we were wearing at the time! We pulled out shirts with shoulder pads , wide bottomed trousers, and wild print dresses . What do you know, we said in unison, save something long enough and it'll be back in style! My kids are finding new fads that aren't so new to me. The hoola hoop was my favorite toy way back when. And what about the " new phenomenon" trolls. I can remember those so-ugly-they're-cute toys from when I was ... well, let's just say it was a long time ago! We're happy to see some things come back, and others we're not so glad. I know my kids wouldn't be caught dead in bell-bottom pants and are cringing to think they might become the rage again. In our industry, it was 10 years ago that the issue of speed-up kits reared its ugly head. It was at a time when Pac-Man captured the public's attention like no game before it. Earnings were so phenomenal that operators loved the idea of giving it new life with an enhancement kit. The manufacturer, Bally /Midway, did not like that idea one single bit. In looking over back issues of the magazine , when this topic was discussed, you'd swear you were reading something recent. In fact , if you substituted Bally /Midway with Capcom, the similarities would be uncanny. It's one of those things I mentioned that we aren't happy to see making a comeback. But it has and it should be addressed. Capcom has been selling the hottest game since Pac-Man. Operators all over will admit that this one game has made the difference between staying in business and calling it quits. Sound familiar? Could we possibly have been saying the same thing about Pac-Man? As if gazing into the past, we see operators wanting to give it a little oomph to prolong the life of the game for its loyal following of players. Bob Sokol of Two Bit Score has been selling speed-up kits for Pac-Man for many years now. It's hard to believe that the game has endured for over 10 years. But it most definitely has, perhaps because of speed-up kits . Is there anything wrong with that? Ten years from now we could be seeing speeded-up Street Fighter II games in locations. I don't believe that it's a good thing to have 10-yearold games on location, but the point is that a good game is a good game now and perhaps 10 years from now. I remember back when the speedup topic was being bantered about, PLAY METER 10 DECEMBER 1992 someone asked during a seminar why a speed-up kit was so bad. The answer was intriguing: if you own a McDonald's franchise , for example, you are obligated to serve the standard fare . You can't decide to sell thicker shakes, larger hamburgers, or crispier french fries . Your location must sell food that follows specifications, so customers will know what to expect even before they order. I can see where that could apply to video games. If a player happens upon a game with an enhancement kit and loves it, he may be disappointed if next time he plays one that doesn't have the kit. But it 's stretching a point. Ten years ago there were court cases and rulings that could have set precedents for today's situation if it ever got into a courtroom. Capcom is vowing to fight speed-up kits, but so far has simply sent out cease and desist letters to those selling them. Will a case get to court? I can't say for certain one way or the other. Are the kits illegal? I can't tell you that either. However, there are reasons to believe either way. It's up to you to get the facts and all the information available before making the decision. We'll keep you posted as information becomes available. D Valerie Cognevich Editor