Play Meter

FROM THE EDITO R. The industry's most complete reference guide "The industry is going to hell in a handbasket." "The state of the industry is great! " Are these two operators in the same business? These two comments are found in the "operator comments" at the end of the State of the Industry Report. There are lots of others, some good, some bad. What's interesting is that the majority of operators who offered their opinions on the industry mentioned the exorbitant cost of equipment. Operators are quick to agree that the industry needs quality and innovative games, but no one can offer a solution as to how much these games should cost. Are man- ufacturers raising the price of popular games unfairly to make up for introducing too many dogs? Are they introducing dedicated games when a kit would do? And are they charging way too much for kits when they offer them? I don't think any of these questions can be answered "yes ," because it doesn 't make sense. No manufacturer sets out to make a terrible game. But the fact is that no one really knows what will appeal to players. Unfortunately, this is the reason that once a company find s that gam e that clicks with players, others take advantage of the information to develop their own version. Right now that happ e ns to be fighting games. Next year? Who knows. And the games for next year are the ones being developed right now. PLAY METER No matter what the reasons for skyrocketing costs, operators need new equipment to make money. But operators are not simply at the mercy of the manufacturers. Operators can do a little research before buying games. For example, don't pass on a game right away simply because of cost. If the game turns out to be the next Ms. PacMan, you'll want it no matter what. If it turns out to be a dog, you don't want it even if it's cheap. Study the equipment poll charts in the magazines. No, I'm not saying that you should buy a game because it's there, but use the information supplied by fellow operators. And speaking of fellow operators, here's a great incentive for joining your state or national association. There are lots of members you can call to discuss games. Most operators are more than willing to share war stories-good or bad. There are lots of problems facing us as we begin a new year. but nothing we can't handle and certainly not more than we 've confronted before. This is a strong industry; it's members make it that way. In this issue, you'll also find the most compre h e nsive, up -to-date Directory of manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, associations, etc. Although we all work on this section, production assistant Mary Henderson and classified ad manager Carol LeBell deserve the credit for pulling this Directory issue together and beating us over the head to stay on schedule. Of course, we can't mention the "D" word again until next year! It takes them about that long to regain their sanity! The last feature in the book is a list of all articles that appeared within our pages in 1993. If you 'd like to r ead an article over again or cut a photo out for your scrapbook, you'll find the correct issue , article, and page number right there. This is an issu e you 'll want to refer to all year. Write your name on it quickly with the largest magic marker you can find because it will disappear fast. If someone in your office needs an extra copy, give us a call; you don't want to let yours out of your sight. -Valerie Cognevich, Editor 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS Volume 20, No. 2 •Directory 1994 SPECIAL ISSUE state of the Industry 8 Speculate no longer. Results of our thorough annual industry survey have been compiled , scrutinized , and released in the form of 13 must-read pages of statistics, charts, comparisons, and candid operator comments. Directory 35' Starting with valuable FAX numbers, our comprehensive listings cover all coin-op companies: manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, associations, and foreign entities. Our exclusive tabs make it easy to find exactly what you need. Year-End Index 280 A little foggy on that technical tip you read last fall? Merely refer to this handy index for a refresher on where to find it, along with feature articles , news items, monthly columns, buyer's guides, and special issues that appeared in '93. cover Joe Dillon, who serves on AMOA's Price P er Play Committee as a m e mb e r of the Manufacturers ' Co uncil, is working with fe llow co mmittee m e n Gene Urso and Frank Gumma Jr. on a video tape to help operators improve the price per play. 1994 DIRECTORY