Play Meter

UP FRONT Beware the comfort zone and other field talk s Bonnie Theard Managing Editor tate shows are e nligh tening occasions. They afford a n opportunity to really find out what's going on in the field, what the industry is up against, and how we can sometimes derail ourselves without realizing it. This was th e case at the a nnua l conventions of the P e nnsylvania Amusement and Music Machine Association and th e Amusement and Music Operators of Texas. PAMMA members turned out in force to he ar more on th e main topic of con versation: legalized gam ing. AMOT m e mb e r s believe this issue will come up in their n ext legislative session, but fo cu sed on practical matters and e ducational sessions this time around. Read our ext e nde d coverage of both trade events in this issue. Take note of these reve lations , from the mouths of operators and distributors: What's going on in the field: "It's good to see such a crowd, but we should have a r ecord t urnout all the tim e . After all, this is our live lihood." "We 're seein g places open up th at someone h as poured quite a bit of money into. We all know that not a ll of these mega-locations are going to m ake it. We'll just sit b ack and wait for them to learn a bitte r lesson. That lesson is th at it takes more work than m ost are willing to do to b e successful. " "I've h a d a b etter summer than I've h ad in years." "Manufacturers had better wake up and sm e ll the quarters. Redemption is getting old; forcing so much on u s won 't work a n ymore. We n eed som e video gam es that aren't recycled from home gam es and don't cost us our firstborn child. " "Ope r ators n eed to ask themselves if video poker is r eally what they want." PLAY METER 12 "This business is like harvesting crop s . We have to separate the chaff from th e wheat: look at all th e equipm e nt, determine what we can really use , a nd let the rest go b y the wayside." What the industry is up against: "Operators always seem to b e on th e defensive . We have nothing to be ashamed of. I think it's this violence thing th at keeps cropping up . Sudd e nly, everyone thinks we're trying to corrupt kids. " "He 's right about people thinking we're corrupting kids , but I don't agree with operators who say that the violence do esn't m atter. It does matter to parents." 'Tm beginning to b e lieve what someone told me a long time ago. We should be fighting video gaming becau se the state is going to want to tak e control ofit. " "Th e small guys are b eing squeezed out, and not just in our business. It's happe ning in all typ es of businesses." How we derail ourselves: "Some ope rators in the state won't pass muster in the licensing process if video gam ing passes. They are not as professional as they should be. " "We have to look at trends and capitalize on them, t h en move on to the n ext trend. Look at taverns: for a while it was wine coolers, then ice beer. They go from one theme and d ecor to a nother. The customer's d esires are ch a nging. " "We can 't d o business today the way we use d to. Some of the old-time operators are h aving trouble making adjustme nts." "An operator might get $800 for an old 45 jukebox and sudde nly he thinks all his old boxes are worth $800. Better to sell several for $200-$400 and invest in a new CD jukebox. " "There's some t errific equipment out there. I know som e of m y fe llow street operators are crying about e quipme n t, but if you open your eyes you'll b e amazed at wh at's there." "Beware the comfort zone. You have to take risks if you want the reward." SEPTEMBER 1994