Play Meter

McCarthy tales
PLAY METER: We understand that you were
instrumental in giving the industry in New York a
boost through pinball tournaments. How did all
that come about?
McCARTHY: My daughter was in the rlayoffs
of a tournament that began on a couple 0 college
campuses when she was at Ithaca. The interest was
really strong and they were treating it like regular
cb mpetition. Then I thought: It was just a game.
Perhaps, in other years, it was thought of as
so mething else. But kids today are really into
pinball and they come in after studying and play
for 25 minutes or an hour. It was an everyday
thing for them. Not like in the old days when you
couldn't find a game to play because of the laws or
whatever. So I thought one night: Why not do this.
It would probably make more people understand
there's nothing wrong with the game. It's not the
game that could cause problems ; it's the operator.
It is somebody who abuses something that is right
who is wrong. The game itself is clean. It isn 't a
gambling device or anything like it.
PLAY METER: Did you start the New York
tournaments or did th e association?
McCARTHY : I took it on for the association. It
was a lot of work - getting the association
interested in backing it , putting together the kits
for the location owners, getting the window
posters printed , the trophies made, all of that. We
haven't gone into the finals yet. Playoffs are still
taking place.
PLA Y METER: Well, do you think tournaments
may be the thing for other state associations to use
to improve their images and reunite th emselves?
McCARTHY: Yes. Th e tournament gimmick is
th e greatest shot in th e arm th e industry has today.
Locations rece iving New York State pinball tourna-
ment kits pick up immediately. Even double. I can
foresee tremendous exc itement in this area when it
finally reac hes interstate play and maybe someday
- th e nationals. This will in one sweep stop most
of th e individual buying, raise th e image and
even tuall y reach full acceptance by society, there-
by eliminating many curbs, tax es and restrictions
that are no w be ing imposed on some kind of a
" mysterious" industry. Th en th e profits will fol -
low.
PLA Y METER : How would tournament s of a
national sco pe be organized? Who would handle
th em ?
McCARTHY: To accomodate this, we need an
arm of MOA to handle all tax and tournam ent
qu estions. The MOA runs a trem endous convention
a nd handles th e exposure o f new lines, but now we
should find a way to respond to th e industry 's
needs betwee n co nve ntions. Somehow , too, the
annual mee ts have to beco me more of a forum in
o rder to be more enlightening and meaningful to
the o perat o r. In the interest of leaving as much
exhibit time as possible, the annual meeting has
boiled down to a seminar and a business meeting
that has been reduced to nothing but introducing
new board members and honoring the old.
The new games boom that hit the market has no
direction. Someone has to put it together. New
companies and new associations keep writing me or
MOA in a frantic effort to get some advice and
assistance. A central office is the answer. A central
office can draw on the talent and experience of
members who would gladly offer their advice, A
central office could provide the coordination and
materials needed to run a nation-wide games
tournament.
PLAY METER: Do you think , perhaps, a better
alternative would be an association of game manu-
facturers?
McCARTHY: Well, I think what's lacking is the
cooperation of manufacturer's towards doing
something to help MOA establish such a service.
There is no way that MOA can do it all alone
without their help.
But I oon't know ... It has to be a flock of
manufacturers from which to draw ideas as to what
to do next and so on. But there has to be
eventually some central office that answers the
questions. I mean, where do you ask the questions?
Who do you call?
PLAY METER: We have that same problem
ourselves.
McCARTHY: Right. They try to track me down
or call me somewhere when a problem arises with a
state tax. Lots of times, by that time, it 's already
too late. It 's already in the legislature. I t 's being
voted on in two weeks or something. Of course ,
the operator starts out too late to ask you for help.
And where do you ask a question about a
tournament , you know? This is why I say to you
that if the magazine could eventually incorporate
all of that, they would be very sought after.
PLA Y METER: We 're thinking seriously of
running a feature story in the near future on how
to conduct tournaments. This is what some oper-
ators had hoped to see when they went to the
MOA convention in Chicago. Instead all they saw
was a promotional film for Nice Day Productions.
They didn 't learn anything about running a tourna-
ment.
McCARTHY: Well , you see, I'll tell you. 1 was
very disappointed in Chicago. This was just for
openers, to catch everybody'S attention and you
caught it and there you were. With the lights and
the pinballs going and you woke them up. Unfor-
tunately, I got sick. My sister was dying at the time
and it was a horrible situation. Usually I never give
in, but I got sick and I was sick from the
tournament film right on to the banquet the next
night.
And they were collaring me as I was trying to
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