Play Meter

Meeting of the Bored
the creation of a new game
by Dick Welu
Around the table sat the creative
staff of the Gotwilly Coin Corpora-
tion at the first session devoted
toward the design and construction
of the company's latest pinball
machine .
Fittingly ensconced at the table
head was Mord Snocum , Project
Co-ord inator, resplendent in his
checkerboard suit and electric tie
that flashed on-and-off the words:
GO I""ill
Coi n Corp.
Big Wheel.
Mord shuffled through a stack of
papers, none of which had a thing
to do with the new project, and
cleared his throat administratively
for attention .
" Ahem , ahem . You are all aware
of the importance of this meeting
men, and the secrecy that you are
all sworn to 'from this point in time:
if I may quote my favorite ex-Presi-
dent. To put it bluntly, men , the
new product year is coming up and
we need a screaming winner to have
on the market since our last release ,
Abominable Snowman, lived up to
its billing and has suffered from an
acute case of frostbite in the
cashbox . All the biggies will be
presenting their top games in 1977,
competing for the operators' dol-
lars, so we better come up with the
hottest number since quarters start-
ed answering the call of gravity ."
Mord paused , out of breath
because he drank and smoked too
much , and besides he'd used up
most of his vocabulary. "You will
be allowed one telephone call a
week to your families, but ask no
more favors t ill your genius brings
forth a machine that'll be the top
seller of '77 . . . Oh , one more
item - all you r jobs are on the line - I
haven't forgotten the You -Know-
CI: What Snowman ."
~
Sonny Kidd , Technical Engineer
• for Pop Bumpers and Playing
=t Surfaces, wasn ' t shook . He'd sat
through similar tirades following
t
48
Luftwaffe in 1942, and the unforget-
table Viet Nam motif machine of
1965, Fragging . Sonny just spun
the propeller on his beanie and
winked at the man on his left, Chief
Supervisor of Freaky Artwork ,
Princeton Fondle.
In a fog behind his chartreuse
glasses and purple headband , Prince-
ton failed to notice. He continued
to comb his full red beard with a
dried chicken claw, a habit he knew
drove Link Belter up the wall .
But Link , Crew Foreman for
Soldering Relays and Coils, was too
absorbed in isometric exercises to
care . His full attention was focused
on watching the " Mother" tattoo on
his left bicep try to jump down to
become an introductory salutation
with " Death Before Dishonor" on
his forearm .
The other two members of the
gathering , resident Flipper Expert
Hod Springstein and Credit and
Replay Engineer Colonel Armsby,
maintained their usual stoic demea-
nor as they talked to themselves and
made shadow pictures on the wall
and floor . (Hod did a terrific rabbit
with buck teeth .)
" Let's start with a title, men, "
Mord continued . " Let's run a few
hot ideas up the proverbial flagpole
and see if anybody salutes them ...
Sonny?"
" How about a 'streaking ' theme?
We could call it Moon Over Miami."
Mord blanched , " Oh , my god ...
Princeton , make me forget that
suggestion . "
Princeton lisped quietly, "I picture
something in greens and fuchsia to
be called Ecology Center."
" I don 't believe I heard that .. .
Hod , what do you have in mind?"
" Political caricatures. The ma -
chine would be titled Watergate's
Revenge."
Mord picked at some lint - or wa's
it a tear? - in the corner of an eye .
" Colonel Armsby? "
" Hrrump .. . yes , sir, well, I think
we need something with a mascu-
line image . How does 'Ball City'
strike you , sir? "
" I won 't tell you where , Colonel.
Link, you ' re my last hope."
" Yeah, Mord , I think I've got
something thpt'li get their attention :
skin . Call it ' Pavement Princess'
and on the back glass, in living nude
color , we'll depict - "
" - I don't want to hear. " The
project co-ordinator looked grim
and aging as he exasperatedly
fingered the miniature gold cup-
shaped pin on his lapel , a memento
from the company for not ever
having missed a coffee break in 37
years. " I have a modest proposal of
my own ," he said . " Picture this in
flashing lights, America 's hero : Da
Fonz! "
Princeton Fondle leaned over and
whispered to Sonny Kidd , " I'll bet
now we take a vote. "
" We' ll now take a vote," Mord
said . "All in favor of Da Fonz say,
'Aye '."
Only one " Aye" vote was cast,
but it was Mord's. " Unanimous,"
he declared , " We'll build Da Fonz ."
" Here, here, " Princeton mumbled
to himself .
" What was that, Princeton? "
Mord snapped .