Play Meter
Issue: 1978 November 15 - Vol 4 Num 21 - Page 3
~LAY
IIIIlm
Vol. 4, No. 21
Nov. 15, 1978
••••••••••••••••••••••
Staff
I
I
~LAY
••••••••••••••••••••••••••
PLA. Y METER Survey •••••.••••••••••••••••••••••• 18
Publisher and Editor:
Ralph C. Lally II
Managing Editor:
David Pierson
Marketing & Research :
Beau Eurell
International Editor:
David Snook
Editor, Coin Slot
Technical Editor:
Robin Minnear
Game Doctors
Correspondents:
Roger C. Sharpe
Zac Oliver
Tom Howarth
Gene Beley
DickWelu
Mary Claire Blakeman
Art Direction :
Katey Schwark
Administrative Assistant:
Valerie Mitchell
Typography:
Vickie Lofton
Circulation Manager:
Gloria Dering
Advertising Representative:
Ralph C. Lally II
European Representative:
Esmay Leslie
PLAY METER, November 15, 1978.
Volume 4, No. 21. Copyright 1978 by
Skybird Publishing Company. PLAY
METER is published twice monthly
on the 1st and 15th of the month .
Publishing offices: 112 North Road-
way, New Orleans, La . 70124, P. O.
Box 24170, New Orleans, La . 70184.
Tel.:
504 / 282-0261. Subscription
rates: U. S. and Canada-$25;
Europe and Japan - $45; elsewhere-
$50. One order subscription : 2-9, $20
each; 10-24, $17 each; 25 or more,
$15 each . Advertising rates available
on request. No part of this magazine
may be reproduced without expres-
sed permission . The editors are not
responsible for unsolicited manu-
scripts. Second-class postage paid at
New Orleans 70113. Postmaster:
Send Form 3579 to PLAY METER,
P. O. Box 24170, New Orleans, La .
70184.
European office: PLAY METER Pro-
motions, 15 Great North Road,
Brookmans Park, AL 9 6 LV,
Hertfordshire, England .
Western Regional Office: P. O. Box
692, Chatsworth, CA 91311. Tel.
213/ 882-4005.
PLAY METER, November, 1978
PLAY METER has just completed the largest and most
encompassing survey this industry has ever undergone,
and there are some interesting findings therein. Top
pingames, top video games, preferred manufacturers,
equipment lifespans, percentages-it's all herel
AMOA Preview ...........•••............••.•.... 21
The convention schedule, a complete list of exhibitors,
stage show information, and some tantalizing tidbits
about what new games you can expect to see at the
show-it's all here in PLAY METER's pre-convention
package.
What to Look for In
Purchasing New Gam.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 41
This month's entry in PLAY METER's Writer's Contest
comes from Michael Mendelsohn who has some good
tips as far as how to decide which games are worth your
money.
How to Bury an Industry ............•••........... If1
Managing Editor David Pierson interviews Thomas
Brennan, chairman of the Copyright Royalty Tribunal,
and gets his reasons why the CRT required jukebox
location listings. It makes for some interesting reading.
An Exldy Odyaey .....................•.•.•.•.... &8
Patricia Smith has prepared this industry profile of the
Mountain View, California video game manufacturer,
Exidy.
SlIk8Cl'8ening Comes out of the Garage and
Into the Video Space Age •.................•.. : .. 121i
R&N Silkscreening, whose work is seen on very many
coin-op games, is a young company with some different
approaches to age-old problems;
From tile Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . • . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . • •. 4
Mailbox .......................................... 8
Operating. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 8
Colnman of the Month ...........••••......•.•.•.• 14
DI8b-Ibuting .................•....••.•••.•.•••••.• &4
M .... c Programming ...............•......•...•...•
Technical Toplc8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 81
Manufacturing .................................. 1_
CrItIc'. CorrIer ...........................••••••. 1_
New Products ............................•...•.. 110
International N ................................. 118
ClMSlfled ....••.•••.......................•..... 131
COVER CREDIT:
R&N Slikscreening of San Jose, California designed this
month's cover. For a story about this unique operation, see
page 125. The graphics for the cover, by the way, come
from nine new games which will be premiered at the AMOA
Show.
3
IIIIlm
Vol. 4, No. 21
Nov. 15, 1978
••••••••••••••••••••••
Staff
I
I
~LAY
••••••••••••••••••••••••••
PLA. Y METER Survey •••••.••••••••••••••••••••••• 18
Publisher and Editor:
Ralph C. Lally II
Managing Editor:
David Pierson
Marketing & Research :
Beau Eurell
International Editor:
David Snook
Editor, Coin Slot
Technical Editor:
Robin Minnear
Game Doctors
Correspondents:
Roger C. Sharpe
Zac Oliver
Tom Howarth
Gene Beley
DickWelu
Mary Claire Blakeman
Art Direction :
Katey Schwark
Administrative Assistant:
Valerie Mitchell
Typography:
Vickie Lofton
Circulation Manager:
Gloria Dering
Advertising Representative:
Ralph C. Lally II
European Representative:
Esmay Leslie
PLAY METER, November 15, 1978.
Volume 4, No. 21. Copyright 1978 by
Skybird Publishing Company. PLAY
METER is published twice monthly
on the 1st and 15th of the month .
Publishing offices: 112 North Road-
way, New Orleans, La . 70124, P. O.
Box 24170, New Orleans, La . 70184.
Tel.:
504 / 282-0261. Subscription
rates: U. S. and Canada-$25;
Europe and Japan - $45; elsewhere-
$50. One order subscription : 2-9, $20
each; 10-24, $17 each; 25 or more,
$15 each . Advertising rates available
on request. No part of this magazine
may be reproduced without expres-
sed permission . The editors are not
responsible for unsolicited manu-
scripts. Second-class postage paid at
New Orleans 70113. Postmaster:
Send Form 3579 to PLAY METER,
P. O. Box 24170, New Orleans, La .
70184.
European office: PLAY METER Pro-
motions, 15 Great North Road,
Brookmans Park, AL 9 6 LV,
Hertfordshire, England .
Western Regional Office: P. O. Box
692, Chatsworth, CA 91311. Tel.
213/ 882-4005.
PLAY METER, November, 1978
PLAY METER has just completed the largest and most
encompassing survey this industry has ever undergone,
and there are some interesting findings therein. Top
pingames, top video games, preferred manufacturers,
equipment lifespans, percentages-it's all herel
AMOA Preview ...........•••............••.•.... 21
The convention schedule, a complete list of exhibitors,
stage show information, and some tantalizing tidbits
about what new games you can expect to see at the
show-it's all here in PLAY METER's pre-convention
package.
What to Look for In
Purchasing New Gam.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 41
This month's entry in PLAY METER's Writer's Contest
comes from Michael Mendelsohn who has some good
tips as far as how to decide which games are worth your
money.
How to Bury an Industry ............•••........... If1
Managing Editor David Pierson interviews Thomas
Brennan, chairman of the Copyright Royalty Tribunal,
and gets his reasons why the CRT required jukebox
location listings. It makes for some interesting reading.
An Exldy Odyaey .....................•.•.•.•.... &8
Patricia Smith has prepared this industry profile of the
Mountain View, California video game manufacturer,
Exidy.
SlIk8Cl'8ening Comes out of the Garage and
Into the Video Space Age •.................•.. : .. 121i
R&N Silkscreening, whose work is seen on very many
coin-op games, is a young company with some different
approaches to age-old problems;
From tile Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . • . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . • •. 4
Mailbox .......................................... 8
Operating. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 8
Colnman of the Month ...........••••......•.•.•.• 14
DI8b-Ibuting .................•....••.•••.•.•••••.• &4
M .... c Programming ...............•......•...•...•
Technical Toplc8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 81
Manufacturing .................................. 1_
CrItIc'. CorrIer ...........................••••••. 1_
New Products ............................•...•.. 110
International N ................................. 118
ClMSlfled ....••.•••.......................•..... 131
COVER CREDIT:
R&N Slikscreening of San Jose, California designed this
month's cover. For a story about this unique operation, see
page 125. The graphics for the cover, by the way, come
from nine new games which will be premiered at the AMOA
Show.
3
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).