Play Meter

A wards for '81
Play Meter expands program
to cite games 'excellence'
The "Play Meter" awards for 1981
will open up eight categories for
operators' voting on excellence in
coin-op pinballs and video games.
This departure from the dual awards
of 1980, the industry's first ever, has
been made, Play Meter publisher
Ralph C. Lally II said, because, "We
want to recognize the multi-faceted
appeal of games and their attraction
to players. Assuming this to be the
basis of growth in the industry, we
want to give special recognition to
the most innovative additions to the
most popular game modes."
With this aim, Play Meter will in
October award the manufacturers
who, based on operator/ readers
response , have contributed
machines that excelled in each of the
following categories:
Best video game for the year;
Best pinball for the year;
Best artwork on a video game;
Best artwork on a pinball game;
Best new technical improvement
on a video game;
Best new technical improvement
on a pinball game;
Best new play feature on a video
game;
Best new play feature on a pinball
game.
David Pierson, Play Meter's
editorial director, noted : "The
operators' votes, based on their own
direc t experiences with the games of
the year, will decide the awarding of
'The Play Meter' awards for 1981."
Ballots are currently being mailed
to operator/ readers of Play Meter.
The balloting is not open to any
manufacturer's representative,
Pierson noted.
Manufacturers have, however,
been notified of all nominations by
their competitors, in the event that
any dispute should arise pS to which
factory inaugurated any particular
innovation in the games, Pierson
added .
The input from readers has been
impressive since the awarding of the
1980 Play Meter trophies, said
publisher Lally . "It was this input
which led to our expansion of the
categClries being awarded," he
added . "As a .mark of excellence in
the industry, we hope for these
PLAY METER , October 1, 1981
awards to have as much meaning for
coin-op as Oscars have for the
motion picture industry, the
Gram my for records, The Tony, The
Emmy and so forth in other
entertainment modes.
"It is exceptional, however, that
the operators of the games
themselves, not the producers or the
consumer as in other fields, do the
voting which determines the
winner," Lally added.
The awards program sponsored
by Play Meter remains open to
operators' input as to what
categories should be extended for
the games in the coming year, said
Lally.
Balloting via the Play Meter annual
polling of operators is part of the
vehicle which has been widely
recognized as the authoritative
survey of the coin industry in the
United States. The results of the
l l ~ 'l
l I 1
annual survey in other areas of
operating will be published in the
upcoming "State of the Industry"
issue of Play Meter.
As stated in an editorial column
("Up Front") in this issue, the
various categories of excellence
being awarded via "The Play Meter"
are posed as a standard for better
machines and ultimately more profit
for all those engaged in the industry.
The 1980 awards, Lally said, were
"well-received by all industry people,
not restricted to the winning
companies (Atari and Williams). I
think it shows the industry realized
that the time has arrived to recog-
nize excellence, as other enter-
tainment fields likewise have such
honors."
Winners will be presented with the
"Play Meter" award during the 1981
AMOA Show in Chicago in late
October.
ELECTRONIC
AMUSEMENT
lsERVICE
The Repair Center for the Games Industry
EAS 1s a c omplete service agency organized to help the v1deo games operator
and distnbutor solve the service problems that plague many of today ·s
soph ist ic ated electronic games . EAS provides you with :
• a fast . rel1able . and mexpens1ve alternative to buying expens1ve test
equipment .
• repair and testing of all mon~tor . video and p in ball logic boards.
• a 24 hour turnaround on v1deo logic boards and monitors .
• a 60 day warranty program on all work
• free telephone consulting on chronic service problems- we are here to help
you at any time .
. - - - - - - - - - - Tip Of The Month
Caution: When replacing F-901, the 1.2 amp fuse in Wells-Gardner
model G0-7 color monitor, there is high voltage present on one side
of the fuse. Lead to ground with a resistor before any attempt at
replacement.
Lookmg forward to serving you.
~-~~~-ELECTRONIC
,-,-,
l AMUSEMENT
-
-SERVICE
8134 Capwell Drive • Oakland. California 94621 • 415-282-9900
9