Play Meter

design and develop the Defender
game, several copyrights have been
registered, as well as a trademark on
the name Defender. Williams has
secured copyright protection for the
artwork on the cabinet, the audio
visual effects (play) of the game and
the computer program of the
Defender game.
Williams' policy is to take
whatever legal steps are necessary
to protect these rights. In lawsuits
filed in United States District Courts
in New Jersey, Alabama, California,
and Oregon, Williams' rights have
been upheld by the courts.
Williams will continue to seek
relief through the courts against any
person or persons who engage in the
manufacture, assembly, distribution,
sale, or operation of any product that
is judged to be infringing these
rights are subject to confiscation of
the infringing products, as well as
substantial monetary damages.
The only way Williams or any
other legitimate video game
manufacturer can stay in business
and continue to provide games of the
caliber of Defender is to be able to fill
the market demands at a reasonable
profit level to reinvest in additional
research and development.
Copiers spend no research
monies. Copiers provide an inferior
product. Copiers provide no service
or support. Copiers that are here
today may be gone tomorrow.
The problem of copiers is truly a
blight on our industry. It hurts the
manufacturers. It hurts the
distributors and, ultimately, will hurt
operators, as well. With your
support, however, the problem is
one that can be and will be solved.
I would appreciate to hear any
thoughts or comments you have
about the copying problem.
Ron Crouse
Marketing Director
Williams Electronics, Inc.
Chicago, Illinois
Second thoughts
Roger Sharpe and I probably feel
the same about the game of pinball.
We would play a pinball instead of a
video game anytime.
And, as he stated in the June 15
issue of Play Meter, many long-time
game players, and most new players,
have turned to video games as a
staple. But I think Roger's
explanation of this phenomenon
needs yet further analysis.
If you assemble game players into
two very general categories-kids
and adults-it must be evident that
today's kids are playing videos more
than adults, and adults are playing
pinball more than video. But the
latter situation has been changing
lately, and that's the real crux of the
video takeover.
The reason for this isn't
necessarily that recent solid state
pins were not innovating fast
enough, or that the current products
are too loaded with features. (Roger
seemed to advance both theories in
the same issue). I think videos have
caught on simply because most
video games require and develop
purer skill in the player.
From its inception, pinball has
involved the element of chance: a
ball moving amongst obstacles
before reaching certain goals. The
uniqueness of modern video games
is that the player has to eliminate
obstacles to reach the goal. In most
video games with attacking
obstacles, the player is given
adequate reaction time to avoid
being blown up, and the more he
plays the game, the better his
reactions and anticipation become.
In some games, the repeat player
identifies a pattern in the video's
logic (e.g . , Asteroids, Space
Invaders) and can become an
PRIZE REDEMPTION & TRADE CHECKS
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8
PLAY METER, September 15, 1981