Play Meter

COUNTOfi
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VAWE
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Coin Counters
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Ideal for Vendors. Video Game Operators,
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LYNDE-ORDWAY
COMPANY, INC.
Since 1925
3308 W. Warner Avenue
Santa Ana, California 92704
Call Direct-(71 4) 957-1311
In Calif. (800) 421-Q921
Nationwide (800) 762-7057
10
familiar with the video game bu ines .
We contacted the law firm of Gould &
Merritt who write your article "Legal
Hint , "and they were mo t helpful in
referring u to the proper attorney
needed in our area . By the way , we
ended up with the law firm that i the
attorney for the California Coin
A ociation.
Keep up the good work.
Marilyn J. Lippa
General Manager
1.8. Vending
Fo ter Cit y, California
Editor's Response:
Operators are sent a survey sheet
listing all games current/ in operation
that are ix months old or le s. Some
games, like Galaga and Turbo, for
example, remain on the urvey
because they have con isrently main-
tained above average earnings.
Operators are asked ro circle 'A' (for
arcade location) or • ' (for treet
location) under one of four co lumn
specify ing average earnings for each
game that they operate. The column
headings are: $1 00-be/ow. $100-$200,
$200-$300, and $300-over, and are
u ed to mea ure weekly gros earnings.
The answers are compiled by giving
each re ponse in the $300-over column
four points; $200-$300, three points;
$100-$200, two point ; and $100 or
below, one point. Thi determine the
number of "quality point "for each
game.
The number of quality points is then
divided b; the number ofre pon es the
game received. ext, the quality points
of all games are totaled, and that sum
is divided by the total number of
respon e that all games recei\ ed. This
determines the a erage rating. All
games whose ratings fall below the
average rating are eliminated from
that parricular poll.
For example, a game may have 50
responses in the $100-below column. It
receives 50 quality points (at one point
per respon e) and is divided by the
number of responses it received (50);
thus, the game's average is 1.000. If a
game receives 50 responses in the $300-
above column, it receives 200 quality
points (four points per respon e),
giving that game a 4.000 average
(4.000 i the highe r possible average).
The game which receive the highest
average of all games calculated and
has received more than 25 percent of
the total number of respon es to that
particular survey become the umber
One (or 100.0 percent) game on the
"Equipment Poll. " All other games are
compared to this game and their
ranking are determined by dividing
their average by the
umber One
game' average. If, for example, the
top game' average was a 3.000, and
Game 8' average was a 2.500, Game B
would be rated 83.3. This is actually a
percentage of the 100.0 percent ranked
umber One game. (These percent-
ages are the numbers you see on the
"Equipment Poll.")
We rake the number of surveys
returned, for example, 300 (though the
;,umber varies each time), and figure
that a game mu r have at least 30
re ponses (10 percent) to have a
chance to be included on the poll IF
the game's average i above the total
average. Those games which receive
between 10 and 25 percent of the
response are listed in the "pro-
visional" ratings. Those receiving
between 25 and 50 percent of the
respon e are "conditionally rated, "
and are preceded by an asterisk on the
poll.
A game with a provisional rating
(under 25 percent response) cannot be
ranked the top game because it
received roo few responses to accu-
rately mea ure irs succes . That is why
it is possible for those games (and only
those that are provisionally rated) to
receive perf:enrages of more than 100
percent. They may have higher earn-
ings than the top game, bur roo
jew re p onses to be our of provisional
ranking .
R egarding the ques tion ab o ut
R oger harpe's game rating , here i
his grading system: 11111111 excellent
game, 111111 good game, 1111 average
game, and II fair game.
VIdeo closeouts
I ha eju t gotten off the phone with
our local di tributor, and he informed
me of intendo' deci ion to clo e out
the Mario Bros . game. The price
quoted on thi clo eout wa approxi-
mately $1 ,000 le than the original
price. Thi make it very hard on the
one who try to tay ahead and take
the chance on the new game .
It look to me like the companie
would ee the writing on the wall, and
realize that after they burn a few
people, no one will take a chance on
their game . Thi game i not the fir t
to have been done thi way a mo t
operator realize . But if we can't keep a
mall portion of t he alue in a game, it
will bring all of u to our knees a lot
fa ter . I feel a t hough we the
operator
hould let the manufac-
PLA Y METER. December 1,
198~