Play Meter

UP FRONT
'60 Minutes' creates
•
another public 1m age
On Super Bowl Sunday, "60 Minutes" did a seg-
ment on " gray area" games called "From Pac-Man to
Poker-Man. " The title itself is deceiving since it insin-
uates that those who operated Pac-Man are now
operating card games. What it attempted to prove was
that these games of chance are proliferating. The
show had interviews with the district attorney in Ten-
nessee, an attorney defending gray area games,
several location owners demanding the games
returned to their locations, and the New York liquor
control authority.
Unfortunately, " 60 Minutes" treated gray area
games as an issue between the public and the industry
when , in fact, it is extremely controversial within the
industry. It did prove there is a serious problem
involving payoffs on video card games. It did prove
law officials are perplexed about what to do about
those games. It did prove that many believe large
amounts of money are connected with this activity.
It did not prove, however, that many operators
are walking a fine line between legal and illegal activi-
ties.
This was just hinted. Those in the industry know
there are many operators as viciously opposed to sub-
terfuge-gambling devices as law agencies are . These
operators have stuck to their belief of right and
wrong, even losing locations to competitors who, in
the guise of " everyone's doing it," began operating
gray area games.
Operators who have not compromised their
positions on the matter of gray area games deserve to
be commended for their actions ; " 60 Minutes" could
have done a little commending.
Instead , one distributor said the show may have
been the best thing that has happened for the poker
manufacturers. He said he got phone calls from
operators who wanted "those games that make $500 a
week. "
It is disappointing that the national operators'
associations, NCMI or AMOA, were not interviewed .
NCMI is fighting boldly to see that the coin-op
amusement industry does not end up as a step-child
of the gambling industry. Several state associations
have taken public stands against gray area games,
helping local law groups recognize the amusement
games vs. the gray area , subterfuge-gambling devices.
The problem with the " 60 Minutes" presentation
is it not only addressed those involved in the industry,
but opened a raging internal issue to the public. It has
made a situation controversial within the industry
seem like a battle between the industry and the out-
siders . That's what happened when video games were
at their peak. Highly exaggerated earnings figures
brought public speculation about how to part the
operator from his phantom dollars.
Of course , it's a joke to those who know that the
dollars were not as plentiful as the media exaggerated
them to be, but the public saw dollar signs flashing ;
town committees envisioned operators saving them
from money shortages ; and parents saw visions of
children robbing purses to support the video game
" habit. "
Now, "60 Minutes" has managed to create
another image for the public: the image of gangsters
controlling the coin-operated amusement industry
(the industry children have become associated with )
via video gambling games (the games the title of the
program suggested have taken Pac-Man 's place) .
Thoug h gray area games is an extremely sensitive
issue, all sides of it were not thoroughl y portrayed .
~6,~
Valerie Cognevich
Editorial D irecto r
6
PlAY MITER. March 15, 1984