Play Meter

allowing smoking, food, and drinks
in the arcade you'll attract new cus-
tOmers. But you also might lose just
as many, especially among the
younger set whose parents may not
appreciate the new atmosphere.
I like the GAME business. I don't
like seeing $3,000 carpets turned
into burn holes and sticky soft drink
puddles and food garbage blurring
game screens . No, thanks .
The arcade can-and WILL-
survive. (And I have some specific
ideas but that's a whole 'nother
article.) It takes more promotion. It
takes more diversity in machines
offered. It takes shrewd buying,
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selling, leasing, trading, and repair.
It takes-in my own case-going
back to the people who stuck you in
an unfavorable lease and hammer-
ing out a new deal. It takes accepting
less net profit but still a decent
living. (If you're still around to read
this article, I know you were smart
enough to know The Fad wou ld be
followed by The Great Fall, and
lived accordingly. )
It takes, in short, a better, knowl-
edgeable operator, a trustworthy
distributor, and responsible manu-
facturers. The days of setting up a
new machine in the arcade and
getting back out of the way are over.
Fewer, but better
Sorry, Charlie, all the arcades
aren't dead nor are we destined to
fail. And you can stick that in your
computer and spin it around the old
disc drive a few times. We may be
fewer, but we're tougher and better.
And who knows , maybe lightning
will strike twice in our lifetime and
high tech will develop some amuse-
ment game that will make Pac-Man
et a! seem like a minor flurry of
economic acri' ity. I don't count on it.
But maybe... One time we went
higher a nd further than anyone ever
dreamed-and it was a hell of a
ride!
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fAUCTIONSi
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CHARLOTTE, NC
INDIANAPOLIS, IN
August 2 5
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September 1 5
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October 6
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NAGA
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PlAY METER. September 15. 19 84