Play Meter

IN MEMORY OF
kept reminding himself of the fact. If it
had been the big 40th, his repeated
reminder might have passed as the
usual reaction by someone who had
just officially joined the middle-aged
crowd. But 38?
Ralph talked like 38 years old was
old. And those who were celebrating
his birthda y with him were left to
shake their heads . Didn't he recognize
what he had accomplished in his 38
years? Was it that he saw there was so
much more that had to be done? Why
all this melancholy? Especially since
his 38th birthday was also a
celebration of so rts for his first ten
years in business.
He had started Play Meter in 1974
and, in so doing, had created a
magazine to serve an industry which ,
before, no one believed was even an
industry.
Under his guidance , the magazine
had grown to become a major success
story in the publishing field. Writers,
editors, and publishers in this and
other fields had oftentimes expressed
their admiration for his bold approach
to trade magazine publishing. That
bold approach was simply to report
the truth to his readers, even when that
meant running afoul of an advertiser.
He would often say, "I want the
truth , the whole truth, and nothing but
the truth"; and that had resulted in a
magazine that had double the
readership - and 20 times the
respect- of any magazine serving the
coin-op amusement industry.
His competitors would privately
acknowledge that they could compete
only for advertising pages against him ,
but they didn't have the unshakeable
editorial integrity to report the truth ,
not if it meant losing advertising
revenue .
And publishers in other fields had
many times expressed similar respect
for Ralph Lally and his daring
publishing philosophy. He showed
that a truthful publication and a
profitable publication could be one in
the same, that they weren't mutually
PlAY METER. January 15, 1985
Ralph Lally on the phone in Play Meter's
early days, selling ads and writing articles.
exclusive. The important thing to
remember is always to put editorial
integrity ahead of advertising dollars ,
he said .
The editor of a major general
interest magazine once called the
editorial offices of Play Me1er during
the height of the video game boom for
the single purpose of commending
Play Meter for its editorial position.
Other publications take all the credit
for adhering to strict editorial
principles, he said , but none of them
had ever stood against the pressures
Play Meter had stood against. Not the
Ne w York Times. Not Time magazine.
No one. And he wanted Play Meter to
know the publishing world had truly
taken note of what Ralph Lally was
accomplishing.
So it made no sense why Ralph
would be so melancholy at his
birthday party . He had already
accomplished so very much .
Less than a week later:, however,
his staff was left to wonder if perhaps
Ralph Lally was subconsciously
acknowledging that his life's dock was
winding down. For on a foggy
December I Oth night, Ralph C. Lally
II was killed in an automobile
accident.
Of course, tragedies always seem
senseless, and those who die suddenly,
Ralph and Carol Lally on their first overseas trip to cover the international market.
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