Play Meter

Letters to
the editor • • •
Lost "Up Front"
leads to doghouse
A few months back in Play Meter
was an "Up Front" editorial that I
thought was great. It was about the
vendor and the location-how we
buy, service, run tournaments, get
licenses, etc., and the location gives us
space along with a lot of demands and
most usually gets half the receipts.
Would you mind sending me a copy of
the article, as I misplaced mine and
would love to have it. Really, my hus-
band asked me to save it and I forgot.
I would appreciate anything you
could do to get me out of the dog-
house so that we can use this article as
a referral. Thank you.
Mell Rossi
Jon-Ray Vending Co., Inc.
Riverside, N.J.
allowed to participate. Baily's Aladdin's
Castles, Inc., bought the exclusive
rights to the tournament. This effec-
tively barred Alaska and Hawaii from
competing, as well as the original 27
arcades.
We are extremely proud of our
players. In 1984, 12 players were listed
in the Guinness Book, and in 1985, 14
players either retained there high
scores or set new records. This year
they were told, "We're sorry, but you
can't play anymore."
The appeal of the 1984 and 1985
tournaments was in the idea that
anyone could walk off the street and
try for the Guinness Book. It brought
business to our arcades, gave players
something to strive for, and brought
the players and operators together in
a common cause.
It is a shame that this year's tour-
nament is going to be nothing more
than an advertising gimmick for Baily's
Aladdin's Castles, benefitting neither
the operators who originally held the
event nor the players who made it
work.
Steve Harris: You sold out. Walter
Day: Where are you?
Jan Town
Anchorage, Alaska
[Editor's note: According to Steve
Harris of the U.S. National Video
Game Team, the team's main objec-
tive in co-sponsoring the 1986 Video
Game Masters Tournament, which
was held June 27-29, was to involve as
many players as possible. Baily's
Aladdin's Cast/es, he said, with 330
arcade locations, offered the most
efficient way of doing that. Harris said
with 2,000 players signed up for this
year's tournament, compared with
400 in 1985, more players benefitted
from the tournament in 1986. "We
wanted to have Anchorage, Alaska,
involved," he said, "but it wasn't
possible." Walter Day, the Iowa
arcade operator who developed the
Twin Galaxies International Score-
board and the U.S. National Video
Game Team, is no longer involved in
the coin-op amusemen t industry.
Read "Video game team seeks indus-
try influence" in this issue of Play
Meter for more information about the
team and the tournament.]
Something on your mind you want
to uent? Got a gripe? Full of praise?
Have a question? If you have
comments on the coin operated
entertainment industry, write to Play
Meter. Our "Letters to the Editor"
columns are dedicated to you, the
operator/ reader.
All letters must be signed; if
requested, only initials will be used
or the name withheld from print.
Please include return address.
(Although , for the sake of your
privacy, addresses will not be
printed.) All letters subject to
standard editing. Be concise.
OPERATING A BUSINESS TODAY
IS A BIG GAMBLE
[Editor's note: The "Up Front" column
in question was written by Valerie
Cognevich, director of advertising/
executive assistant, and appeared in
the January 15, 1986, issue. We
mailed Mrs. Rossi her copy and hope
it has gained her re/ease from the dog
house.]
Tournament leaves
out Alaska
The Video Game Masters T ourna-
ment in 1985 involved 27 arcades in
the U.S. and Canada and put scores of
90 players in the Guinness Book of
World Records. This year the same
contest was held, yet none of the
arcades, and few of the players, were
PlA Y METER. July 15, 1986
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