Play Meter

- THE LAST WORD Time for a change? T he comment spoke volumes about how this magazine is perceived. I was talking to one of the respondents for this month's story on video game technology, and the conversation made its way to a discussion about one of the company's latest games. After rattling off its myriad features, he paused and said with a laugh, "Oh yeah, this is Play Meter-it also will earn money for the operator." The hint of derision in his tone of voice got me to thinking: is our image as the industry publication geared toward the operator hurting us in the long run? Maybe, maybe not, but it's a question that makes one take pause. We are the only magazine that publishes game reviews. It's a risky business, to say the least, because honesty can cause an irate manufacturer- one who is already unhappy with editorial content that favors the operator perspective-to consider canceling his advertising. It isn't a secret: we depend on ad revenues to survive; lose enough full-page ads and watch a magazine 's employees scramble for other work. After both the ACME and AMOA shows this year, our reviewer, Tom Yager, wrotewrapup stories that stepped on a few toes. If a game, in his opinion, wasn't up to snuff, Tom said so. We in the editorial department you, our readers, enjoy operatorbraced ourselves for the angry oriented feature stories and such phone calls and letters, which did monthly offerings as "Tax Tips," come , but we felt that to be "Technical Topics," "Prime-Time truthful to our operator readers, Preview," "Redemption Report," the stories had to run. Frankly, we and "Video Gaming Outlook." All could've taken the easy way out are meant to convey valuable inand not bothered with game formation to operators. If they reviews, replacing them with don't want to read these stories, glowing profiles of manufacturers' we can just as easily replace them new product. Believe me , it with more company and product would've been much safer, but we profiles. Our editorial focus can stuck to our guns because the change tomorrow if all signs inmagazine was founded by an dicate that it's necessary. Again, I don't mean to sound like operator, Ralph Lally, to serve the needs of fellow operators . To a talk show disclaimer, but the change our focus just didn't seem views expressed here reflect the right. frustrated opinions of one person, But I'm beginning to wonder. I not necessarily anyone else at speak solely for myself when I ask Play Meter. My colleagues may whether operators appreciate the totally disassociate themselves limb we often climb out on for from my views. I say what I say onthem. I don't necessarily wish to ly because I get the feeling that air our dirty laundry, but we've operators are indifferent to what lost more than one advertising appears in the pages of Play manufacturer because of our Meter. If that's the case, we're puteditorial content, be it because of ting our butts on the line for game reviews or general nothing. We can become the dissatisfaction with " all those " manufacturers ' magazine" operator stories." Some we may instead. 0 get back in the future; others have vowed never to return. It's fitting to bring this up now, what with the new year around the corner, symbolic of a fresh start, a new day. Our annual "State of the Industry" survey Christopher Caire comes out next month. It will conNews Editor tain information on how much ----------~ -~~ ..-:.at..£11.:...;.:JL~..:..:..:&.~~~--------------------- PLAY METER 168 DECEMBER 1991