Play Meter

FROM THE EDITOR Knock on wood, it's been good I Valerie Cognevich Editor PLAY METER t was a pleasure doing the SOth anniversary story on Brady Distributing in this issue and the Century Club interview with Steve Kordek last month. Why? Because hearing what these long-time industry veterans have to say not only gives us a peek into the past, it gives us a glimpse into the future. In his guest commentary this month, Steve Bodenstein encourages conversations with those who have been in the industry for years . It's through these talks that you come to understand how the industry was. Why should that be important? That's a good question, but it's a question that has a logical answer. The past is nothing but circumstances and stabs of fate that have combined to give us the present. All of us can think of a few things that would have changed our lives completely had we taken a different fork in the road. Steve Kordek could have stayed in Oregon and made his career in the forestry service . But fate intervened one rainy day and coin -op was the richer for it. C.B. Brady had dabbled in many potential careers before settling on coin-op by way of a penny postcard machine . He could have stuck with produce , construction, or whatever, but it didn't happen that way and his son and grandson are here to tell you what's happened since C .B. started his business. I look at companies like Dynamo, which was started 20 years ago by Bill Rickett because he couldn't get the equipment he wanted to operate. He decided he could build a better mousetrap ... er, foosball table and that 's exactly what he did. Dynamo's come a long way from the early days, but the past will always be what made the present much sweeter. But again, you may be wondering why the past should have any bearing at all on what is going on now. After all, even the equipment was different; operators operated in their own unique way; and the business was not 10 displayed for public comment quite like it is now. But that's precisely why it's important . We can look at things that sent the public haywire with outrage, analyze why they made such a fuss , and try to foresee it next time. Some remember when Exidy's Death Race sent the media scurrying for their poison pens. Each decade has seen a list of accomplishments along with some problems . If we think we've got it bad, think of how the industry felt when pinball was declared illegal all over the place because some felt they were nothing but gambling machines. Funny? Maybe now it seems ludicrous but maybe 1O years from now someone will think it's hilarious that anyone could possibly have thought video poker machines should be outlawed! Little chunks of fate constantly are bombarding us. Video games hit hard, in fact, they became the industry. But as C.B . Brady observed when the company first started selling them, sales were brisk but the bottom line wasn 't growing proportionately. Frenzied sales do not always translate to more profit . It was with this revelation that return on investment became even more vital. It was a lesson that was learned and many are continuing to learn. Sure a new video game might make $1 ,000 per week. WOW! Now the reality: the game costs $10,000 and will likely run its course in a matter of months. Industry veterans talk about the basics, the staples of the industry. A pool table, for instance, has a life expectancy of up to eight years. Collections most likely will never be $1 ,000 per week, but they 'll be consistent and steady for many, many weeks. And the table doesn 't cost anywhere near $10,000! But we know from experience that you need to have new equipment to attract players . We're on a learning curve that will never end. As each cycle passes , we go on a little wiser and armed with some history of our own to share with newcomers. Make it a point to seek out one of the industry oldtimers (I mean the word with the greatest respect) and ask them about the industry 's history. You'll walk away smiling when you realize what a rich industry this is . And be willing to share some of your own stories with those coming along . .A. APRIL 1995