Play Meter
Issue: 2016 September - Vol 42 Num 9 - Page 6
EDITORIAL
TIM MEYER
Editor
We want to hear from
you about any of the
articles in this issue or
topics you’d like to see.
E-mail: (editorial@
playmeter.net)
PLAY METER
B
onnie Theard did not retire as Play Meter’s editor; she retired as a mem-
ber of the coin-operated amusement community. That community didn’t
treat her as a member of the press, an outsider; she was embraced by the
industry as an authority of the trade.
While I have been welcomed in the same way, I am not Bonnie. Like a song
from iTunes, I wish I could download the 30 years’ worth of industry knowledge
Bonnie has stored in her brain to make my transition as Play Meter’s new editor
a little smoother. It’s not that the road has been rough, it’s just I know that I have
very big shoes to fill, or a very big notepad to fill.
Brain-downloading technology doesn’t exist (Or does it? I’m looking at you,
smart phones.), but I am confident that the inclusive environment surrounding the
industry will continue to support me in this new journey, just as competing manu-
facturers, distributors, and operators of this industry support each other.
Honestly, the first month of this journey has been a tornado of e-mails, phone
tag, more e-mails, deadlines made in the nick of time, and a blur of other stuff
my brain just can’t handle right now. Bonnie certainly deserves the respect she’s
received from the industry.
During the Amusement Expo this year, now American Amusement Machine
Association Executive Vice President Pete Gustafson said something like, “The
three segments of the industry are like a tripod. If one of those legs falls, we all
fall.” I like to think Play Meter is like a camera, capturing and recording the indus-
try, supported by that tripod.
I think its safe to say that sometimes what we record is kin to what a dad with a
video camera records while on a family vacation--sibling rivalry. There are enough
relatives in the business to actually make this true. But like siblings, the people of
the coin-operated amusement industry are family and family takes care of each
other, even if one of them tiptoes into the others’ rooms and “borrows” a favorite
pair shoes or a lucky baseball glove.
I don’t think I’ve ever experienced such willingness for competitors to take care
of each other through associations and education programs like I have as Play
Meter’s assistant editor. Now, as its editor, this industry-wide enthusiasm certainly
helps to take the edge off when a deadline is looming and I still haven’t gotten in
contact with a particular company head. I know there’s usually someone out there
who will help.
Bonnie also took pride in the industry just as a mother does watching her chil-
dren grow. She’s watched this industry grow for 30 years. I’m 32. The industry
and I have some catching up to do.
I graduated from the University of New Orleans with a degree in creative writ-
ing and journalism. The beginnings of my post-college life were spent working
retail and taking various freelance writing jobs. Freelance really does mean free--
for the publication. I totally did not get paid. But that’s the going rate for a strug-
gling writer needing to get his name out there.
I finally began my professional writing career when I became the lead reporter
for two Greater New Orleans area newspapers. I was the only reporter, actually,
for both papers. I worked early morning till late night, but hey, that’s the going rate
for a writer with a home mortgage.
That’s when I found Play Meter.
Before joining the magazine in 2014, I had no idea the coin-operated amuse-
ment industry existed and that it came with such a diverse and storied history. It
blows my mind to think that Play Meter has been part of that history for more than
40 years. My mission as its new editor is to ensure that Play Meter continues its leg-
acy as the go-to source for all things coin-operated amusement.
Bonnie’s retirement marked the end of an era, but each end is a catalyst for a
new beginning. All of us at Play Meter are excited to show our readers what our
next stage of evolution will look like. Stay tuned. s
4
SEPTEMBER 2016
TIM MEYER
Editor
We want to hear from
you about any of the
articles in this issue or
topics you’d like to see.
E-mail: (editorial@
playmeter.net)
PLAY METER
B
onnie Theard did not retire as Play Meter’s editor; she retired as a mem-
ber of the coin-operated amusement community. That community didn’t
treat her as a member of the press, an outsider; she was embraced by the
industry as an authority of the trade.
While I have been welcomed in the same way, I am not Bonnie. Like a song
from iTunes, I wish I could download the 30 years’ worth of industry knowledge
Bonnie has stored in her brain to make my transition as Play Meter’s new editor
a little smoother. It’s not that the road has been rough, it’s just I know that I have
very big shoes to fill, or a very big notepad to fill.
Brain-downloading technology doesn’t exist (Or does it? I’m looking at you,
smart phones.), but I am confident that the inclusive environment surrounding the
industry will continue to support me in this new journey, just as competing manu-
facturers, distributors, and operators of this industry support each other.
Honestly, the first month of this journey has been a tornado of e-mails, phone
tag, more e-mails, deadlines made in the nick of time, and a blur of other stuff
my brain just can’t handle right now. Bonnie certainly deserves the respect she’s
received from the industry.
During the Amusement Expo this year, now American Amusement Machine
Association Executive Vice President Pete Gustafson said something like, “The
three segments of the industry are like a tripod. If one of those legs falls, we all
fall.” I like to think Play Meter is like a camera, capturing and recording the indus-
try, supported by that tripod.
I think its safe to say that sometimes what we record is kin to what a dad with a
video camera records while on a family vacation--sibling rivalry. There are enough
relatives in the business to actually make this true. But like siblings, the people of
the coin-operated amusement industry are family and family takes care of each
other, even if one of them tiptoes into the others’ rooms and “borrows” a favorite
pair shoes or a lucky baseball glove.
I don’t think I’ve ever experienced such willingness for competitors to take care
of each other through associations and education programs like I have as Play
Meter’s assistant editor. Now, as its editor, this industry-wide enthusiasm certainly
helps to take the edge off when a deadline is looming and I still haven’t gotten in
contact with a particular company head. I know there’s usually someone out there
who will help.
Bonnie also took pride in the industry just as a mother does watching her chil-
dren grow. She’s watched this industry grow for 30 years. I’m 32. The industry
and I have some catching up to do.
I graduated from the University of New Orleans with a degree in creative writ-
ing and journalism. The beginnings of my post-college life were spent working
retail and taking various freelance writing jobs. Freelance really does mean free--
for the publication. I totally did not get paid. But that’s the going rate for a strug-
gling writer needing to get his name out there.
I finally began my professional writing career when I became the lead reporter
for two Greater New Orleans area newspapers. I was the only reporter, actually,
for both papers. I worked early morning till late night, but hey, that’s the going rate
for a writer with a home mortgage.
That’s when I found Play Meter.
Before joining the magazine in 2014, I had no idea the coin-operated amuse-
ment industry existed and that it came with such a diverse and storied history. It
blows my mind to think that Play Meter has been part of that history for more than
40 years. My mission as its new editor is to ensure that Play Meter continues its leg-
acy as the go-to source for all things coin-operated amusement.
Bonnie’s retirement marked the end of an era, but each end is a catalyst for a
new beginning. All of us at Play Meter are excited to show our readers what our
next stage of evolution will look like. Stay tuned. s
4
SEPTEMBER 2016
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).