The quick minds organizing next year’s Amusement Expo have landed on a final candidate to kick off their annual day of learning: “Generational Humorist” Meagan Johnson. This is a lady who believes that the multitudes of varying generations in the workforce today lead to opportunities for both collaboration and conflict. Organizers say she has an “outspoken, take-no-prisoners, Gen X attitude” and works with audiences to address generational issues differently and act decisively well dealing with conflict (so, don’t be late to her talk!). Meagan got her start in the sales world, but got discouraged when she experienced negative perceptions about…
Author: Casey Minter
The BullShooter Tour is moving its way across the country, bringing out the best darters around. From Nov. 3-5, competitors in South Carolina converged on Myrtle Beach’s Ocean Dunes Sands Resort for a Legacy Coin-sponsored regional tournament. Camilla Bunnell made a name for herself, winning Women’s Singles, plus taking the trophies for Women’s Doubles and Women’s Doubles Combo with teammate Candi Ellis. Jeff Ruby took home first place in Men’s Singles Cricket, as well as winning Pro/Am Cricket with partner Joe Giordano. The following weekend brought BullShooter to Grand Island, N.Y.’s Radisson Hotel Niagara Falls. The event was co-sponsored by…
This year’s USAA Air Hockey World Championships were held from Oct. 20-22 at Rice University in Houston, Texas. Industry sponsors of the competitive event included Gold Standard Games and Valley-Dynamo. 21-year-old Jacob Weissman, a Houston native, won his first title in a surprising upset against Vadim Chiznevskiv, a player from Moscow who came in second. Weismann carries on a family legacy, adding to his father Tim Weissman’s 10 world titles. Third place went to two-time USAA champ Colin Cummings of Beaumont, Texas, who has a long career ahead of him at 18 years old. Fourth place went to long-time air…
Golden Tee players are in for a special treat this holiday season: Rattlesnake Ridge. This popular 18-hole golf course from the Golden Tee Fore! game series has been fully remastered and re-imagined to work with Golden Tee LIVE. While the basic course and hole layouts of the original have been preserved, all new graphics and course objects have been added that are compatible with today’s technology. Also, a few of the holes have been adjusted to work with the wide variety of clubs, balls and tees now available in Golden Tee LIVE. Old-school players will enjoy the refreshed memory of…
This industry has some mighty busy representation! Both the AMOA and AAMA were back in our nation’s capital on Nov. 28 advocating for its members and the industry on two important issues: the recent (and disappointing) continuation of account closures by some banks and to support tax reform the groups believe to be favorable for small businesses, specifically pass-throughs and S-corps. A total of 10 members of AMOA and AAMA converged on the Hill right as lawmakers were returning from the holidays. Both AMOA and AAMA report that the group of amusement industry representatives was pleased and encouraged with the…
Back in March, Plaza Lanes hired the pros over at Creative Works to produce a customized laser tag arena for their Illinois-based FEC. Gary Alstott, owner of Plaza Lanes and a senior professional bowler, knew the company would be able to bring an immersive experience to further redefine his location during its recent renovation efforts. “Gary wanted to do laser tag,” said Creative Works creative experience broker Marsha Brentlinger. “He was adding on to his building and he wanted to expand his arcade. Gary visited our Theme Factory to look at a couple of themes and decided to go with…
Hawaii-based FEC chain Fun Factory continues to expand across the mainland with a new location in Valencia, Calif. Like Fun Factory’s other 16 locations throughout Hawaii and the continental U.S., the Valencia store expands on the unique Fun Factory guest experience and relies on the Embed system for point of sale, redemption center management and the cashless operation of games. Since 1977, Fun Factory has been bringing families together with the latest in fun and entertainment. The family entertainment centers are a fixture in Hawaii, with 11 locations throughout the islands. There are also locations throughout California, South Carolina, and…
Children staying at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia will have a big, present-laden Christmas thanks to donations made today by Miele Manufacturing and Pace O Matic (POM) of PA. Nearly 1,000 toys for kids of all ages were delivered this morning to the hospital. The toy drive started in 2014 when 10-year-old Angelina Miele, in remission from her cancer and feeling blessed to be able to be home, wanted to make a better Christmas for those kids who would remain in the hospital over the holidays. This year’s drive, the largest yet, is in memory of Angelina, who lost her battle on July…
Since October, corners of the Internet have been aflame with ire decrying the latest Star Wars game from AAA publisher Electronic Arts. Star Wars Battlefront 2 was EA’s first attempted foray into a microtransaction-based form of monetization with the base game costing the standard $60, without a focus on season passes or deluxe editions to boost that ticket price (as is common in the home game industry today). Instead, EA’s strategy seemed to be to convince the hordes of Star Wars fans to buy into another common moneymaking idea in gaming — loot boxes — where players purchase in-game crates that potentially…
Intercard hosted its annual IAAPA Attractions Expo kick-off party in Orlando early during the show, and the company reported it was a huge success. Over 450 attended, all members of the company’s global family of customers, staff and industry colleagues. The evening of good cheer, hosted on Nov. 14, brought together guests from as far as Australia, the Middle East and South America. Guests enjoyed an open bar and some Mexican buffet at Rocco’s Tacos, as well as a great view of Little Sand Lake. Intercard was happy to hype its brand new Shindigger system at their shindig, which is the company’s…