Alive & Thriving! Years in the Making, The Walking Dead Arcade Is No Zombie! One year ago this month, rumors swirled about Raw Thrills/Play Mechanix newest project: The Walking Dead Arcade. Operators and arcade enthusiasts eagerly awaited any solid info on the storied manufacturer’s newest piece, especially after the runaway success of Jurassic Park Arcade, which was topping collection sheets and wowing players worldwide. Now, the zombie shooter is on location alongside the best, drawing eyes in even the most crowded game rooms with its flashy, environmental cabinet, mass-appeal license, riveting gameplay and innovative inclusions. One year may seem like…

Be Blessed, Not Stressed Cancelled Flight Leads to Reflection on Going With the Flow & Kindness by Jack Guarnieri, Jersey Jack Pinball & PinballSales.com I  was traveling early one Sunday morning, going from Sacramento to San Francisco, then connecting to Vegas. I returned my rental car, took the shuttle to the terminal and upon my arrival, was issued a new boarding pass for a flight to SFO the next morning. “What’s this?” I asked the gate attendant. She said my flight had been canceled so I was booked on another flight a day later. Just like that my flight was…

Escape Rooms Grow in Popularity FECs’ Latest Trend in Out-of-Home Attractions Offers New Form of Fun With Easy-to-Play, Hard-to-Win Puzzles by Casey Minter The clock winds down to its final moments as you frantically piece together the last clues and escape a horror-filled room. A light bulb flashes in your mind and you rush over to your team with the final clue. Together, you and your friends escape the CDC containment area (or the locked-down Louvre, the zombie-filled shack or the bank vault). With escape rooms, the attraction that’s been spreading like a wild fire throughout the country, creativity and…

Positive Light Fair Play Pledge Garners Friendly Media Coverage; AAMA Gala 2017 Takes Shape Q: How has the Fair Play Pledge been received both within the industry and from outside media? [Editor’s note: The Fair Play Pledge is a commitment by AAMA members to build and operate skill games offering a fair chance for players to win. An exposé on cranes –– “Are they rigged?” – aired on the July 13, 2016,   and reignited AAMA’s desire to craft a “fair game” initiative. The association resumed those efforts and unveiled the FPP on May 4.] A:  The Today Show story from…

Early Reflections AMOA Topper Talks About His Role as Prexy; Update on Operation Choke Point Q: While you’re busy jumping from state meeting to state meeting, can you pause a moment to reflect on the early days of your term as AMOA president? Can you also update readers on AMOA’s efforts to protect operators from the negative impact of the Department of Justice’s Operation Choke Point? [Editor’s note: This is the DOJ’s initiative to curb fraud and money laundering by investigating banks with ties to certain companies and industries, pushing them to sever some of those relationships. Because of the cash nature…

Delivering Value in the FEC The Little Things Mean a Lot By George McAuliffe, Chief FEC Strategist, Redemption Plus It was a beautiful day recently when our family decided to go to out to lunch. We headed for a local restaurant with good food, great service, and an outdoor patio so we could enjoy the weather while we ate. Unfortunately, we weren’t the only ones with that plan: The place was packed and there was a 45-minute wait. We walked down the sidewalk about fifty feet to another restaurant with an outside seating area and were seated immediately. Our waiter…

Editorial We recently went to a large, well-known FEC in the Los Angeles area to celebrate my niece Lily’s 8th birthday. Lily didn’t want a princess party… she wanted go-karts. Love that kid. The facility is huge and literally has something for everyone, and I mean EVERYONE. It’s got batting cages, mini-golf, bumper boats, two speeds of go-karts (for little and big kids) and a ginormous game room with all the latest and greatest. Exactly the kind of place my family likes to hang. It was first class all the way…until we got to the redemption counter. First of all,…

Mastering Their Lane UNIS Takes the Traditional and Turns It Upside Down With Innovative Games and Groundbreaking New Technology UNIS Technology has come a long way since 1993, when they began as a small manufacturer working out of a modest factory in China. Today, they are a well-known coin-op game maker with a focus on innovation paired with a commitment to excellence. This has taken them from that single, small factory to a 1.4 million-square-foot facility, multiple offices in Hong Kong, Canada, the U.S. and Colombia, and games that can now be found on location in over 60 countries around…

From Argentina to the World 60-Year-Old Sacoa Got Its Start on the Street with Jukes & Pins; FECs & Changing Technology Has Kept the Global Company Growing As you read this month’s Cover Story, you might be reminded of what’s often described as the “American Dream,” how hard work, love of family, perseverance and ingenuity can lead to a successful, multi-generational business. In this case, think “Argentinian Dream” as we tell the storied history of  the Mochkovsky family’s Sacoa, which is celebrating its 60th year in the amusement business, and also the 25th anniversary of the company’s flagship Playcard cashless system…

Editorial As a child of this industry, I’ve had countless opportunities to explain what it’s all about. Most people have never thought about the fact that there are people and businesses behind the jukebox in the local bar or crane at the supermarket. Typically, I get two responses from those who aren’t connected to the industry: fascination or (for want of a better word) distaste. Thankfully, fascination is much more frequent. Most people have some heartfelt  connection to the world of amusement, and that connection is most often a positive one. However, a growing percentage of the public has become…