The Best Thing that Ever Happened (To the Arcade Business) By George McAuliffe, President, Pinnacle Entertainment Group I am in arcades every week, in both our clients’ arcades and their competitors’ as well. I’m checking for game mix, playability, pricing, cleanliness, redemption store merchandising and a lot of other things. There is no area as poorly operated as that of cranes and merchandisers (C&M). Before we go any further, let’s set the context. Apologies to regular readers of this column because you’ve read this so many times: There is no higher goal for the arcade operator then to get the…
Author: RePlay Editor
Embrace a Holiday Mindset Year Round By Beth Standlee, CEO, TrainerTainment As the holidays approach, I’m reminded how easy connection, hospitality and gratitude are to achieve during this season. Cultivating a holiday party mindset that emphasizes these values can transform group gatherings into memorable celebrations. At the heart of any holiday party lies the desire for connection. It’s a chance to rekindle friendships (call your past events), strengthen family bonds (be grateful for your team who delivers those events), and forge new relationships (e.g. develop new business by inviting groups who’ve never had an event in your center). To truly…
AAMA Board Elects Beth Standlee New President & TrainerTainment Founder Ready to Lead TrainerTainment’s Beth Standlee was elected president of the AAMA at the association’s recent Annual Meeting in Chicago. She will serve a two-year term. Standlee, whose TrainerTainment celebrates its 20th anniversary in May 2025, was also chosen as the recipient of the Joseph Robbins Coin-Op Award, which recognizes those “who have demonstrated outstanding participation, contribution and service to the coin-operated amusement industry.” Pete Gustafson, executive vice president of AAMA, said: “I know Beth to be a person of great character, integrity and humility whose knowledge, passion and energy…
Travels With Bob AMOA President Burnham Details Summer Association Trips & Goals AMOA presidents rack up frequent flyer miles each summer while travel to as many state association meetings and other events as possible. RePlay checked in with Bob Burnham to see where he’s been and what’s on his to-do list as he gets into the second half of his term in office. Where has association business taken you this summer? I’ve Been Everywhere, the Hank Snow song made popular by Johnny Cash, leaps to mind. The first state meeting to kick things off wasn’t actually travel – it was…
Cabin Builders to Bowling Proprietors Jonas and Melanie Helm Bring Gutter Chaos to Oklahoma By Matt Harding Before opening their bowling entertainment center Gutter Chaos in February 2021, the husband-and-wife duo of Jonas and Melanie Helm built and sold vacation cabins in and around the tourist town of Broken Bow, Okla. “We started building cabins here for about 10 years before this,” Melanie explained. The area has been really growing, she said, for the past 12-15 years. “Everyone would always ask us what there is to do when it’s raining.” The truth to that was… not much. There’s no shortage…
Pixel Games Bringing Classic Interactive Floor Gaming Fun to the Arcade Immersive gaming, competitive socializing, active fun – buzzwords behind current trends to create attractions that get people out of their homes and into the game room, becoming more physically active while having fun with family and friends. Those are also attributes long held by laser tag attractions and now, a couple of those makers are branching out with interactive gaming floors. One of those is Pixel Games, a company started by members of the Laserforce European team. They designed and engineered the product in Germany, creating a separate company…
It’s Time to Terminate Everything You Believe About A.I. It’s Going to Change Your Business & Your Life Way Faster than You Think by Bob Cooney I recently attended the 50th anniversary SIGGRAPH conference in Denver to see some of the emerging technology in the virtual reality industry. Historically it’s a total geek fest, with computer scientists and PhDs coming together to share papers, and university researchers showcasing their latest work. There was an immersive section, and a VR theater showcasing some great storytelling experiences, but the theme of the show this year was artificial intelligence. NVIDIA makes the graphics…
Double Dare You Conquer the Chaos at Beat the Bomb & Monster Mini Golf by Barry Zelickson This month, the Fun Across America crew visited two unique experiences in the northeast: Beat the Bomb in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Monster Mini Golf in Edison, N.J. Both offered their own spin on fun! Learn more about these locations and many more at www.youtube.com/@funacrossamerica. Beat the Bomb – Brooklyn, NY www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JeMAFh_iUs In New York City’s entertainment scene, Beat the Bomb stands out as a high-energy, immersive experience that combines elements of escape rooms, video games and team-building activities. We were fortunate enough…
A Classic Film’s Timeless Lessons by Jack Guarnieri, Jersey Jack Pinball & PinballSales.com The 1946 Frank Capra classic, It’s a Wonderful Life, is on my yearly to-watch list around Christmas time. It’s a feel-good movie with some twists and turns and valuable life lessons that can resonate differently for each person. (If you haven’t lately, I’d suggest you watch it again, and if you’ve never seen it, do yourself a favor and add it to your must-see list.) In the movie, George Bailey had big hopes and dreams of getting out of Bedford Falls and going on to bigger and…
Navigating Change Adapting to the Future of the Amusement Industry by Howard McAuliffe, Partner, Pinnacle Entertainment Group If there’s one thing we’ve all learned in this industry, it’s that change is constant. Whether it’s the shift from mechanical to digital, the rise of redemption games or the growth of virtual reality, every decade brings new challenges and opportunities. The key to surviving — and thriving — is being adaptable while keeping the core of what makes this business special: fun. As we look to the future, the pace of change is only speeding up. But instead of worrying about disruption,…