Achievement Unlocked Celebrating 10 years in Business by Adam Pratt, Game Grid Arcade & ArcadeHeroes.com On June 8, 2008, I completed a step in a long journey. It was a quest that I had been preparing for since I was a child: to open my own arcade. Since I’m celebrating the 10th anniversary of that Game Grid Arcade, I thought I’d take readers along for the ride as I look back on how I started and made changes along the way. Growing up, I took every opportunity I could get to play video games even though we didn’t have a…
Author: RePlay Editor
What’s Hot…And What’s Not – Part Four Using Game Trends & New Ideas in Promotions to Heat Up Revenues by Frank Seninsky, President/CEO Amusement Entertainment Management (AEM) & Alpha-Omega Amusements & Sales After attending the Amusement Expo earlier this year, it was very apparent that this industry has a keen interest in all things VR. Half the seminars were on the subject and drew a solid number of attendees. There were also seven or eight exhibiting companies showing their headsets, glasses, goggles, helmets, gear, VR apps, avatars, simulators, augmented reality applications and virtual life game technology on the show floor.…
The Virtual Reality Groundswell Part Four: Stormy Seas Calming Into Clear Opportunities for Operators by Bob Cooney The creation of waves requires wind to blow over the open ocean for long periods of time. The sea state inside a large storm is chaotic, with huge waves breaking in every direction. You’ve seen the dramatization in movies like The Perfect Storm, where the little fishing boat is tossed all over the place. The virtual reality business has been like this for the last several years, where the winds of technology evolution, immature business models and unmet consumer expectations have led to…
Halftime! Huddle Up With Your Key Players For a Winning Game Plan By Beth Standlee, CEO, TrainerTainment It seems unbelievable that 50 percent of this year is complete. As you take a look at the parties and group events that have come to your facility this year, how are you doing so far for 2018? Are you on track to meet your annual goals? Who in your center is championing those goals? The reality is you’ve still got time to get in the game and win big. If we take a look at the sports world and pay attention to…
Halo Blasts into the Arcade! Game Combines Popular Console Franchise with Epic Scope & Scale In the beginning, the video games took form in large, wooden cabinets housing miniscule, yet entirely innovative, games. As years went on and the technology improved, games became more complex and soon popped up in homes nationwide. At the time, those home games came almost directly from a pool of massively successful, recognizable titles in the arcade. Today, the tables have turned as the arcade world finds itself looking toward what’s popular in the home for inspiration, and that’s most certainly the case with the…
Holding Steady Next Gen & Newbie Trends in Membership Q: What impact has route consolidation had on AMOA membership? A: That’s an interesting question. No doubt, we continue to see a great deal of consolidation within the industry in every segment, and with that, one would assume this would negatively impact AMOA membership. I’m pleased to say this just hasn’t been the case as membership continues to hold steady. While there has been somewhat of a decline in membership by longtime route operators due to consolidation, there has also been an increase in membership from two groups: one I refer…
Editorial Like sailors cruising over the International Dateline, the coin-op trade has crossed over Memorial Day, entering into the summer season of 2018. In a take on the cliché “one man’s meat is another man’s poison,” we’re now facing “one man’s boom is another man’s bust.” School’s out and so are a lot of families who are leaving their cities and towns and venturing out into vacation land, bringing their play money with them and causing what’s sometimes called the “coin-op summer slump.” Many route operators have served what are called “seasonal locations” with coin-operated equipment for years. Supplying seasonal…
Embed’s Support Superstars Training & After-Sale Efforts Build Top-Notch Customer Experiences There have been countless pages within RePlay devoted to debit card and other cashless options for operators, and those stories are typically chock full of features and how one system differentiates itself from others. The special section this month is certainly a case in point. But seldom do these articles focus on what happens after the sale and how a company sets out to ensure the best answers to a location owner’s “Now What?” questions, whether that be from a first-timer who has just made the leap from tokens or…
Years ago, our legal writer, Larry Merritt, created a basic location agreement for use by our readers. In the Word document version, it can be customized to suit specific needs. Designed to be a general reference/starting point, readers should consider consulting an attorney to ensure this covers all bases. LOCATION AGREEMENT Word document LOCATION AGREEMENT PDF
To Infinity and Beyond! Laserforce Elevates Tag Experience with Gen 8 System With its first major overhaul since 2013, Laserforce has stepped it up for laser tag operators and players with its new Gen 8 Infinity system, being revealed early this month. It’s heady times at the longtime laser tag manufacturer as the team at the Brisbane, Australia, Laserforce International HQ, along with those at its U.S. home in Loveland, Colo., are celebrating the company’s 30th anniversary in addition to the introduction of the new system. With a feature set that is extensive and robust, Chief Operating Officer Jeff Willy…