A leader in location-based virtual reality, Hologate recently shared a 16-page outline of their hygiene and safety standards, which they say are “designed to bring a uniformed process” to the industry. “Post coronavirus, we must accept the reality that we will be unable to operate as we have before,” the company wrote. “Virtual reality headsets and accessories have always been the target and topic of hygiene conversations, so it’s more important than ever to make sure that you have proper cleaning procedures in place to ensure that your customers are not only protected, but also have full trust in your…
Author: Matt Harding
Elated to hear so many positive stories about its pinball games being played in the coronavirus era, Stern has instituted what it’s calling the #PlayStrong Initiative to solicit more. You can send your message to [email protected] for a chance to be featured across Stern’s social media channels and win exclusive merchandise. “It’s special seeing pinball connect families across the world regardless of circumstance,” said CEO Gary Stern. “After all, pinball is the universal language of fun!” Stern Pinball shared one recent story they received from Mark in Texas: “My Stern pinball machine has made a huge difference during this stay…
Closed since mid-March due to the coronavirus and restrictions in the state of Oregon, Game Over Arcade in the coastal town of Lincoln City is unsure about its future. “At no fault of our own, we’re losing everything we have,” said owner Christopher Donner. “We worked our entire lives for this and we’re losing everything.” He told KGW8 that he and his wife closed the arcade in peak tourism season. “We said, ‘This is going to be the biggest hit.’ Spring break is where we make our money and we put that money away for the year.” Passing its 7-year…
In the Eastern Idaho town of Rigby, Squealers Fun Park is set to open at the end of May, according to new owner Kent Hansen. East Idaho News said Hansen purchased the property last fall after it had been closed for a year. Go-karts and mini-golf are the anchors of the fun park, but the business is being geared toward the new 8-acre RV park they’ve been building, which will be opened as Yellowstone Lakeside RV Park & Campground. It’ll have 105 spaces for campers to experience Squealers. Hansen also owns Snake River RV Park in Idaho Falls. “It will…
Industry veteran Dale Lazar of H. Hazar & Son, Inc., is asking friends to vote for a photo of his that was submitted to a contest put on by Israel’s Department of Diaspora Affairs. (You can see the photo on their Facebook page, called World Zionist Organization, and vote by liking it here.) Voting concludes on May 10 at 3 p.m. Eastern time. Hundreds of photos were submitted from 47 countries and five continents, Lazar reports, and only 30 were selected. “My photo entry captures a group of kindergarten religious school students at a consecration ceremony on Simchat Torah at…
“Powering up for reopening” in the coming week is Cinergy, the Texas-based movie entertainment center chain with locations in Amarillo, Copperas Cove, Midland, Odessa and Tulsa, Okla. As both states have partially opened for business, so too will Cinergy. The cinemas in all Texas locations will open this Friday, May 8, at the state’s required 25% occupancy (bowling, games and other attractions remain closed to comply with the state’s “Phase One” protocols). The company’s Oklahoma location will open Monday, May 11, at 50% occupancy in the cinema. Oklahoma also permits Cinergy’s bowling alley and arcade to operate when they reopen.…
Scandia Family Fun Center in Sacramento, Calif., opened its outdoor mini-golf and batting cages this Monday, May 4. According to CBS Sacramento, the county reported that as long as the facility is able to demonstrate strict social distancing among non-household members and maintain sanitation of equipment between users, they can open. General manager Brian Nichols said all customers will have to wear masks, but it was time to get back in business. “We’ve got bills to pay. We’ve got employees who were not scheduled to work,” he said. “They’ve got bills to pay and some of them have not been…
As of now, IAAPA Expo Europe 2020 is still on for this September in London, reports the association. They’ll be confirming the status of the event on June 15. “Given the COVID-19 outbreak is a rapidly evolving situation and the fact that IAAPA Expo Europe is scheduled to take place about five months away in September, IAAPA has not yet made any changes to the plan,” they wrote on their website. They also noted the final exhibitor payment deadline has been extended to June 15. You can visit www.iaapa.org/COVID-19 to learn more about the association’s resources, and keep up to…
The new Consumer Choice in Payment Coalition has recently formed with a broad spectrum of consumer representatives and businesses committed to preserving the right of U.S. consumers to pay with cash. As RePlay recently reported, the new group has AMOA and the National ATM Council among its members, and is stressing that cash poses no more health and safety risks than credit cards or cell phones. Among the coalition’s top national legislative priorities is supporting passage of the Payment Choice Act of 2019 (H.R. 2650). The group says the bill, introduced in Congress last year by Rep. Donald M. Payne…
In the coming months, Hamster Corporation will be adding a handful of Data East classic games to its Arcade Archives collection on the Nintendo Switch. According to Nintendo Life, those games include BurgerTime (1982), the top-down racer Burnin’ Rubber (1982), the sci-fi game Darwin 4078 and the beat ’em up Trio The Punch: Never Forget Me (1990). The titles were confirmed during the Japanese company’s recent Arcade Archiver livestream. No release dates were provided.