The third annual USC Games Expo, the world’s largest university-sponsored video game and esports show, will be held May 12 – not on campus, of course, but streaming on platforms like YouTube, Facebook and Twitch. According to the Daily Trojan, the event will feature more than 90 exhibitions displaying tabletop, mobile, PC and console games. The USC Games Expo will also have an esports tournament in which universities across Southern California will compete in games such as Overwatch, Hearthstone, Super Smash Bros and Rocket League. “I’m looking forward to seeing the content go live and the viewers and the fans…
Author: Matt Harding
According to NPR, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is allowing some retail stores to reopen for business beginning today, April 29, in the majority of the state’s 95 counties. Restaurants began unlocking their doors on Monday, but there are restrictions in both cases. For restaurants in particular, tables must be set at least 6 feet apart and no more than six people can sit at any one table. Only half of the restaurant’s total capacity of diners are being allowed in. No live music is allowed, but playing the jukebox seems to be okay. Click here to read the full guidelines.
Cashless technology provider Intercard is planning for a series of tips on its website that will help arcade operators survive the COVID-19 crisis, the company says. The first article is from a Jersey Shore arcade expert Todd DeMott of ShoreCade and Go Play Retro Arcade: A Jersey Shore Arcade Expert’s Tips on Restoring Revenue During COVID-19 By Todd DeMott I grew up in New Jersey beating all the arcade games on “the Shore.” I turned my love of games into a career in the amusement industry as an Intercard sales rep, manager, consultant and owner of my own arcades. I…
Bandai Namco Amusement America wanted to remind customers that their parts and service department is working remotely to answer calls, but due to the current stay-at-home order, it may take longer than usual to get parts and advance replacements shipped. While manufacturing is also on hold, BNAA does have inventory of some of its products. Contact them for game parts at [email protected] (847-264-5612); game service at [email protected] (847-264-5614); and game sales at [email protected] (847-264-5616).
An 8-year-old Indiana trampoline park is closing its doors while a new family entertainment center is planning to move in. Sky Zone Fishers, located in the Indianapolis suburb of Fishers, has permanently closed, according to IndyStar and a statement on Sky Zone’s website. Meanwhile, Adrenaline Family Adventure Park, a new FEC currently renovating the space next door, expects to open in May and will take advantage of the vacant space left by Sky Zone. Adrenaline will have 50,000 sq. ft. of ropes courses, climbing attractions, a soft play area, ninja warrior course, trampolines and more.
NE Arcade in Minneapolis, Minn., officially pulled the plug this week after only a few months in operation. Owner Joe Radaich told Twin Cities Eater, “Unfortunately, we don’t have the resources to continue, and have to announce our permanent closure.” The arcade bar-restaurant opened in November 2019 with a wide variety of pinball machines, vintage video games and board games, too.
Bill Trewhitt, sometimes called Chattanooga’s jukebox and pinball wizard who could fix just about any coin-operated game, passed away on Friday, April 17. According to The Chattanoogan, Bill grew up in nearby Lookout Mountain, went to school there and met his wife of 45 years, Jeanne, there as well. His lifelong career, the paper said, was managing the family business, Shearer Amusement Co., with Jeanne and mother-in-law Mildred Bunch from 1976 until he retired in 2007. Bill was an AMOA member and had also served on the board of the AMOA of Tennessee. He was an advocate of The Mustard…
Friday, April 24, was the day Georgia began lifting restrictions on businesses, allowing places like bowling centers and arcades to open for the first time in weeks. Not all of them did. The Georgia-based bowling entertainment center chain Stars and Strikes, with their 15 locations (10 in their home state), has opted to stay closed for now, in order to “assess everything that needs to change in our facilities,” co-founder Chris Albano told RePlay. He said they’re probably a couple more weeks from reopening. This week, he and fellow co-founder Jack Canouse are setting up a training facility to get…
With the exception of eating places in the larger, more populated Tennessee counties, most of the state’s other restaurants began reopening (but not the bar areas) yesterday, April 27. Lots of sanitary discipline greeted diners as they came out to dinner, like table spacing, wait staff wearing masks and gloves, etc. More on Tennessee’s opening in tomorrow’s Instant RePlay newsletter.
Though at a limited capacity, ICE just announced its parts and service departments are open. They’re responding to phone calls, emails and all daily inquiries daily, encouraging customers to order space parts online at www.icegame.com. “We are hopeful the governor of New York will soon be lifting the shutdown and allowing parts of western New York to reopen very soon in a safe and effective manner,” said ICE President Joe Coppola. “With that said, once we can get a small team of people in our facility, we will be packing and shipping parts orders as soon as possible for our…