Riley Dinsmore, 13, who was diagnosed with a progressive form of cancer, had a wish to have his own arcade full of vintage video games. Make-A-Wish, Betson and other companies made it happen. Now, Riley’s basement in upstate New York has been transformed into a personal game room with three fully restored machines highlighting it: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1989), The Simpsons (1991) and Mortal Kombat (1992). Plus, two 2010 games that look and feel retro but play new – Pac-Man’s Pixel Bashand Arcade Legends 3. “To be able to help this young man’s wish become reality is something we’re…
Author: Matt Harding
For those following the growth of Topgolf, the out-of-home entertainment brand is seeking to broaden its portfolio by launching a new design it plans to use in small- and mid-sized cities across the U.S. According to Chain Store Age, the new design will fit markets with a population of 100,000 to 500,000. “With this new concept, we will leverage over 19 years of operating experience and industry-leading Toptracer technology, while creatively designing and programming the space to bring an unforgettable entertainment experience to many more communities, reaching millions more guests than we ever could previously,” said Topgolf COO Craig Kessler.…
Arcade Heroes reports seeing a modernized version of Centipede from Play Mechanix and ICE on location at a Dave and Buster’s in New York. The game, licensed from Atari SA, is inspired by the original 1981 hit, but resembles the movie Pixels, according to one fan, who said, “It plays with the same concept as the original game, but now there are power-ups, it supports three players at the same time and you use a joystick to move your character instead of the trackball.”
Ahead of the Amusement Expo, VR guru Bob Cooney will be hosting his latest VR “deep dive” webinar this Friday, March 15, at noon Pacific, where the spotlight will be on what to expect from this year’s second annual Virtual Reality Summit (held during Expo’s education day). Cooney said there will be some surprise guests during the webinar, too. While nearly 500 people have already registered, it’s not too late for you to join in on this session (or a future one). Just click this linkor visit www.bobcooney.com for more information.
With more than 1,100 retro and modern pinball machines and video games, the Museum of Pinball in Banning, Calif., will play host to the 5th annual Arcade Expo March 15-17. Expecting around 3,000 attendees through the three-day weekend, Arcade Expo 5.0 will feature free play on their machines, a “Starcade” (games out on the patio), a Donkey Kong “Kong Off” and around a dozen vendors, according to Johnathon Weeks, co-founder of the museum. A swap meet/flea market with all types of arcade machines and related game room items for sale will be held March 16 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (contact Pete…
A leading in-app mobile payment service for unattended retail (and games, too), PayRange recently announced its platform has powered more than 100 million mobile transactions. The payment app is quick and efficient, making for a better vending experience, the company says. With laundry, for example, consumers can view machine timers in the app and receive cycle completion notifications. Similarly, the app makes an effective change to traditional vending, wherein if a product fails to dispense, the user can be alerted that the malfunction was detected and automatically refunded. “While macro trends are in favor of more automated and self-service retail, lack…
A former Portland, Ore., route operator has joined the art world in a rather familiar way to folks in the coin machine business. Dick McNicholas, who has worked in the industry for 43 years, recently started producing and selling pinball machine backglass artwork printed on canvass, mounted on wood frame and available as gifts from his PINball Art USA company. So far, he’s gathered and restored images of 93 pinball backglasses to create the art pieces, and is licensed by manufacturers like Gottlieb, Williams, Bally and Midway. His archives include game art going back to the 1930s and extending up…
Laurie Jean Britton is a laser tag enthusiast and blogger from upstate New York who will complete her journey to play laser tag in all 50 states once she visits Laser Quest of North Richland Hills, Texas, on March 28. She’ll be joined by laser tag inventor George Carter III, who opened the first laser tag attraction in the Dallas area on March 28, 1984. The world celebrates it as International Laser Tag Day, making Britton’s visit coincide with the 35th anniversary. Laser Quest will have $5 laser tag games from 5-9 p.m. that day, along with refreshments and a…
The ATM Industry Association (ATMIA) has announced that credit card giant Visa is sponsoring scholarships for 10 industry professionals to the association’s International ATM Operators Certification programs. The online courses offered through the ATMIA Academy are designed for ATM operators doing business in regional, national and global markets. Content draws on the collective knowledge of the association’s members and is based on extensive research into the operating practices and procedures of ATM businesses worldwide. According to association officials, the five courses detail ATM operator responsibilities with several short, interactive and highly informative sessions. A learn-at-your-own-pace approach provides flexibility for participants to move through…
Industry expert Frank “the Crank” Seninsky will present a free webinar on the IAAPA FEC Benchmark Report Tuesday, March 19, at noon Eastern time. “After dealing with more than 1,000 FEC financials over the past 30 years, I can offer you my opinions how to best interpret the data collected in the IAAPA FEC Benchmark Report,” he wrote. “In this webinar, I will provide you with the tried and true AEM (Amusement Entertainment Management) FEC financial benchmarks.” IAAPA members can download the report for free and non-members can purchase it for $499. Either way, interested parties can sign up for…