Sometimes, kids just can’t wait to win prizes at the arcade. Toddler Ezra Ingersoll is certainly one of them. Ezra, 2, decided to take matters into his own hands at the crane in an Alabama arcade – recently crawling into its prize door and getting stuck, according to Fox 10. Unfortunately for Rotolo’s Pizzeria in Fairhope (near Mobile), there was no key on site and the machine had to be disassembled by the city’s police and fire departments. About 20 minutes later, Ezra emerged unscathed. Mother Kelsey Ingersoll said Ezra is “very much the adventurer, but he hasn’t quite done…
Author: Matt Harding
Six more weeks of winter? Coming up! Tequila Works and Sony Pictures Virtual Reality are working together to produce Groundhog Day: Like Father, Like Son, a VR sequel based on the 1993 cult classic. According to Digital Spy, the game will put players into a reoccurring day of the life of Phil Connors Jr., the son of Bill Murray’s character in the movie. “We are not developing a new Groundhog Day movie,” said Jake Zim, senior VP of the Sony Pictures VR group. “This is us expanding the storyline into a new format.” Keep an eye out for other…
Gillie Guinea Pig, a truly cute stuffed animal available to visitors at Southern California’s Zoomar’s Petting Zoo, won IAAPA’s Brass Ring for Best New Souvenir Plush at the recent Orlando show. The life-sized Gillie beat out the two other finalists…Cookie the Dog (Hong Kong Disneyland) and Slyder the Sea Lion (Gold Coast Australia Sea World)…to nail the coveted prize. The proud pig was the creation of Zoomar’s owner Carolyn Franks (shown with Gillie above). There are around 100 guinea pigs and other farm animals living, and entertaining kids, at her two-acre zoo, which is located in the historic area of…
Two-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl-winning quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be the keynote speaker at this year’s International Bowl Expo, held June 23-27 in Las Vegas. Rodgers is a co-creator of its Aaron, which aims to create awareness for impactful organizations through short films. He is also a supporter of the Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer Fund, as well as other humanitarian efforts. Expo exhibitors can purchase a full registration ($225) to hear from Rodgers, experience Club Xpo, network at the welcome reception and attend other Bowl Expo events, which can be found at www.bpaa.com/bowlexpo. Expo organizers also want to…
Center Manager Pro, the point-of-sale system from Lasertron, recently received its most extensive upgrade ever, according to the company. “Our entire software suite was completely redeveloped from the ground up,” they wrote in a recent newsletter. “It’s currently operating in both of our company-owned stores and a few client locations.” For more details about the system, schedule an online demo by emailing Larry LaClair at [email protected]. Or, go to Lasertron’s spring conference, held in Rochester, N.Y. May 7-8, where they’ll have demonstrations and discussions about all of their products. Registration is available at www.laser-tron.com.
For its monthly OmniverseeSports Tournament starting in January, Virtuix had 30 registered participating locations in 11 countries, where gameplay on its units increased significantly during the four-day contests. During the contest week, held Jan. 24-27, the number of plays on Omni systems more than doubled compared to the previous week, reported Virtuix founder Jan Goetgeluk. The number of players at participating locations jumped by a whopping 450 percent. The tournament has a $50,000 prize pool for the year, sponsored by HTC and HP, and winners get a combination of cash and prizes. For more information about the tourneys, including how…
After securing $1.5 million in a seed funding round, the Toronto-based VR and AR developer Dark Slope has announced the launch of its first product, the location-based entertainment title Scarygirl Mission Maybee. The funding will be used to add new staff and develop the year-old company’s free-roam technology. Scarygirl was developed for large-scale multiplayer free-roam VR environments and Dark Slope said in a press release that it embodies their goal to design content that brings people of all ages together. Based on the graphic novel of the same name, it’s a first-person action game made for up to eight players. “Scarygirl…
A new entertainment concept in the heart of Wrigleyville will hit today (Feb. 15), just a strong throw to home plate at the iconic Chicago ballpark across the street. Lucky Strike Social at Wrigleyville, with its bowling, arcade gaming, chef cuisine and craft beverages, also has two private party rooms and a prize room retail store spread across 30,000 square feet. Perhaps most impressive, especially to baseball fans, is the floor-to-ceiling windows on the second floor with views of Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs and one of the oldest stadiums in the country. Lucky Strike Social has locations…
During the recent wave of bank account closures threatening the independent ATM industry, cash management services have stepped in to fill the gap. While many ATM operators might feel this is a less-than-ideal solution to the account closure crisis, these cash services are evolving to meet the needs of their ATM operator customers. Cascle Inc., is one such company working to provide a value-added service not available through traditional banking. Cascle’s solution is allowing ATM operators to settle vault cash funds in a FDIC insured holding account. Operators can then call and have needed funds delivered through leading secured cash…
AMOA’s 2019 State Council meeting, held at the Hyatt Regency, San Antonio, Texas, from Feb. 7-9, attracted more than 60 attendees from across the country. Included among the attendees were 26 state association leaders as well as invited representatives from some of the leading manufacturers and suppliers. “It was very successful,” said AMOA Exec VP Lori Schneider. “I would say it’s probably more of the successful ones we’ve had in recent years. There was a lot of great information shared and a lot of great discussion with members.” In addition to the presentation of state reports and roundtable discussion, highlighting…