Many years ago, Los Angeles distributor Al Bettelman asked me if I’d ever thought about putting machines out…actually doing what I wrote about so often. I thought about operating a couple of times but never got serious because I’m not very good at fixing things that run on electricity. And as some manufacturers don’t like to admit, these machines break down like everything else that has a cord coming out of it with a plug on the end. Otherwise, why do they all have service departments?
Back in the day, thanks to the U.S. Army, I pretty much knew what was under the hood of a truck and what made the engine tick. Points, plugs and condenser, remember? But, when they started computerizing cars, my eyes would glaze over when I looked “under the bonnet,” as the Brits say.
I’m not proud of this, because being literate on today’s engines is sort of a “man” thing. In the case of a coin machine, knowing what’s “under the hood” and how to unglitch the glitch is a necessary skill if you want to keep the arcade or route up and running. I have nothing but praise and a bit of jealousy for the service techs who know how to read a schematic, locate the problem and then put the game back on the air.
Often out on the route, the service folks are money collectors as well as good will ambassadors for the company they work for. That’s another skill: explaining why the machine went dark to the location guy who acts as if the tech personally “broke the game” and how upset it made his customers. All in a day’s work, right?
This is my salute to a group of folks who keep the routes and game centers purring. Their precious knowledge, especially as the state of the electronic art continues to evolve, is priceless. Yet, they don’t get the recognition for their role often enough. I remember discussing this with someone once when he said: “You’re right, it’s not easy what they do. But don’t forget that only a few people know how to make a magazine.” After a bit of thought about what he said, I thought: “Maybe. I guess I’d rather make a magazine.”