Eugene Approves

While not many awards are handed out to the arcade industry these days (for example, H2Overdrive was at the SpikeTV Video Game Awards on Saturday but wasn’t considered for any awards as they lack an arcade category or can’t include arcade titles in their categories for some reason), there are certain ways that people inside of the industry reward those who work hard to keep it alive. Such is the case with this year’s NY-AMOA Man of the Year award. Operators who are part of the AMOA make the pick and this year they have rewarded the man behind many great classics and modern arcade titles, Eugene Jarvis. Eugene will receive the award at an AMOA dinner on February 8th 2010 in New York City.

Of interest in the press release, Eugene states the following about what he is up to next: “…you will see some crazy new stuff from us as soon as next year! I really enjoy pioneering new game technology and mentoring a new generation of game designers for the arcade industry.  We need to develop the next generation of talent that will lead this industry into the future.  But as much as things change, the goal always remains the same.  Create the best entertainment you can for the player, and you create new profit opportunities for the game operator.”

It’s anyone’s guess as to what this new game technology will entail but we will certainly keep our eyes open for any news. In regards to his statement about mentoring new game designers, I know he is involved with a university that specializes in game design which is quite important as we need programmers to make new games and I am sure that a vast majority of people who jump into the field of game development don’t have arcade design on their minds.

Congrats Eugene!

More in the press release after the jump

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Eugene Jarvis Named NY-AMOA “Man of the Year”

Carlstadt, NJ – December 14, 2009 – At the beginning of each year, the NY-AMOA honors a selected industry professional who continually contributes and positively impacts the coin-op industry. This year the NY-AMOA will bestow the honor of “Man of the Year” on Eugene Jarvis of Raw Thrills at this year’s annual dinner to be held at Riccardo’s by the Bridge in Astoria Queens, New York.

In 1977, Eugene graduated from the University of California (Berkeley) with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and started his career in the game industry with Atari as a game designer working under the design legend Nolan Bushnell.  Like many teenagers in the ‘70’s Jarvis spent way too much time in game rooms playing pinball, and those new fangled TV games like PONG, Tank, and Breakout.  Working at Atari was a dream come true.

In 1979, Eugene headed off to Chicago to program pinball games for Williams Electronics with the “King of Pinball”, Steve Ritchie. During his time with Williams/Bally/Midway, Eugene was responsible for the creation and development of a number of chart topping and industry changing games including Firepower, Defender, Robotron, NARC, Smash TV, and the record breaking Cruis’n driving game Series:  Cruis’n USA, Cruis’n World, and Cruis’n Exotica.

After Midway left the arcade game business in 2001, Eugene co-founded Raw Thrills Inc with Midway alumni Andrew Eloff and Deepak Deo. As a game design and development firm, Raw Thrills has enjoyed the continued success of numerous hit games such as Target: Terror, The Fast and The Furious, Drift and SuperBikes, all reaching #1 in industry revenues charts. In 2007 Raw Thrills merged with Play Mechanix, the creators of Big Buck Hunter and Deal or No Deal. This combination of talents developed such arcade hits as Big Buck Hunter Pro, Big Buck Safari, Big Buck Open Season, and the recently previewed Terminator Salvation. Meanwhile, the Raw Thrills studio has continued to innovate with the introduction of the hits Guitar Hero Arcade and H2Overdrive in 2009.

Raw Thrills and Play Mechanix have received many industry accolades including “Manufacturer of the Year” award for 2007 and 2008 from the American Amusement Machine Association, as well as numerous AMOA, IAPPA, and AAMA awards for their best selling games.

Jarvis states, “Being honored by the NY-AMOA as Man of the Year is especially meaningful to me.  Although my games and companies have received numerous awards over the years, this is the first time I have been personally recognized by the arcade game industry.  There is no better judge of value in our industry then the game operators.  Hopefully no one will ask me for a refund!   It is a great honor and after 33 years in the business, I am ready to party!”

“Through his designs and leadership, Eugene Jarvis has helped the coin-op industry grow and reach new levels of success. We owe a lot of gratitude to him and his achievements. His games have allowed the operating community to flourish”, stated NY-AMOA President Ken Goldberg.

With respect to future game innovation, Jarvis forecasts the development of new user interface and display technologies creating compelling new arcade entertainment experiences.  “This is not pie in the sky, you will see some crazy new stuff from us as soon as next year! I really enjoy pioneering new game technology and mentoring a new generation of game designers for the arcade industry.  We need to develop the next generation of talent that will lead this industry into the future.  But as much as things change, the goal always remains the same.  Create the best entertainment you can for the player, and you create new profit opportunities for the game operator.  Thanks again for this honor.”

About AMOA-NY

AMOA-NY, founded in the 1940’s representing the business interests of some 65 operators in the greater New York metro region, will be holding its annual event on Monday, February 8^th, from 6:00 PM-9:00 PM at Riccardo’s By The Bridge (www.riccardos.com) in Astoria, Queens, New York City.  Over 100 industry members are expected to attend. Ticket and Souvenir Journal information can be obtained by calling 212-279-1041, or e-Mail us at dannyfrank@comcast.net. Tickets begin at $175.00 and Souvenir Journal begins at $200.00

About Raw Thrills and Play Mechanix

Raw Thrills, Inc. and its sister studio Play Mechanix are the leading developers of arcade games.  Current releases include Big Buck Hunter Open Season, Guitar Hero Arcade, Fast and Furious Drift, H2Overdrive, and Terminator Salvation.  For more info visit rawthrills.com or playmechanix.com.

About Betson Enterprises

Headquartered in Carlstadt, New Jersey, Betson Enterprises with 11 distribution offices nationwide is the leading coin-operated distributor of amusement and vending equipment, coin operated parts, and service in the United States. With over 75 years of experience and leadership in the coin-operated industry, we will help you make informed decisions that are best for your business.

Betson offers entertainment and vending solutions for your business through our relationships with the operator community. For locations looking for a simple and profitable solution or vendors looking for equipment that fits any situation, Betson Enterprises can help you.  Betson has an industry proven reputation for quality and customer focus. For more information on Betson Enterprises, visit www.betson.com or call 1-800-524-2343.