I’m not sure that there will be any important news to come along this weekend as Easter arrives (some places are already closed for the ‘Good Friday’ portion of it all), so perhaps this will tide us over. Of course if you haven’t yet, pick up my book about arcades to read over the weekend. Only $5 digital.
First off is something that sort of is from Amusement Expo although I found out about it before that. The shows usually get attention for new products but there are also services to consider. We have covered a few of those in the past, particularly repair services. If you operate an arcade business then repairs are something you have to deal with to some degree, whether you are adept at it or not. In my own experience, I’ve learned a lot but I’m still far away from being an expert. So when expert help is needed, it’s great to know what resources are available. At Amusement Expo was a booth for Speedy’s One Stop Repair Services. They are based in Wood Dale, IL and have actually been in the business for 38 years. According to the brochure I picked up, their services include evaluation and consultation where they determine whether it is cost effective to fix, getting hard to find parts, and 45 day warranties on the repairs. They also showed me how they are with repairing light-guns and cables, providing a better-than-OEM solution for certain cables. For those interested in more, you can visit their website here.
The Game Developers Conference 2013 ( GDC2013 ) has come and is finishing up today. While most of it was showing off the latest ideas for the console world while trying trying not to be E3 exactly, arcades found their way into the fray. In particular there was a Game History Room with various classic arcades setup to play. And of course, Gunslinger Stratos was there for attendees to enjoy. Then there was a cardboard arcade box that some guys were hauling around with them. Why? Not sure. But it was probably for a good reason. Right? [Both pics via Twitter, 1st pic source / 2nd pic source / 3rd pic source ]
As a part of the social media mania, smartphones are becoming a device which locations can use as a controller. This does allow for Massive Multiplayer Augmented Reality Games (MMARGS!) to become a regular activity for a venue. I’ve thought about it before for my location and using QR codes – I have experimented with QR codes but they really haven’t been used yet. But that is really basic usage of what can be done and not truly augmented reality. If you are a company with the capital to make an interesting app, then you may as well go for it. Enter Chuck E. Cheeses. They have released an iOS and Android app called ‘Chuck E.’s Say Cheese’. With the app, which of course only works at Chuck E Cheese locations, it is almost the evolution of printing a company logo on a token. I could write about how it works but why do that when they’ve gone to the trouble to produce this perky video. [App page here / Via DNA Association]
Do you find the history of amusement parks and carousel rides to be a fascinating topic? Well hopefully you might find yourself in the Seaside, OR USA area on April 4th as the Seaside Library will be holding a presentation on the topic, specifically named the “History of Amusement Parks and Carousels” with videographer and historian Darrell Jabin. It sounds like it will focus mostly on the history of the locations in Oregon but I’m sure it will branch out a little from there too. [Via Coastweekend.com]
Speedy’s is just a rebranded Namco Service Center. One of their reps visits our location every few months and always tries to talk us into doing it. (Most of our repairs are done in-house)
I so want to play that Gunslinger Stratos game!