As Raw Thrills gears up for one of their busiest arcade launch periods in their history, starting with the release of Batman last month and Aliens Armageddon next month (and potentially more I am hearing by next May), the industry at-large is about to honor the President of the company, Eugene Jarvis with the AIAS Pioneer Award. AIAS is the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences and the award will be given to him this coming February. [Via Gamesindustrybiz]
With the news, Wired.com has posted an interview with Mr. Jarvis, which gets into his childhood, encountering pinball, working at Atari and then Williams and the creation of titles like Defender and Robotron 2084. Head over to that site to read the whole thing but here’s one pull quote I think is worth sharing from the article:
“You really have to have a very intense experience that people are willing to pay for, so that’s a real challenge,” Jarvis says of arcades. “I love that you can tailor the controls for each game, make that control exactly what the game requires. You’re right up against the screen; it’s a more intense and high-fidelity experience.”
I don’t know if it was a so-called conscious choice,” Jarvis says of staying in the arcade gaming business for so long. “There is a certain wisdom of trying to stick with what you know. Who are you? What do you stand for? What is your unique contribution to the world?”
“Or do you want to just make a bad rendition of Farmville?”
Thumbs up to that. I think that speaks to why a lot of veterans have stayed within the arcade industry at various existing manufacturers or they have started up their own. Arcades can allow video games to stand out in a unique way that they just don’t when played on a phone or in a browser.
Congrats to Eugene on the award and we’re glad he’s still a part of the industry!
