Quickies: Arcades In The Movies; How Much Do Operators Make?; How To Play Mustang Pinball

A few quick hits here. Normally I might leave these for the very end of the week but I am going to be very busy representing Arcade Heroes and my own arcade at the Salt Lake Comic Con which starts tomorrow and goes through Saturday night. So I’m not sure yet if I will have time for that.

First is something shared with me by reader ECM. An edit of various 80s and a few 90s flicks which featured arcade games. Michael J. Fox and Catherine Stewart make a few appearances along with Hulk Hogan. I’m sure you guys have seen most, if not all of these films. Enjoy!

Here is something I wanted to share last Saturday but in my rush I forgot. Coming across hard data in this industry is pretty rare, usually you have to pay a consultant a hefty sum to do a feasibility study to gather some of this info. BLS Numbers on Route operators. While vending is included, this also shows amusement. Average wage of an amusement route operator – $15.16/hr. Of course take it how you will – tracking exact income with operators is going to be a real challenge and this doesn’t tell us what machines are bringing home the bacon. That is the info I think most people want to know but getting an idea of what operators make is also helpful for anyone getting into the business.

Last for the night, Stern released this video showing how it is you are supposed to play Mustang Pinball. These would be nice to have for all pins, especially for newcomers who are often bewildered by what it is you are supposed to do in these games. I have had people ask me a few times what the “point” of pinball is and of course the answer can vary. No, Stern has not released the pics of The Walking Dead Pinball yet. I’m guessing that Stern wasn’t ready to show off the final thing but had to tease something since those advertisements were printed for TWD’s new Blu-Ray release.