Re: Game values

On Fri, 29 Jun 2001 MKDUD@aol.com wrote:

>In a message dated 6/29/2001 6:30:18 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
>aramos@ele-mental.org writes:
>
> >I've noticed a peculiar influx of questions to me over the last 6
> >months people looking for the "classics"-- you know, like Mortal
> >Kombat and the original Street Fighter 2. :-/ Seems there's maybe a
> >new generation making their way into the scene...
>
> One problem that I have with calling the above 2 games "classics" - they
>only had an earning potential for about one year. Put one on a route today,
>and it might collect $20 a week from people playing it for the "nostalgia".

  Never having run one, it's hard for me to say what to expect as a
number, but I would expect earnings to depend as much, if not more, on
the route/location as the game/games. Especially if you are talking,
about "button banging" players. By such, I mean small kids who sucker
quarters from their folks to go hit buttons and have things happen. A
fighting game will have much more appeal than a Tempest. To
someone who is not really playing the game, a Tempest is little
more than a buzzing spinner (most likely) and a really fancy screen
saver. =)

> HOWEVER, you put a Tempest machine in a decent location, and it's
>earning upwards of $100 a week. And this is from customers of ALL ages
>playing it. Not bad for a 20 year old machine that has true staying power.

  I see your example, but I don't think the Tempest has just staying
power, as much as it has novelty. People of all ages are playing it,
yes. Some because they've never seen it before. I would really
like to know how many "new" players keep playing it though.

  I've seen the "classics" argument quite often, and don't want to
start it again =), but I think the term comes from the age of the
player. I see a classic as being the machines that were big in the
arcades when you first started playing. To someone who is younger
than what I would guess most of us on the list are, that's going to be
something newer than a vector game.

>Bottom line in my opinion - "violence enhanced" revisions of Karate Champ
>can never hold a candle to the real vector classics that are good original
>games.

  I agree that if you take the influence angle to the extreme, the
above is what you have. I question the violence part a bit, I see
that as more the time it came out than anything. It seems to me
that you would imply that the creators of KC didn't want the violent
aspect in their game. I would argue that they may have, but it was
to difficult to include in the crude displays that existed at the time.

  Aside from that though, I still think of SF as a rather original
game. Mind you, I am talking about the original, not 2, and I mean
the first games before the 6-button conversion. I loved those plunger
buttons! =) Which died not because they were bad, or unoriginal, but
because operators got tired of taking care of them.

  Anyways, more than anything, I find it funny to see/hear someone
talking about getting a classic, that may not be a classic to me.
Mostly because it makes me think back to when/what I was playing in the
era of that game, as well as the discussions like this the comment
would create. =)

  In general, games were more original in the past, and nowadays, there
tends to be something that comes out, and then several other attempts
at the same idea. More than anything, I think this is the fault of the
bean-counters. Everything must be a "big hit", at least enough to get
people into a location, and make back the purchase price. Little to no
one is willing to buy an original idea, because they don't know it's
earning potential. Therefore nothing new is created.

  That's enough from me...I'll see what comes along next to make me
chime in. =)
                                        Remy LeBeau

  The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

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Received on Fri Jun 29 11:24:52 2001