Helen Fletcher discovers why the relationship between theme parks and coin-op amusement continues to be invaluable to both sectors

Theme parks have long provided a home for amusements other than thrill rides and although the main purpose of a family’s day out at a park will be for the rides, there are the times in between, when they need to be entertained by other means.

This is where the coin-op amusement machine steps in. Providing the customer with an experience they cannot get at home is key and perceived value for money is even more essential. While there is a home for all types of amusement such as video games and simulators, it is the redemption and merchandiser sector, which is really winning the hearts of customers, as the perceived value for money far outweighs that of a game where nothing can be won but the highest place on the score board.

"Theme parks are an expensive form of fun and entertainment," according to Elaut USA’s Jack Guarnieri. "People pay a lot of money to get into them and they don’t want to then find games that they can play at home. Customers are very sophisticated and know what they want - you have to work hard to keep them interested."

That is not to say that high quality video games won’t attract players - they can and the major players in the sector have all had success with their video arcade games.

"Arcade games are an important secondary spend for theme parks," said Sega’s Justin Burke. "In the UK and Europe in particular, they provide an indoor attraction when the weather is bad and they fit in well with the theme park environment. While redemption is currently very strong compared with other types of coin-op products, the majority of people visiting a theme park won’t usually visit an arcade, so all coin-op equipment will be a novelty and of interest."

Konami’s Guitar Hero Arcade has proved very popular with theme park customers and it is being strategically placed by some park managers to capitalise on the fact that customers in a theme park environment often seek non-stop thrills. According to distributor Electrocoin, the exposure from the home system games of Guitar Hero gave this product a head start and it is easily identifiable by players as something they are familiar with and can expand on their previous experience.

"High quality video games will always attract players," said Electrocoin’s Kevin Weir. "But operators are always looking for something a little bit different to keep interest high. Our other success story last year was X Putt, which offers a totally unique experience and is unlike anything else in the market."

"Most of the parks I know of charge an entrance fee and the rides are free," said Konami’s James Anderson. "But all other facilities such as food, shopping and amusements are chargeable. Therefore coin-op amusement is an essential part of the total income of these facilities. Theme parks that ignore the offerings of coin-op games are losing a potentially lucrative opportunity."

For Namco’s John Brennan amusements deliver short, sharp bursts of high impact, good value entertainment that enhance the customer experience and make a significant contribution to gross profits. "It’s a strong relationship that will continue to grow," he said.

"Visitors make an active decision to go to destination venues and as such are actively seeking good value ways of spending their entertainment budget, so it’s fertile ground providing operators have invested in the right quality of games. The evolution of games is based upon their ability to deliver family entertainment experiences that you can’t get at home."

But as mentioned, it is the redemption sector which is really taking the theme park destination by storm and according to Bay Tek Games’ Holly Meidl, its Big Bass Wheel, which recently won the Operator’s Choice award at the Amusement Expo held in Las Vegas, has been a phenomenal piece in theme parks globally. "It’s simple yet novel," she said. "Its large presence attracts players from across the park and the fun game play keeps them spinning for the large and lucrative big bass bonus.

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"Coin-op games, specifically ticket and prize redemption games, give customers an experience they cannot duplicate at home and with the rise of the home console market and an increasing number of in-home game rooms, there is not a strong desire to go out and spend money to play video games, shoot pool or even listen to jukeboxes," she said.

"Video game earnings are down and operators haven’t got the funds to buy the new machines as the money they get in return doesn’t always make it worth it," continued Elaut’s Guarnieri. "Shooting galleries have really taken off because they are easy to operate, easy to play and are fun. It is the prize machine, however that is key and operators need to be careful not to get greedy by not giving out prizes as this can kill a location."

For LAI Games’ international sales manager, Marshall Ashdown, the advantage of coin-op amusements in theme parks comes from their compact size. "They can be located in areas within theme parks as fill-ins to the larger rides," he said. "They can also be located in food courts and waiting areas so that visitors always have a fun option wherever they are within the park.

"Coin-op games can also be useful in managing traffic flows within parks. They can be quickly re-located to areas where managers wish to increase customer dwell time or provide an additional attraction near long lines of customers waiting to use over-subscribed large rides."

LAI has introduced a mega size version of its very successful Stacker machine, which according to Ashdown, is perfect for theme parks. In this model, players get the best of both worlds as they play eight minor levels for tickets and the last four major levels for attractive prizes. "What’s more, the five major prize doors are big enough to hold desirable prizes such as iphones, soft toys, X-Box 360 consoles, laptops and more," continued Ashdown.

While coin-op can help towards that important secondary spend, it is vital that operators realise the importance of machine maintenance and VDW’s Laurent Van De Wege notes: "People go to arcades because they want to play games that aren’t available at home such as our Magic Safe and the Big 7. A good mix of games will allow great income but the flipside of this is that the concept is very labour intensive. The prizes need to be up-to-date as well as the games themselves. People are always looking for the latest available features."

Van De Wege also believes that both entities need each other’s expertise and experience to gain the best results, telling InterGame: "The theme park needs to provide a good location within its premises and the coin-op operator needs to provide an up-to-date and perfect mix of games combined with attractive prizes."

While coin-op machines have their own qualities and benefits to a park, operator attended skill and group games are considered the main source of game revenue in some parks, according to Jack Cook of Bob’s Space Racers in the US.

"Coin-op machines play a role in theme parks although the revenue is not a large percentage of the overall revenue stream. The coin-op machines have limitations when compared to operator-manned games in theme parks.

"Locations need a variety of all types of machines to fill the need for all age groups," Cook continued. "While there are always A, B and C rated games the FEC will have a need for all types. In the parks direct merchandisers seem to work well, as they can be located in many areas of the park and are not restricted to game rooms."

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Bob’s Space Racers has had particular success in theme parks with Water Blaster, Dog Pounder and Whac a Mole. New games Bongo Beat, Sharky’s Treasure and Speed Bags are also apparently proving very popular with current customers.

"Our Water Blast is now being used in the larger FECs and is a top revenue producer," said Cook. "This game has been developed to operate as a park style group game and merchandised without an operator using plush toys instead of standard redemption tickets."

Fast Line, based in the UK, has had quite a bit of success in the FEC and theme parks sector - specifically in the Middle East, providing a number of venues in Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia with go karting equipment.

"Our turnkey packages are having considerable success in the region for a number of reasons," said the company’s Simon Heap. "Firstly, there is no real expertise in go karting in the region - what is about, is very fly by night and frequently poor verging on dangerous advice given to operators. There is also limited access to karting products with most products needing to be imported."

According to Heap some of the company’s success in FECs etc in the Middle East has come from the fact it is a one-stop-shop and centres can obtain all they require from one supplier.

"Go karting has been very successful at many of our Middle East FECs and theme parks with tracks, generating considerable interest from guests and considerable cash flows for operators."

There is no question that coin-op amusements add something to the theme parks and in return they offer coin-op operators a solid ground to make money. As Tony Whittaker of Elton Games points out: "With an ageing population it is now grandparents as well as parents at the parks and they are looking for collective family fun. Games with a competitive nature that are playable by all family members whatever their age, gender or ability that provide an alternative experience.

"The mix is obviously important as the park tries to increase dwell time as is the reliability of the game. The coin-op area must also be well maintained and kept clean as a tired location will not be tolerated by the high demands from the visiting public. It is easy to walk by a coin-op sector in a park or large FEC if it is not providing the family with what they see as part of the whole day out."

First published April 2010