Lively and energetic sports games offer something different to traditional leisure locations and are often the focal point for groups of younger patrons. InterGame examines the importance of sports games to the amusement mix.
Sports games have long been a highly visible feature of amusement settings, often attracting crowds and generating valuable interest, excitement and income.
With some countries and markets seeing significant growth in the family amusement market, how important is this particular category of machines to the overall amusement mix? Equally at home in an FEC in the Lebanon or in a Milwaukee bar or a Delhi shopping mall, sports games are one of the industry’s unsung heroes.
John Brennan, commercial director at Bandai Namco Europe/Brent Sales, is in little doubt about the importance of sports games to amusement settings. “Sports-based games are essential to an amusement location,” says Brennan. “We have a number of redemption machines that are sports based: Pac-Man Smash, Pac-Man Basket and Pac-Man Ghost Bowling, as well as Goal Line Rush. Players know instinctively how these games work and they provide great entertainment not only to those who are playing but for those watching too.”
For Valley-Dynamo, sports games are “critical” to the success of amusement centres. Link Pendley, vice president, international dept, is in no doubt about the reasons for their continued appeal: “People go to FECs to have fun, and sports games are fun.
“Games like pool, foosball, air hockey and shuffleboard differ from traditional amusement games in that you are competing with another person instead of with the game. This interaction helps to make the amusement experience unique and memorable.”
Read the full article in the April issue of InterGame.
