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Email: jw@sjc.co.uk Email: ks@sjc.co.uk Alison Dronfield
FIRST PERSON
By Chris Black
The jukebox -
No
joystick
120 years young required
WHILE THE LOW-STAKE
Chris Black, managing director of
GAMING MARKET
manufacturing stalwarts Sound Leisure,
PONDERS THE POSSIBILI-
explains to Games World why the jukebox,
TIES OF SERVER-BASED
GAMING, the amusement
originally invented 120 years ago, can survive
market will see a brand new type of
and thrive for decades to come.
interface in 2010 which could revo-
lutionise the video, redemption,
crane, sports simulation and
e believe that the first to demonstrate digital novelty sectors in years to come.
W
jukebox is enjoy- technology 20 years ago and A new muscle/computer inter-
ing a new heyday we have remained at the fore- face allows interaction with a com-
thanks to the front of the industry pushing puter without touching a keyboard,
digital revolution. the technology to new levels. mouse, stylus or joystick. In some
Back in the 1940/50s - the Our Milestones in Music tests, for example, a ‘gesture
jukebox was a focal point for technology takes jukeboxes for money. With the Sound recogniser’ programme can simu-
young people and the bars into the 21st century, combin- Pod, recently released at the late strumming and fretting so a
and cafes that sited them were ing music delivery with a London expo Preview, we are person can play ‘air guitar’.
the places where they could whole host of other entertain- bringing top quality digital Motion control and multi-touch
hear new record releases for ment features, such as quizzes technology to UK customers have become common in devices
the first time. The same is still and bingo at the touch of the at just £1695 - an incredible ranging from Nintendo’s Wii to
happening now, as we are able button. At the same time, we price to reflect the difficult table top games in the coin-op
to send pre-releases of the are helping to safeguard the economic times. arena such as Nova Productions’
latest tracks onto our juke- future of the sector by offer- We believe we have some- the widest Big Tony’s PokerKard. A muscle-
boxes, even before they are ing good old-fashioned value thing for everyone, as we have range of jukeboxes to be sensing system, however, could
available in the shops. found any- allow gamers to play a whole
There will always be a place where in the world. Whether wealth of different new games
for pay for play music in the The origin of the jukebox we are supplying a hand- without any form of controller.
kinds of pubs and bars that One of the early forerunners to the modern jukebox as we know it was the Nickel-in- crafted Nostalgia jukebox in Electromyography (EMG)
attract a young clientele, or the-Slot machine. In 1889, Louis Glass and William S. Arnold placed a coin-operated gleaming wood and chrome sensors can decode muscle
want to create a certain kind Edison cylinder phonograph in the Palais Royale Saloon in San Francisco. It was an or an upgrade to a box that’s signals from the skin’s surface as a
of convivial atmosphere. At Edison Class M Electric Phonograph in an oak cabinet that had been refitted with a coin been on site for years already, person performs certain gestures.
Sound Leisure we fully appre- mechanism. This was the first Nickel-in-the-Slot. The machine had no amplification we do it with passion - Researchers attached such
ciate that what we do on a day and customers had to listen to the music using one of four ‘listening tubes’. In its first because we all love what we sensors to their forearms, and built
to day basis is creating history six months of service, the Nickel-in-the-Slot earned over $1,000 - a staggering do and have pride in being a a gesture recognition library by
and we are extremely proud amount for that era. family business and a UK man- monitoring muscle signals related
of this. Sound Leisure was the ufacturer. to each gesture. The project
emerged as a collaborative effort
between Microsoft, University of
Washington in Seattle and the Uni-
Don’t write off 2010 yet
versity of Toronto in Canada.
The possibilities become seem-
ingly endless when the muscle
sensing system combines with
existing gadgets. Joggers can
Marcus Webb of Vending Times assesses what lies ahead for the industry.
switch songs on their mp3 player
by using a few quick hand gestures
without breaking stride, and
people with full hands might just
T
he amusements industry has cans love.” beloved, familiar experiences squeeze whatever they’re holding
survived the “Great Reces- It would be just as easy for FEC wrapped in shiny new packages. to pop the car boot or unlock the
sion.” The shrinking of the owners and operators to say: “We Successful companies update doors.
Gross Domestic Product is over, have come through the Great those packages every year, and The system could also add
according to an announcement Recession by highlighting sometimes more frequently. extra interactive possibilities for
from the US Commerce Depart- redemption games and prizes, and It’s not just the familiar taste future motion control in video
ment. The economy actually grew by keeping our perceived value that makes McDonald’s a reces- games, such as Microsoft’s
3.5 per cent during the third high while keeping play prices sion-era hit. It’s a combination of camera-based Project Natal.
quarter of 2009. However, unem- comparatively low." This, also, is the cheap (value pricing), the For the amusement sector, the
ployment will probably top 10 per correct - but it is not the whole familiar (most items on the menu) technology could be the best thing
cent by mid-2010, economists truth. and the novel (new food packag- to happen to it for many years as it
admitted. So, for the next year at It would be easy for both street ing, new location themes and new opens up a myriad of creative pos-
least, location traffic will probably and FEC operators to say: “We chain-wide marketing cam- sibilities.
remain light and the cashbox will have come through the Great paigns).
probably remain “less than over- Recession because we are provid- Operators know that consumers
flowing.” But the coin-op trade is ing classic entertainment. Ameri- love the familiar; manufacturers
populated by determined and rentals. cans like repeatable experiences. constantly point out that con-
smart survivors. Before the latest It would be easy for amusement Pool, music and video games have sumers crave novelty. Both are
recession began, today’s opera- operators to say: “We have come not fundamentally changed since correct. The familiar, wrapped in
tors had fought through a 15-year through the Great Recession by the days they were invented. You the novel, and offered at a com-
industry contraction. getting back to the basics - pool, pay a small price and enjoy a game pelling price-point, is the unbeat-
Today’s consumer success music and countertops - that of billiards, a video adventure or a able formula for consumer
stories include McDonald’s, which Americans have always loved and song in a public venue. Classic success in good times and bad. Video games with
is still generating sales with its $1 always will love. And we have sur- entertainment will always have a Operators who know this secret joysticks - could soon
menu. Redbox continues to grow vived by keeping our vend prices in vibrant market.” will continue to find a solid market be a thing of the past
with its $1 vend price for DVD the $1 or less range that Ameri- Americans prefer to have their in 2010 and beyond.
GamesWorld | 34 | December 2009/January 2010
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