Putting games on location

Mizzou

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I'm curious about those of you who have put a few games on location before. Not opening up an arcade but putting a few vids and pins in at a local restaurant/bar. How has your experience been? Any good advice for people?
 
Expect the game to get trashed. You generally will not make enough to cover repairs. If you proceed, get strong locks.
 
Expect the game to get trashed. You generally will not make enough to cover repairs. If you proceed, get strong locks.

^^^

This. Maybe if you have a beat to hell converted black painted piece of shit laying around and an extra 60-in-1, you could make a couple bucks here and there in a super high traffic area, but it's generally just not worth it, especially if ANYTHING on the cab can be broken or torn up.
 
I was tasked with recovering a bunch of games an op had bought and get them working in Omaha.

Some were DOA. The DOA's generally cost $200 to $700 to recover.

Some were partially working, and I brought them back to 100%.

So, we opened the arcade. Business picked up. The Op elected to not get revenue stamps (I did warn him multiple times).

Then the downtime started.

Things got broken. The gun got ripped off a Williams Sharpshooter.

The monitor went out on Xenophobe (cap kit, back in service, 2 days downtime)

Missile Command glitched with a screen roll every time it was downpowered. Open the door (still had the interlock) and close it, back to normal.

It was a constant battle to keep everything running. (I was moonlighting nights and weekends to keep his stuff going)

Rock-and-Bowl-Arama was the worst of the bunch - it ran around $10 between complete failures. That one took a new CPU, a new monitor, and a changed drive system (went to jump drives). It was Linux based, so I couldn't make copies (no Linux system).

I think the Op made money, until the revenue police found the games. I'm not sure about now - I got transferred out.

Air Hockey and DDR were the best of the bunch. You could pull buckets of tokens out of each - the only thing that would cripple DDR was the stupid single slot coin door - someone would slam it with pennies, and it's offline until I can unjam it.

The same for the coin changer - generally good, but people would pack it with quarters, and then it would be an hour to unjam the coin chute. Crappy design - I became an expert using a plastic knife to extract coins that were jammed in the dropway.

If you love your games, don't put them on location.
 
Yea I've said it before, I'll say it again.

Free play in Texas will be short lived.

It will be coin ops bitching about free play arcades opening and not having to jump through hoops like coin ops have to.

GBL or otherwise.
 
I look at these things we collect like vintage cars. A few years ago I decided it would be cool to use a 1973 VW Bug as a daily driver. Despite the fact it was a great example it was not exactly reliable. These vintage games were never designed to last 20,30,40+ years. The survivors we hold so dear simply for the most part will not stand the rigor for which they were designed to sustain when they were brand new. Just like my VW.
 
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Only have 2 cabs in the restaurant and they get their share of beatings from little kids. Its nice to see people enjoy the games (The parents who teach their kids to play) but most likely its the ones that will test the weight limit of the joysticks. The showcase cab is basically an indoor jungle gym if you don't tell them to get off of it.
 
I guess I'm in the minority here as I've had games on location for several years now and had zero problems.

It really depends on what kind of location you put them in and your relationship with the location owner. I have a few of mine in grocery stores/bars owned by my family and a coupe of others in local pizza places close to my house.

Except for a monitor needing a rebuild and, most recently, a Pacman board needing a rebuild (after going strong for 3 years), no real problems. The games are well-looked after though by the location staff and I don't have anything super valuable out there, so there's that.

Basically any common stuff i get for a deal, and i have a place for it, I'll put out. I do make a couple to a few hundred a month all together from the locations, but that's because I don't have to cut the locations in on the take. [emoji4]

I have one pin in that mix of machines and I will say that's a pain in the neck to keep running perfectly sometimes.

Machines that I have out there and the breakdown (if anyone is curious or cares):

Star Wars Trilogy pin

SF2

Original Pacman

Track and Field

Original Ms. Pacman

Neo Geo 2 slot

Arkanoid cocktail (in a williams CT cab)

The SF2 and pin are in one family owned location, the Pac in another, and the Ms. Pac in another. The Arkanoid, T&F, and Neo Geo are in separate pizza places in town. The Pac makes the most money and the T&F makes the least. I have MS2, Baseball Stars 2, a rally race game i can't remember the name of, and Puzzle Bobble in the Neo Geo.
 
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My experience is most likely the exception.

I've had a cocktail Frogger at a small restaurant for nearly 10 years. I think I paid $75 for it at a super auctions. It needed a flyback, and a new glass top. It's been running 24/7 practically since then.

The first few years I tried to use a glass top, which dumb ass people would always break. Then I switched to whatever plastic lowes sells, I think it's lexan. I've replaced the joysticks once. This year I powder coated all the metal bits, and repainted the black lower half. Since it's just the Sega cocktail, it's pretty indestructible I guess.

It does make a small amount of money. Probably the best part is seeing so many people play it, old and young. Occasionally the coin chute gets jammed, usually the result of someone trying to use dimes or pennies.

Once I put a half dozen classics at a pizza restaurant, and yeah, that didn't make enough money for the effort.
 
Is this because the Fairfax place with pins (wick & others) closed down? I am wondering where the next place may be. Anyway, Interested in what research you find out like VA fees etc. I would try it just to see how it goes.
 
That is one difference - continuously attended - the location in Omaha wasn't attended. The best you'd get is if one of the staff walked through, or I was in working.

The challenge is that which is unseen can wander. He had to buy new mallets for the air hockey game several times, since they'd walk.

What kind of a$$hat steals air hockey mallets?
 
I have Galaga, T&F and Joust at a brewery (they have a taproom) near my house. The first 2 games are in mint condition and they have NOT been abused. Sure they get some dirt, but that's not hard to wipe off. Customers respect the games and employees keep an eye on them.

Do they make much money? Nope. Does it allow folks to have some nostalgia and get kids playing something fantastically odd to their little brains? Hell yes!

My advice to the OP would be....

1) Pick your location carefully. If you have to put a giant lock bar across the front, you have the wrong location.
2) Select fun, popular titles that are easy to play. I had Stargate on location for a while - it was too hard to play and didn't get touched much so I brought in T&F.
3) Do up a short contract for you and the owner to sign.
4) Check on the games once a week....I drop in on Saturdays and cuz it's a brewery I enjoy a beer or two......for free.
5) Expect some coin jams, buttons not working and other repair work.
6) If a game isn't getting any play, swap it out.

I'm thinking of opening a barcade so this location helps me see how much the games get played, how much maintenance is involved and I'm learning the bar side of things from the helpful staff and owner........my barcade will be 40 miles away so they don't feel threatened.
 

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to play devil's advocate though ...

98% of folks on KLOV say to NOT do it, but yet there are still plenty of Ops here.

in the right circumstances, with the right environment and right Op, it sounds like it can still be a viable/sensible option

(FWIW, the only way i'd ever do this is with generic, crappy 60-n-1s because it's only really folks like us in the hobby that give 2 shits about authenticity)

Yep. Get this idea out of your head as fast as you can. Go get something that will keep you occupied and be much less hassle, like 5 new kittens or some puppies.
Signed,
Full time operator.
 
Whatever you put on location, use cabinets you don't care about. Not saying they will get totally beat up, but expect to come across some shit stain's autograph carved into your cab or glass at some point.
 
This a very interesting thread

I have been looking at opening an 80s / vaporwave themed arcade in my town. Much like the barcades except it will be more of a coffee bar to keep it family friendly. To have a lot of community spirit by supporting local colleges and high schools and such.

I am dealing with the obstacles of doing this though because of the risks, and the lease rates and such, and wonder if its worth it.

Sure, I could just build a man cave instead, but mancaves to me are just rather reclusive and hoarder-ish. I can't really enjoy my collection just sitting and collecting dust most of the time. I would like to see my collection have some kind of purpose.
 
personally I'm not social enough to want to put my games out there. I like my small den of games, and a few select friends come over once a week to play the games and shoot the breeze.
 
A couple things to consider.

Get licenses. The city hall in the town can tell you what is all needed. Might be on you, your business, and each game. And you can check zoning ordinances there too on where you can and can't put games. If you try without any of this, some cities have big fines and can confiscate your equipment.

Get your own insurance. Don't depend on location for that. Get your own. Might be a one in a million shot, but if someone gets hurt. Everything you own can be gone.

And you might consider being an op, or not. A hobby op is tough. Just sitting down to dinner and location calls and wants game fixed now or out back it goes. Good bye family life. And burglars and fires are 24/7. You can have to run in the middle of the night.

LTG : )
 
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