(Topic ID: 264119)

The “temporarily closed or worried about having to close my arcade” thread

By pookycade

4 years ago


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    #1001 3 years ago
    Quoted from LTG:

    Minneapolis MN lost a little.
    https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/07/29/mayor-jacob-frey-announces-bar-areas-must-close-again-due-to-covid-19-spread/
    No standing, or sitting, or walking up to bars to order.
    Hope it doesn't get worse.
    LTG : )

    It says they can point to 9 bars that had issues. I wonder/hope they looked at what those places were doing and what others without issues were doing. Take the comparison and update the guidelines with lessons learned. If these 9 places were not following the guidelines while others were, well that’s your issue right there.

    The knee jerk “shut it all down” reactions are too much when you actually have behavioral data to look at and can correct where some places are not doing things properly.

    #1002 3 years ago
    Quoted from desertT1:

    It says they can point to 9 bars that had issues. I wonder/hope they looked at what those places were doing and what others without issues were doing. Take the comparison and update the guidelines with lessons learned. If these 9 places were not following the guidelines while others were, well that’s your issue right there.
    The knee jerk “shut it all down” reactions are too much when you actually have behavioral data to look at and can correct where some places are not doing things properly.

    Yeah I noticed that they mentioned that the area is "over the average" for COVID numbers. If you were to look at a heat map of MN I would sure expect that since it's probably the most populous area of the state. Everyone could be trying their hardest and as long as we have at least 1 case, someone is going to be over the average :/

    #1003 3 years ago
    Quoted from ForceFlow:

    Here in upstate NY, arcades are still not allowed to open. Just caught a news story on one of the large area arcades and what they've done in preparation to hopefully reopen.
    https://wnyt.com/capital-region-comeback/arcades-remain-closed-during-pandemic/5809812/?cat=10114
    They've removed 30 games (from their usual pool of 80 or so games) and blocked off games that are directly next to each other. It looks like the pins were removed. They're mainly a redemption arcade, and pins don't do anywhere near the business as the redemption games do, so I'm not surprised that they were taken out.

    Details on the arcade that was shut down:

    https://poststar.com/news/local/lake-george-fun-park-arcade-cited-for-illegally-operating/article_c186e94f-8296-5b54-8442-1a1a968fd8e0.html

    Their certificate of occupancy was suspended as punishment:

    https://poststar.com/news/local/warren-county-cracking-down-on-businesses-that-violate-covid-19-rules/article_11134483-7df5-5c21-bc4c-94e9c5216742.html

    #1004 3 years ago
    Quoted from KenLayton:

    We just had our grand opening of the Olympia Pinball Museum two weeks ago. Now we are closed temporarily. After our governor said all schools will be closed from now till April 24th, our business dropped like a rock. On Friday the 13th we had a grand total of one customer all day. Everyone around here in Olympia is in "panic mode" and at the stores emptying the store shelves of toilet paper and sanitizer. You wouldn't believe how crowded the stores were yesterday at 8 am. It was just like Black Friday at the Lacey (Washington) Fred Meyer store. Every single register (they have 20 regular and 8 self check) was open and with tons of people in line.
    Fortunately, our grand opening at the museum brought in enough money to "weather the storm" for about three months. Granted, nobody likes to be closed, but I think we will be ok.

    this was an early post in this thread..wanted to hear if Olympia pinball museum was able to survive under the current conditions?.hope all is well and the very best of luck..

    11
    #1005 3 years ago

    We’re nowhere near our usual summer blowout attendance levels, but we’re keeping the lights on and the guests safe and happy.

    Today was busy enough to announce a socially-distanced competition. The winner got a free game on our Safecracker which dispenses custom RPM souvenir tokens (alas, they came within two spaces of the vault).

    So far, so good.

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    #1006 3 years ago
    Quoted from ForceFlow:

    Here in upstate NY, arcades are still not allowed to open. Just caught a news story on one of the large area arcades and what they've done in preparation to hopefully reopen.
    https://wnyt.com/capital-region-comeback/arcades-remain-closed-during-pandemic/5809812/?cat=10114
    They've removed 30 games (from their usual pool of 80 or so games) and blocked off games that are directly next to each other. It looks like the pins were removed. They're mainly a redemption arcade, and pins don't do anywhere near the business as the redemption games do, so I'm not surprised that they were taken out.

    This is what I’m so confused about.

    Now Here Pinball is open and he’s just a couple hours west of us STILL IN NY so why did they punish the arcade up Lake George? It makes no damn sense.

    No offense or ill will towards NHP, more power to them and I hope they can keep beating this! I’m just upset at the extremely vague guidelines that have left entertainment venues in the dark.

    Quoted from crazypinballguy:

    N.H.P. is finally able to open on Saturday.
    Must adhere to: 25% capacity, masks, sanitizing, yada, yada, yada.
    Wish me luck!

    The mall is open and my doors are still closed, yet the guy who operators kiddie rides immediately outside my gates in the hallways of the mall has his Key Masters and crane games lined up, mocking me.

    If this is the game we’re gonna play, then why can’t I simply move my games outside my gates and line them up on the wall outside my arcade? Apparently that’s okay and the mall provides the cleaning and the sanitizer for those machines.

    I’m still paying rent so maybe tomorrow I’ll put all my pins outside the gates and flip them on and let Cuomo chew on that. Show me what regulation I’m breaking that apparently the guy literally 15 feet outside my gates isn’t?
    There’s been quite a few patrons asking when we’ll reopen the arcade and asking the vintage video game store across the hall as well.

    To add insult to injury; maybe I’ll throw my huge 600lb soda machine outside the gate as well and charge 50¢ less than the ones across from my arcade.

    #1008 3 years ago

    I couldn’t agree more here. The problem is just completely inconsistent rules, serving as almost a throw spaghetti at a wall and see what sticks approach. So if you really want to take aim here, how about require good ventilation measures rather than just ban video games. And further how about help your businesses out by giving them decent guidance on infection control measures. Bringing out the spray sanitizer bottle and wiping down machines, which is about the extent of most people’s knowledge, is not gonna solve it. And the idea that somehow it’s the video games and not the bar, no masks, and poor ventilation that are identified as the true problem is just mind boggling

    #1009 3 years ago
    Quoted from Isochronic_Frost:

    This is what I’m so confused about.
    Now Here Pinball is open and he’s just a couple hours west of us STILL IN NY so why did they punish the arcade up Lake George? It makes no damn sense.
    No offense or ill will towards NHP, more power to them and I hope they can keep beating this! I’m just upset at the extremely vague guidelines that have left entertainment venues in the dark.

    The mall is open and my doors are still closed, yet the guy who operators kiddie rides immediately outside my gates in the hallways of the mall has his Key Masters and crane games lined up, mocking me.
    If this is the game we’re gonna play, then why can’t I simply move my games outside my gates and line them up on the wall outside my arcade? Apparently that’s okay and the mall provides the cleaning and the sanitizer for those machines.
    I’m still paying rent so maybe tomorrow I’ll put all my pins outside the gates and flip them on and let Cuomo chew on that. Show me what regulation I’m breaking that apparently the guy literally 15 feet outside my gates isn’t?
    There’s been quite a few patrons asking when we’ll reopen the arcade and asking the vintage video game store across the hall as well.
    To add insult to injury; maybe I’ll throw my huge 600lb soda machine outside the gate as well and charge 50¢ less than the ones across from my arcade.

    Better yet how about throw up multiple canopy tents in the parking lot, and park your games there. You can call it a drive thru. These totally haphazard inconsistent rules that have no logical sense to any of them are beyond frustrating. Arcades just getting lumped in Lock stock and barrel with bars seems some throwback to the 1940s and 50s pool hall image of what an arcade is and how badly people must be behaved in them.

    #1010 3 years ago

    Week 4 update. These just always turn into nail biters. Going into Friday we were at a stunning $200 for the week, and it was looking awful since on week 1-3 it was all prebooked with almost no weekend walk in traffic. Even at 3pm today we were only up to $500 had $85 (yeesh) for the day. But we finally got back walk-in traffic (even though we are now running in 2 hour blocks), and hit $1100 by end of day ($200 shy of break even) I mean let’s be honest this is just awful, almost penny-ante, but we lowered our costs so much this is survivable revenue. It’s just so hard to know whether the rise in cases is going to a) cause another shut down (all bars in Virginia Beach given strict new rules) b) people to be scared and avoid us c) finally have an infection traced back to the business which would effectively shut us down. I can throw everything I want at it and it’s still never gonna be 100% guaranteed anything.

    #1011 3 years ago

    Appreciate the updates Pook... all we can do is hang tuff and be serious about safety until things improve.

    I went to a local bowling alley this evening to celebrate a friend's birthday. I brought a full P100 respirator instead of my RPM mask, because I suspected there would be poor airflow, a lot of people inside, a lot of those people not wearing masks, and the rest of the people not wearing them properly.

    Which turned out to be exactly how it was.

    Lots of signs: Masks Required. Lots of nag screens on every bowling screen: Masks Required. All ignored.

    I saw plexi panels around the cash register and bottles of hand sanitizer on various tables.

    Did not believe any type of air exchange system was in place.

    Not good enough. Do everything right, or don't do it at all.

    #1012 3 years ago

    Btw in case it is helpful to anyone here is our most recent site post:

    Every one of these fans is placed throughout the arcade. Why? Airflow exchange!

    Why is it thought to be safe to be outside?
    1) constant breeze, which dilutes the virus
    2) UV light, which kills the virus

    Our goal is to make Decades the equivalent of an entirely outdoor arcade! We want you to be even safer than eating at an outdoor restaurant on a sunny/breezy day.

    There are 3 ways COVID-19 is thought to be transmissible: touch, droplet & air. Let's review each, with the fan explanation last (Reminder: a carrier person may have no symptoms, so anyone can be a carrier & not know)

    TOUCH
    A carrier touches a surface & leaves behind the virus. Someone touches that surface then touches their face.
    Decades has applied SD-90, an industrial-strength viruscide to all games, so if the virus lands on treated surface, it will die.
    Decades closes every 2 hours to spray 70% alcohol on all games. If there WAS any virus there, it's killed in less than a minute.
    Hand sanitizer in every room
    Hand sanitizer required when entering the arcade.

    DROPLET
    A carrier coughs or sneezes & droplets with the virus spray onto a person within a few feet.
    Decades requires everyone to wear masks at all times while inside. Masks prevent most droplets from spraying when properly worn over the nose & mouth. Our 3 dedicated Arcade Guardians watch with security cameras & walk-throughs to ensure gamers are wearing masks.
    Decades requires gamers to physically distance at least 6ft from other gamers not in their party.
    Decades limits total attendance in the arcade to no more than 25 at a time. Less people there, less droplets made

    AIRBORNE
    This one's where most consumer guidance has not yet caught up with the science. We're seeing evidence that extremely small particles containing the virus can be exhaled with normal breathing & talking. In stagnant air, such as homes or workplaces with closed windows & doors, the amount of the virus in the air can steadily rise as multiple people simply breathe in the space. These small particles can travel the entire length of a room in a few hours. Closed HVAC systems, if not properly maintained, can possibly aid in spreading these particles that contain the virus.
    Decades uses UVC light in each room (which kills virus particles in the air & on surfaces) every night after operation.
    Again, we require masks, which help catch some of these particles, but does not get them all, so:
    Decades has ensured that we have a complete air exchange every 15 minutes. We do this by keeping our back & front doors open & placing these fans throughout all in one direction so air cycles in & out constantly.
    Decades has HEPA-13, hospital grade air purifiers running in each room to also clean the air, effective for removing viral particles.

    Sorry for being so long-winded (ha!) But we hope this helps both in seeing how we have done our best to provide a place for you to relax and have fun with your friends and family safely, and in helping you plan your precautionary measures at home & your workplace. Nothing can be 100% safe, but we have taken every measure we can to make us safer than any other business you are likely to go to.

    11am & 1pm are private events today, but we have openings for public play at 4pm-6pm & 6:30pm-8:30pm. www.decadesarcade.com/book-now

    Oh wait I got another one: this is our favorite version of a "zoom" call!!

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    #1013 3 years ago
    Quoted from NicoVolta:

    Appreciate the updates Pook... all we can do is hang tuff and be serious about safety until things improve.
    I went to a local bowling alley this evening to celebrate a friend's birthday. I brought a full P100 respirator instead of my RPM mask, because I suspected there would be poor airflow, a lot of people inside, a lot of those people not wearing masks, and the rest of the people not wearing them properly.
    Which turned out to be exactly how it was.
    Lots of signs: Masks Required. Lots of nag screens on every bowling screen: Masks Required.
    I saw plexi panels around the cash register and bottles of hand sanitizer on various tables.
    Not good enough. Do everything right, or don't do it at all.

    I’d say your job given where you are is 10X harder than mine. I have many patients that come from well outside my deep blue town insulated bubble, and the stories I am confronted with cause me to go into almost regular apoplectic fits. Me: “No, singing with your church choir in front of a full congregation with no one wearing a mask is actually probably NOT a good idea” I know everyone means well, but fighting disinformation seems to occupy a growing percentage of my time

    #1014 3 years ago

    Excellent work Pooks. The "airflow knowledge" is finally trickling out and you're doing all you can to protect your guests FOR REAL vs. "safety theater". Will be to your credit as we progress through this horrid year and beyond.

    https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/07/why-arent-we-talking-more-about-airborne-transmission/614737/

    I'm very lucky in the sense that RPM is located within a large downtown building with mask requirements enforced at the main entrances. By the time any guests arrive at my museum (on the second floor), they have no excuse not to be masked up. Cuts way down on the enforcement though occasionally I will politely nag individuals who let it slip.

    Zero tolerance here. Play safe or not at all. Our guests WANT a safe environment they can trust. How horrible would it be if someone died because "following the rules was, like, such a bummer!"

    Did I mention 2020 sucks? 2020 so seriously sucks.

    #1015 3 years ago

    New Wired article: Cheap air mitigation tech seems legit! MERV13 + rubber bands + fan = worth a shot.

    7F4670DE-0E69-4A90-AC72-83B3153490C7 (resized).jpeg7F4670DE-0E69-4A90-AC72-83B3153490C7 (resized).jpeg
    #1017 3 years ago
    Quoted from NicoVolta:

    New Wired article: Cheap air mitigation tech seems legit! MERV13 + rubber bands + fan = worth a shot.[quoted image]

    Love the idea and will implement it

    #1019 3 years ago

    How is a gas pump or ATM any different that a pinball or arcade game? Everyone touches the same gas handle. Everyone touches the gas pump keypad numbers for zip code. Everyone touches the touchscreen.

    I don’t see any gas attendants or bank tellers wiping down these things between every customer. Granted, these are outside....but everyone’s fingers are touching the exact same spot over and over again.

    And restaurants? So..we wear a mask to go in and walk to the table and then everyone takes them off immediately when seated to eat. Even if people are sitting every other table, there is a half full room of people breathing and coughing and sneezing inside the same HVAC area.

    It’s a mess

    #1020 3 years ago
    Quoted from Blitzburgh99:

    How is a gas pump or ATM any different that a pinball or arcade game? Everyone touches the same gas handle. Everyone touches the gas pump keypad numbers for zip code. Everyone touches the touchscreen.
    I don’t see any gas attendants or bank tellers wiping down these things between every customer. Granted, these are outside....but everyone’s fingers are touching the exact same spot over and over again.
    And restaurants? So..we wear a mask to go in and walk to the table and then everyone takes them off immediately when seated to eat. Even if people are sitting every other table, there is a half full room of people breathing and coughing and sneezing inside the same HVAC area.
    It’s a mess

    The gas station thing always blows my mind. I don't know about the rest of the world but here in California gas pumps are self serve and there's zero hand sanitizer or wipes. I douse myself in the stuff after pumping my gas.

    #1021 3 years ago
    Quoted from PismoArcade:

    The gas station thing always blows my mind. I don't know about the rest of the world but here in California gas pumps are self serve and there's zero hand sanitizer or wipes. I douse myself in the stuff after pumping my gas.

    At the one I go to here in TX they have hand sanitizer and disposable gloves on all the pumps.

    #1022 3 years ago
    Quoted from PismoArcade:

    The gas station thing always blows my mind. I don't know about the rest of the world but here in California gas pumps are self serve and there's zero hand sanitizer or wipes. I douse myself in the stuff after pumping my gas.

    Yep. Leave my door open, clean my card and toss it on the dash mat. Then use one hand on the keypad and pump and the other to open the gas port and remove the cap. Same thing when it’s done pumping. Then clean my hands before touching anything else in the car.

    When I do a collection I put the count into a spreadsheet on my phone which gives data on each machine. So I’m touching my phone and the keys along with the coins. When I’m done I rub my keys and phone down with sanitizer and then go wash my hands.

    It seems obsessive but I used to wake up after my weekly tournament/collection with a sore throat almost every week. After getting in the habit of cleaning everything I touch after the event and collection I haven’t had one.

    #1023 3 years ago

    I'm glad I am not the only one who cringes using a gas pump. I keep a tub of Clorox wipes in my passenger seat. Pull one every time to wipe down the handle and use it to push any buttons.

    #1024 3 years ago

    Really been enjoying Oregon’s gas pump laws. Though we do pay for it.

    #1025 3 years ago
    Quoted from Blitzburgh99:

    How is a gas pump or ATM any different that a pinball or arcade game? Everyone touches the same gas handle. Everyone touches the gas pump keypad numbers for zip code. Everyone touches the touchscreen.

    I never liked touching gas pumps even before covid.

    Only now, I put on a glove every time I need to pump gas.

    Nobody is cleaning the handles, buttons, or screens.

    #1026 3 years ago
    Quoted from ForceFlow:

    I never liked touching gas pumps even before covid.
    Only now, I put on a glove every time I need to pump gas.
    Nobody is cleaning the handles, buttons, or screens.

    Apparently, freeplay3 is.

    #1027 3 years ago
    Quoted from desertT1:

    Apparently, freeplay3 is.

    Well, he's welcome to pay a visit to my local gas stations to make sure that everything is nice & clean

    11
    #1028 3 years ago

    Your weekly not so good report. This week we broke a record, but not in a good way. $750, which is only about $450 short of breakeven. If any good news, sold a pin which will make up the difference for the next month or two. Wanted to sell that pin anyway so we aren’t in desperation selling game by game off the floor. But we might well get there eventually. Now I gotta work at selling off a bunch of projects so we can jettison some storage costs.

    I have learned a lot in the last month. Making all these sanitation changes at the arcade might make me feel better knowing I am keeping people safer but I honestly feel it has done little to change anyone’s mindset about coming back. As I said our indoor is safer than any indoor business in town including a doctors office, but it’s still not enough. Perceived unsafe and unnecessary is for all intents and purposes reality. Walmart and Lowe’s doesn’t have to convince you to come in, and therefore doesn’t have to do anything other than unlock the door and set out a bottle of Purell.

    I however do need to convince people, but what I am learning is no change I can make is going to turn the tide here. There are much larger forces at work and I am gonna just have to decide how much I am willing to lose before throwing in the towel or hibernating like otherS have done already. Not willing to give up, but our fall usually sucks so I can expect more of this in the near term. I may be more amenable to shuttering in a few weeks.

    #1029 3 years ago
    Quoted from pookycade:

    Your weekly not so good report.

    Best wishes my friend.

    I wish I knew the answers to help you.

    LTG : )

    #1030 3 years ago
    Quoted from pookycade:

    Your weekly not so good report. This week we broke a record, but not in a good way. $750, which is only about $450 short of breakeven. If any good news, sold a pin which will make up the difference for the next month or two. Wanted to sell that pin anyway so we aren’t in desperation selling game by game off the floor. But we might well get there eventually. Now I gotta work at selling off a bunch of projects so we can jettison some storage costs.
    I have learned a lot in the last month. Making all these sanitation changes at the arcade might make me feel better knowing I am keeping people safer but I honestly feel it has done little to change anyone’s mindset about coming back. As I said our indoor is safer than any indoor business in town including a doctors office, but it’s still not enough. Perceived unsafe and unnecessary is for all intents and purposes reality. Walmart and Lowe’s doesn’t have to convince you to come in, and therefore doesn’t have to do anything other than unlock the door and set out a bottle of Purell.
    I however do need to convince people, but what I am learning is no change I can make is going to turn the tide here. There are much larger forces at work and I am gonna just have to decide how much I am willing to lose before throwing in the towel or hibernating like otherS have done already. Not willing to give up, but our fall usually sucks so I can expect more of this in the near term. I may be more amenable to shuttering in a few weeks.

    Why not keep the storage and close up?
    Wait it out a year. Sign a new lease, even new location if need be. But I'm a betting man landlord would take you back.
    I wish you the best regardless.
    I say keep the machine's.

    #1031 3 years ago
    Quoted from Ericpinballfan:

    Why not keep the storage and close up?
    Wait it out a year. Sign a new lease, even new location if need be. But I'm a betting man landlord would take you back.
    I wish you the best regardless.
    I say keep the machine's.

    It is a thought and a thought had when the lease ran out on our first location a couple of years back. Still mulling over what is best to do. Not trying to rush into anything. But I believe this calculus is what you are going to see a lot of arcade owners doing.

    #1032 3 years ago

    The problem is that you're "competing" with the 7x24 news cycle that seems to be trying to convince everyone that they are going to die from Corona if they go out for anything that resembles entertainment. It is going to take a lot of convincing to get people back out into the entertainment venues again.

    I have learned a lot in the last month. Making all these sanitation changes at the arcade might make me feel better knowing I am keeping people safer but I honestly feel it has done little to change anyone’s mindset about coming back. As I said our indoor is safer than any indoor business in town including a doctors office, but it’s still not enough. Perceived unsafe and unnecessary is for all intents and purposes reality. Walmart and Lowe’s doesn’t have to convince you to come in, and therefore doesn’t have to do anything other than unlock the door and set out a bottle of Purell.
    I however do need to convince people, but what I am learning is no change I can make is going to turn the tide here. There are much larger forces at work and I am gonna just have to decide how much I am willing to lose before throwing in the towel or hibernating like otherS have done already. Not willing to give up, but our fall usually sucks so I can expect more of this in the near term. I may be more amenable to shuttering in a few weeks.

    #1033 3 years ago
    Quoted from rmarket:

    The problem is that you're "competing" with the 7x24 news cycle that seems to be trying to convince everyone that they are going to die from Corona if they go out for anything that resembles entertainment. It is going to take a lot of convincing to get people back out into the entertainment venues again.
    I have learned a lot in the last month. Making all these sanitation changes at the arcade might make me feel better knowing I am keeping people safer but I honestly feel it has done little to change anyone’s mindset about coming back. As I said our indoor is safer than any indoor business in town including a doctors office, but it’s still not enough. Perceived unsafe and unnecessary is for all intents and purposes reality. Walmart and Lowe’s doesn’t have to convince you to come in, and therefore doesn’t have to do anything other than unlock the door and set out a bottle of Purell.
    I however do need to convince people, but what I am learning is no change I can make is going to turn the tide here. There are much larger forces at work and I am gonna just have to decide how much I am willing to lose before throwing in the towel or hibernating like otherS have done already. Not willing to give up, but our fall usually sucks so I can expect more of this in the near term. I may be more amenable to shuttering in a few weeks.

    I think I hoped to serve as a beacon of sorts locally to override misinformation, disinformation, contradiction, and everything else that is this disastrous response to the pandemic. And I think we succeeded a little in that regard, but not enough to move the needle from failing arcade business (an oxymoron in this environment) to “the only safe business to go to in town” which would let us scrape by. Too much background noise to overcome.

    I mean if you have a) an invisible enemy b) an unknown but increasing risk c) a decreasing paycheck d) a news cycle that hammers on more people getting this every day (no value judgment here as they are at least stating fact even if doing so primarily to increase viewership). I mean what would you do ? You would attend to those things you have to attend to and nothing else.

    This business will not improve for any of us until the numbers come down and the news starts to show happy people at an amusement park. They will be our free advertisement. Until then it’s trying to eek out survival using word of mouth that “this guy is doing it right”

    #1034 3 years ago

    On the subject of getting players to come out. We held a TMNT launch party this weekend. We got the word out pretty good. We limited entries to 25 players for social distancing and made masks mandatory. Only 14 players showed up. But we had a blast!

    tmnt top4 (resized).jpgtmnt top4 (resized).jpg
    #1035 3 years ago
    Quoted from LOTR_breath:

    On the subject of getting players to come out. We held a TMNT launch party this weekend. We got the word out pretty good. We limited entries to 25 players for social distancing and made masks mandatory. Only 14 players showed up. But we had a blast!
    [quoted image]

    14 would tie for my highest attendance tournament ever.

    I started doing league again on the first Saturday of this month. I made 2 different time slots with a max of 8 players. Ended up with 5 in each slot. Normal for league is about 16.

    I used to do weekly tournaments. IFPA points from that also count towards the City Championship standings that I keep. Top 12 players get invited to City. My normal count for weeklies was 8, with the range being 5-10 players.

    We haven’t done anything for a weekly since 2/27. I’m considering holding a monthly and that will let us get some more City points for 4 more events and then have City in December. There are sites that take a matchplay event and give IFPA point estimates, and that would be close enough. I don’t do weekly tournaments in Dec so I have tome to get the shirt order in for City. I have a shirt designed and made and give one to each player that qualifies.

    Edit: forgot to mention that same rules would apply as during league right now. Masks on in the Pinball area, wash you hands before and after, hand sanitizer on the table right behind the machines, and we won’t get over the 10 player limit anyway.

    #1036 3 years ago
    Quoted from pookycade:

    I think I hoped to serve as a beacon of sorts locally to override misinformation, disinformation, contradiction, and everything else that is this disastrous response to the pandemic. And I think we succeeded a little in that regard, but not enough to move the needle from failing arcade business (an oxymoron in this environment) to “the only safe business to go to in town” which would let us scrape by. Too much background noise to overcome.
    I mean if you have a) an invisible enemy b) an unknown but increasing risk c) a decreasing paycheck d) a news cycle that hammers on more people getting this every day (no value judgment here as they are at least stating fact even if doing so primarily to increase viewership). I mean what would you do ? You would attend to those things you have to attend to and nothing else.
    This business will not improve for any of us until the numbers come down and the news starts to show happy people at an amusement park. They will be our free advertisement. Until then it’s trying to eek out survival using word of mouth that “this guy is doing it right”

    Jumping into this thread way late, but as someone who desperately wants to go out to play pinball/get dinner/etc but isn't, maybe the perspective would help? I think one of the big things driving what you are seeing is the inconsistency of enforcement of things combined with social media. You see all these bars packed with people and can't help but assume every other place is doing the same thing. Do I want to risk going out to play pinball, only to get there and have half the people not wearing masks, nothing being wiped down, no distancing enforced, etc? Unfortunately that's become the norm rather than the exception and people who are taking this seriously are just choosing not to bother, so the people that are "doing it right" don't get to see the benefit.

    Even a few posts up, LOTR_breath talks about a tournament with masks (great!) and social distancing (great!) and then has a picture of 4 people elbow to elbow not distanced (not great!). This isn't to trash that person, but more to illustrate that a big part of the problem is even with the best effort and intentions, a lot of people know that masks and distancing at places like restaurants, bars and arcades is (usually) well intentioned, but just slips and isn't enforced by the staff or self-policed by the patrons. If I could trust everyone around me to be as diligent as I try to be I would feel much more comfortable, but I'm not there yet unfortunately because of everything you see on a daily basis. That's not to say I never slip up either and ALWAYS stay 6 feet away from people forever, but saying you're having a safe event and then posting pictures of people shoulder to shoulder is a pretty conscious decision.

    12
    #1037 3 years ago

    Have been reading this thread from the beginning and I just wanted to give my 5 cts. Not that it matters much but it is some other opinion than most I have read about.

    Actually I went a lot to Pinball arcades and a lot of amusement parks with the kids, but somehow I just do not want to anymore now that we have to wear masks and keep distance and everything. I admire all the things that guys like pookycade are doing a lot and I hope he will pull through just because of the heart he is putting into all of this, but I want going out to be fun and going to an amusement park, well, amusing.

    Normally I also like to go shopping, but not anymore. The fact that you never know what will happen or who will be offended (I witnessed a fight about being too close just this weekend in a store) is just not making it fun. Therefore we stay at home and my wife agrees with this. I would love to go out and go to the parks just about every day now the kids are on holiday, but not when we need to be on the lookout all the time.

    For me going out on a Pinball night, it is only about 10% for the Pinball machines. I want to have a fun and relaxing night, have something to drink and eat and talk with people. That is not so obvious and relaxed anymore in the current situation. Not affraid to catch the virus by the way, if we get it, we get it. We use our common sense trying to avoid getting infected as long as possible. So whatever you guys are doing to make it safe, for me it will not work as it is not fun anymore. Curious how many people feel the same as we do.

    #1038 3 years ago
    Quoted from ronaldvg:

    Have been reading this thread from the beginning and I just wanted to give my 5 cts. Not that it matters much but it is some other opinion than most I have read about.
    Actually I went a lot to Pinball arcades and a lot of amusement parks with the kids, but somehow I just do not want to anymore now that we have to wear masks and keep distance and everything. I admire all the things that guys like pookycade are doing a lot and I hope he will pull through just because of the heart he is putting into all of this, but I want going out to be fun and going to an amusement park, well, amusing.
    Normally I also like to go shopping, but not anymore. The fact that you never know what will happen or who will be offended (I witnessed a fight about being too close just this weekend in a store) is just not making it fun. Therefore we stay at home and my wife agrees with this. I would love to go out and go to the parks just about every day now the kids are on holiday, but not when we need to be on the lookout all the time.
    For me going out on a Pinball night, it is only about 10% for the Pinball machines. I want to have a fun and relaxing night, have something to drink and eat and talk with people. That is not so obvious and relaxed anymore in the current situation. Not affraid to catch the virus by the way, if we get it, we get it. We use our common sense trying to avoid getting infected as long as possible. So whatever you guys are doing to make it safe, for me it will not work as it is not fun anymore. Curious how many people feel the same as we do.

    Believe me I hear you loud and clear and agree. It’s about socializing as much as it is the games and it just ain’t the same right now. My primary job for now is to find a financial way to batten down the hatches, stay open, and wait this out financially until we can all start to live a little more freely. I do plan to stay open if at all possible, not because it’s the smartest financial decision to make here, but more because I consider it a challenge and responsibility to try to do so. When you are forced to run ultra lean it can paradoxically make you stronger and more clearheaded about want versus need. If anything it’s forced me to do the spring cleaning of games we have put off. We literally have tens of thousands in games just sitting in storage, waiting for rehab, doing nothing and that’s ridiculous when you think about it.

    #1039 3 years ago
    Quoted from grantopia:

    Jumping into this thread way late, but as someone who desperately wants to go out to play pinball/get dinner/etc but isn't, maybe the perspective would help? I think one of the big things driving what you are seeing is the inconsistency of enforcement of things combined with social media. You see all these bars packed with people and can't help but assume every other place is doing the same thing. Do I want to risk going out to play pinball, only to get there and have half the people not wearing masks, nothing being wiped down, no distancing enforced, etc? Unfortunately that's become the norm rather than the exception and people who are taking this seriously are just choosing not to bother, so the people that are "doing it right" don't get to see the benefit.
    Even a few posts up, LOTR_breath talks about a tournament with masks (great!) and social distancing (great!) and then has a picture of 4 people elbow to elbow not distanced (not great!). This isn't to trash that person, but more to illustrate that a big part of the problem is even with the best effort and intentions, a lot of people know that masks and distancing at places like restaurants, bars and arcades is (usually) well intentioned, but just slips and isn't enforced by the staff or self-policed by the patrons. If I could trust everyone around me to be as diligent as I try to be I would feel much more comfortable, but I'm not there yet unfortunately because of everything you see on a daily basis. That's not to say I never slip up either and ALWAYS stay 6 feet away from people forever, but saying you're having a safe event and then posting pictures of people shoulder to shoulder is a pretty conscious decision.

    Well if you come to my place we police mask wearing. Three strikes and you are out. First we ask nicely to wear the mask correctly, next we are more insistent about our policy of wearing correctly, third we refund your money - no soup for you and ask kindly if you would please leave since you can’t abide by our policy.

    #1040 3 years ago

    Just for clarification, in that picture above, that's about the only time anyone stood that close together, and it was for about 10-15 seconds.

    #1041 3 years ago
    Quoted from pookycade:

    Well if you come to my place we police mask wearing. Three strikes and you are out. First we ask nicely to wear the mask correctly, next we are more insistent about our policy of wearing correctly, third we refund your money - no soup for you and ask kindly if you would please leave since you can’t abide by our policy.

    Quoted from LOTR_breath:

    Just for clarification, in that picture above, that's about the only time anyone stood that close together, and it was for about 10-15 seconds.

    Understood, honestly wasn't picking on you, just offering my perspective on it. I'm in a very similar place with restaurants too. I'm dying to get a babysitter and go to dinner with the wife, but the total crapshoot on what the situation is going to be like is just such a deterrent. My point was that it's a shame everyone doesn't take the same approach you do because I feel like it's ruining it for the people that are taking things seriously and trying to make it work. It's a huge bummer.

    #1042 3 years ago

    You're so right, this is the problem and it will be hard to get people out of this way of thinking and back into arcades and other entertainment venues. I feel the same way even at some of my locations. (I supply the games a few arcades and at some of the places, I don't have control over how the arcades themselves are run) I'm also in agreement with doing what I can to prevent catching the virus but not worrying about catching it.

    Quoted from ronaldvg:

    Have been reading this thread from the beginning and I just wanted to give my 5 cts. Not that it matters much but it is some other opinion than most I have read about.
    Actually I went a lot to Pinball arcades and a lot of amusement parks with the kids, but somehow I just do not want to anymore now that we have to wear masks and keep distance and everything. I admire all the things that guys like pookycade are doing a lot and I hope he will pull through just because of the heart he is putting into all of this, but I want going out to be fun and going to an amusement park, well, amusing.
    Normally I also like to go shopping, but not anymore. The fact that you never know what will happen or who will be offended (I witnessed a fight about being too close just this weekend in a store) is just not making it fun. Therefore we stay at home and my wife agrees with this. I would love to go out and go to the parks just about every day now the kids are on holiday, but not when we need to be on the lookout all the time.
    For me going out on a Pinball night, it is only about 10% for the Pinball machines. I want to have a fun and relaxing night, have something to drink and eat and talk with people. That is not so obvious and relaxed anymore in the current situation. Not affraid to catch the virus by the way, if we get it, we get it. We use our common sense trying to avoid getting infected as long as possible. So whatever you guys are doing to make it safe, for me it will not work as it is not fun anymore. Curious how many people feel the same as we do.

    #1043 3 years ago

    Pinball machines deserve to be in an exclusive environment. Initial cost as well as the novelty factor puts these games in Beachfront / Waterfront Apartments, high-end restaurants and Clubs.
    A Marketer would look at the current situation and make some changes. The former smoky (or not) Arcade mindset will require a new look.

    -21
    #1044 3 years ago
    Quoted from ronaldvg:

    Have been reading this thread from the beginning and I just wanted to give my 5 cts. Not that it matters much but it is some other opinion than most I have read about.
    Actually I went a lot to Pinball arcades and a lot of amusement parks with the kids, but somehow I just do not want to anymore now that we have to wear masks and keep distance and everything. I admire all the things that guys like pookycade are doing a lot and I hope he will pull through just because of the heart he is putting into all of this, but I want going out to be fun and going to an amusement park, well, amusing.
    Normally I also like to go shopping, but not anymore. The fact that you never know what will happen or who will be offended (I witnessed a fight about being too close just this weekend in a store) is just not making it fun. Therefore we stay at home and my wife agrees with this. I would love to go out and go to the parks just about every day now the kids are on holiday, but not when we need to be on the lookout all the time.
    For me going out on a Pinball night, it is only about 10% for the Pinball machines. I want to have a fun and relaxing night, have something to drink and eat and talk with people. That is not so obvious and relaxed anymore in the current situation. Not affraid to catch the virus by the way, if we get it, we get it. We use our common sense trying to avoid getting infected as long as possible. So whatever you guys are doing to make it safe, for me it will not work as it is not fun anymore. Curious how many people feel the same as we do.

    I feel exactly like you do. Give me liberty or give me death.

    If I ever get my shit hole of an arcade open I am going to assume you have a medical reason not to wear a mask and no I won't harrass you into compliance. I will do my best to keep you safe, via limiting occupancy, disinfecting surfaces every half hour, providing hand sanitizer and encouraging social distancing when possible.

    However, all the crazy germaphobes and mask shamers can stay at home. I don't want your business and in fact I have been paying the rent just fine the past year and a half with the doors locked. If it gets shut down over this shit I'll welcome it and get back to doing what I do best, but ultimately it's the local community who will lose out.

    Yeah, I know my opinion is unpopular and hated by most of you, but I didn't get to where I am in life by being a fucking follower.

    Also, if I come off as angry, you're damn right. It's all this spineless sheeplike behavior it's more disgusting than that recycled face diaper you keep stuffed in your pocket.

    In closing I would like to say, sorry for all the operators who do not have the luxery to afford my attitude. I feel for you and damn your local leaders for putting you in this position.

    10
    #1045 3 years ago
    Quoted from phil-lee:

    Pinball machines deserve to be in an exclusive environment. Initial cost as well as the novelty factor puts these games in Beachfront / Waterfront Apartments, high-end restaurants and Clubs.

    Couldn't disagree more. Pinball is for the proletariat. It's been an affordable escape for almost a century. Even in the great depression most folks could spare a penny for ten plunges on Baffle Ball. They belong in dive bars, arcades, pizza parlors, train terminals, and anywhere regular working people can spare a buck for a few minutes of mechanical magic.

    #1046 3 years ago
    Quoted from WolfManCat:

    Give me liberty or give me death.

    Never has this choice been more literal. Don't let a face napkin choke out your god-given right to FREEDOM from making even one small concession for others. Fuck 'em. You do you. Stay strong WolfManCat.

    #1047 3 years ago
    Quoted from yancy:

    Couldn't disagree more. Pinball is for the proletariat. It's been an affordable escape for almost a century. Even in the great depression most folks could spare a penny for ten plunges on Baffle Ball. They belong in dive bars, arcades, pizza parlors, train terminals, and anywhere regular working people can spare a buck for a few minutes of mechanical magic.

    and some ops need to spare a few bucks to keep the games working I'm seen to many beat down games that don't play that good.

    #1048 3 years ago

    Alamo Drafthouse Movie Theaters are letting you have private showings:

    https://gizmodo.com/alamo-will-now-let-you-watch-movies-the-way-youve-alway-1844692525

    That was always my thought. If a place like an arcade is sitting empty anyways, why not turn that into a positive and create an exclusive experience where people won't share it with anyone else?

    #1049 3 years ago
    Quoted from frolic:

    Alamo Drafthouse Movie Theaters are letting you have private showings:
    https://gizmodo.com/alamo-will-now-let-you-watch-movies-the-way-youve-alway-1844692525
    That was always my thought. If a place like an arcade is sitting empty anyways, why not turn that into a positive and create an exclusive experience where people won't share it with anyone else?

    I just purchased a family fun center that went under.

    Thats what were doing in the near term. The biggest issue is, it's very hard to make a private rental make economic sense.

    #1050 3 years ago
    Quoted from yancy:

    Couldn't disagree more. Pinball is for the proletariat. It's been an affordable escape for almost a century. Even in the great depression most folks could spare a penny for ten plunges on Baffle Ball. They belong in dive bars, arcades, pizza parlors, train terminals, and anywhere regular working people can spare a buck for a few minutes of mechanical magic.

    What you say was true at a certain time in History, things have changed. I miss that time.

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