Stinger REPORT Skinny!

(2/11/09) The development of amusement to suit players’ demands has always been an issue, but with a decline in amusement sales other pressures have impacted on the development process. The Stinger Report reveals the story of how the players found their voice to work with Konami and Betson to update the amusement release of ‘Dance Dance Revolution X’ (DDRX). TSR is the only media source that has managed to speak to the developer, manufacturer, distributor, and most importantly… the players involved!

MONTGOMERY, AL -- The stage is set for a major confrontation over electronic bingo in Alabama beginning on Wednesday, Dec. 2, when a new ruling by the state Supreme Court takes effect for the state's $2 billion a year bingo machine market.

Attorney General Troy King said this week that he has asked 18 local district attorneys across Alabama to enforce the high court's ban on bingo machines that fail to meet a six-point test. "We have to go in and make sure the machines are, in fact, noncompliant with the Supreme Court's test and, if they are [noncompliant], then those machines will be seized and people prosecuted," King said.

Gov. Bob Riley said this month's high court ruling means all electronic bingos are illegal, period. In a statement, Riley said, "I am calling on the attorney general and district attorneys, regardless of what their personal preferences may be on this issue, to honor their oaths of office to uphold the laws and the constitution of Alabama and to stop any organization that is violating the law." Riley had earlier formed his own taskforce to eliminate the devices statewide.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Exactly 120 years ago this week -- on Nov. 23, 1889 -- Louis Glass became the world's first music operator as well as the world's first jukebox manufacturer when he installed his nickel-in-the-slot machine at the Palais Royale Saloon, located here at 303 Sutter Street.

The forerunner of the modern jukebox was based on an Edison recording device that played a single wax cylinder. It caused a sensation and launched a worldwide jukebox craze, as well as launching the coin- operated music and amusements industry, and led to the recorded music industry of today.

While many histories describe Glass as the owner of the saloon, more authoritative sources say that the tavern was owned by Fred Mergenthaler and the jukebox inventor was general manager of the Pacific Phonograph Co., headquartered two blocks away on Pine Street.

MINNEAPOLIS -- The National Institute on the Media and the Family, best known for its annual Video Game Report Card, will cease to exist at year’s end because its chief financial supporter has dropped out, said NIMF founder and president Dr. David Walsh. For 14 years, NIMF commandeered congressional and nationwide media attention for its yearly reviews of the videogame industry’s performance. NIMF rated the industry on such issues as gameplay content, age-restriction labeling and retailers’ enforcement of age restrictions for game sales.

Along the way, NIMF earned a reputation for being fair- minded rather than for grinding an axe against the industry, as so many game critics have done. Walsh said NIMF's board is talking to other nonprofit organizations about handing over its research and watchdog role to them.

For more of the story, visit: Vending Times

January 2010's International Gaming Expo/Amusement Trades Exhibition International (IGE/ATEI) will include a special Innovation Showcase feature where exhibitors will be given the floor for 30-minute presentations.

The initiative is being offered free of charge to all IGE/ATEI exhibitors, allowing them an opportunity to highlight product launches, unveil new technologies, or brief show attendees on their business solutions. The Innovation Showcase will be located in a prime position on the show floor adjacent to the show's busiest restaurant and one of the strongest visitor density spots within Earls Court. Show dates are Jan. 26-28 in London, England. 

Showcases will run for the duration of the exhibition, starting at 11 a.m. each morning. Presentation slots will be allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis and are free to all exhibitors. Sponsorship opportunities, which include full branding of the area, pre-show marketing including weekly presence in Clarion's Gaming Industry News e-news shot, and an individual presentation slot within the Showcase are available. For more information, visit (www.atei-exhibition.com).

For more of the story, visit: PlayMeter.com