Page 24 - OSG Presents Classic Gamer Magazine #6

together with other players who love the classics how they will spend their money, so companies appeal and we phased them out in the late
and re-live your childhood? I always tell people to have become more selective in what they put into '80's. I have noticed a revival in this type of
go upstairs into the classic room, close their eyes the market. This has had some positive and nega- activity so you may see us start doing them
and listen. The sounds bring back many memo- tive effects along the way. The positive being bet- again. The players, young and old, are re-
ries. If you get a chance, try it and you'll see what ter, higher quality games. The negative being discovering the classic games and all the
I mean. fewer games being released each year. Overall, hoopla that went with them. As long as I
This year's long distance champions were my opinion is the game market has improved in don't have to start wearing shiny shirts with
Tommi Tiihonen and Esa Kokko of Helsinki, quality with better, more advanced games being skinny ties again, that's fine with me. We
Finland. Eyal Cohen of Israel traveled the furthest offered to the public. Daytona, Hydro Thunder, even used to have a Funspot Fun-Club
for the 1999 tournament. Rick Fothergill of Can- California Speed, and Star where players
ada set a new Junior Pac-Man record and Zack Wars Trilogy are some of could join and get
Hample of New York won $1,000 for breaking the the newer pieces that “Members also got to be the first special discounts
world record on Arkanoid. Donald Hayes of Sa- come to mind when I think ones to try new games when we got and attend
lem, NH surprised everyone with his Centipede of the improvements made "Members Only"
skills. Usually you know who the champions are over the years. Heck, re- them. We would section off the after hours par-
and what game they play when they come to the member when a driving game and only allow members to ties. Members
tournament, but Donald came out and showed game consisted of a plas- also got to be the
his talents to all of us. He returned in November tic car on a wire running on play it for the first week! first ones to try
and broke the existing world record on Centipede top of a conveyor belt The '80's sure were fun and new games when
with an amazing nine and a half hour perform- "track?" Oops, I think I'm we got them. We
ance! Some day I hope to beat Walter Day's dating myself here. unique.” would section off
score on Squid Search. I guess I'll have to keep The "arcade" has the game and only
practicing. changed with the times. I really don't think you allow members to play it for the first week!
could open up a traditional arcade anymore and The '80's sure were fun and unique.
CGM: How do you see our industry today and make it. By traditional, I mean just video games
where do you see it going? and pinball. Diversity is the answer. You need to CGM: After nineteen years at Funspot, I'm
have a little something for everyone or you won't sure you've got lots of stories. Would you
GV: The industry has definitely changed over the make it in this business. At Funspot, we have a share some of your favorite moments with
years. Back in the mid-1980's you could throw large variety of attractions so there is something us?
any collection of games into an empty storefront for everyone.
and make a lot of money; now it's very different. If GV: I had a couple hold their wedding recep-
it had a monitor and some joysticks, you could CGM: How big is Funspot, and what are some of tion here at Funspot. It was a second mar-
pretty much guarantee that you'd make money. the attractions you mentioned earlier? riage for both of them and they wanted to do
Games today are so different than when I started something different this time around. Since
in the business. In the past, most games were GV: Funspot has over 60,000 square feet of floor many of the guests were bringing their fami-
either puzzle/maze based or problem solving. space on three levels. We offer 500+ games, food, lies with them, Funspot was the perfect
Now it seems the trend is multiple buttons with candlepin/ten pin bowling, miniature golf, a driving choice for them. At the time, we had a spe-
tons of secret moves. Since these games tend to range, a 400-seat commercial bingo hall, The D.A. cial exhibit here of African Elephants and the
be so complicated, many players never learn all Long Tavern, and a new state-of-the-art indoor golf bride rode an elephant in her gown! Need-
the moves or secrets it takes to really master the center featuring six Full Swing Golf Simulators. less to say, her gown was a little dirty after
game. Check our web site at www.funspotnh.com for that and it was even worse after she rode
I am glad to see the improvement of driving more details. the go-carts! They had a great time.
games though. We were sitting down the other We had a tense moment here in the sum-
day reminiscing about the "old days" when I CGM: How has the growth of the home video mer of 1988. We had just opened our new
brought up Pole Position. I remember taking the game market affected Funspot? Bowling Center a few months before and
plastic and cardboard off that game when it ar- were getting ready for a good summer sea-
rived in our Amherst location. We would stay af- GV: I'm sure the home market has affected our son. I had to go to the bank and was gone
ter work just to play it because it was "so realis- business somewhat but I don't see how you could for about an hour. During that time we had a
tic!" Is that funny or what! I look at it now and it ever measure the extent of that impact. In my opin- torrential rainstorm. “Great,” I thought, “we'll
seems so primitive, but hey, it was the cat's ion, the home market will never eliminate the Fam- be really busy now!” As I headed back to
meow back then. ily Entertainment Center. Coming here is a social Funspot, I noticed the parking lot looked
As far as availability goes, there does not event. People didn't stop going to the movies when empty. I pulled in and there were maybe 10
seem to be as much today as, say 15 years ago. the VCR came out, nor did the restaurant business cars in the lot! This lot will hold over 400
I think this is due to selectivity. By that I mean die when microwave ovens made cooking a cars so something had happened. I got into
consumers have become more selective as to breeze. People like to go out, meet other people the building and there was 2 inches of mud
and have a good time. That's a little diffi-
cult to do sitting by yourself in the
living room.

CGM: Describe Funspot during the
'80s or "Golden Age" of arcade gam-
ing.

GV: We used to be open 24 hours a
day during the 1980's summer sea-
sons. It was wild! There were so
many people here that it was next to
impossible to track individual play-
ers. During the off-season, we had
pinball tournaments, pinball leagues,
video game of the week contests,
etc. Slowly, those activities lost their

Scott Penley and Starr Lawton Enjoy Funspot (1979) Gary Vincent Getting Jiggy on Hydro Thunder

Classic Gamer Magazine Spring 2001 24