A Deeper Dive Into Operating Pinball In A Modern Arcade (Follow up video)

1 year ago
233

https://arcadeheroes.com - Following up on the video, "How Does Pinball Do In A Regular Arcade in 2022," as many of you had comments, thoughts and criticisms to share about the thoughts there. In this video I provide more insight into why I don't go the bar/arcade & entry fee/time pass route and share some additional details on how pinball performs from other ops in the business.

Yes, this is a bit "stream of consciousness" as what I'm sharing here is unscripted. But to help, here are timecodes:

0:22 - Greetings, thanks & a little of what to expect
2:47 - My background for some context
5:50 - The hype for pinball is huge
6:55 - Do the earnings reflect the BIG HYPE?
7:21 - Why am I not changing up the biz model to become a bar/arcade?
8:12 - Utah and the local culture
11:40 - Comments from an Australian arcade operator on pins & beer
13:48 - Mentioning bar/arcades in the Salt Lake City area
15:24 - The problem with pinball is that it doesn't sell itself [explanation]
18:25 - More numbers from a pinball operator in Nevada
18:50 - What is a 'route?'
21:26 - Another operator shares his thoughts on why he still offers pinball despite it not earning well
22:54 - How did pinball perform back in the 1970s?
23:31 - Mentioning the Australian op again
24:06 - Sharing thoughts from a veteran arcade & pinball operator who operated pinball since the 1970s
27:58 - On the question of the entry fee or time/pass
31:06 - Examples of free play arcades...that still charge for pinball (and pinball gets REKT by Skeeball)
33:06 - Why does skeeball crush pinball?
33:54 - Commentor suggestions to run pinball education seminars & a pinball happy hour
35:52 - The best people to teach the public on pinball isn't operators, it's the players
38:03 - What about posting a BIG How To Play card?
38:48 - Tournaments as means to educate noobs
39:40 - How can I possibly sustain a "regular arcade" business with coin drop
40:42 - Another disadvantage to time/pass models - new game ROI
42:30 - Pinball & arcade games were designed with the coin drop model in mind, not the console-like free play model
43:18 - What about setting up easier games centrally?
43:39 - The problem with signs
44:49 - Stern's Insider Connected
45:37 - What about lighting & music to bring people in?
48:50 - What about digital marketing?
49:43 - What about ticket redemption for pinball?
50:46 - In closing

Interact with the Arcade Heroes community on Guilded: https://www.guilded.gg/i/E0L6LGME
Or interact on Discord: https://discord.gg/jnKJTN23

Loading 2 comments...