The Masked Carnie

For those who believe it's a good idea to take your kids out somewhere when they're out of school simply because it's the middle of the day, think again.  The reason midday is a normally a slow time for children's entertainment businesses is because school is in session, not because adults are working or some cosmic force.  If you wouldn't go somewhere during the weekend because you believe it would be too crowded, chances are high it's going to be that way when school's out, too.  I say this with a bit of irony because it was hardly crowded at all in my arcade yesterday.  Now that it just rained on us last night, that might change today, but it looks like a lean spring break this year.

Seriously people, when you go to any arcade, those big prizes like consumer electronics and giant stuffed animals are simply a cocktease.  They look so pretty you just wanna take'em home and show them just how much you love'em.  You won't.  Let's do a little math here.  At my arcade, games are supposed to regularly pay out about 20% of what they take in (1/5 for those not so inclined into percentages).  That means your money is shrinking to 1/5 of its original amount.  Once you actually get in the redemption center, most everything's priced at double the cents (not dollars) it cost to bring it in, so now your money is really 1/10 of what it originally was.  Assuming completely average skill and assuming you only play skill-based games (good luck finding them), you're going to spend 10x what it would actually cost to purchase items. My point is not to say you will never succeed, just that it should not be your goal to get those big items.  I have...

Here's the real irony with me.  I work in an arcade.  Simultaneously, I dislike the deceptive practices adopted by arcades everywhere.  Not everything is like that, though, so I'd like to show a little contrast between a couple games my arcade has.   Spin-N-Win is anti-game #1 in my sights.  The premise is simple enough.  The light spins around the wheel, you hit the giant stop button to stop the light and get whatever tickets it lands on.  Sound easy?  It actually is, too easy.  If that's all there was to it, this would be an arcade's biggest loss instead of its biggest earner.  What's actually going on is that this game, like many others, has a predetermined percentage of big winners.  Your chance of getting the big prize is hardly reflective on your own ability and moreso on how many people have played before you.  If not enough people have played since the jackpot was won, you are not allowed to get the jackpot!   I...