Play Meter
Ralph C. Lally II opened the doors to his new magazine in December 1974 with a single goal. He wanted to give voice to the coin-operated amusement arcade industry. Play Meter started as Coin Industry Play Meter and focused on jukebox and arcade game machines. The publication emerged alongside rival RePlay, which launched in 1975. Together they chronicled the arcade industry from its early days through market fluctuations like the video game crashes of 1977 and 1983. This period marked the rebirth and maturation of the medium through the 1980s. Lally established himself as both publisher and editor while running an arcade operation. His dual role gave him unique insight into the business side of entertainment.
July 1976 brought a significant shift when Play Meter introduced pinball game reviews under the column Critic's Corner. Roger Sharpe wrote these early assessments that would set industry standards. By 1980, the magazine had inaugurated its first awards for best-ranked games. Steve Harris led a team of seven experienced playtesters who created Players' Picks during the 1980s. Their work earned them recognition as the Siskel and Ebert of the arcade industry by 1987. Frank Seninsky added another layer with his criticism column Frank's Cranks, which ran until 1996. These innovations established individual video game reviews and the ten-point assessment scale for video game reviews. The magazine became the earliest example of video game journalism in existence.
The magazine developed recurring columns that defined its voice over decades. Frank's Cranks continued to run from 1981 until 1996, offering sharp commentary on industry trends. Jerry Merola took over writing Consultant's Corner starting in April 1999. Joseph Camarota III headed the Family Fun Edition beginning in 1994, focusing on the FEC market. The Video Game Outlook column covered legislation related to video games and video lotteries from 1990 through 1994. Play Meter published several bi-monthly and annual special issues throughout its history including Equipment Poll ratings. These regular features kept readers engaged while tracking the evolving landscape of coin-operated entertainment.
March 1980 marked a pivotal moment when Ralph Lally established the industry's first spring trade show called Amusement Operators Expo. This event ran for five years before merging with the American Amusement Machine Association's Amusement Showcase International in 1986. The combined show became known as the American Coin Machine Exposition or ACME. It was retitled ASI from 1997 to 2009 before merging with the Amusement & Music Operators Association show to become the Amusement Expo. Play Meter served as the parent organization of this first coin-op-oriented spring trade show. The convention evolved into what is now North America's annual Amusement Expo, creating lasting infrastructure for the industry.
Play Meter circulation peaked at 6500 subscriptions in 1991 following steady growth from 5400 in 1979. By 1995 the figure had dipped back to 6000, and by 2014 the magazine saw only 3000 subscriptions remaining. the 29th of August 2005 brought disaster when Hurricane Katrina caused a New Orleans levee to break just four blocks from Play Meter's three-story headquarters in Lakeview. Although all employees were evacuated in anticipation of the hurricane, much of the magazine's back catalog including thirty-one years of archives were lost to massive flooding. The magazine temporarily relocated its headquarters to St. Louis after the floodwaters receded. This event represented one of the most significant losses in the publication's history.
Carol Lally took over as publisher following her husband Ralph Lally's death in a car accident during December 1984. She led the magazine through decades of change until June 2018 when Play Meter ceased publication. Her retirement coincided with the end of the monthly physical form that had been published since 1974. Skybird Publishing continued to publish the magazine in physical form before its final issue. The International Flipper Pinball Association awarded Play Meter a plaque in 2008 recognizing their contributions to pinball culture. The magazine maintained a website where online content was also published monthly alongside print editions. The closure marked the end of an era for coin-operated arcade journalism.
Continue Browsing
Common questions
When did Ralph C. Lally II open Play Meter?
Ralph C. Lally II opened the doors to his new magazine in December 1974 with a single goal.
Who wrote the Critic's Corner column for Play Meter starting in July 1976?
Roger Sharpe wrote these early assessments that would set industry standards when Play Meter introduced pinball game reviews under the column Critic's Corner in July 1976.
What happened to Play Meter headquarters on the 29th of August 2005?
Hurricane Katrina caused a New Orleans levee to break just four blocks from Play Meter's three-story headquarters in Lakeview, resulting in massive flooding that destroyed thirty-one years of archives.
When did Carol Lally take over as publisher of Play Meter?
Carol Lally took over as publisher following her husband Ralph Lally's death in a car accident during December 1984 and led the magazine until June 2018.
How many subscriptions did Play Meter have at its peak circulation in 1991?
Play Meter circulation peaked at 6500 subscriptions in 1991 following steady growth from 5400 in 1979 before dipping back to 6000 by 1995.