[Wired In raw #30: Bally/Midway #3]

Raw footage for "Wired In," a never completed series on the technological trends and innovations of the 1980s. In this video, Bally Midway's Marketing VP Stanley Jarocki continues to talk about the current video game boom, focusing on the popularity of Pac Man and Ms. Pac Man. Jarocki / Bally #3.

00:00Copy video clip URL This tape begins with color bars.

00:37Copy video clip URL Cut to a shot of Jarocki. The videomaker asks him about the concept for Ms. Pac Man. He explains that the company felt there was a need for change in the Pac Man Franchise. He states that the company created Ms. Pac Man in response to the growing female gaming demographic. This lasts for several minutes.

03:52Copy video clip URL Jarocki talks about some of the newer games that the Bally company is developing. He goes on to address the allegations made about video gaming becoming an addiction in today’s society. He states that many of the arguments against gaming aren’t valid and that video games should be played in moderation. He also talks about the responsibility of the parent in designating what games their child can play. “I don’t believe that the government should regulate what is really a parent’s responsibility in making sure he knows what his children are doing and where they are.” Jarocki talks about the issue in detail.

07:27Copy video clip URL Jarocki addresses the effects of gaming on hand eye coordination and says that there is an unquestionable correlation between the two. Bally Midway was even contacted by the Pentagon to start developing training programs to help aid those in the military learning how to use new equipment. Jarocki goes on to say, “We’re a society today that is in the throes of an electronic revolution. There’s no question about it… There are areas today where electronics have become so much a part of us that we don’t even realize it. And I think that the people who are involved in the development of our games or even the play of the games are really looking at tomorrow.” This lasts for several minutes.

10:17Copy video clip URL The videomaker asks Jarocki about the difference between arcade games and personal video game systems. Jarocki states that personal video game systems are generating future game players. He goes on to talk about the future of the business. “The obvious reasons for success for success in this particular industry is to be able to offer on a continuous basis something new and something more sophisticated to the players than the last piece of equipment.” Jarocki emphasizes the importance of the creation of new hardware systems in creating new video games. “If we, whether it be ourselves or the industry, does not look to tomorrow, there’ll be some other form of entertainment that’ll come around and capture the interest of the players that we have today.”

13:24Copy video clip URL Jarocki begins to talk about the agreement made between Bally Midway and the Disney Corporation to create a video game based on the movie Tron. The videomaker then asks Jarocki whether video games are a passing fad. Jarocki states that the future of the video game industry is dependent on one thing: the industry’s ability develop exciting new products. Jarocki states that if the industry keeps developing new cutting edge products, the game players’ interest will remain and grow along with the industry.

16:16Copy video clip URL Jarocki talks about the evolution of the video game player. “Today, the player is anyone, because we have found in our demographic profiles as I said earlier that it’s no longer an industry that caters to the twelve, thirteen, or fourteen year-olds through nineteen. It goes now to thirty-four years old.” Jarocki believes that as the industry expands the demographic will expand along with it. Jarocki also talks about his own game playing habits. This lasts for several minutes.

20:31Copy video clip URL Tape ends.