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Game Price Adjustments

Marcel

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Joined
Feb 26, 2017
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609
Location
Huddersfield
Sorry guys, I cannot find the correct term to search for this thread and I know it will be here. Nor could I find it on Phils website. Must be the gin.

Could someone please help me setup pricing for a STTNG, C220B Mech and 1 coin slot and a LOTR, C120 coin mech & 1 slot. Phil has updated both to accept new £1's.

I am trying to make them £1 pr play, no special offers as they can be long games, so £2 2 plays & £3 3 plays.

Do you guys think that fair?
 
Sounds like a flippin rip off to be honest. £1 = 1 play, £2 =2 plays, £3 = 3 plays? Should be cheaper the more cash you throw at it.

I would say 50p = 1 play. £1 = 3 plays. Yeah so they're long games...what else are you doing? How long is the queue? Somebody walks into a venue, do they want to play the game other people are playing or the game nobody is playing?
 
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The standard pricing usually found is £1 a game, £2 for 3

Any higher you will put people off. Lower you will hardly take any money - get a couple of decent pinheads on there and they will be there all night for a few quid [emoji3]



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The standard pricing usually found is £1 a game, £2 for 3

Any higher you will put people off. Lower you will hardly take any money - get a couple of decent pinheads on there and they will be there all night for a few quid [emoji3]



Sent from my D5833 using Tapatalk

That is 100% accurate. I still think it's too expensive. It's very off-putting to the general public that they can put £1 in and be done and dusted in a minute or two. For most people 'the rules' are completely alien. They're draining in a blink of an eye.
 
Thanks Grizz, I'll go with that then. LOTR was the worrying one, I have 25 minute games quite often.

I see Rob disagrees. I don't want to be a rip off but there's nearly £8,000 tied up there + the repair and maintenance. I thought £1 was reasonable. I would pay £10 or £15 for a good night on pinball any day of the week.
 
Would be great if that was genuinely value for money. I'd put all my machines out there instead of gathering dust in my basement. But realistically your average new player has a ball time under two minutes. Maybe less. Anyway, I'd price it low. See what the interest is and increase if you think its viable. Nobody cares if its an £8k machine or a £2k machine.
 
Hi Chris,
Thanks for the offer of the setting on pricing.
I did find on pinball heaven website after my post but then lotr still gave out an extra game ie 3 for £2.
This is not an issue as some still think that's unfairly expensive, might as well implement bonus game on STTNG also.
Not had time to test anything but £1 coins so may have a go later.

Sent from the comfort of my sofa
 
Every machine I play in the London area is a pound a go, or 2 for 3. While us oldies who have a bit of spare cash and can play don't baulk, its probably different for younger kids with limited funds and who hammer away on the buttons and drain in no time. Probably depends where you're putting them?
 
Probably depends where you're putting them?

I run Top Spot Snooker Club in Huddersfield. I was thinking pinball and possibly retro arcade game and or coffee table would be a nice e addition.
It's certainly not on london pricing.

Sent from the comfort of my sofa
 
That is 100% accurate. I still think it's too expensive. It's very off-putting to the general public that they can put £1 in and be done and dusted in a minute or two. For most people 'the rules' are completely alien. They're draining in a blink of an eye.

Pinball is the cheapest game in the arcade, how long does £1 last in a fruit machine, teddy machine, ANY other machine. £1 per play, £2 = 3 credits is where its at and where it needs to be. I tell operators who want to operate on 50p play they are wasting their time.

I dont know you dont see it but out of that £1, take the VAT off, take some maintenance off, split the take with the venue etc...

Bought a pint in my local pub, cost me £4.25, only lasted a few minutes... all relative.

Phil
 
Quite often the public don't take account of the £30k a year rent, £25k business rates, £50k staffing costs that are all essential to provide the site which houses the core games.

Sent from the comfort of my sofa
 
Yes. Hard to understand it’s not all profit when you don’t run a similar enterprise.
 
Pinball is the cheapest game in the arcade, how long does £1 last in a fruit machine, teddy machine, ANY other machine. £1 per play, £2 = 3 credits is where its at and where it needs to be. I tell operators who want to operate on 50p play they are wasting their time.

I dont know you dont see it but out of that £1, take the VAT off, take some maintenance off, split the take with the venue etc...

Bought a pint in my local pub, cost me £4.25, only lasted a few minutes... all relative.

Phil

I don't disagree with you. But I do think pinball is extremely expensive in the wild. I'm really reluctant to put money in a machine. I usually come away feeling like I've been mugged watching those balls drain SDTM, often as a result of deliberate design on modern Sterns. There's a slight difference between pinball machines and fruit machines of course in that there's no monetary reward or prize to aim for. Personally I think the best way to make these work as a business is in the entrance fee model. Play on free play all night for £15. People know what they're getting for their money that way and they'll come back again and again. Obviously you need more than one machine for that to work though, or some sort of time slot booking.
 
That will never happen where I am involved. They can’t take that level of abuse for a small flat fee. Over a weekend at a pinball show we can see 400 games being played. If that was £400 in the cash box towards vat/running costs etc then great. But however many x £15 won’t cut it.
 
Sounds like a flippin rip off to be honest. £1 = 1 play, £2 =2 plays, £3 = 3 plays? Should be cheaper the more cash you throw at it.

I would say 50p = 1 play. £1 = 3 plays. Yeah so they're long games...what else are you doing? How long is the queue? Somebody walks into a venue, do they want to play the game other people are playing or the game nobody is playing?
Where on earth are you playing pinball that's £1 for 3 games?! When I was 12, playing pinball in the arcades it was £1 for 1, £2 for 3... Fast forward 13 years and in most locations it's exactly the same. Tell me of any other service or product that in 13 years is still the exact same price and not more expensive
 
Where on earth are you playing pinball that's £1 for 3 games?! When I was 12, playing pinball in the arcades it was £1 for 1, £2 for 3... Fast forward 13 years and in most locations it's exactly the same. Tell me of any other service or product that in 13 years is still the exact same price and not more expensive

Nowhere. And that is exactly why pinball on location is thriving in the way it isn't.
 
Nowhere. And that is exactly why pinball on location is thriving in the way it isn't.
Pinball is currently having a comeback on location. Nowhere near the levels of the early 90s boom of course but certainly healthier than it has been for many years.

Lots of reasons for the ups and downs in the fortunes of pinball but the amount charged per game is not really one of them imo.

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Would be great if that was genuinely value for money. I'd put all my machines out there instead of gathering dust in my basement. But realistically your average new player has a ball time under two minutes. Maybe less. Anyway, I'd price it low. See what the interest is and increase if you think its viable. Nobody cares if its an £8k machine or a £2k machine.
@Rob zombie if you are close enough, I'd be happy for you to put a game in on a 50/50 profit share.
Particularly if you have a coffee table retro?

Sent from the comfort of my sofa
 
@Rob zombie if you are close enough, I'd be happy for you to put a game in on a 50/50 profit share.
Particularly if you have a coffee table retro?

Sent from the comfort of my sofa

Not really my thing to be honest and I'm far too precious about the condition of my machines to be worrying about them out in the wild. Plenty of other people on here who will take you up on that offer I'm sure. You have what sounds like a good safe venue and there are LOTS of people on this forum wanting to try their machines on location, so you should put up another post to that effect definitely. You'll be inundated.
 
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