Space Invaders Takings

[GORGAR 1]

This question is probably more directed at operators but being a teenager when SI came out I pumped hundreds into it and its always made me think does anyone remember what spacies earn't when it was first released I'd love to know and where have they all gone geez there must have been thousands in Australia around 1980?

Peter

[howzat]

I rember the Royal Easter show    back then had a whole large room filled with them    You still had to wait for a game            Howzat                         

[Homepin]

I had a small run back in the day - I remember a SI table (black & white) that was sited at a gun club in Brisbane.

We used to do our collection run on a Friday.

Received a phone call Sat afternoon to say "the machine is full" - yeah, right - that was ALWAYS the call when a coin mechanism was jammed. Drove to the site to find a HUGE gun competition going on at the club and about 30 kids lined up at my second table (don't remember what it was).

Sure enough, the coin box was full - emptied it into a bag and went to the office to count it - $700 and that was in $0.20 cent pieces!!!!!

That was taken in one morning basically - they must have all been shit players to pump that many coins into the machine 

[Strangeways]

I clearly remember the day Three Midway Space Invaders were unpacked and driven to ONE location. They joined the other Space Invaders cabinet. The reason THREE more were being added was that the coin box on the solitary Spacies  was emptied every day. That's four Space Invaders cabinets in an arcade in Northcote. I was bemused at the time, and even I could not get a game. I'll ask Dad if he can remember the actual takings.

But that was only the beginning.

Dad imported well over 100 cocktail tables over time. They literally came in "waves". Woodgrain cabinet, White cabinets, black cabinets and then the color versions. Different variants as well - Space Stranger was another huge upright. Space Invaders didn't kill off pinball, but it came very close and it was the start of the demise. Pac Man was not as big, but it was part of the next generation. For every pinball machine, there was four cocktail tables. They just took over.. There was at least one table broken into a week. So many leftover games that were in storage had re enforced coin doors with padlocks.

Ironically, I found a box full of Space Invader clone boards. Around 50 of them. No documentation, just boards. Single layer and dual layer. Good for a museum perhaps ?

Many of the tables were gutted and replaced with 14 inch monitors and then a "universal" harness which pre dated Jamma. ANY board could be changed over in minutes. Back then, they were continually changed to keep up. The memories of these days (growing up) were simply amazing. As a kid, I was the most popular guy in school BECAUSE of the games. They were a huge part of culture. Lost on this generation unfortunately.

[GORGAR 1]

I clearly remember the day Three Midway Space Invaders were unpacked and driven to ONE location. They joined the other Space Invaders cabinet. The reason THREE more were being added was that the coin box on the solitary Spacies  was emptied every day. That's four Space Invaders cabinets in an arcade in Northcote. I was bemused at the time, and even I could not get a game. I'll ask Dad if he can remember the actual takings.

But that was only the beginning.

Dad imported well over 100 cocktail tables over time. They literally came in "waves". Woodgrain cabinet, White cabinets, black cabinets and then the color versions. Different variants as well - Space Stranger was another huge upright. Space Invaders didn't kill off pinball, but it came very close and it was the start of the demise. Pac Man was not as big, but it was part of the next generation. For every pinball machine, there was four cocktail tables. They just took over.. There was at least one table broken into a week. So many leftover games that were in storage had re enforced coin doors with padlocks.

Ironically, I found a box full of Space Invader clone boards. Around 50 of them. No documentation, just boards. Single layer and dual layer. Good for a museum perhaps ?

Many of the tables were gutted and replaced with 14 inch monitors and then a "universal" harness which pre dated Jamma. ANY board could be changed over in minutes. Back then, they were continually changed to keep up. The memories of these days (growing up) were simply amazing. As a kid, I was the most popular guy in school BECAUSE of the games. They were a huge part of culture. Lost on this generation unfortunately.

So those machines where being emptied everyday and held $700 each? Geez that's incredible earnings and they never really broke down so matinence is almost nil! Can you remember how quick Australia got space invaders after it was released in Japan/USA ?

Peter

[Strangeways]

I clearly remember the day Three Midway Space Invaders were unpacked and driven to ONE location. They joined the other Space Invaders cabinet. The reason THREE more were being added was that the coin box on the solitary Spacies  was emptied every day. That's four Space Invaders cabinets in an arcade in Northcote. I was bemused at the time, and even I could not get a game. I'll ask Dad if he can remember the actual takings.

But that was only the beginning.

Dad imported well over 100 cocktail tables over time. They literally came in "waves". Woodgrain cabinet, White cabinets, black cabinets and then the color versions. Different variants as well - Space Stranger was another huge upright. Space Invaders didn't kill off pinball, but it came very close and it was the start of the demise. Pac Man was not as big, but it was part of the next generation. For every pinball machine, there was four cocktail tables. They just took over.. There was at least one table broken into a week. So many leftover games that were in storage had re enforced coin doors with padlocks.

Ironically, I found a box full of Space Invader clone boards. Around 50 of them. No documentation, just boards. Single layer and dual layer. Good for a museum perhaps ?

Many of the tables were gutted and replaced with 14 inch monitors and then a "universal" harness which pre dated Jamma. ANY board could be changed over in minutes. Back then, they were continually changed to keep up. The memories of these days (growing up) were simply amazing. As a kid, I was the most popular guy in school BECAUSE of the games. They were a huge part of culture. Lost on this generation unfortunately.

So those machines where being emptied everyday and held $700 each? Geez that's incredible earnings and they never really broke down so matinence is almost nil! Can you remember how quick Australia got space invaders after it was released in Japan/USA ?

Peter

Just got off the phone with Dad. Each Cocktail table coin box held approximately $50 worth of 20cent coins. These were the Taiwanese copies - Not original Midway or Taito. They were full every week for at least two months.

The Midway cabinets were imported prior to LAI becoming a distributor. I'm not sure how quickly they got here. Demand was so high, the Taiwanese pirate boards arrived quicker than Midway could produce the original games. That's at least what I can remember - and I could be wrong - I was only 11 years old - But I remember the crates full of boards and tables, as I used to hide in the empty crates.

[Homepin]

A lot of the copy boards were from Korea as well - at the time I visited a huge games market in Korea where they were making and selling all sorts of 'current' bootleg boards.

[GORGAR 1]

Wow cheers guys that's really interesting information   


Peter

[Pop Bumper Pete]

A lot of the copy boards were from Korea as well - at the time I visited a huge games market in Korea where they were making and selling all sorts of 'current' bootleg boards.

how old are you?

[Homepin]

A lot of the copy boards were from Korea as well - at the time I visited a huge games market in Korea where they were making and selling all sorts of 'current' bootleg boards.

how old are you?

Older than I care to admit.........maybe that's why I'm a cranky old fart 

[Strangeways]

A lot of the copy boards were from Korea as well - at the time I visited a huge games market in Korea where they were making and selling all sorts of 'current' bootleg boards.

how old are you?

Older than I care to admit.........maybe that's why I'm a cranky old fart 

I know the feeling