Technology seems to effect all major industries today, and new innovations are coming about on a daily basis. Although there are many important innovations that have a large impact on the business world, there are also those innovations that change the businesses that provide us with recreational activities. In my most recent visit to New York City, I visited the ESPN Zone restaurant in Times Square. On the third floor of the restaurant there is a video arcade and game area, and this where I noticed the technological innovation. I have not been in an arcade in a quite a while, but this was the first time I had seen a place like this where none of the machines took coins or tokens. Rather than take coins, the machines have a slot much like the slot on an ATM where people insert a plastic card that they purchase from ESPN Zone. Once you purchase the card it is yours, and you can put as much money as you want towards points on your card. Games charge different point values rather than monetary values, and when the machines scan your card, they take away the proper amount of points. This eliminates the need for exact change and provides a faster more efficient way for the arcade to get its money. This is not an innovation that is going to have a major effect on the business world, but it is a very interesting concept that may change the way arcades operate. I am not familiar with who came up with this idea or who first implemented it, but as ESPN Zone has, I think arcade businesses may soon realize that it is a more effective and efficient way to operate. ...
