As an arcade manager, you may have a great game that players flock to, but do you know what it grosses from week to week? When was the last time you took some time to check your game’s meter?

Most of today’s redemption and electronic midway equipment can tell you exactly how a game is doing. Sure, it can take time to record the meter readings, enter them into a spreadsheet, and then actually look at what the numbers are telling you, but the vast benefits from these actions may help you squeeze more out of your operation.

In arcades, it is easy to move games around. It can pay to move them around occasionally, but only if you track the game’s performance before and after the move. Many arcade games have meters that track tickets paid out, games played, and the number of players. Ticket tracking allows you to see if the game is getting easier—more tickets are won each week in relation to cash box receipts. If this is the case, you may want to decrease the ticket payout.

The game may be too hard with players not winning enough for their efforts, which will cause them to play another game, and your game may become a low-earning obstacle to walk around. By tracking and tweaking payouts from week to week, there is a better chance that the game will perform well over the long haul.

On multiple-player arcade games the meter readings for number of players and games played can give you an average that gauges the game’s popularity. The reading for the number of players can also measure popularity if you are keeping track of attendance at your facility.

All of these tied together help to eliminate silent partners, as well. Coupled with ticket counters and bill changer readings, you can see the cost of freebies, if any. By recording how the games are doing, moving them, and checking what effect the move has on the game itself, the game next to it, and the games overall, you can maximize every penny out of your arcade. It’s cheaper to do this than it is to update your equipment needlessly.

Midway electronic group games offer accounting systems, as well. A final reading should be taken at the end of each day and the meters cleared for the following day’s business. This will allow a supervisor to print reports often throughout the day to track the performance of an employee, a new prize, or a new trade-up program.

The meter must be key-locked to prevent unauthorized access and the reading should include the date and time of the report. The date and time when the report was last cleared are important to prevent a “short day” report—a report cleared during the day allowing some monies unaccounted for. This will also flag you if the meters were not cleared for a new business day.

Some midway reports offer tracking of multiple price points. This allows operations to charge a lower price for slower periods of the day—early morning specials, for instance—and increase the price using a switch when business peaks. The report should show the number of players and total dollars for each price point and then combine the two for total dollars for the day.

A reading that tracks whether the game was reset before game play was finished is important. This helps track maintenance tests. An ongoing hourly report showing the number of games, players, and total dollars each hour helps track employee performance and peak revenue times. By looking at an hourly reading you can compare an employee’s performance over another during breaks and shift changes, or when to schedule more employees to handle the peak business.

Get all you can get. Try different game placements, ticket payouts, prizes, and trade-up structures and use the meters to track the results. You may find extra money in your customers’ pockets.