What's newAnswering those FAQs about midway games
What is it about carnival midway games that you have always wanted to know about, but were afraid — or have never gotten the chance — to ask a real expert?
A official with Butler Amusements, which has provided the carnival rides and games at the Lodi Grape Festival and Harvest Fair for years, answered some frequently asked questions posed by the Lodi News-Sentinel about the company’s midway games.
Q. Can you list the most popular midway games?
A. One of the most popular games on the midway is the Water Race game. This game pits players against one another as they shoot a stream of water into a target. The first player to fill his or her reservoir to the top wins a prize.
Q. How are midway games invented or designed?
A. There are manufacturing companies that develop concepts for games and build upon old ideas in the creation and construction of carnival games. Each winter, there is a convention at which carnivals and manufacturers gather to buy and sell the latest and greatest in carnival entertainment.
Q. How have carnival games changed through the years with the advent of technology?
A. In the last 10 years, technology has played a bigger and bigger role in carnival games. Today, nearly 90 percent of all the games on the midway are run by computer.
And that means it’s not longer the game operator that selects the winner, but a computer.
Q. How many prizes does Butler Amusements give away per year or per carnival?
A. Most of the games on the midway are games that challenge players to compete against each other. This guarantees a winner and a loser, meaning that a prize is given every time the game is played.
Q. Can a customer simply take a complaint involving one of the games to the fair or carnival management?
A. Each midway has a filed office located in a trailer on the carnival lot. Customers are encouraged to inform the field office on site of any problems or concerns.
Q. What are the oldest games still regularly used on the midway?
A. The ring toss is thought to be the first game ever played at the modern American carnival. It is a long way from the arcade style of games that we see on the midway today.
