Marshfield, Massachusetts has FINALLY overturned a 32-year ban on arcade games. They now allow public venue to set up coin operated arcade cabinets.
The ban against fun went through in 1982 and was upheld by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in 1983. The town did try to overturn the ruling in 1994 and 2011 but remained unsuccessful until this year.
An article in the Christian Science Monitor in 1983 outlined proponents’ reasoning:
“The games are said to be addictive to youth, who will skip school and spend unreasonable sums of money to play them at a quarter – and sometimes 50 cents – a pop, says Thomas R. Jackson, a retired narcotics agent and the resident who proposed the ban. Further, he says, gambling and drug activity are connected to the video game locations where youth congregate unsupervised.”
Marshfield resident Craig Rondeau led the successful petition to overturn the ban. Rondeau told the Patriot Ledger that video games help children hone problem-solving and social skills, and they encourage creativity. Rondeau found six businesses to sign on to overturn the ban.
“They want the opportunity to choose,” he said. “Let’s give them back their right to choose.”
