Video games for Centennial Pool

Press, 10 December 1981, Page 13

Video games for Centennial Pool

Video games may be provided at the Centennial Pool as an experiment this summer. Members of the Christchurch City Council’s parks and recreation comittee has called for a report on the matter to be presented to a full council meeting later this month. Cr Noala Massey, the committee’s chairman, said she feared that the games, such as Space Invaders, could attract the wrong type of person to city swimming pools but they could also make money for the council and could encourage more people to use the pools. The council had been approached by a games distributor to install machines at the pools. Pools were places where personal property was stolen and the need for money to

play the games could lead to more stealing. The Director of Parks and Recreation, Mr N. W. Drain, said that the amount of money needed by unskilled players to use the machines for any length of time concerned parents. The council also wanted to steer clear of any activity at the pools which might annoy people who came to swim. Cr Helen Garrett said, “Children like things like this in places of recreation. After all, they do sound amusing. They do not sound so terribly bad and they do sound as if some skill is involved.” The City Council earlier rejected an appproach to have video games at Christchurch Airport. Cr Massey said it had been suggested that the Centennial Pool foyer could be a good place for a trial for the machines.