Dumb question....

Just got hired as an Arcade Mechanic. As of yet, I have not seen any article or heard of anybody that holds this job title. Does anyone know anything about it or know anyone that has been one previously? Thanks for your help

DaFritMan

They do not hire too many arcade mechanics but I knew one and he said they basically fixed, maintained, and filled games, change machines and lockers. The only games they do not handle are the "virtual reality" games (ie-DDR) as those are handled by a leasee (Alpha-Omega)

There are no dumb questions, only dumb answers. Hence this post ;)

MrScott

IrishEd: did your friend say whether or not he enjoyed the work? Any Ideas of the Pros/Cons of the job? Any help would be great. Thanks for replying!

I knew a couple of guys that did mechanics in the arcade. They were from Deibold. ( they were doing it as a side job.) They work on ATM machines, so I would say its that's type of work. They might still be working there this summer.

As far as I know he liked it cause it you were not stuck to one certain area and were "on your own" for the most part. He used to say that a mufflehead could mess up a skeeball game (meaning they always were working on them)

Was he a redtag? Digging through the posts on here from 2003 I saw where there was one guy that was hired in as a double blue? apparently arcade mchanics are never a redtag.Doesn't make sense for a first season'r to be double blue.

I was a double blue my first season.

MrScott said:
There are no dumb questions, only dumb answers. Hence this post ;)

MrScott

I thought there was no such thing as a dumb question... Just dumb people who ask questions. :)

Wrong. There are no dumb people asking dumb questions. Some just know more stuff than others.

MrScott

Yes, we all find the title ver interesting, but can we please help this guy out? He asked for answers and all he's getting is people squabbling over dumb questions! The defense rests.

Being a full-time maintenance worker at Cedar Point has been a Job I wanted for a long-time, it looks really interesting.

I'm really thinking of doing some 'digging' into this Job, it's something my dad really wants me to do. And sense a Mechanical Engineer is no longer a realistic opportunity for me (at this time), I'd really like to have a job like that.

And to Dafritman, it's a really 'hands-on' kind of job.

With a few exceptions, landing a full time position at Cedar Point requires at least several years of seasonal employment.

The exceptions that I know of are having the right degree and being at the right point at the right time.

Ok here are your answers DaFritMan. I was an arcade mechanic in 2003. Here are the facts:
1. You will start out as a red tag.
2. Clyde and Dan can be total dicks and they will pit you against any other mechanics you work with to see you try to compete to be the "favorite" mechanic. Don't let them do this. Act like you dont give a sh**.
3. It is one of the best jobs because you get to walk around and you have an air conditioned shop you can go to pretty much any time you want. You can take small breaks and restroom breaks pretty much any time you want too. You get keys to a bunch of stuff and a pager.
4. Get a tool belt. It is much easier carrying just the few tools you need to do most fixer uppers. Wirestripper multi tool,Medium sized crescent wrench, Butane Soldering Iron, Ratcheting screwdriver with bits,several types of needle nose plyers, There is a spring that makes an excellent tool for clearing clogs in water game nozzles that you should ask Dan about. I figured it out and they might still put them on Keychains. Make sure you take the nozzle off before you clean it.
5. If you start working before the park opens, be prepared to do alot of really really crappy work getting the park ready. That includes putting all of the locker mechs in all the lockers in the park. There are literally hundreds of them and it will take you about a week to do.

Take all this knowledge with you when you go, and you will have a great time. Just dont let Clyde or Dan get to you, and you wont have anything to worry about.

Also, don't worry about your tag color. Dan and Clyde use it as a way to pit you against the other mechanics. Blue Tags only get paid a little bit more and you are extremely unlikely to get blue tag your first season as an arcade mechanic. And dont do anything you shouldnt do even outside the shop. Word ALWAYS gets back to Clyde and Dan and you WILL get in trouble for it. They have eyes and ears everywhere. If you have any more questions, email me or IM me on AIM jiveabillion *** Edited 3/27/2006 11:25:12 AM UTC by jiveabillion***

Oh yeah, like IrishEd said. you will not be working on the leased games. Those games are pretty much anything made after 1990. You will be fixing the skeeball machines A TON though. The solinoids in those things break all the time. You might hate doing it because you have to crawn underneath them and it is quite dirty. You will also do alot of fixing ticket jams in ticket games. Another thing you will hate is Wack-A-Mole maintenance if they still have them. You have to tear down each Wack-A-Mole console and grease them up, making sure they all count when you hit them. The outside Wack-A-Mole is air powered on everything, so it doesnt break much. But the Inside Wack-A-Mole has wired counting switches. The wires CONSTANTLY break on those things, and it's a total pain in the ass to fix them. Luckily, you only have to do it once a week. If there are enough mechanics, you may be able to take turns.

They have added some new games and taken some away. I haven't been to the park since I worked there in 2003, so I dont really know what they've done with the place. I did put an application in, but Clyde hasnt called me. I dont really care though since I make 3 times as much where I work now, and only have to work half as many hoiurs. Be prepared to work 50+ hours a week, because it WILL happen.