From: ofoz@cbnewse.cb.att.com (steven.s.ozdemir)
Subject: Re: VAPS Membership Monthly Posting
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 1992 21:46:28 GMT
Summary: purpose of VAPS and changes to VAPS format
	 all VAPS members should read this
Keywords: owners of arcade video games

First, let me say to all that I apologize for responding in an article. VAPS was
never suppose to generate more than the usual one posting per month.  However,
towards the end of this article, I ask any owner who'd wouldn't mind being
contacted to play video games, to write me so that I can indicate this in their
VAPS entry.  Since there are 77 owners in VAPS, I felt I had a large enough
audience to merit a posting.  Read on if you have an entry in VAPS or just
are interested in the purpose of VAPS....otherwise hit the old "n" key!!

In article <1992Sep30.194213.16372@monster.saic.com>, robert@monster.saic.com (Robert W Mangum II) writes:
> In article <1992Sep29.201414.26969@cbnewse.cb.att.com> ofoz@cbnewse.cb.att.com (steven.s.ozdemir) writes:
> >the suggestion was made to contact the below owners about playing games at
> >their house.  I would like to discourage this, since VAPS was created with
> >privacy in mind.  Some of the below people do not want to be contacted in any
> >way (even about strategies for playing the game)!!!
> 
> I'm afraid I don't understand this.  If someone doesn't want to be contacted
> in any way, why tell the world about his games?  I didn't submit my games
> to the VAPS list at first, because I thought that bragging about what games
> I had was silly.  Then I realised that other people with the same games I
> have may be able to benefit in some way by talking with me.  That is why
> my games are in the VAPS list.  Offering to let other people play your games
> is another good reason for the VAPS.  But why be included if you don't want
> to be contacted?
Maybe "contacted" was too strong a word.

When VAPS was started back before r.g.v.a existed, several people indicated
that they did NOT want people pestering them to sell their games that they
spent so long to find.  A few didn't even want to include their phone
number/state, for fear that a robber might try to steal their collection!

(I personally don't agree with these perspectives.  If anybody offered to
pick up one of my unconvertable games for $500, I would happily sell it to
them!!  And as to a robber stealing my arcade, I'd just laugh the whole time
seeing them trying to haul away 12 games!!!  My neighbors would jump all
over anybody who drove the semi up to my door!!)

At the time, I felt that these people's position should be respected.  So,
I dropped the phone number information, and agreed to include a statement
about "not bothering the owners" in every posting.  Now a days, my position is
even more conservative/protective (partially due to flame wars and partially
because of extravagant requests for parts/documents/information that came from
non-owners). So, I extended my position to anything that minimized contact.

I still think VAPS is for owners to contact other owners.  And at Brian
Millham's suggestion, I will put a field (next to the person's state) to
indicate that they welcome/kill video game players from the net.  (As a side
note, I will be indicating that video game players are welcome at my house!)
If any VAPS member would like be to indicate that video game players are
welcome at their house, mail me something to that effect.  If you want to
indicate that no one is welcome (and you may shoot on sight!), mail me
something to that effect.  I hope this satisfies most people...

Now, do I have any takers on those $500 video game???  (Phoenix, Moon Cresta
and Astro Fighter are available!) 8^)
Newsgroups: rec.games.video.arcade