How we could do with someone so inspirational now, some to push the arcade back to the forefront of the gaming world, I’ll be honest and say I don’t know much of this man but it’s a sad day to lose someone like this.
Date: 3-30-07 By: Ryan Cravens
In the arcade industry, the names that are famous amongst the players are Jarvis, Suzuki, Okamoto and more. Very rarely do you hear the names of the people that sell the games and get them out to the bars and arcades. There was one person that did rise above the many salespeople and earn a cult status of sorts, and that was Bill Cravens. In the original Street Fighter by Capcom, he was painted on a wall in the background while his name was under the picture in graffiti. This lead many to ask, “Who is Bill Cravens?” He was much more than an oddity in a video game. He sold one of the first Pong machines, helped introduce the kit to arcades and marketed and sold such games as Mr. Do, Super Punch Out, Final Fight, Street Fighter and Golden Tee 3D. He is an icon of the industry that helped bring the industry back after the arcade crash of the early 80’s and the slump in the 90’s. Bill Cravens passed away in his sleep on March 29th, 2007 and I already miss the man that helped foster my love for video games and life. Thank you, Dad. |
[Thanks Shaggy]
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