Reading, MA
Well, today is my 2yr Anniversary of being a Pinside member so I thought it about time I introduce myself. Unfortunately, there’s not much to tell. I, like I assume many members here, was “reintroduced” to the joys of pinball after downloading Pinball Arcade by Farsight Studios on my iPad. But wait, let me digress. I actually downloaded the app by ZEN Studios Ltd. first, which has some wonderful original themes that kindled my interest, but the animation on the playfield made it feel more like a video game. Then I found Pinball Arcade. Seeing games that I grew up with in the 70’s and 80’s is what really drove me to wanting to find a “real” pin to play. After a few Google searches I discovered a bowling alley 8min from where I work. Venturing out one afternoon during lunch I was confronted with a row of DMD machines in which I was not familiar since my experience with pins ended in the mid-80’s after moving from home and joining the military.
As luck would have it the game room was empty shy of one person servicing a machine. Come to find out he was the owner of the game room within the bowling alley and comes to service his pins twice a week (and it showed!). He must have seen the spark in my eye as he was more than cordial and answered every one of my noobie questions. He continued to inform me of a tournament that is held here every month which included multi-world champion Bowen Kerins (yes, we’re in MA). I decided to attend the next tournament being held later that week purely as a spectator. The attendance for that day was over whelming as the entire room was packed, wall to wall. The electricity generated by the mob was second only to that powering the bank of machines, arcade games, and neon lights. I was hooked!
Before leaving I noticed one of the players wearing a t-shirt advertising a local pinball group. I went home and quickly jumped on the site and was introduced to a whole new world. Before I knew it I was signing up for every pinball site available and surfing Craig’s List for my first pin. As I later discovered I was entering this hobby at one of the worst possible times as pin prices had risen through the roof and anything posted was snagged-up before I could even reply. I soon learned when searching for pins there was no time to “ask for pics” or “I’ll call you back”.
Fast forward to my first pin. The fact that it had been posted for more than three days should have warned me to stay away, but I didn’t know any better. Without getting into details it was a pin that was not 100% functional, was a manufacturer I should have stayed away from, and of course … I over paid. But I have no regrets and view this as an “initiation fee” since it introduced me to the hobby of “pin collecting”. I unloaded the pin from my truck and placed it in the corner of my living room, much to the dismay of my wife, and I was as proud as if I had purchased my first car. The next day I logged into a communal bulletin board at work with a simple subject of “Pinball Anyone?” with the hopes of someone having more knowledge than I in fixing pins. Thirty minutes later someone not three doors down from my office replied, “Yes, I have thirty of them in my basement and I am a moderator for the BPA”. As you can imagine, the rest was history. I plan to add more stories regarding my 13 purchases within my first 18mo. in the hobby, my experiences, my first expo, and my new found friends. And yes, my first pin still resides in my basement, unfinished, and non-working, with no intention of ever leaving.
