Flemington, NJ
Another limited, personal, subjective perspective of a first timer (probably one of the bad guys):
I arrived around 1.30PM on Friday and was surprised by the line at the entry, because I didn't expect that. Naively I thought that this might be a good time and fill more and more up towards the evening with people leaving work. But it looked worse than it was. It took me ca. 15 minutes and I was in. I found it a bit confusing that the second booth for the tickets wasn't manned.
So I went in, not knowing what to expect. It was crowded, noisy and in the first minutes a bit overwhelming. As an introvert it was definitely not the environment I excel, but it was fascinating as well.
I walked through the show looking here and there just observing. People acted friendly, respectfully, stood in line and rotated through when required. The flea market area was great to take a breath - less crowded and not as loud... After the first impression and first round I began to play at the machines that were free and stepped away as soon somebody stood behind me and I lost my third ball. People who where watching the machine next to the ones I wanted to play, went out of the way without me needing to say anything.
I liked the fact that some parents were there and brought their kids as well. For some this might be the beginning of the sell-out, for me it shows that there might be a future. I didn't observe any strange behavior, on the contrary. Mostly it was loving parents or dads, who even brought a little step, so the little ones could play. Actually I loved it that much that I am considering to bring at least my older son next year as well (he will be 5). I showed him pictures and he was disappointed that I didn't take him with me.
Before my third round I talked shortly to Melissa from Cointaker regarding my open orders. She was very friendly, explained the different situations to me, by when to expect them and was very accommodating. Actually I would have fully understood other reactions, but she was super nice.
In my third round I queued for some machines and again made only positive experiences. Everybody was awesome and it was really just short waits. I didn't stop them, but a couple of mins max.
Against my expectation it got less crowded over time. Round about 4.30 it seemed pretty empty in comparison to 1.45. I didn't stay much longer and also didn't bring anything home (was completely prepared and ready to bring a machine home), but it was a great experience anyhow.
I can partially understand if some long-term enthusiasts perceive this as a sell-out, but in that case my advice would be: Put your actions where your keyboard is. If you don't like this, start your own show and do it better, smaller, more exclusive, niche or whatever you prefer.
