Quoted from Aurich:This thread is becoming somewhat comical. I get it, the high prices are noodle bending, and it's warping your brain. But do you call up everyone you've sold a game to in the past demanding a cut of any profits they've made selling it later with higher prices?
Or the people who didn't volunteer getting mad on the behalf of the people who did. I'm mad a lot these days, so I appreciate the offer of being proxy angry on my behalf to save the effort, but I regret none of the time I spent there. It was a lark. We weren't grinding in the salt mines, we were playing under the hood of a huge toy store. I never did more than rebuild some flippers, sort parts, and shoot the shit with other volunteers, but it was a good time. Only part that sucked was the damn drive out there.
The whole thing wasn't a scam. It was a grand attempt, and it will forever be a part of some of my best pinball memories. Maybe it was destined to fail, maybe it was bad luck, who knows. For a few years we had something pretty cool, and if you didn't volunteer and get to wander about one day without the crowds poking your head in anything that struck your fancy you missed out imo.
The museum failed, I honestly don't know what else John was supposed to do. The prices don't make me happy, but I'm still happy for John.
This right here.
I live close by, so when I joined the volunteer group after Expo 3, they soon got me keys to the building. It was my Disney Land, so I was there every Saturday (with rare exception) fixing games along with any other arcade techs that could make it. For years, every Saturday I would show up and see what new arcade game showed up and worked on getting it playable. Even when Covid hit, I was there, only alone this time (but I would stream on Twitch). When it rained, I would stop by and place pans where the roof leaked and moved games out from under leaks. I have more hours in that building then Chuck or any other tech.
When we got word it was being sold, we doubled down in getting as many games ready for sale as we could, both as a thanks to John, and to give the games the best chance in going to a good home.
I leave only with good memories.
I should also point out I pulled all my resources together and had a meeting with John and everyone I knew that could help and went over any last ditch ideas to save the MOP. John was still open to calling off the auction and making something work. But California is not business friendly and getting worse, and we could not find a solution.