SO I was just thinking about how much I love pinball. And I DO love pinball. A lot. I know when I first got into the hobby about 3 years ago I was pretty heavily involved in fixing and 'restoring' machines. Not so much restoring but buying cheap broken dirty games and getting them up and running as best I could. That was an aspect I enjoyed a lot in the beginning. But slowly I started getting frustrated with always having a project game, always having something that needed cleaned or a game that didn't work. Now we all know pinball dictates that some time needs to be set aside for repair and cleaning. Things get dirty and break. But I want to be spending at least MOST of my pinball time ( and my time is limited...sigh) PLAYING pinball.

So when I start looking at the divide that exists between playing and collecting pinball it seemed while there was a divide that some what it was still a bridgeable gap.

That said with these $10K, $15K, and $30k machines popping up it seems like PLAYING has become less and less important to collectors. Just an observation. I will admit that early on I wasn't HUGE into the competitive scene. But more and more because I like playing more than I do collecting, modding, or fixing that scene has become the one I differ to.

I get how cool it is to have something few people have or to have the best one. But if you have a game that you can't play or can only play 4 times a year, are you even a pinball machine collector? Or are you just collecting life-sized pinball art?

(-Original topic title and content restored by moderator: please do not alter the complete content of a topic / opening post once a topic is actively being posted to-)

There is no be all and end all category for everyone I know. But I have felt that as someone who above all likes to PLAY when you start to talk playing, especially when you are on a podcast, people start to complain and say you are all tournament talk and give you grief.

Thanks everyone for the discussion. This is the Pinside I love.

Well. I have a really busy work schedule. Then I have two kids. One is 9 one is 18 months. So they require attention. Then I'm married so I have to keep that going. Then things break. So that needs fixed. Then things need cleaned.

And that's just the week. On the weekend we have activities and bigger projects.

So when that is all said and done I have about 2 hours a week to play or repair.

So yeah I'm short on time.

Also I down voted your comment because you assumed that I have the whole 120 hours to play Pinball. I said my Pinball time is limited. Which is about 2 hours a week. So just because you have 114 hours open doesn't mean I do.

I agree. As the hobby and game grows the rift is widening all around.

I feel this thread is turning negative and generally showing me why the great purge is necessary

Glad I we have the ignore feature. Anyway, back to the topic.

In general I guess what I was getting at is we are full entering into an age where high end collecting is manufacturer supported. We can now buy those high end pins.

And when you spend that much money or they end up in homes that don't see plays the rift widens.

Someone said it before but there are so many pins for sale with less than 200 plays or NIB. That does not show a player's world. At least not here.

Maybe I'm right. Maybe I'm wrong but I'm just tired of trying to talk about one thing and then getting derailed to how I spend my time.

I know that many of you are good people. But some of you just feel entitled.

I was bullied a lot as a kid. And I'm sick of people stepping in.

I'm attaching a picture of myself. If you see me at a show or whatever come up to me and we'll talk. I'm just tired people hiding behind thier screens.

Peace out.

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