Quoted from pinsanity:The problem we have in Australia is that it is a very limited online userbase whose upper echelon members at an online level are more interested in promoting themselves and maintaining a hierarchy based on arbitrary criteria rather than the broader hobby itself. And far too often those online members bring their ideological baggage into a real life situation to the hobby's detriment.
Imagine trying to sell a pinball machine to a buyer and listening to their argument that it is only worth X amount because that's what the purple circle on our local forum AussieArcade said it is worth (despite the machine not being publicly listed).
Some of the drones down here are so insular and doggedly loyal to the local forum they are completely out of touch with the reality of the open pinball market.
I spent some time on the Aussie forums several years back because it was the only place that Wayne G would pop up on during the time he was looking at the big pile of deposit money people had given him for MMr v1.0 and wondering how he was actually going to build a pinball machine. Tried to play nice and abide by their rules, but finally I realized that over-moderation had turned it in the electronic equivalent of a baby's crib, complete with the bumper pads around the sides. Their need for civility had eventually driven off anyone with an actual dissenting opinion.
West Chicago, IL
Victoria, BC
