I have a theory on this, partly because it is apart of my pinball journey............

The appearance of SS or even DMD games being easier to troubleshoot than EM games is based on the eye test. When you think about it the 'mechanics' are related to the playfield. Flippers, pops, kickers, etc. become basic repairs to anyone who is actively involved in maintaining a machine. The caveat are the boards. Maybe you know basic board repair, but if not these can be replaced, or sent out to repair with no sweat. So as long as you have some money to spend, a resetting WPC game or cooked transistors can been seen as passé to the naked eye. Everything else, is basic mechanics..........

When you open a EM its intimidating. It takes a little bit of effort to become familiar with the banks of steppers, reels, and wiper assemblies and how they all work together. I was one of these people, incredibly intimidated. Now I have 6 EM's and seeking out more after I took the plunge so to speak. The playfield mechanics are basically the same with the exception of cleaning the aforementioned cabinet EM parts above. The other learning curve is the ladder diagram. Some don't use it at all, others do. I enjoy having one on hand, they are useful especially with games that have some complicated scoring and light features. But for those who don't use it(as a newbie) nor know HOW to use it, a EM that isn't working can be an absolute mystery to most and quickly avoid buying one or get rid of it.

Anyway, thats my personal experience from transitioning from SS/DMD to being a huge EM fan. Just took some time to realize that no matter what isn't working on one.....the answer is solvable.