I play everyday for at least an hour.

There are set up, but all of them need something little to get them playing.

TAF , swamp kick out broken weld, ball gets stuck in the groove. Have to re-weld it.
CV, broken upkicker, broken kaboom balloon and $1k of mods waiting for installation.
TZ, two weak flippers, needs rebuilt, and the clock is noisy as hell.
BF, right upper flipper weak, dunno why. Anti-epilepsy board awaiting installation.
TFTC, one lost ball. Seriously. Ball search won't find it. Upkicker is weak, it's probably stuck down there and I can't see it.
SS, diverter needs rebuilt. Needs new rubbers.
RFM, power supply fan is out. Needs new fans all around.

It's not much money, and the stuff isn't difficult, but I won't get to it until Christmas.

Plus I just picked up a non working Viza WAR, and four other non-working cocktail machines. I'm trying to find a place to cram them in the basement until I can look at them. Probably not till Easter.

I am in a pinball league but really only play mine on the weekends or maybe only a few times per month if not at all during times. I go through phases. Glad I have one, so hard to decide on 2nd one but constantly looking and debating. I still am waiting for the ultimate new games to be made with new features that just knock me out of the park but can play first before I buy. I am lucky to be in a great league where the owners have so many great pins and usually get to play all the news ones. Probably spend more time glancing through hear on threads about pins then playing. But if I come across ones in the wild we always play for awhile as long as games are working well.

I like to put sports on in the background and play my machines while the games are on. Sunday's with Redzone are a lot of fun. I just need more machines.

I would never leave that game room.

I play every weekend. Till the wee hours.

Not enough as many have already said. I think if I owned more than 6-8 pins some would never get played. Heck, a few of mine currently I hardly ever play but then there are those weekends like last Saturday night when I had people over for the Battle at Bristol that all my pins got played a ton - by kids and adults alike. That made me smile for sure.

I play 24/7.

I've literally chained myself to my pinball machines. I live in the basement, and my family throws me a fish head every so often to eat. I haven't seen the sun in months, and my skin is so pale, I've probably developed a vitamin D deficiency. The only light I receive comes from the soft warm glow of a #47 bulb.

Your collection is gorgeous! Glad they are being played.

I play at least one of my games every day. NBAFB is my current addiction.

I keep it simple, if a game isn't being played regularly then I sell it. Hence the tables I have left are played regularly.

I love you mate and the gollum like creature you have become. You are a shining example to the rest of us. So shiny so precious!

First pin: Avatar Pro (May 2015)
about 1500 plays in the first six months, then about 200 hundred since.

Second Pin: TWD Premium (January 2016)
about 1200 plays in the first four months, about 100 since

Third Pin: Star Trek Pre (June 2016)
A couple hundred plays so far

Third Pin (tie): Metellica Pre (June 2016)
A couple hundred plays so far

Probably settling in at a hundred or so plays per month total spread across machines, but I just started a home league with with some buddies so that should keep the numbers padded a little.

Been in the hobby for just over a year. Typically, I'll play the game a TON when I first get it. On average I would say its been running about an hour a day currently.

I should have mentioned in relation to another's response that "what you own is not necessarily what you keep" as it relates to playing your machines.

Sound confusing?

Not really.

Most collectors have one or two projects, sometimes in working order, sometimes not. Some own a massive amount of stored machines. Even duplicates!
It is another area of maintenance.

I do not personally classify these machines as part of what I own until I finish them, or decide to keep them formally.

As a result some long time collectors could double the size of their collection in a blink of an eye. Many could not personally play every game, everyday, anyway.

It would actually turn into work!

Baller! "Most people have 96 machines and empty out the cabs of their doubles to make toddler beds for their children."

You would be surprised what long time collectors have in storage. They do have duplicates for many reasons. I don't make jokes.

I bought my EBD "Classic" I built from spare parts back from the same owner I sold it to in 2004. He sold it because he had three, and wanted to just keep his restored '81 version.

This is not an "anomaly".

Yeah i know. I was just making jokes. And secretly wishing i had the money to dive in as deep as some of you guys....

I mostly ignore it as it would make it illogical for me to every buy a pin.

My most used pin: LOTR I've had it for 13 years, it has 485 plays ... current cost is roughly $10 per play, I play this once or twice on weekends.

Second highest used pin Stern Star Trek LE purchased in 2014. 176 plays ... I don't play this at all, cost per play $45

Third place STTNG I've owned it for 12 years, 117 plays after full restoration in 2015. (I do play this a couple times a week) roughly $60 per play.

Lastly MMR, received March 2015, total plays 48 (I do not play this machine at all) cost per play $187. I turned it on for the first time today since February to get the play count; seems like I turned it on in February to test the replacement slingshot plungers.

Granted all of these machines should hold their value extremely well.

Nope, I do not wish to sell anything at this time

Yes.
You can calculate the pricing and number plays to break even, make moderate profit, approximate value/appreciation/depreciation, and still sell the game for a profit after being used.

Operators have been doing this since the beginning of the coin operated industry.

Home owners continue to quickly become the new operator, but if this is the justification, owners are looking at this as an "investment" which is unwise, particulary based on the direction of the market in the past 6 months.

I am lucky because I work from home and play every day. Complete a task, hold a gotomeeting, then play a game if time allows.

Despite having GBLE, right now I'm on a Wrestlemania kick. That pin is so much fun. I'm totally shocked.

Not hard here in NZ... $2 a game to play any Stern on site. I paid $8200 for my IM. 2 years and 1600 games .. IM now owes me 5k

I know some people here prefer working on their machines, or fixing them up - but I buy my games because I want to play them, that's my primary goal. So, if I was to run some numbers...

I'm guessing that my GB pro would get played, say 120 times in a typical month. I figure that I would likely keep it at least 2 years, probably longer, but lets go with 2 for now. I'm assuming that I could probably sell it for $4,300 in 2 years as HUO (just a guess). I'm also guessing that I may spend a few hundred in parts during those 2 years. In total, this would come out to about 50 cents a play.

So let's see, 50 cents a play -
1. for a new pinball machine
2. for the convenience of only having to travel 20 steps to play pinball
3. for the fun of playing pinball with my friends/family when they come over
4. for the ability to make adjustments to the game as I see fit

So, I would say, if you actually enjoy playing your machines, and you are putting the games on them, the math could be in favor of owning your own pins.

I play about 20 minutes a day to relax. Problem is I get hooked on one game for a month and don't play anything else. When I switch to another game, I will say to myself this game is so fun, I cannot believe I have not played it in so long. Then I will play that one for a month.

People pass beyond of the "pure playing" phase within 1-10 years of ownership, or they get out of the hobby entirely.

This is not static.

That is how someone can determine the number of years someone has been involved.

I observed this hundreds of times in the past three decades for those that want to fill their basements with games in the course of months not years, or just to augment other rooms such as pool tables and dart boards.

Stages of collection throughout history show the progression.
Today more than ever it happens, due to the amount of money people are willing to pay for new machines, now in excess of $150K in short order.
It has nothing to do with actual income level or affluence.

People should ask one question.

Why does a person need more than one machine?

Because they get "bored" and need a new "fix", feel the need to show off their finds for status, restore games for passion to save games, run a business, or become future historians of the hobby.

Not nearly enough to justify how crazy stupid expensive these toys are....

I've found that video games seem to be the best bang for the buck. My pinball machines will never get played enough to justify their cost but, pinball is awesome, so who cares.

Exactly. You can't directly equate the cost of playing a game at home with the cost of playing the same game on route because the former has many unquantifiable benefits.

For example, is it worth it to me to pay more per game to be able to play my TWD set up (slope, inlanes, game settings, lighting, audio volume, mods, etc. exactly the way I want, in the room environment that I want, and whenever I want at home as opposed to my favorite bar where I have no control whatsoever how the game is set up or maintained, and if someone happens to play the MM next to it, I can't hear anything?

Absolutely!

Years ago I realized by looking at audits that I don't play mine at all in the grand scheme of things. It would be so much cheaper to buy a few rolls of quarters over the years. This is most likely why I couldn't pull the trigger on a purchase in over 3 years. I'd guess 100 total plays for each machine during ownership.

(IMO)Pins are for the most part , interactive Objet d'art. And I think that aspect of them can not be underestimated.

Ouch, I would find that difficult to justify as well. My games all have several thousand plays and counting... except WOZ, only up to about 1500 there between the wife and I, and some occasional friends, but its our newest machine too.

Not anywhere near enough, unfortunately...

I rearranged the entire house to fit the machines on the main floor next to the kitchen. That way I can play while dinner is cooking, or get a game in before work while the kids are getting ready for school. Plus, I can send them all downstairs to play video games or practice guitar or piano and have the games all to myself. Thankfully the husband and kids are somewhat tolerant of the new arrangement or I'd never get a chance to play. Of course, that is all assuming the games are actually up and running. In reality I spend more time repairing them than I do actually playing them lately. Thankfully I enjoy working on pins as much as I enjoy playing them.....usually.

I'm guessing mine get played about 50 games per week. I usually play several nights a week, but my young daughters are like squirrels passing a bright shiny bauble sometimes... They'll turn it on, play a few games and walk off.

I turn the newest one on in the morning most days for them to get a game or two in before school.

Youngest one (5yrs) asked me to take her to Austin next weekend so she can go to Pinballz again... Going to take her to Game Preserve locally instead. She is counting down the days...

Dumb question, but when you are putting thousands of play on the pins are they wore out by the time you sell/trade or do they seem to hold up pretty well?

Not a dumb question... answer is that it depends.

For starters it would take some insane amount of home play to get up to the number of games routed games accumulate in a good location, so it has that advantage going in over a routed game anyway.

But there are factors that make a difference, pretty much all maintenance:
- Cleaning schedule
- Do you wax?
- Inspect/Replace balls with some regularity?
- Fix issues / breaks as soon as they occur?

Nothing hard here, with some simple mainenance the game stays in great condition. Note that a routed game with proper maintenance should also last for many years (and many have), but sadly even today I find games on routes with filthy playfields and pitted balls wearing down the playfield.

Are there still going to be signs of wear? Of course, but nothing that prevents a game from being somthing to admire and enjoy playing.

This is a great topic, and something I've been thinking about lately. I don't own any machines yet, but my basement will be finished in a few weeks and I've always wanted one, ever since I played Revenge From Mars in a bar many years ago. My concern though, based on the extremely high price, is whether it's actually worth it. I'd like to think I'll play it a lot, but I just don't know for sure.

I play late into the night until my legs give out.

You may get bored with it, just like any hobby. And they are expensive. And they are heavy. And they reuire developing repair skills, new parts, special tools, etc. And they take up a lot of space and most people have no idea there are rules to follow...

But, if a game really calls out to you then listen to it. You are being called to a truly american art form as sincere and authentic as baseball or jazz. Playable art that requires a million little details to come together for it to be perfect. When everything comes together and you have a great game, in your own home, there is something that melts the cares of the world away and puts you into another realm of joy that can't be achieved in any other hobby.

Fezmid, i was in your situation about a month ago. I was contemplating buying my one machine, having never owned one before. I "thought" that i would like having my own game - but without going through it, i couldn't be 100% positive.

Eventually, i came to the conclusion that I would like to try. I figured, if I buy a pin at a fair price (try not to over pay), I could have it at my home to play whenever I wanted; if, after a year, i decided that I didn't enjoy owning it, i could sell it and get back 80% (or more) of the money spent. If you look at it this way, it may be easier to decide IF you'd like to try pin ownership out for yourself.

Yeah, that's an EXCELLENT point, thanks.

So, I'm assuming you've pulled the trigger? If so, are you glad you did?

Im lucky if I play 1-2 games a week. Most of my games will set for weeks at a time never even turned on. Keeps me on the fence to even justify having them, but with values going up its better to keep my money invested there then a motorsports toy that depreciates if I even look at it. I keep telling myself I am going to play more, but just never make the time.......Maybe this winter.

I play every day. I don't play every machine every day but play most em throughout the week. I play a lot on location and in tournaments as well. Pinball is my time suck and I love it.

Friday night, all day Saturday and a little on Sunday. Football season is when I really crank it up, NBA finals also.
Weekdays, just occasionally. It's a harmless addiction with minor pains to the wallet.

I need to be that inspired to play!

I play most days. But tonight for instance I spent 4 hours cleaning and fine tuning a Pinball Magic I just picked up. It's player quality but I like to get them looking/playing their best.Im always a little surprised when I check the audits on a machine that I have been hammering and thinking it will be 500 plays. Check the audits and its like 150.

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Was all excited to finally play it and didn't realise the Mrs had gone to bed. Oh well there always tomorrow. And it's a nice night light.

Cool pin! Don't see that one often.

The other good thing about this hobby that is as long as you don't overpay for it and even just pay a decent price rather a steal you probably won't have a time offloading it for cash again if you find it wasn't a good fit. Not much to lose! Again, just make sure you don't overpay or you'll end up losing money on the sale.

Thanks for the info. This is good to know as I should probably start playing mine a bit more.

4 pins. I try to play at least a game a day. I tend to get hooked on one machine for a while. Lately I've really been hitting the frontier lots.