My neighbor just found out I had pinball machines. We always help each other with tasks and I needed help pulling out my AC/DC playfield for replacement. He was shocked. I let him play my Aerosmith since I was down to a two pinball collection (until I get my Maiden pro next week). He was loving it. He asked about pricing and I flat out told him, he knows I bust my ass working. With him he was more excited to play than anything else. My replacement playfield came and he helped me put it in with my guidance. He called last night to see if I had it all hooked up yet lol. He’s coming over this weekend to play.

OP. Find new people to hang with.

Yeah! That's a good way of looking at it same here. I can afford a $40k new vehicle but much rather put that into pinball purchases, and drive my 8 year old paid off car with 150,000 miles on it, lol. At this point in my life I can't swing both the expensive cars and new pins (unless I went into debt which is out of the question), so pinball wins out.

It's hard to justify our collections to someone who doesn't understand.

As many have mentioned, I drive a less than exciting car, and don't spend money on much else besides pinball.

If people ask me what I paid, I just ask back "Why do you ask? Are you interested in owning one?"

Usually no, they are just curious. I tell them, their jaw drops, and then I say "It'll hold its value. It's not like I'm spending x dollars on something and that money is gone forever." I hate that I even have to say this, but I know I'm my friends care enough about me to make sure I'm not being frivolous, and I want them to know that I understand the situation. They are usually fine after that.

I am more amazed that you can actually get people to play them I've found most of the time people will just humor me by talking about them and look at them like they are artifacts. I gave up long ago trying to include people. I think it would make me happier to have people play them and shit talk me lol. My favorite comment was "you can actually fix these things and you know what you are doing?"

You guys just inspired me to take a pic. My Arcade vs My Car.

2009 Mazda 5, bought in 2012 for cash. Been driving it since.

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Guess which one gives me more pleasure and is more fun.

Most just don't seem to understand why a grown man wants to be surrounded by toys...…… I tell them that for me it keeps me in touch with the simpler and happier times of my life.

Yep I feel the same way..... my wife gets a new Altima every 3/4 years. I have company car and my personal car is a 2000 Gt with 8k on it

Can I afford more.... hell yeah but my interest for showing of a hot car has been takin by self gradifcation in my games. A few pics of the fleet and games.

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OMG LOOK AT THAT ROOM! More pictures!!!! What are the dimensions wow?

Can we be friends?

EDIT: I drive a 2010 Yaris with 130k miles. My wife told me I can upgrade whenever, and I responded with "can I buy a new pinball machine instead?". Long story short, Dialed In will be here around Friday.

I suspect most everyone in this thread goes through bouts of this. I certainly do.. when my friends used to make comments I’d just point out thier money pit cars, bikes, snowmobiles, or boats. Which normally sell for about 30-40 cents on the dollar for what you have invested...

Is that a mirrored room or all games .... WOW

I can relate to this 100%. The best part about pinball is playing with friends! My friends come over and are far more interested in playing pool. I can't even get them to touch a machine, let alone look at it. I gave up, too.

You mean you're tired of people asking you if this pachinko machine at the yard sale is a good buy? lol

Man I told my buddy I paid 275 for a Broken EM and he looked at me like I was crazy. I didnt mention what I paid for my No Good Gofers, Might have put him in the hospital.

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No kids, no wife...leads to a happy life.

I'm at the point where I'm fine no one knowing or playing my precious collection. Like when there's a party at my house, I just lock the basement door. If someone actually wants to play that's fine, I rarely invite anyone to.

One of my peeves...

When someone explains it as PING PONG and not pinball.

Drives me up a wall how they could confuse the two.

Somehow this thread has turned from talking to non-pinheads in to a humblebrag thread.

Most wont understand, but non pinheads certainly appreciate it more after they help me haul a game.

I can certainly relate to all of you. I don’t really talk pinball much with non-pinheads or if I do its very basic...ooh I love pinball too they say. I live in a small town though so eventually everyone knows I have games. Rarely is it ever a topic. I never talk or lie about price. Rarely am I asked. My answer to “how much do these cost” is simple and truthful. They can range anywhere from $500 to several thousand dollars. They say “cool” and play a game. Only a couple of times did I get a very persistent person. I just say “are you thinking of buying one.” The answer is usually yes at that point.

If they aren’t even in your game room I am not sure how the topic comes up or how they know the quantity and price of your collection. Might have went too far in the conversation.

Comparison, Have you ever met a new fitness buff and all they talk about is what they eat, what they do, how they do it, fitness fitness fitness, and you should.....you need to....and they talk so much so long about their passion (that no one there gives a shit about) that people get worn out and then when the person leaves the topic continues but in the form of criticism or mocking them?

Keep in mind, the average person just plays a game of pinball occasionally, it is not a big part of their life, they think it’s cool you have one, but beyond a mention or few minute conversation they don’t care.

True story. A lot of my friends have money...real money, not like me. When I talk about pinball they ask how much they cost. I say, new around $8k...but can be higher. They say..."That's it??" Then they ask what kind of machines are available. I tell them and they say "Can you hook me up and get around 10 machines for the "pool room".....
Sometimes they ask what would I get....that's why my friend has a Twilight Zone, Addams Family, Scared Stiff, Elvira & Party Monsters, Attack From Mars, etc....
When they ask me how many I have, I just say, My birthday is coming....

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I always respond "Too many ... and not enough."

I sold half of my machines and bought my wife a new truck, sold another one and bought a nice trans am for myself. This hobby has turned into stupid money. We still have 5 machines and I still enjoy them, but I am on the other side of buying machines. We would buy 3 to 4 machines a year (used) now I just dont. And I really enjoy having 5 machines over the 15 we used to keep. Anytime you talk about money on anything people can be jerks, so dont.

Haha! Nice. To me a car is just another tool. A way to get from point A to point B. As long as it does the job.

My friends don't get the pinball thing either. When they ask why I waste my money on pinball machines I ask them why they party/drink, smoke/pot so much I think thats a waste of money. Shuts em' up every time.

The reaction I always get from friends is “WOW, that’s cool”...and then they don’t play or touch them.

It’s my daughter and her friends that play them the most(and me of course).

I try to talk about the rulesets within the game, but my wife sees that I get so into it that she makes fun of me. I’m at a point that if people want to play them, then I’ll explain the rules, if not, OK.

This is a great hobby. I’m a part of it for my own enjoyment and fun. I see some hobby’s where people collect items that you can only look at or use a few times a year. Pinball you look at, play, update, mod, restore, trade, buy, sell, socialize, compete, and smile.

At the end of the day, who cares what people think, as long as your happy.

Who cares? It's your money. Seems like a silly thing to get worked up over.

Mic drop. Nothing more needs to be said.

My response is all ways the same to a non-pin head on those questions. If they ask me how much I paid I all ways say “too much”. That always ends that topic and if they ask how many pins I have I always say “Two too many!”

I have mixed reactions with talking Pinball to the uninformed. Some just kind of dismiss it with no interest, but that can happen with any subject of interest. Others ask a lot of questions and find it pretty interesting and others really get into the idea of it. I've never been openly mocked for being a pinhead, may have happened behind my back but I've never really cared what others think of me anyway. I did have a great conversation with a group of friends recently, they all know I have pinball machines and have played them to some degree or another. I wore a shirt for Pincinnati (shameless plug for the show coming up in November) to the pool party and a couple people asked me about it. They were all blown away that there were so many people like me and that we'd all take our games to a show so we can all play them. Then I told them about competitive pinball, tournaments, rankings and people travelling the country to play in them, they were all totally shocked but I don't think any of them thought it any more crazy than golf. A couple of them even said they were going to come to the show one day and I'm probably going to buy some single day tickets to give to them just to seal the deal.

Here’s my theory. Once that question is asked, there’s no winning. The person asking has an agenda

If the non-pinhead is a woman and asks how much they cost, it’s because they’d never let their husband own one. Somehow it’s a threat to them, that somewhere there’s a man who had a say in what goes in the house and a woman who lets such rubbish in. Sorry if that sounds misogynistic, but I find that to be the only reason for asking, and this only applies to those who do. There’s plenty of women who get it or at least can appreciate the fact that you have an interest in them.

I also find that if men ask it’s almost always out of envy. Either they think they can’t afford them, can’t convince their wife to get one, or just don’t know how to enjoy things. The next step is ridicule. I usually like to rub it in and tell them i paid for them by flipping comic books.

I had a discussion with my fishing friends. They couldn't understand why I spent so much on pinballs. Then I asked them why they spent so much on fishing...that shut them up pretty quickly. Fishing Boat $15000, fishing gear $800+ per year, fishing license, fuel, trailer $4000, lodging, food.... Afterwards turns out I spent less than they did LMAO

I think the price question is just because most people didn't even know that you could / anyone does own the games in their home. They have no way of knowing even an approximate price range whereas almost everyone knows approximately what cars, boats, appliances, etc. cost. It is just natural curiosity in most cases in my experience.

I like it when non pinheads come over and see my set up. Favorite question “what can i get for a few hundred “. I point at my acdc topper lol. They raise to a grand i point at my ms pac. They go to few grand and id point at my paragon. They shake their heads and go to one of my newer sterns. I normally end it with how many years of find fix and flip it took to get a solid collection.

Several of my friends have asked about price over the years and it's been a good thing:

- In one case my best friend, a tech-minded guy like me, needed a new hobby and fell into it full-bore, buying projects and such after doing recon at my house.

- That same friend later put me in touch with a very well-to-do individual with a priceless car collection, who had a couple busted pins... for me to fix of course.

- Second case, a family asked me to price and find a pin project for them and restore it for the day. They paid me very nicely for my efforts.

- Third case, another family looking for a pin on the periphery. They're playfully upset that I sold two at Louisville Expo without telling them, oops.

- Of course, others have shaken their head, but whatever. My entire collection cost less than one or two of the demo-derby cars my in-laws wad up and throw away every year.

But I don't take offense to the questions or reactions because it's natural for folks to be inquisitive to the price of things. I know I've often wondered the same about other folks' interesting or prized possessions... not to compete or be a dick, but just to put it in context or reference against my own interests and opportunities. Who knows... I might take the plunge myself!

The car analogy is a good one. Some cars you can't give away, some you can't hope to afford, and in the vast middle are differing elements of value. But I'm afraid I'm not a good comparison for that. My daily driver is a stubborn soldier minivan I sprang from a surplus/junk auction for $200 in 2012. Thought I would do something silly with it like a LeMons rally or whatever. Instead I got it going and in the past 6 years it's been a reliable companion, needing relatively little (though its time is finally running out, sadly).

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Actually I can safely say were it not for this spitemobile, I would not be in this hobby. Money it saved me afforded pins, not to mention moving over 20 pins with it so far. But the crux of it is: my daily driver cost less than even the shittiest pin I've bought... I'm not sure if that's something to be proud of or not

Sure does if your definition of being happy is owning material objects....

I tell them I paid double what I did, to really watch them shit their pants!

Idk this hobby is great if you have good friends. My issue isnt the people who talk money behind my back , but mainly the collectors who scream they got this pin for so much , then a year later try and flip for thousands more.
Or have an issue with a pin , tell someone else then try to sell it you as mint.
Out of the 40+ reletionships ive made 99% are like that.
MONEY is toxic in any hobby!!!
Ive sold 14 this this month , getting out .. and you know what not one of my so called friends were offered any . To the new buyers who got one of my cheap pins , hopfully they pay it forward

Just when you think you've heard it all. I told someone that I had a friend that had a bunch of games at their house, like in a bedroom, one in the living room, etc, and their response was that it was a "sign of the times." That it somehow proved that these were the end times (Bible reference) because people were paying more attention to material possessions and having fun than to God. Yeah, World War II, 9/11, etc, was all bad stuff, God saw it but kept waiting. But too many people collecting pinball games was the final straw! Who knew?

My non pin friends don’t care about what pinball machines cost. If they ask I always tell them you can get nice working machines from $500-$10,000 and that usually makes them happy.

Who are you people hanging out with?! If this is really causing stress in your life you need new friends more than a new hobby.

....

The reality is I have way more pinball friends in my life these days than "other".

It boils down to this, we are all spoiled. The pinball world is full of open, friendly, and understanding people.

Most 'civilians' are self-centered, cell phone diddlers, without empathy and are unable to see the world from any viewpoint other than their own. I like to call them a-holes. Poor bastards, for most of them going out to eat is the only entertainment they know.

My pinball friends are quickly becoming my only friends.

Talk about Pinball don’t talk about financials have another hot dog. If someone says your hobby is lame make some good natured jokes about how it’s way cooler than their jet ski hobby and
Move on to the next dude. Boom.

Just the wrong crowd blow it off. We had a house fire back in March all our friends first asked if everyone was ok the second question was is the gameroom ok?

I have only had one person (a friend of my wife) make a negative comment about owning pins. It was an intentional jab at me. She made some remark about if she had that much money, she would have remodeled her home. I responded with, well you don't have the money so I guess you can't remodel. If you are going to make a comment like that you better be ready to have one come right back!

95% of people driving on the road will see me driving a four-door silver sedan. The other 5% who are car enthusiasts will pull up next to me, or approach me at a gas station or parking lot saying "wow what a great ride, what's it like?" I actually like the fact that only a small percentage of the population actually know what it is or what it's worth.

The pinball machines in our house are just part of our entertainment package. Obviously, I have pinhead friends who will come over and play for hours at a time. But when we have other guests at some point we will usually say "there's some pinball machines downstairs if you guys want to try them". Most people will be polite and go down to take a look. Some will freak out and play three and four hours and ask to come back. Most, however, will politely play a game or two and then move on to sit on the sofa to chat for the rest of the evening.

I Initially Thought people would say something like "wow I am impressed!" But actually, I typically hear "wow I'm impressed but some guy almost 60 years old is this obsessed with playing with toys".

it's typically a very narrow number of individuals who have a strong interest in specialized items such as automobiles, watches, pinball machines, whatever. If I came to your house and you wanted to show me your vintage guitar collection I would be interested in looking at them for about 10 minutes, and then I would be done.

But I have found that most people don't ask a lot of questions. If I'm ever asked how much they're worth I will always say "more than I have in them". Remember, most of us are in this hobby for our own enjoyment, and our families enjoyment, not so much to impress or convert other people to pinball enthusiasts.

I remember collecting my locations. People would always say "it must be rough counting all those quarters" .

Got old quick, that's why I dont have locations anymore:)can make good money doing other stuff

In conversations it will always come up "what are your hobbies?" I tell them pinball and my Mustang. Then they start asking questions and I just tell them. If they scoff I ask them what are their hobbies and 90% of the time it's "nothing, I don't have any, I have kids".

I have a a sign above the gameroom that says "because it makes me happy..next question?" sums it up.