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.