(Topic ID: 329200)

Is Pinball Making A Come Back in Popularity

By Jase1979

1 year ago


Topic Heartbeat

Topic Stats

  • 112 posts
  • 65 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 1 year ago by pinballboy
  • Topic is favorited by 3 Pinsiders

You

Linked Games

No games have been linked to this topic.

    Topic Gallery

    View topic image gallery

    mando.gif
    E28B9636-EEAF-4B83-9666-B5ECA2C2DFA7 (resized).jpeg
    90111B4C-204B-4D22-9346-3C7F0B2A0148 (resized).jpeg
    6 pins Jan2023 (resized).jpg

    There are 112 posts in this topic. You are on page 2 of 3.
    #51 1 year ago
    Quoted from doublestack:

    When the abbreviation “HUO” started to appear in every add or post coming out of someone in the hobby, is when it started to get real dark.

    It certainly has changed from when I started getting into it a little over 13 years ago. And for those that have been around longer than me it probably feels even bigger of a change

    #52 1 year ago
    Quoted from Deez:

    The hobby has changed so much in the last ten years it's crazy. It used to be a bunch of good old boys trading around some beat up machines and tinkering on them for hardly any money. Now it's a bunch of bougie rich collectors buying machines as status symbols.

    This right here....reminds me of the swap meets in the parking lots of the shows, a buncha dudes sifting thru boxes of parts, trying to keep a game running...

    Now I have the same feeling that I had when Metallica went mainstream after being "our" underground band for years.

    #53 1 year ago
    Quoted from MacGruber:

    The only thing we have more of here is beer and cheese! Is this Heaven?!?

    Based on your proximity to D82… yes.

    #54 1 year ago
    Quoted from Deez:

    The hobby has changed so much in the last ten years it's crazy. It used to be a bunch of good old boys trading around some beat up machines and tinkering on them for hardly any money. Now it's a bunch of bougie rich collectors buying machines as status symbols. It's obvious when you look at the marketplace and see all these for sale ads with more dolls glued to it than games played. Games for sale with 30 plays?? I put that many on within the first day I open the damn box. Check out the the number of collectors with strictly modded out Sterns because they don't even know what a soldering iron is. I don't think pinball is gaining popularity as much as the demographics are shifting and total numbers staying steady. One person gets priced out and leaves and a rich noob begins. $tern has realized that catering to these noobs is their bread and butter and a great business decision. Moths to a flame that will buy anything since they don't actually play the games. It's great for $tern and the other manufacturers but bad long term for the hobby IMO.

    Deez not Nutz

    #55 1 year ago
    Quoted from Deez:

    all these for sale ads with more dolls glued to it than games played. Games for sale with 30 plays??

    GODDDDDDDDD!!!! If I see one more fucking Funko Pop

    #56 1 year ago
    Quoted from jawjaw:

    Exactly same thing at my house. Most people think the pins are cool, maybe play for a few minutes, and never again. Even my own teenage kids rarely if ever play anymore. All kids rather go play video games on consoles or their phones. Nobody knows how to play and struggle to keep ball in play more than a minute. Nobody cares to hear anything about rules or how to play because it's just too much.

    I think part of what people experience with kids is a factor of their kids growing up around games. I started collecting games before our son was born, so he has been around them his whole life. He will occasionally play, but there just isn't any novelty to it for him. His friends will come over and think its cool and love to play, but it's just another day to him ha.

    #57 1 year ago
    Quoted from grantopia:

    I think part of what people experience with kids is a factor of their kids growing up around games. I started collecting games before our son was born, so he has been around them his whole life. He will occasionally play, but there just isn't any novelty to it for him. His friends will come over and think its cool and love to play, but it's just another day to him ha.

    I started into the hobby when my boys were young teens. They played a bunch in the beginning but very rare now days. I suppose I was the same when I was their age. Pins were kind of cool but I much preferred video games. Once I got older, video games became more boring and pins seem more interesting. Funny how things change.

    #58 1 year ago
    Quoted from LTG:

    Not really until Williams closed. Prior to that time it was near impossible to buy a machine.

    My giant collection of games I bought at amusement auctions in the mid to late 90's would disagree with that. Ops were *thrilled* to sell you their warehouses of "junk" like $500 Twilight Zones.

    #59 1 year ago
    Quoted from jwilson:

    My giant collection of games I bought at amusement auctions in the mid to late 90's would disagree with that. Ops were *thrilled* to sell you their warehouses of "junk" like $500 Twilight Zones.

    I agree. I use Williams closing as when things really started rolling.

    Mid 90's when pinball was dropping like a rock ops were willing to wholesale them out.

    Before then. Not so much.

    LTG : )

    #60 1 year ago

    Gryzz is always funny and it’s funny to read “no.” … but I’m Not sure how it is even a question.

    Multiple viable manufacturers including 2 powerhouses at scale… and one that is dramatically increasing capacity.

    Look at your pinballmap for your area now and compare it to just a few years ago.

    Look at the list of pinsiders now vs a few years ago.

    Look at the number of machines being built and sold out often.

    Look at the number of registered IFPA players now.

    Look at the number of IFPA tournaments.

    Look at the price increases which have been mostly absorbed despite far outpacing inflation.

    Look at the number of modders.

    Is it still small overall?
    Sure, but it’s absolutely growing.

    #61 1 year ago

    I do home service calls in MN. The number of plays that some of my in home clients have is astounding. Mata Hari ,f-14. 4000 plays each in 18 months in home environment. Another client has a Stern StarTrek. 25k+plays in home since he bought new.
    Pinball in home used to be an afterthought but now it's the center of attention.
    People are having neighbors over for pinball get togethers etc.
    The young kids 6 and up have a super high interest now which was not present 15 years ago.
    When you have kids 8 years old inquiring about if a game has the latest software you know pinball is popular again.

    #62 1 year ago
    Quoted from mrm_4:

    GODDDDDDDDD!!!! If I see one more fucking Funko Pop

    6 pins Jan2023 (resized).jpg6 pins Jan2023 (resized).jpg
    #63 1 year ago
    Quoted from TimBoch:

    [quoted image]

    I can smell the hot glue gun in that picture

    #64 1 year ago

    Funko Pops are the Beanie Babies of this generation.......

    At least they look better than a Beanie.

    #65 1 year ago
    Quoted from Bandit78:

    Many times when my friends are over and they have brought their teen or 20-something child over, many of them have never seen a pinball and a lot of them have never even heard of pinball. Kind of puts this whole hobby in perspective.

    100%. I just had a video call with my games in the background and one person guess they were ping pong machines. After she said that outloud she said hang on, no thats not right and she corrected herself with saying pinball games.

    Except for other game owners/hobbiests, no one i know has seen, heard or played a pinball machine and although 2 friends dads had a game in their house (crazy as they were both Hong Kong immigrants to toronto, canada), they hardly ever turned it on, they were both broken somewhere and only one remembered the title, T2. The other game is a mystery.

    #66 1 year ago
    Quoted from trueno92:

    100%. I just had a video call with my games in the background and one person guess they were ping pong machines. After she said that outloud she said hang on, no thats not right and she corrected herself with saying pinball games.
    Except for other game owners/hobbiests, no one i know has seen, heard or played a pinball machine and although 2 friends dads had a game in their house (crazy as they were both Hong Kong immigrants to toronto, canada), they hardly ever turned it on, they were both broken somewhere and only one remembered the title, T2. The other game is a mystery.

    When covid started and we began working from home, first Skype meeting I was in the game room and someone asked where I downloaded the cool background. They didn't believe it was real til I actually carried the laptop over to one and hit start.

    #67 1 year ago
    Quoted from mrm_4:

    I can smell the hot glue gun in that picture

    3M command strips replaced the original folded electrical tape. Finally completed my STTNG cast with a custom painted and one of a kind Dr. Crusher.

    90111B4C-204B-4D22-9346-3C7F0B2A0148 (resized).jpeg90111B4C-204B-4D22-9346-3C7F0B2A0148 (resized).jpegE28B9636-EEAF-4B83-9666-B5ECA2C2DFA7 (resized).jpegE28B9636-EEAF-4B83-9666-B5ECA2C2DFA7 (resized).jpeg
    #68 1 year ago
    Quoted from pinzrfun:

    When covid started and we began working from home, first Skype meeting I was in the game room and someone asked where I downloaded the cool background. They didn't believe it was real til I actually carried the laptop over to one and hit start.

    Haha my games were off and i briefly explained i enjoy tinkering with amusement machines.

    Pinball is about the sane in popularity with slot car racing...

    You guys wanna know what else is super esoteric and also super niche?

    Internet forums.

    #69 1 year ago
    Quoted from trueno92:

    You guys wanna know what else is super esoteric and also super niche?
    Internet forums.

    I remind other pinheads frequently in-person that pinside is a minority within a minority.

    #70 1 year ago
    Quoted from japespin:

    They flip for a few minutes, have no idea what's going on, then move on.
    I try my best to get my friends and family into it, but they just don't get it the way I do. It is what it is.

    Yeah this kills me too, When I play a game and have no idea what's going on I don't care! Its fun anyways. The discovery of all of it is the fun part. So I don't understand the "its too complicated" garbage I hear from some of my family and friends. Like get over it and just enjoy!

    #71 1 year ago
    Quoted from ExSquid:

    Yeah this kills me too, When I play a game and have no idea what's going on I don't care! Its fun anyways. The discovery of all of it is the fun part. So I don't understand the "its too complicated" garbage I hear from some of my family and friends. Like get over it and just enjoy!

    You can actually code a setting for location play, to lure in new players. Give them a simplified ruleset and more instructions.

    When I was a kid, I didn't like pinball because I didn't understand what the hell was going on. I played 1 or 2 games, then never again... until 30 years later.

    Today, I code the most comprehensive and complicated pinball games ever made (digitally), but the player ALWAYS knows what to do and will ALWAYS have fun. I'm using my own experience as a kid to fix the problem I had.

    #72 1 year ago
    Quoted from TimBoch:

    3M command strips replaced the original folded electrical tape. Finally completed my STTNG cast with a custom painted and one of a kind Dr. Crusher.[quoted image][quoted image]

    That’s an easy $3k in “rare mods” to add to your sale price of the machine

    #73 1 year ago
    Quoted from TimBoch:

    3M command strips replaced the original folded electrical tape. Finally completed my STTNG cast with a custom painted and one of a kind Dr. Crusher.[quoted image][quoted image]

    Quoted from mrm_4:

    That’s an easy $3k in “rare mods” to add to your sale price of the machine

    NOOOOOO!!! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO LEAVE THEM ALL IN THEIR UNOPENED BOXES! Lol

    #74 1 year ago

    My 16 y/o daughter's boyfriend's (God I hate saying that) parents came over our house about 4 months ago for the 1st time. They walk into the game room and their jaws hit the floor.

    I'VE ALWAYS WANTED PINBALL MACHINES! EVER SINCE I WAS A KID! I HAD NO IDEA THEY WERE STILL BEING MADE! WHERE DID YOU GET THESE!?

    I gave him the generic... Oh, you can find them on Craigslist, Ebay and a few sites out there.

    Fast forward to last night, I got my GnR LE all set up and the boyfriend sends his dad a few videos. Later that evening as he's saying goodbye I get, "What's the website you use to find your machines? My dad wants to know."

    Now I know this guy is serious and not just nostalgic. He's got money, so he'll be buying a few machines.

    This was the point I made on page 1 of this thread. There are tons of people out there who don't even know pinball machines are still being made. And when they see all the RGB LEDs and the video screens and the under cabinet lights popping off, they go nuts!

    So I definitely believe pinball is making a huge resurgence. People just have to see the machines that have been made over the last 10 years with all of their technology.

    Can you imagine what pinball machines will have in them for technology and gimmicks and toys and interact ability 25 years from now?

    Yeah, this hobby isn't going anywhere.

    #75 1 year ago

    Answer to the question is yes. Driven by the home collector in my opinion. As to empirical evidence, from a data set of ONE. I have a healthy, growing collection, a distributor I trust and depend on, a mod guy and a repair guy on my phone, I pay x per hour to keep the machines going and watch and learn while they are being repaired. Hope to do it myself one day when I retire. Not to save money but because I am fascinated by these machines that combine physics and electronics and programming, far superior to any video game I have ever had. (I used to be a high-end PC Gamer, custom liquid cooled machines, highest frame rate, large high rez monitors etc.) I think there are a lot of us that have discovered this. Maybe? IF so, will this sustain a long-term demand? I don't know, as to more empirical evidence, my son and I have bonded over it, I've bought him a couple of machines for his house, and he comes over to my collection a couple of times a week. We watch YouTube for tutorials on the code, I listen to podcasts and go to the big shows. It's a great hobby, it takes more of my time, happily. How repeatable is this to other collectors? Will it transfer over to the mainstream? I don't know. I doubt it, my friends come over and enjoy the experience but it's only every now and then and I don't see them seeking out areas with pins. Central Florida is a bit of a pin wasteland unless you're talking Orlando which is only an hour away so there is an opportunity to experience variety. As to home collector demand, I think it is enough to sustain a few manufacturers over the next few years. Certainly, the recession we are currently experiencing will make a difference, the well managed companies will survive.

    #76 1 year ago
    Quoted from Pinfidel:

    My 16 y/o daughter's boyfriend's (God I hate saying that) parents came over our house about 4 months ago for the 1st time. They walk into the game room and their jaws hit the floor.
    I'VE ALWAYS WANTED PINBALL MACHINES! EVER SINCE I WAS A KID! I HAD NO IDEA THEY WERE STILL BEING MADE! WHERE DID YOU GET THESE!?
    I gave him the generic... Oh, you can find them on Craigslist, Ebay and a few sites out there.
    Fast forward to last night, I got my GnR LE all set up and the boyfriend sends his dad a few videos. Later that evening as he's saying goodbye I get, "What's the website you use to find your machines? My dad wants to know."
    Now I know this guy is serious and not just nostalgic. He's got money, so he'll be buying a few machines.
    This was the point I made on page 1 of this thread. There are tons of people out there who don't even know pinball machines are still being made. And when they see all the RGB LEDs and the video screens and the under cabinet lights popping off, they go nuts!
    So I definitely believe pinball is making a huge resurgence. People just have to see the machines that have been made over the last 10 years with all of their technology.
    Can you imagine what pinball machines will have in them for technology and gimmicks and toys and interact ability 25 years from now?
    Yeah, this hobby isn't going anywhere.

    This was me. Thinking you could own a pinball machine for home use never crossed my mind. Until it did…

    #77 1 year ago
    Quoted from SLAMT1LT:

    You can actually code a setting for location play, to lure in new players. Give them a simplified ruleset and more instructions.

    I just played TS4 for the first time and it seems like they have done this with the large tablet display on playfield.

    #78 1 year ago

    I think the answer to this is the fact that JJP, Stern, and Spooky all expanded operations within the last 2 years, and Spooky is looking to expand yet again.

    The three biggest makers of pinball all expanding = pinball is growing.

    1 week later
    #79 1 year ago

    I joined a league 45 minutes from my home. This season is their largest group...participant count expanded from low 30's to 43.
    Tiny, tiny sample...and our area is behind other parts of the country in regards to location play and leagues...but it seems to be gaining interest.

    I just hosted my 4th beginner tournament in the past year for my coworkers...but I can't really garner that much interest. This round had the fewest participants; some previous participants couldn't attend due to travel and sickness...but still, was a little put-off investing as much effort & money into arranging it and only having 15 total show up (of which only 8 direct coworkers). ... especially since soo many people asked 'when is next one' at the Christmas office party. Oh well.

    #80 1 year ago
    Quoted from Pinfidel:

    My 16 y/o daughter's boyfriend's (God I hate saying that) parents came over our house about 4 months ago for the 1st time. They walk into the game room and their jaws hit the floor.
    I'VE ALWAYS WANTED PINBALL MACHINES! EVER SINCE I WAS A KID! I HAD NO IDEA THEY WERE STILL BEING MADE! WHERE DID YOU GET THESE!?
    I gave him the generic... Oh, you can find them on Craigslist, Ebay and a few sites out there.
    Fast forward to last night, I got my GnR LE all set up and the boyfriend sends his dad a few videos. Later that evening as he's saying goodbye I get, "What's the website you use to find your machines? My dad wants to know."
    Now I know this guy is serious and not just nostalgic. He's got money, so he'll be buying a few machines.
    This was the point I made on page 1 of this thread. There are tons of people out there who don't even know pinball machines are still being made. And when they see all the RGB LEDs and the video screens and the under cabinet lights popping off, they go nuts!
    So I definitely believe pinball is making a huge resurgence. People just have to see the machines that have been made over the last 10 years with all of their technology.
    Can you imagine what pinball machines will have in them for technology and gimmicks and toys and interact ability 25 years from now?
    Yeah, this hobby isn't going anywhere.

    lol. I wonder if you ever get used to your daughter dating. That's a cool story. Does he know how much games like that cost?

    #81 1 year ago

    Just from a local arcade perspective, we have about 60/70 arcade machines on the floor and then 15/20 pinball machines. Most days the pinball machines are swamped whereas the arcade machines are gathering dust.

    #82 1 year ago

    Helped bring another guy in last week. He contacted me to buy a DE Hook I had for sale. Unfortunately the game sold a few hours before. We had a conversation on FB messenger and I told him I had a collection and restored machines, etc. He asks if he can come over and ask me some questions even though the Hook is gone. Sure, why not.

    So he comes over with his 17 yo son and we talk/play pinball for an hour or two. The guy wants to learn everything about pinball, wants to learn how to work on them, etc. Super nice guy.

    Anyhow I helped him find a LW3 that was in his budget which he bought (better pin than Hook anyways) and helped him set it up. He’s already fixed a switch on it and installed a new blue siren light on it.

    He came over Saturday and completely stripped and sanded the Harlem Globetrotters cab for the game I’m restoring. After a few hours of work we played pinball for an hour.

    Yeah, he’s hooked.

    #83 1 year ago
    Quoted from PantherCityPins:

    Anyhow I helped him find a LW3 that was in his budget which he bought (better pin than Hook anyways) and helped him set it up. He’s already fixed a switch on it and installed a new blue siren light on it..

    What's an "in budget" LW3 going for these days?

    #84 1 year ago
    Quoted from CrazyLevi:

    What's an "in budget" LW3 going for these days?

    $3200 I think is what he ended up paying. Playfield was in good shape, fully working. Missing the topper. It was a decent price in my opinion in the current market and he really wanted a first pin.

    #85 1 year ago

    It has but at same time, the way prices are going, I see it just kind of just tapering and hurting the progress that has been made.

    #86 1 year ago
    Quoted from CrazyLevi:

    What's an "in budget" LW3 going for these days?

    Little research never hurt!

    #87 1 year ago
    Quoted from TimBoch:

    3M command strips replaced the original folded electrical tape. Finally completed my STTNG cast with a custom painted and one of a kind Dr. Crusher.[quoted image][quoted image]

    Nerds

    mando.gifmando.gif
    #88 1 year ago
    Quoted from cookpins:

    I just played TS4 for the first time and it seems like they have done this with the large tablet display on playfield.

    I was just discussing this with the Mrs. the other day. I speculate that someone in the JJP design room said something sarcastic to the effect of, "The only way you're going to get young kids to look at a pinball machine is if there's an iPad in it," and then the metaphorical light bulb flickered on.

    11
    #89 1 year ago

    I am 14 years old and have been into the hobby for 3 years now and know how to solder and have restored over 30 machines. In my mind i want to spread the hobby so i have been opening locations with a guy that i work with. I also have been spreading the hobby by going as far as bringing a pinball to school and letting people play it. We have noticed that our machines have been making way more money then they did just 1 year ago. So in the state of California i think pinball has been making a comeback.

    #90 1 year ago
    Quoted from schudel5:

    It used to be nice and quiet in here 19 years ago. Now there's a shit ton of people on my lawn.

    I often long for the good old rec.games.pinball days

    #91 1 year ago

    N=1 data point.

    My wife has wanted a pinball machine for a while so I picked up Stars for her for Christmas. I have always been cheap and sucked at arcade games so I never really played pinball. I am amazed at how addictive it is. We have played every day since Christmas. The kids come home from school and play until they have a good game and leave the score up. My wife comes home and plays a couple games before dinner. I go to heat up some food and go play a game or two. Friends have heard we have it and are either like "that is neat" or "Oh I have to come over and play". Have to make sure I have plenty of beer because if nothing is going on at the end of the night people might be over.

    Now I am looking for an EM game.

    I have been heavily involved in the baseball card hobby for 20 years. This same stuff is being talked about in related to vintage versus modern cards, all the new money coming into the hobby, when will the bottom fall out, good old days when cards weren't worth anything etc. Just like that hobby, people will come and go, some will stick around, and it is neat to find people who share your geeky interest with you.

    I will say one thing, enjoying pinball with the family and friends is a lot more fun than looking at cardboard pictures of dead guys.

    #92 1 year ago
    Quoted from pinballboy:

    I am 14 years old and have been into the hobby for 3 years now and know how to solder and have restored over 30 machines. In my mind i want to spread the hobby so i have been opening locations with a guy that i work with. I also have been spreading the hobby by going as far as bringing a pinball to school and letting people play it. We have noticed that our machines have been making way more money then they did just 1 year ago. So in the state of California i think pinball has been making a comeback.

    Do your friends think you are a weirdo or are they into it?

    #93 1 year ago
    Quoted from dstudeba:

    N=1 data point.
    My wife has wanted a pinball machine for a while so I picked up Stars for her for Christmas. I have always been cheap and sucked at arcade games so I never really played pinball. I am amazed at how addictive it is. We have played every day since Christmas. The kids come home from school and play until they have a good game and leave the score up. My wife comes home and plays a couple games before dinner. I go to heat up some food and go play a game or two. Friends have heard we have it and are either like "that is neat" or "Oh I have to come over and play". Have to make sure I have plenty of beer because if nothing is going on at the end of the night people might be over.
    Now I am looking for an EM game.
    I have been heavily involved in the baseball card hobby for 20 years. This same stuff is being talked about in related to vintage versus modern cards, all the new money coming into the hobby, when will the bottom fall out, good old days when cards weren't worth anything etc. Just like that hobby, people will come and go, some will stick around, and it is neat to find people who share your geeky interest with you.
    I will say one thing, enjoying pinball with the family and friends is a lot more fun than looking at cardboard pictures of dead guys.

    Congrats on Stars. Awesome game. Chasing those 100k bonus shots never gets old.

    #94 1 year ago
    Quoted from jwilson:

    My giant collection of games I bought at amusement auctions in the mid to late 90's would disagree with that. Ops were *thrilled* to sell you their warehouses of "junk" like $500 Twilight Zones.

    Quoted from SBrothers:

    I often long for the good old rec.games.pinball days

    These both sum up my 26 year collecting adventure perfectly. I bought most of my original collection at coin op auctions which, I seem to be weirdly wired to enjoy for some reason. Many fond memories of eating at Mom and Pop restaurants between Cincy and Indianapolis, or Cincy and Columbus, etc.

    Then, I got bored of pinball. But unlike other collectors I just let them sit, only occasionally turned on. Fast forward to last summer I caught the bug and with the assistance of a long-time friend I was able to find a GZ Premium NIB. But how to pay for such an extravagance? See my first paragraph...

    So far in the last half year or so I've bought 7 new-to-me games with 6 of them being NIB, and I've sold 8 (and soon to be 9) to pay for them. So frankly, I don't really care how much the new games cost as long as folks are willing to pay me comparably for my 20 year old titles.

    I'd love to keep this trend going but to be honest the remaining long-term machines in my collection would be VERY difficult to let go of. I love what Stern is doing and I have 6 Spike 2 titles, but frankly, I'm not giving up a MM or a TZ for another one. I think my collection may have finally settled out.

    I hope pinball continues to grow and thrive. It's been a wondering thing to come back to after a period of being away.

    #95 1 year ago
    Quoted from CrazyLevi:

    Do your friends think you are a weirdo or are they into it?

    They’re into it, they just think it’s cool they can play for free at my house.

    #96 1 year ago

    Popularity is declining and not a good investment. Feel free to donate to me.

    #97 1 year ago
    Quoted from pinballboy:

    They’re into it, they just think it’s cool they can play for free at my house.

    #98 1 year ago

    I always thought it would be interesting to see a chart that shows- “number of NEW pinside members per month”
    I understand that “not everyone in pinball is on pinside.” But it could show a rise or decline of overall interest in pinball.
    The more people getting into pinball, a certain percentage of them will find Pinside.

    #99 1 year ago
    Quoted from ryan1234:

    see a chart that shows- “number of NEW pinside members per month”

    Click on Community and scroll down a little. It shows new members in the last 24 hours.

    LTG : )

    #100 1 year ago
    Quoted from viper001:

    These both sum up my 26 year collecting adventure perfectly. I bought most of my original collection at coin op auctions which, I seem to be weirdly wired to enjoy for some reason. Many fond memories of eating at Mom and Pop restaurants between Cincy and Indianapolis, or Cincy and Columbus, etc.
    Then, I got bored of pinball. But unlike other collectors I just let them sit, only occasionally turned on. Fast forward to last summer I caught the bug and with the assistance of a long-time friend I was able to find a GZ Premium NIB. But how to pay for such an extravagance? See my first paragraph...
    So far in the last half year or so I've bought 7 new-to-me games with 6 of them being NIB, and I've sold 8 (and soon to be 9) to pay for them. So frankly, I don't really care how much the new games cost as long as folks are willing to pay me comparably for my 20 year old titles.
    I'd love to keep this trend going but to be honest the remaining long-term machines in my collection would be VERY difficult to let go of. I love what Stern is doing and I have 6 Spike 2 titles, but frankly, I'm not giving up a MM or a TZ for another one. I think my collection may have finally settled out.
    I hope pinball continues to grow and thrive. It's been a wondering thing to come back to after a period of being away.

    Great story. Thanks for sharing.

    There are 112 posts in this topic. You are on page 2 of 3.

    Reply

    Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.

    Hey there! Welcome to Pinside!

    Donate to Pinside

    Great to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!


    This page was printed from https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/is-pinball-making-a-come-back-in-popularity/page/2 and we tried optimising it for printing. Some page elements may have been deliberately hidden.

    Scan the QR code on the left to jump to the URL this document was printed from.