C'mon guys, downvoting is not an insult in any way.

It's just a civilized way to say "I don't agree". Nothing more.

Someone once told me that I had over 1000 downvotes. Why would I care?

If people started agreeing with everything I say, I'd worry that I had become the ass-end rather than the antenna.

I'm firmly in the poorly sourced and vetted "ghost-written" or "spoon-fed" article camp. As I said in the JPOP thread (post #23277 re: the Pop Sci article but equally applicable to WSJ):

Anyone else who read the article think the subtitle should be "The Chris Kooluris Story" ?

I'm amazed at the mileage he has gotten out of his Magic Girl... probably way more than the Hellcat!

xTheBlackKnightx better look out. Now we have a "real" pinball historian in the house.

He's just troweling everybody.

Absolutely. He bought the pin and quickly realized what an idiot he was for dropping that kind of cash on something that will never play. He hoped the price would go through the roof and he could gloat because he owned one, and all of the minions would have to bow to him. But people are smarter than he is, and that never happened. So now he is trying to justify the purchase by saying he is getting a lot of "exposure value" out of it anyway. I guarantee he was behind the WSJ story in one way or another, and he is doing everything he can just to retain some sort of relevance. The industry shuns him and he can't take it. Just as I said, he is the little kid jumping up and down trying to get everyone's' attention. That is why he constantly pokes at the pinside folks in everything he does. But just like any other addict, all of this talk will boost his ever-hungry ego for a while, but it will never be enough. At the end of the day he is still an idiot for buying a pin that barely flips, and an attention-seeking loser who will never quite succeed in being loved and adored by the world like he so wants.

Isn't that a bit excessive, man?

Actually, he's been pretty honest about the "game" and self-depricating about how his one pin isn't really playable. Here's the thing about K's collection tastes....he values the "rare and special" more than the game itself. He has a "Kong Off' Donkey Kong & a Fix-It Felix because they have a "story" attached...not because they're worth what was paid for them or are worth playing. I love DK, but who gives a shit if it has Billy Mitchell's face on it? Well, K does...and if that makes him happy, why should that bother me? Fix-It Felix isn't a "real" prop that was ever really in a movie...I'd never pay more than a few hundred for one if I even wanted one...but hey, it makes him happy.

That's not really the case. He recently interviewed George Gomez, Gerry from P3, JJ from Game Exchange, and ...well, I'm not "industry" per se...but me!

I'll give him this...I think he's matured and grown. Will he always be more of a "personality" than a player? Yes...but hey, there are a million different ways to "do" this hobby, and no one is "right"...the way he does it makes him happy, and I feel like he's now more interested in learning about people and their way of hobbying vs. judging them based on his tastes. He's owned up to his trolling & personal witch hunts and has knocked it off, and has made his Podcast more positive & informative. Hell, I went on the podcast....and if I could do that with a former "Arch Nemesis"...I think that says something. I think that most people are incapable of change, and it seemed likely that K was one of those people....but I think he has become a bit more self-aware and introspective and has changed for the better.

Bought my first pin two years ago so I'm fairly new. But I don't get lost in the hobby really. I read up on it from time to time but I mostly just play the games and have fun, so I don't know everything going on in the pin world. For example I don't even know who this Kaneda guy is so I have no idea what the ruckus is all about. I do really love the art on this Magic Girl machine though and if it really is the spiritual successor to Theater of Magic then it would be great if another company stepped in, bought the ashes of whatever will be left of this venture and maybe make a proper game out of it.

Time will tell, but I would bet you are wrong. I've seen enough videos and listened to enough podcasts to know what he is really after. And anyone who has ever tried to justify a bad decision comes up with some tick like "yes she is crazy, but she sure can cook". He was flaunting money and wanted to rub it in everyone's face that he had the much sought after pin....but he didn't do his homework and got burned. Go back with an objective view (if possible) and watch those videos...really listen to the podcasts. He has changed some dialogue and may not be as direct as he used to be, but the old person is still there.

I think there are a lot of folks out there that would love for that to happen. It is a good concept, great artwork, but horrible implementation. I do hope that someday these are all made into functional pins...it would be a shame to leave them half-finished.

troweling-concrete (resized).jpg

You're doing it right.

It's possible the people who have the existing games will make a proper game out of it, but no one is ever going to build more of these things. Too much money has been lost, bridges burnt, & emotions exploded. Jpop still has 2 unfinished titles (Retro Atomic Zombie Adventureland & Alice in Wonderland) & hundreds of buyers have had their money stolen & don't have a machine to show for it. If you really want games of this style that are playable, just get a TOM, CV and TOTAN and call it a day.

He has openly admitted on his podcast that he made an embarrassing impulse decision and his gamble turned out badly for him. His admission came after he exposed Magic Girl to the community and all of its flaws. I found his honesty brutal in the revealing. - People are smarter about Magic Girl because of him.

Because I sold him my Magic Girl spot long before delivery, I know the journey he and I took together on this roller coaster ride. What most people don't know is, because of his friendship with John Popadiuk, he was getting "insider" information on game development, ect.

Turns out, he's another Popadiuk victim along with many of us.

***
Pinside has calmed down considerably lately with the exception of those people that keep the hate flame alive.

Oh, good...nobody is posting anymore. Maybe this thread will go away quietly.

OH, CRAP!!!

I'll get it going for you... magic girl number 12 sold and has its self a new home.

Everyone needs to learn how to "cope"

I haven't read the WSJ or the PopSci article. Honestly I probably never will, if you lived it who cares. We all know the story.

But it's interesting to me how many people who aren't in pinball but know that I am sent me links. The general public definitely reads this stuff.

Both publications have a huge readership. People will read the articles ...

Unfortunately if they read the WSJ one, they won't actually know what happened. The PS article is slightly better.

Here's an example of a good article, a layperson can read this and know exactly what happened with 100% accuracy, and get some good background as well.

http://www.denverpost.com/2017/04/19/worlds-best-pinball-player-escher-lefkoff/

rd

Considering the article was the idea of AP versus whatever other sources people inaccurately speculated, the timing and exposure was not particularly optimal for the company or their first future flagship title.

To non-enthusiast laymen it makes it look like pinball remains a ultimate complete struggle to survive from those that actually remember the form of entertainment from an earlier point of their own life.

My GF did get surprised when a long term customer brought the hard copy article to her bank since he knew she was familiar with the hobby, and it is not a topic typically discussed regularly.

Perhaps it will give some valid warning to new potential pinball owners to avoid making mistakes of those of the past.

At least Jeremy Packer is making some potential extra cash from the art, but not necessarily related to either article.