Never to early to get them started !!

Weird, my friends think it's bad ass that I have pins, and my family loves checking them out. Never once got a weird negative comment from anyone.

How many are distastefully set up?

All the ones with aftermarket toppers.

The response that I usually get is "I didn't know you could actually own one." Quite interesting...

Actually, I get what he means. I have seven games positioned throughout the house, but it's always the one with the prostitute sprawled across it that gets the reaction.

Sounds like someone has a pinball machine stuck up his @$$.

I get that one a fair bit too, along with why would you spend money on that?

To which I always reply "Because I can and I want to." That always gets some strange looks and then I ask why did did they spend so much moolah on the last o/s holiday or on the latest wiz bang brand new car?

Silence usually follows this question.

When my kids were young, they enjoyed them (particularly my son). Now that they are in college, not so much.

Now that the collection has grown to 18, my daughter asked me very seriously, "Dad, why do you like these games so much?". Kind of blind-sided by the question…my response wasn't very thought out. Nevertheless, it did make me think awhile about how much time I spend on this crazy hobby.

I respect someone not being into pinball, but saying it's "stupid" is pretty rude. Why is it stupid? Certainly not financially stupid (since they typically hold most of their value). Now buying a pool table…that's not a smart financial move.

If they see the game room, it's always a positive reaction: "This room is so cool!" "My husband would love this room!" etc.

If it comes up in conversation, I usually follow with, "I fix them up, restore them, buy, sell, trade, go to pinball and game room shows," and they seem to understand it's like any other hobby.

"They still make those?" is what I hear normally.

"It's cheaper than golf and something I can share with friends and family."

I once knew a guy with a small cessna float plane. He said, shortly before he died, that it was the most selfish thing he did his entire life and basically stole time from his family.

"it's cheaper than the strip bar, and I don't come home covered in glitter".

tell them its a casket see what they say

It's usually the slutty pins with their legs splayed in my experience.

I don't usually thumbsdown Vid, but when I do, it's because he's assuming that he can interpret intent better than the guy that was actually on the receiving end listening to the tone of the person saying it...

I have had this reaction before, I defuse it with logic. I could sell all my games and by a second car as a hobby, but I'm really not that into cars. That normally makes sense to people. Some peoples minds do not drift outside of work, and TV. To bad for them.

BOP WHAT?

Well. I used to road race motorcycles. I don't regret one penny I spent. But, that being said. I spent a lot of money to do so out of my own pocket. Once the weekend was done and the money spent, the money was gone. I am sure I would burn through at least ten grand a year. That does not include the initial purchase of the bike and cost for setting it up. Up to 2007 I was buying a new bike it seemed every year. A racing motorcycle is definitely not an 'appreciable' asset.

At least with pinball, my purchases sometime go up in value, stay the same, or lose a bit. No one cares in the hobby whether I have each latest new release or some older gems. But, for the most part, when buying used, which most of us do, the prices are very stable. That alleviates a lot of stress too. It is easy to get in over your head with the pinball addiction. But it is not painful to sell a few machines with out taking a massive hit if need be.

For those that don't know, pinball is truly the best hobby I have seen. It is rare to find the knowledge base and resources to maintain these machines so readily available. You can teach yourself to work on them and have hundreds of helpful people willing to help troubleshoot a problem.

Sure there are a few egos around, But the pinball egos aren't too bad, especially when compared to other hobbies.

I fall into the camp of never having had anyone say anything bad. The only person who remotely doesn't care much about them is my wife, and even then, once in awhile, she'll display a little interest in them. She doesn't ever play them, though.

My neighbors, guys who come to the house to do work etc all have had cool things to say and all display interest beyond what you would call "polite" interest. It might have to do with the fact that all I have is EMs, which just aren't seen on location hardly at all any more. They're an antique, a curiousity, and that attracts people to them.

I had a couple of guys in the house awhile back working on the security system. These are tech oriented guys to start, and they were interested. So I opened one of them up and showed them the underside of the playfield and the inside of the cabinet. The immediately reaction was, "How in the hell can you possibly work on that?" I told them I have the same reaction to trying to fix stuff that is all run buy solid state boards. I've got no clue. It's all what you learn and at least for me, what you grew up on.

I don't worry much about what anyone else thinks about them. I got them for myself, not for anyone else. If someone else wants to play, go right ahead, but if not, if they don't like them or think they're silly, well, who cares? It's my hobby, not yours.

You do have to remember, though, that most people do not care about the games, nor are they interested, for the most part, in talking about them. Only others in the hobby understand that this is a sickness in a lot of ways.

My sister said: "That is cool. It is soooo you!" No wonder I love her.

I agree that at least I can usually get a lot of equity out of this hobby when I sell a game. I spent a ton of money on tropical fish and salt water fish and got a fraction back when I sold my equipment. Golf was/is a huge expense without any return other than some fresh air and a nice tan. When I lived in NY and hosted poker games, there was only one person who was excited about playing the machines, which I always turned on for them to play. I don't even want to get into the reaction I get from the in-laws, even though I am sure my brother-in-law has spent a ton more on his boat than my games. Once in a while, a non-collector will play some games but mostly it is just me playing them and when I invite other collectors over for game night.

Whenever I buy anything of substantial cost, my Mom asks me if I'll ever grow up. But the purchases have included four cars (that I don't drive), nine electric guitars, an 80" flatscreen TV, fifteen pinball machines and a pair of Cruis'n Exoticas, so it's spending the money she doesn't understand - not just pinball. My wife's German shepherd will be two years old on Valentine's Day and I'm getting another purebred German shepherd puppy tomorrow night (my last one died last June at 11 years and 5 months old) and I'm even criticized for wanting two dogs at once. Ever since I got my first shepherd 20 years ago, the dogs have been the best things in my entire life and my own Mother doesn't understand that and complains to me about the expense.

Sounds like you throw a pretty nice game party.

Yeah....mixed bag here. My wife could care less but is indifferent for the most part. Kids think it's a little out there but will play on rare occasion. Can't say I've really had too many comments one way or the other and I generally don't ever talk about the cost.

My Brother and his young son love them. My Brother-In-Law and his young son like them. My Dad loves them.

I have one childhood friend that likes them, the rest are "meh" at best.

On the plus side I have made some great new "pinhead" friends!

Funny when I was into competition pistol shooting all my friends thought that was cool. Same thing when I had motorcycle/s.........but pins?

I don't really care. I like it.

What a dick comment that person made. I don't know your financial situation and maybe he was alluding to that, but no matter how you look at it that was rude and condescending of him.

and on the plus side, I'm betting that you've never had to put one of your machines down

Okay.....how many people had to Google that?

Not sure which is odder. That fact that the term exists, or the fact that you knew about it?

Now I have to google it.

http://chrisbucholz.com/2006/10/25/so-i-guess-i-got-kicked-off-another-my-little-pony-forum/

Now that was funny lol!

The most common reaction I get to mine is complete disinterest. No interest to play the game, no interest to know about it. As others have said here I understand that everyone has different interests and might not care about pinball machines but that complete lack of interest always strikes me since to me they're fascinating (to me) in so many ways. If anyone other than a close friend asks me what I paid for them I kind of blow off the question, like "Oh, you don't want to know." I figure everyone spends their money on toys of some sort. I've got neighbors with yards full of snowmobiles, 4wheelers, 5th wheels, horses, you name it, and nobody thinks those hobbies are odd or wasteful at all...

Whats funny is, its only because its all at once. You ask someone how much they sunk into their Xbox or Playstation stuff, they probably have no idea they've spent thousands on games, controllers, consoles, online content, etc... because it was just trickling $50 at a time, make it collectors editions and its $100 at a time.

40 or so of those and you've got yourself a 3-4k pinball machine....

it's amazing that it's usually the people who don't have hobbies are the ones that don't "get it" (regardless of what hobby you're talking about).

pinball is probably one of the most "family friendly" hobbies that you can get into where everyone that you know can actually appreciate and enjoy what you collect. for the guy who's having a mid-life crisis and needs a souped up sports car, just how often (if ever) can anyone other than the owner (and maybe one other person) actually enjoy it? the last time I checked, I don't remember a group of us lining up so that my buddy could take us around the block in his new z 06

I work with real manly men all day long.

When you work with real men, you have to be able to take a joke.

Nothing is off limits, race, persuasion, perversion, mothers, you name it.

If you are ever offended, shocked, or at a loss for words, you lose. You always need to be able to instantly defend yourself.

M: Hey, I just bought a new RV!
M2: Wow, the bank took the house, eh? There is a good mobile home park in Redmond, they have a community well.

M: Your dick is like a Tic-tac.
M2: No wonder your daughter's mouth is always so fresh.

M: Did you see my new Car outside ?!
M2: Very nice! You know, I saw that car when it was first introduced. It was the flagship in a Pride parade in San Fransisco.

M: Sorry I missed the meeting Monday, I had to move my mother to assisted living.
M2: Yeah, I saw the cops are not allowing anyone to sleep in the park anymore.

-

It's all totally normal "man talk" or "locker room talk".

If you get mad, shocked, or need group therapy, you are not the alpha male.

I didn't have to... learned about it on a boardgame forum in a Doctor Who thread. Obviously there are people who discuss Doctor/My little pony... eh, mutants? crossbreeds? Whatever.

Yes, we are one strange big family here at pinside.

If you tell people that you golf for relaxation, that look at you with envy. But if you tell them you play pinball, they look at you like you're nuts.

I certainly hope you work in a locker room, otherwise that first line requires some explanation.

f'ing brutal

And I though I worked with some tough guys, LOL.

It's always a sign that someone not only can't relate, but has no interest in doing so.

My circle of comic-collecting friends have an expression: "What I collect is great. What you collect sucks." I think we are all a bit guilty of this. There are hobbies I will never, for the life of me, get. So be it. Everyone has different interests, thankfully.

Then there are the bitter, angry, envious, miserable, pathetic people who have either forgotten how to have fun, or never knew how. One of my neighbors came over to pick up his kid and was in the house literally 3 or 4 seconds. After saying hi, he saw the Bobby Orr I just bought and snidely said, "How much did that set you back." Another neighbor makes a-hole comments every time I bring a machine home, "Why do want that?", "What are you doing, opening an arcade?", "Dont you have better things to spend money one". The most uptight ex-hippie I ever knew. Everyone once in a while, I bite and respond: "My kids and I enjoy them.", "Nostalgia"., "We have fun with them, and my kids learn more about electricity and electronics than they would anywhere else."

Don't underestimate people's ability to be miserable, and be thankful that most people enjoy them and are able to have fun.

Haha, get used to it!

Like you, I bought my first one this summer.
And where I'm from you don't even find pinball games in every bowling alley, so people having them in their homes are super rare.

So when people ask me what I do for hobby and tell them about it... some get exited and think it's cool. Others think it's stupid to use so much money on a "toy".

But most people, either way... is jelaus to the bone.

You should have asked him if he had any other hobbies besides talking shit.

Do you guys typically track how much money you burn on pins, mods, etc? Operators aside, do you have some type of mental cap on how much you're willing to devote to pinball or is the thought process entirely driven by availability of space and funds? At 8K a pop, but opportunity cost on having an even modestly-sized collection becomes non-trivial.

_{Post edited by swf127 : Explained why I was asking..}

Golf. I love it and I suck at it. But talk about mid-life crisis--I look at so many guys who golf who are just desperately looking to fill a hole in their lives once they're older. So often they have no other interests and this has become the default obsession in their other-wise boring lives.

Just do both and you get to fall somewhere in the middle

My NY crew and I were bragging about who had the longest horn.

We all put $50 into the pot and had our girl Cinnamon measure everyone up in the Champagne Room.

No secrets amongst our crowd.

"you bought WHAT!?!?!"

I don't really track it no. I know a rough (mental) ballpark.....and that's all I care to know.

8k a pop.....what???

My collection averaged $2020 per pin and I probably paid too much.

The first thing I would have done had someone said that to me was question their sexuality.

That always gets the party started..........

When I walked into my girlfriends brothers basement and he had a STTNG and a Stargate... And I just went CRAZY!!! Seriously, in your basement??? Pinball??? A few months later I owned 3 games... 4... I'll stop at 5... I'm selling this one to get a better copy... I'll never spend that on a single game... I did spend that on a single game... I spent twice that on a single game... This is the best game ever.. I'm bored by this game... I'll stop at 7... Never more than 10... But I really like this game... How much?

Yeah, the hobby just didn't click with him. Some people get it, some don't. He isn't a jerk, he probably just never felt the pull of the silver ball. I remember the day that my local arcade opened up a brand new Haunted House, and I had a blast on that game when I was younger. I never had enough quarters to fill my desire to play it. So when I started playing again as an adult, I was primed to hit this hobby hard. The next person you say "I bought a pinball machine" to may have the same reaction I did, and another addict will join the game.