Sweaty palms with a dozen different fingers pushing the buttons every hour. People leaning over them sweating, slopping drinks everywhere. Ever thought about it? Especially at Tournaments, Arcades and Museums.
Reminds me of the typhoid Mary story, where they removed the handle to the well everyone was using to stop an outbreak.
Quoted from phil-lee:Sweaty palms with a dozen different fingers pushing the buttons every hour. People leaning over them sweating, slopping drinks everywhere. Ever thought about it? Especially at Tournaments, Arcades and Museums.
Reminds me of the typhoid Mary story, where they removed the handle to the well everyone was using to stop an outbreak.
have you ever been to a show? I regularly see folks wearing rubber gloves and stuff. It is germy for sure
My nephew is only 4 but he's always sick, leaves a film all over the glass and the buttons but - Hey it's only Pinball.
Well yes but as throughout all adventures in life, keep your hands out of your face and wash them before putting them in your face for any reason. That is sufficient for pinball, airplanes, or what have you. Gloves can give a false sense of safety for if you stick the gloves in your face you’ve accomplished nothing.
Quoted from lpeters82:Every game room should have a bottle.
[quoted image]
prank-hand-sanitizer-really-works-smells-like-ass (resized).jpgOmg. Stay home, lock the doors, put on your mask. Get out and live a little buddy. Theres a great big beautiful world to see, if you're not afraid of the next big media over the top next world problem!!!!! 
Imagine how many germy hands every dollar bill has been thru. I always believe the more germs I am exposed to, the better my immunity to all of them are.
If you are worried about germs, might want to find a bubble to live in.
The germophobe people I know are the ones who are sick all the time. I can't imagine living my life like that. Wash your hands after you go to the bathroom and before you use them to put something in your mouth. Problem solved.
Do not sign up for Pinburgh this year! absolutely a risky vector for pathogens. not worth the risk to your health.
Quoted from ForceFlow:Door handles aren't much different.
And make sure your toliet lid is down when flushing. Imagine all the particulants fliating out to your toothbrush.
Top public germ surfaces from one study ...
Restaurant menus
TV remote controls in hotel rooms and other public places
All door knobs and handles, especially those in restrooms
Escalator railings
Shopping cart handles
Anything on an airplane, such as seat pockets, tray tables and arm rests
Money
Magazines in offices
Gas pump handles
Elevator buttons
Drinking fountains
I always pick my nose before playing pinball.
Helps thin out the competition.
Also how do you think that pinball wizard Tommy was so good, being deaf dumb and blind,
the only senses he could rely on were touch and smell, so need to clear those nasal passages.
To assert dominance early in a crowded location, I typically pull my shirt up and allow my large overhanging panis to rest on the lockdown bar.
Quoted from lpeters82:Every game room should have a bottle.
[quoted image]
I agree, but you should go with ethanol instead of methanol
pasted_image (resized).png
Quoted from phil-lee:Sweaty palms with a dozen different fingers pushing the buttons every hour. People leaning over them sweating, slopping drinks everywhere. Ever thought about it? Especially at Tournaments, Arcades and Museums.
Reminds me of the typhoid Mary story, where they removed the handle to the well everyone was using to stop an outbreak.
Just keep your tinfoil hat on and you'll be fine.
Quoted from Atari_Daze:So are hospitals, they are full of sick people, I avoid them like the plague!
Doctor's offices too.
Quoted from chad:And make sure your toliet lid is down when flushing. Imagine all the particulants fliating out to your toothbrush.
I just keep my toothbrush in a different room since it needs to be on a charger anyway.
If I was afraid of germs, I wouldn't be getting in and out of other people's cars all day.
But the first thing I do is turn their AC or heater off so it does not blow their crap in my face. Hate those newer cars with electronic controls that you can't do that until it is already running and blowing.
Quoted from o-din:I wouldn't be getting in and out of other people's cars all day.
There has got to be a hooker joke in there somewhere. But because of the germs. I won't touch it.
LTG : )
Quoted from chad:And make sure your toliet lid is down when flushing. Imagine all the particulants fliating out to your toothbrush.
I worked at Radio Shack 20 years ago and my co-workers thought it was a good idea to put the coffee maker on top of the back of the toilet - no joke! I guess it was because that's where the running water was. I wasn't a coffee drinker at the time so it took me at least a month to say "you better hope no one misses when they go to the bathroom." The "oh shit" reaction was priceless.
Quoted from LTG:Worst part of a pinball machine is the pheromones leaching out of the game. Causing you to buy more pinball machines.
If that ever gets out in the wild. We are doomed.
LTG : )
I would say that it might help sales, which in turn would cause new games to be made and increase the amount of buyers and flippers! Sounds like a win-win to me. Well, at least until I run out of money from being infected!!
Quoted from LTG:There has got to be a hooker joke in there somewhere. But because of the germs. I won't touch it.
LTG : )
No joke. At least at my current location, very few drive around in rolling dumpsters like other locations I have worked before. But thanks to yelp, a larger percentage of people that do come in look and sound to be fresh from wherever that corona virus originated. A large percentage.
Quoted from Palmer:Just keep your tinfoil hat on and you'll be fine.
I am not concerned, I just wondered if you (or anyone else) were.
Great discussion, appreciate the feedback. Perhaps a Marketing opportunity to mold flipper buttons from the virus-resistant plastics available.
Regular wipedowns (including door handles) in Pinball and video game venues. Sanitary Pinball could be a draw for concerned customers.
Don't take it too serious, just fun to see what Folks think.
What worries me is they are going to run out of painter's masks, and those that actually use them to paint, won't be able to get them.
Anyone painting should be using a quality respirator or supplied fresh air if they are spraying.
For brush painters those cheap masks wouldn't help.
All they are is cheap dust masks
Ha! Reminds me of a friend of mine one time who was always a jokester said “make sure you always use a piece of tissue on the door knob to open after your done using a public bathroom if not then you just shook hands with every dick in the city”...haha!!
Quoted from o-din:If I was afraid of germs, I wouldn't be getting in and out of other people's cars all day.
But the first thing I do is turn their AC or heater off so it does not blow their crap in my face. Hate those newer cars with electronic controls that you can't do that until it is already running and blowing.
Back when I was younger everything had a button or knob !
Touchscreens and electronic controls in vehicles suck!
Darnfangled contraptions !!!
I dread the day I have to replace my 1999 Toyota truck
Ok, my dirty little secret. Every time I host league or a tournament, after the last person leaves, I wipe down every machine with Clorox wipes. I clean the glass with Windex, and then use he disinfectant wipes on every button, Palm bar, start button, everywhere people touch. Every time I do it I think “this can’t be good for the paint”. But I still do it, and I always will.
As for the big tournaments like Pinburgh, I use hand sanitizer after every round... but I know that only helps so much. If a pandemic is brought in, I’m a goner.
Quoted from o-din:Imagine how many germy hands every dollar bill has been thru.
Quoted from LTG:Worst part of a pinball machine is the pheromones leaching out of the game. Causing you to buy more pinball machines.
If that ever gets out in the wild. We are doomed.
LTG : )
Welp, that explains the ratio of ladies to men in our hobby.
We’re attractive...has to be a chemical thing.
Quoted from herbertbsharp:I worked at Radio Shack 20 years ago and my co-workers thought it was a good idea to put the coffee maker on top of the back of the toilet - no joke! I guess it was because that's where the running water was. I wasn't a coffee drinker at the time so it took me at least a month to say "you better hope no one misses when they go to the bathroom." The "oh shit" reaction was priceless.
That tops them all. 
Every year on the way to the Allentown Show I say to the passengers of the vehicle....” I brought a big bag of potato chips for us to snack on while we play.”
Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.
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/pinball-machines-breeding-ground-for-germs?hl=misterschu 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.
Nashville, TN
Bermuda Triangle
