I understand your thoughts here but keep in mind that he originally went in to the forums ASKING people their opinion. Some people told him what he wanted to hear and some did not...then from what I read and understand he became a boastful douche about it. I don't think anyone really cared what he paid for his games but the guy likes to tell you what his things cost or how much he paid.....kind of like the intro to this shallow article in Wired.

a few vids in a bed room, and a pin in the living room? not exactly a real big deal, i think you have a ways to go befor you hit rock bottom.

Sad. People over things or your life is heading in the wrong direction.

True dat

Pretty sure I spent $32K on cocaine & ecstasy back in 1999 lol

Or did I misinterpret your post? Seems like you were saying a few arcade games & pins isn't a real problem. Cause I agree if that's what you're saying. Wait a minute, you meant choose people over stuff... That's cool too I guess

1) A guy who spends freely on every other game, hasn't paid in full for his Fix It Felix? Seems strange. Obviously more to that story I don't know.
2) I don't get why the article made it seem like a big deal he spent $30k on games, he lives in NYC, has a good job, lives in a nice (albeit small) place and I'm guessing he's pulled in way more than that in a month if he can afford to live in NYC in the first place. So who cares? If he lived in a trailer and spent that on games, then it's noteworthy.
3) Sorry about the girl. Have you considered going to a Comic Con to find a replacement, I was flipping around and saw Heroes of Cosplay and apparently all women who now attend now are smoking hot and obsessed with games, etc. Sounds like a good match to me. I must always miss those girls though, I always see the ones who look like they weigh 3 bills and are testing the tensile strength of the spandex.

I think everyone is making too big of a deal about this whole thing.

A guy buys a few videogames and a pinball machine (I think that would describe 95% of all the people on this forum).

A guy breaks up with his girlfriend (I think that would describe 101% of the people on this forum).

Is there even a story here?

After I read this article, I thought maybe it's time to reevaluate my life. I started on KLOV after buying a lot of three cocktail games, one being a pin. Graduated to Pinside after my first NIB purchase of IM, and my collection has grown since all of that. I'm 38, single, and my name is Chris. I'm afraid I might be doomed, lol.

Chris

exactly! nothing new here.

exactly! slow news day?

I had that exact same "How to Win at Donkey Kong" book when I was a kid. It was basically my Bible ...

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Nothing to see here. Move along.

hi Chris, welcome to the group

One of us, one of us.

First, let me acknowledge that there have been many wonderfully gifted journalists who have made enormous contributions to American life (e.g., the phenomenal staff of McClure's Magazine in the early 20th ce.). Having said that, let me add that in my own admittedly limited experience, the press has seemed rather less impressive. I have been interviewed by, among others, the NY Times, the LA Times, the Washington Post and USAToday. In some cases I spent hours on the phone over two or three days trying to educate a reporter on a subject about which they knew almost nothing. I learned some lessons along the way. For one thing, most reporters have to crank this stuff out, and even with the best of intentions, a lot of errors can end up in the story. (One reporter from another paper got pretty much every single detail wrong. It was maddening.) More important still, most of them start work on a story with a preconceived idea of what they want it to say (an angle quite likely assigned by their editor). In short, many are simply looking for quotations to fill in and validate the story they already know they want to tell. All of which has encouraged me to read (and watch) more critically and not to assume that any story is entirely disinterested and factual. I'd take all of this with a grain of salt, in other words.

Lucky. The RE value of just my gameroom is about $250k, without the games in it. (Those probably add around $25k--6 pins plus 2 video games--plus kegerator and maybe $12k in artwork.) Interesting read, though.

Wouldn't it be cool if he hooked up with an arcade-fan chick based on the article? Hey, it COULD happen!

Yeah, I've been quoted in the news paper three times. None of three were remotely close to anything I had said. Even the general point was lost in two of them. If you don't write it yourself, what comes out in print is usually whatever bullshit the reporter wanted to say from the begining.

Not to mention that 9 times out of 10 they don't even spell your name right.

Which is actually a good thing when you read the article and disapprove its contents...

A Street Fighter Viewlix cabinet would fit in well.

These numbers are spot on too. vid market isn't worth dick anymore. Hard to compete with MAME on that one.

Kaneda is a pr guy whose job requires him to build others up and get them publicity for themselves or their product. It stands to reason that he would take those skills and try to use them to build himself up at some point. Just like Bakushan with his epic party and pizza giveaway to the homeless. We all have stories but most of us don't go seeking out reporters to do a piece on us because it just feels a little sad. Right? "Hey, look at me! I'm an attention whore that requires constant positive reinforcement." There are a few pinsiders here that have done some pretty impressive things in life and have pretty impressive collections but are very quiet on the matter. Now, that's impressive.

Hey guys, just got back from a weekend in Vegas and I feel like a bus hit me three times. If you haven't seen Guns N' Roses live, I highly recommend this show.

I'll say this, I'm glad this article created conversation. And guys remember, it's not a news story, it's a feature / profile story, that's all. If some people think this was a shine the light, look at me piece, it wasn't intended to be. Nor do I think it reads that way. It should read a bit sad, because I was very sad when the interview took place. I loved my fiance more than any game or game room.

Also, nobody should ever feel bad for me. I have a very blessed life, and the things I'm blessed with have nothing to do with money or material goods. I'm surrounded by great people, live in a great country, have traveled this world, have had personal and professional dreams come true, etc. But most importantly, I have my health. That's all that matters.

All this article was meant to showcase was how this awesome hobby can take over our lives at time. In my case, I let it go too far. Of course their were many other factors that led to the break up, but I wasn't going to mention everything. The game room simply became a symbol that we weren't a team anymore.

With regards to Guns N' Roses I was a bit misquoted there...I said the Dr Pepper promotion may have finally given Axl & CO. the push they needed. And that idea was 100% my idea and my execution (except for the website crashing at the end which Dr Pepper fully fumbled that one). Axl 100% had to give the go ahead.

It's sad how vitriolic KLOV was towards me, but for those who have met me, hung out with me, just had a real conversation with me, none of that slanderous stuff is real. I'm not some arrogant POS attention whore who walks around bragging. Yes I do get excited to show people the game room and it makes people happy. But there's a lot more to my personality than a game room.

Also, KLOV should be happy there are buyers out there RAISING the prices of their games. Instead they chastise me for being an idiot. And it's a selfish reason - they don't want to have to PAY MORE for their next game. But really, I've openly admitted to paying too much and getting ripped off. And they still jumped on me. But that's ok.

Someone said it best. Prices are relative. In NYC, dinner for two at a nice restaurant is $500, easily. I just saw sneakers that cost $1,200. T-shirts are $100. I can't tell you how many people hated on me because of what I paid, but they would pay $500 for a game then spend countless months restoring it. They never could grasp that time = money. Labor costs, etc. But all that's in the past.

In closing, I believe both communities are filled with some really great people. The haters are always going to hate. But for the most part, the communities do provide tremendous knowledge and help. Just be careful when you ask for an opinion - there's always THAT GUY who starts a flame war. And if I've learned one thing through all of this, just don't respond. It's the Sicilian me I guess. My mother raised me to stand up for myself. Probably not the best tactic when the disputes are over the internet like this. Peace and love,

Kaneda

Disagree. There's only a select few restaurants here in NYC at that price range, out of thousands. (Unless you're drinking $200 bottles of wine.) TONS of "nice" quality restaurants have dinner for 2 for well under $100, many of the better ones are ethnic hole-in-the-wall places that are even cheaper. $1200 sneakers and $100 t-shirts are a joke, even here, though some people buy them. All I can say to that is fool-money-parted (soon). I do agree with the time-vs-money thing. True for any labor-intensive hobby.

By the way, that's not G'n'R you saw, it's Axl and his backup band....

Well, if that's what you really think jeans and a t-shirt cost, then you probably paid the appropriate amount for your "bedroom" Your comments above certainly make the magazine piece sound like they nailed you 100%

Re: dinner in NYC, it *IS* a bit higher than the national average ($48/per person average vs nat'l ave of $40/pp).

*Could* you spend more? well sure.... but the point it you don't have to. We were just in the city a few weeks ago and had a great dinner for 2 at a nice Italian joint for like $120 including a bottle of wine. The next night we ate at a great hotel (Nomad or something) and paid about the same ...

Wow, you must live quite a lifestyle. I've traveled to NYC many times and ate at what I considered to be some very nice places. I've never spent close to $250 a person.

And here I am pissed off when I have to spend more than $30 for a dinner for 2... No wonder I live in TN and eat at home.

You can spend 500 dollars for 2 at a restaurant in pretty much any major city in the world. If you choose....
There are some things that I could afford to do but don't because i don't see the value. Like i say i will spend money but not waste money.

Good luck to kaneda

Lol, I lived in NY for about 5 years. My favorite thing about it was while there were Restaurants you could spend that money on there were also more places where you could eat amazing food you would not find in most of the US and for less than the places you did find in other cities.

Moved to restaurant pricing subforum

This statement is pretty much spot on why you are being trashed by most people. You simply haven't shown, either here or on KLOV, the ability to make a statement that isn't pompous or overly inflated (in essence, arrogant). $500 on dinner for two is a ridiculous overstatement, even for NY. The whole "I live in NYC and you don't get it" is arrogant. Dropping names in every post is arrogant (GnR hasn't been in existence for years and most people could give a flip about Axel). Citing how much you pay (mostly overpay) in your posts is arrogant.

Arrogance, more than almost any other trait, turns people off. Misplaced arrogance is even worse. My opinion is that you suffer from the latter.

As juvenile and obnoxious as Kaneda has sounded in many posts on this forum, I find it hard to swallow that people on Pinside are actually taking someone to task about how much their luxury items cost. He has such a reputation for douchery, that now people are arguing with him that New York isn't a ridiculously overpriced place to live, apparently just to have something on which to one up him. A bunch of pizza joints and neighborhood delis dragging down the mean doesn't imply that high lifers in New York aren't perfectly happy to spend $500 plus at "nice restaurants" like Masa and Chef's Table.

Could he pay less for food in New York? Duh. But everyone here could confine themselves to EM and early 80s SS machines too. For Christ sake, one of the fanciest feathers in your cap for the pinball community you can acquire is an HEP game that voluntarily can cost you 100s of percent MORE than the game is "worth".

Of all the things to take this dude to task for, especially after a fairly reasonable post stating his point of view, the next seven people (including two of my favorite moderators no less) goof and pile on the guy about the price of food for rich people in New York.

I do not wear nor buy those things just stating that these things exist, if you choose to buy them. And of course there are PLENTY of nice restaurants that don't cost that much, just saying that many do cost that much. That's all. The mistake of many is they assume because I mention something that means THAT'S HOW I LIVE. I am not dropping $500 on dinner, wearing $100 t-shirts and I think anyone who buys $1,200 sneakers is crazy. But here's the difference. If someone did choose to buy them, maybe they LOVED those sneakers, I wouldn't chastise them or belittle their decision, IF that decision made them happy.

That's the difference between the real world and internet forums. Online people are so quick to judge and jump on people with their opinions. I get why. It makes threads MUCH MORE interesting when there's drama. We're humans...we love drama.

I don't really care if people on message boards hate me. I'm a nice guy in life and have great friends and family, a great job, live in a great city and I am blessed in so many ways. That's not to say my life is without issues or I don't have areas in which i need to grow. But who doesn't fall into this category

And money is the biggest divider always. Guys I'm not swimming in money. I'm not some arrogant prick that waves around cash in this world. But it's easier for people to paint me as such. It just helps justify their rants. But like I said on KLOV meet me, then make up your mind. That's all.

I couldn't agree more. People need to keep in mind too that a lot of professions pay a lot more in New York so the increase in cost of things can even out. But, like other people have said, if you're willing to fork over $500 for dinner you can do this in pretty much any city....shit, you can drop that at Disney World in Orlando. The thing that's sad now isn't just the article...its the fact that he doesn't seem to have learned anything...

I may just do that....
Smoke cigars??

I can relate on some level. At work, I'm in law enforcement, I have a reputation of being an asshole. Things I say and do tend to annoy or upset some people. I was a Marine and tend to be upfront and direct. But that's not really who I am. People who know me, that I let my guard down around know that I am giving to a fault, goofy, and loving.

I don't know this dude from Adam and I try not to judge anyone let one from some words typed on screen. Haters will hate. Play on man.

I agree here.

"He who has not shown off his game collection to someone, let him cast the first stone."

The comments are due to him saying that pricing is relative. For example, on the strip in Vegas a meal at a place like Wendy's is 20% higher than a Wendy's 2 miles away. That's relative pricing when it comes to locations. Yes, living in New York costs more than most places, but he was using extreme examples. An item's true value is whatever some one is willing to pay for it. We live in somewhat of a pinball desert, so we tend to have to pay a bit of a premium to get machines we want.

The only restaurant in NYC worth spending $500 at is Dorsia. Great sea urchin ceviche.

One of my biggest issues wih this site is when some rail against someone for "paying too much" for something while basing their opinion on pricing from 10 yrs ago. I'm a big fan of Sucker Punch, the Alien franchise and Bioshock Infinite and it shows in my house. Many people would deride me for paying too much for some of my stuff, but I don't care because I like it and it is not going anywhere.

What a weird thread that will soon be forgotten =)

You guys all took the bait - again.

He quotes an outrageous price for dinner, implying that is the lifestyle he leads, and everyone gets all excited about it.

Exactly what he wanted.

I'm inclined to believe Kaneda, and am not inclined to skewer him based on a few curious remarks--whatever they may be. We're all quite a bit different, and the variety of people makes for what they call spice. Variety in pinball and variety in people is the spice of life.

I bought a slice of pizza in NYC last fall for $1. It was fairly large, and didn't cause me to die.

It's very easy to spend $10 on a f'ing beer, however.

The real question is, has he paid for Fix it Felix in full yet? I could care less about how much a sandwich is in NYC or how much shoes are. Did this guy pay for an item in full now or is continuing to rip off a teenager? Maybe I'm crazy but paying for an item (from a kid) is more important than seeing "GnR" in Las Vegas.

I make it a rule never to tell people outside of the hobby how much my pins cost. I don't think they'd be impressed, at least not in a way that I might like. Some of them have gone home and looked them up on eBay, of course, and they must conclude that I am either rich, out of my mind, or both. I'm certainly not wealthy, but...? I guess we're all allowed to be a little bit crazy.

Pinside Days of Our Lives....News at 11....

lolllllll...... this made my day!

Then how come you named yourself after another country?

Just playing man. Congrats on the article and staying true to who you are. You seem like a good guy, and if you are ever in the real CANADA, stop by for a visit anytime!
(PS…I run a restaurant you can try and I will only charge you $450 eh)!

I never tell anyone what my pins or vidgames are worth.

If they ask, I just say "You can get them for $100 if you find a deal", and that satisfies most people.

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