I think it is. There are degrees... Weak flippers, some switch errors or broken parts that may not make a huge difference - disappointing, but I guess you could suck those up on location.

But if a flipper doesn't work, I'm out.

If you had fun it was worth it, if you didnt then you wasted your money.

I'd play it. Even if it were simply to support the game/operator. Pinball needs all the help it can get.

I know someone will say "rah rah!! I won't support an operator that doesn't support their games!" Valid point, but what if that particular issue cropped up between regular maintenance. Who knows.

At any rate, what can be bought for $2 these days? Pretty much nothing of any real value. If I can spend a bit of pocket change and escape reality for a little while, I'm a happy camper--even if a flipper is a little funky.

I've been guilty of playing crappy games on location. But I always wonder if I'd be making a stronger statement by not playing. Maybe the low coin drop will draw attention to the operator of a machine that needs to be fixed.

Or maybe he stumbles in hungover and sees a tray of quarters and a broken machine abd says "screw it, still making money I'll fix it next time."

I think sometimes it can be good practice playing a game with a particular feature not working, as long as the ball's not getting stuck. It forces you to improvise and use tactics you wouldn't normally use.

If it's a one-off then yeah, I'll still play. If the game is broken every single time I go into the venue, then no, the operator does not deserve my money...unless the tilt is loose, in which case it's a good opportunity to practice death saves.

If there are serious gameplay issues, then no, I won't drop quarters into it.

If an operator can't provide me with a decent playing experience, then I won't reward them for it.

Pinball out in the wild is still pretty uncommon around here, so I try to make do as best as I can. Once in a while the issue is something with a simple workaround, like having to hit the opposite flipper to release a stuck flipper. But most of the time the issues just get in the way of enjoying the pin.

The tilt bob. The one part I don't mind being broken.