Gatekeeping is the worst, and it's a shame to hear so many people willing to do it in our little hobby.

I feel that everyone's welcome, and you never know how these new people will contribute. Maybe it'll be someone who's skilled in parts making or machining and is passionate about making new hard-to-find parts, maybe it'll an artist who can make fun new alternate backglasses like Aurich did, or has crazy restoration skills, programming skills, electronic repair skills, and can funnel those skills into pinball.

Or maybe they're just a regular person who wants a couple games to preserve in their basement, and is passionate about keeping them well maintained.

Let 'em in! I love seeing all the new excitement at shows and meeting all these new people.