I would submit this as an observation of a somewhat new pinsider. This has been going on so long (dadada dum da dah! Cap'n Obvious!) and is so rooted in the folks who have been here so long, that it can be pretty confusing to new folks. I tooootally get the same 4 or 5 people who keep bringing down the JJP threads irritating a lot of folks. I also get that for you guys it is rehashing the same old shizzle dizzle over and over like a sick one liner broken record. Salt in the wound in many cases I am sure. I "get" all the varying viewpoints. I get being upset at getting your money tied up for that long. I get the people posturing and playing both sides because their goal in life is to be able to say "I told you so", regardless of which way this thing turns out. I even get the people employed by or close to JJP getting defensive by said comments- hell they want this to work out worse than anyone can imagine and never intended it this way. Nobody on either side likes the kind of unfiltered criticism that is bred by forums like this- "boards with no faces or tone".
Enter "New, fired up, excited as hell, just got his first pinball" dude Joe Jangles. Googles pinball stuff, finds there is a huge world of enthusiasts and pinball isn't as obscure as he had thought. What's this site? Pinside... wow, lots of cool stuff.. a database, stories, news... and wait... YES!! A forum. Where fellow lovers of pinball (like I am now) abound, helping one another and sharing websites, and pinballs, and anything I can even dream about pinball is being discussed. And then. for a little while, it is exactly that. Then you hit your first JJP thread. This is serious OVERLOAD for the newbie. Firstly, why would anyone ever give someone money for a 3 year away machine? This is a brand new concept to 99% of the people who start up here. Its an extremely rare business model. In other words- unheard of. Again, Joe Jangles hasn't been privy to the thousands of words over the last 3 years that got us here. He doesn't have a "side". He formulates opinions based on what is said right then, what he has read to that point, combined with a strange business model. He is eager to express said opinions as he is excited as hell to have found his new hobby, or machine, or website, or whatever he loves about pinball. Doesn't matter what side he decides to support- he is crucified on the boards because of "baggage" that exists on both sides. He is probably berated, called a troll, or at the very, very least ignored. The rose colored glasses are off at that point and while I can't quote statistics or actual cases or really don't have any substantial proof (so there's an easy copy/paste/berate for some of you), I can guarantee you have lost active members, potential active members and future active members on this- not the "issue", but the behavior. IM JUST OBSERVING- I don't have a side, (and I am certainly not preaching, as I have my moments and outburst as much as the next guy, and yeah, I know, who am I to say anything). I have no skin in the game. And sorry, Im still entitled to an opinion.
I was lucky. After the initial shock of this war, I stuck around long enough to get to know some people and become educated as to the whats and whys of all this and why it is driving people insane. Anyone who says JJP is great for pinball is right, but there are issues. Stern is also great for pinball. So was Alvin G. So was Sega and Data East and Skid-B and every great or lame ass machine that was ever frigging built. But the most important thing to pinball right now is the new fan or enthusiast- whether it be "rediscovery" new or new "because they were a vid kid not a pinhead", or just plain friggin new FAN OF THE GAME/HOBBY/INDUSTRY/BUSINESS/ANY ASPECT of pinball. I love this site and all of its members- sometimes we forget we are ALL- EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US on the same side on BIG stuff (pinball is goooood), because we get caught up in the SMALL stuff (THAT pinball is not gooooood)...... Just sayin.... Fire away... How dare I speak as such a noob... And with no skin in the game.... TROLL