Quoted from Brijam:No, even at 50 cents a game it can be over too fast. It's less about the cash dropped than the perception of value based on how quickly a game can be over.
When I was a kid I gravitated to arcade games because pinball would kick my ass too quickly (and I didnt understand the rules to get hooked.) I had limited funds and a whole lot of time to spend in the arcade so why play pinball that would last under a minute or two when I could play Galaga, Commando, Gunsmoke, Virtua Fighter, Tecmo Bowl, Punch Out, Altered Beast, Mad Dog McCree, Tekken, Street Fighter, Renegade, WWF, Double Dragon, Cyberball, etc etc, and have a quarter last 5-15+ minutes.
Now with the incorporation of LCD's pinball manufactures should try to help newcomers out by giving them a quick tour of the game before they plunge the ball. Obviously you could bypass this but I bet it would keep people coming back if they understood the basics of the game before they plunged. Yes they could read the card... but we know people don't read.
Theme, artwork and lightshows will draw people over to the game, but if they just plunge and get their ass kicked the chance of them wanting to replay is pretty slim unless they understand the rules and you tease them with a goal to achieve via the LCD.