Quoted from phil-lee:In my opinion it is going to die after this current wave of popularity. This was fueled by the 50 up crowd reaching back to familiar things. There are not enough site-placed machines, tournaments or frankly young people to keep it going.
The machines being created and re-introduced are not tough as the Bally-Williams, nor Operator friendly with easily replaced parts. They are in a way "Disposable" machines, with built in obsolescence, no schematics provided to the customer, and limited production for replacement parts, including price-gouging replacement boards.
Of course pinball will live on in some fashion with EM and SS machines as long as The Pinball Resource continues and Altek makes boards.
A recent thread highlighting thousands of once-common electronics parts no longer being produced is a big sign.
The only saving grace at the moment is the insanely high prices on new machines, not a lot have to be built to see a profit. I sense that a lot of people are starting to balk. How long will it last?
I'm 30, and have already been collecting for a few years. If anything, I think pinball is more attractive to millennials than other generations.