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.
I kind of agree on some points and kind of disagree on some.
I operate games at two locations and run a monthly tournament. We have a few high school kids that regularly play and most of the players are in the mid-30s range. So there is a bit of young blood out there.
I do think we'll probably see a downturn at some point, but I don't anticipate death. I don't think the current number of boutique manufacturers can be sustained long term, but I think we'll always have new games.
Regarding obsolescence of parts and lack of schematics, the counter argument is it has never been easier to figure things out and produce replacement parts. It is amazingly easy to design, prototype, and produce replacement boards and parts. In the last 5+ years we've seen tons of individuals reverse engineer stuff and sell replacement parts. It is only going to get easier as time goes on.
