Summerfield, NC
Quoted from egyptrus:Regarding the "let me play your game" stuff, it can be a bit odd and truthfully, there isn't an easy way to do it without sounding like a creeper. Dan, you mentioned that it might be better if I contacted you and said "Hey, I'm a local collector and am wondering if you'd like to come over and play". To me, that's only slightly less creepy. A stranger is inviting you to his house and you have no idea who else will be there (if anyone) and what their true intentions are.
Dave
I'm fairly new around here and recently made such a request to see a local machine that wasn't for sale and was politely turned down. Completely ok with that as I may do the same, but I also feel if someone is going to get upset about unsolicited requests, don't make your profile public (that wasn't the case here, I don't think, just commenting generally).
I made the request because while I was sure I wanted to buy the same title from a guy several hours away, my wife wasn't too sure and wanted to see it first. (There are emulators, videos, etc., and while better than nothing, honestly neither of us enjoy them much.) I also thought it would be good to hear about the machine from an unbiased owner, might give some tips on what to look for, etc. Also figured it would be a cool way to start networking with collectors locally. That's the nature of community, regardless if it's online or in person.
I've got two other hobbies that are similar in that they involve expensive and somewhat hard to find (relatively) items: cars and astronomy. I don't do much with cars today, but it was common to reach out to owners on forums to check them out -- owners are often eager to do so. It's different naturally because a car is either in the driveway or garage; it's also not uncommon to make unsolicited requests to buy/sell. Similar with astronomy gear -- obviously equipment is going to be outside most of the time and usually more portable than pinball.
Other than this one request, I haven't spent much time trying to network with other local enthusiasts, but would be fun to do.
I think it might depend on where my machines are, too. The man cave has since been taken over by my kids most of the time, so the new man cave is my garage.
Zemst
