Im 25 and love ems so growing up with them isnt a factor for me.
The art, chimes/bells, and the simple rules, and brutal gameplay is what draws me to them. I was scared of the maintenance, but after tinkering with a few it doest scare me. They are just a ton of fun for not that much money. Yeah, some can be slow, but if you rebuild the flippers and give it a decent pitch they can be mean.
A buddy of mine is clear coating my Vulcan playfield right now, and I expect that game to be pretty darn quick.