Addiction

A.D.D.

Some people want to be "first".

Some people just have "issues"

Chasing the next new thing to fill that empty black void in the middle of their soul, hoping that, this time, it will be satisfied.

Or they didn’t play it before buying and discovered it wasn’t good.

Either works.

People jump on the hype train and reality rarely lives up to expectations.

Paging waspinat0r

Are you talking about new games? I think that is what most others have shared: first to have the newest. For used machines: I've done it and am picky about what games I want to buy as its a huge PITA to get games in and out of my house. Sometimes you love a machine and played it a bunch of times but at home you play all you want out of it and it gets boring really quick.

They are easily distracted by the next...oh look!!! SQUIRREL!!!!!!

I bought a Game of Thrones recently. Within a week I decided I was going to sell it. I'd played the game tons of times at tournaments, etc and loved it, but once I had it at home and could play it as much as I liked I realized it was very repetitive. In tournaments I didn't notice that because I had to worry about surviving, but at home you can just play again if you fail.

But to your "why didn't they play it first?" comment: why would you? Worst case scenario you can sell it again and maybe lose a few hundred dollars. I know a lot of people who buy all their games without ever playing them, just based on looks. Some stay a long time, some leave instantly. Playing it elsewhere isn't comparable to playing it in your own home, why worry about it?

I can only speak for myself, but playing a game (especially a new one) before buying is very difficult. I don't have location pinball nearby. There are only two locations about an hour away and only one has newer games. There is a great show in Louisville each year and that is where I usually play the new stuff...but it is only once a year. With work and kids, even finding a few hours to go nearby is hard to do. With the older games, at least I can play it in a virtual environment (VPX) and get a "feel" for the game. I've only bought one before playing and I did sell after about 6 weeks. So, I won't be doing that again. Folks in pinball heavy environments have no idea how great they have it. For the vast majority of us, it is just not around. It makes you realize how small this hobby really is.

The best is when they list them for only $100 less than NIB delivered to your door.

You should play a game first before buying it but for some people that's not an option. Because they hold their value fairly well people will take a flyer on liking a game and if they don't sell it and move on to the next game. Rinse and repeat until you are out of money or happy with your collection.

I'm with you on that. Buying a game I've never or hardly played is way more fun than buying one I've already beat into the ground.

Yeah, even better! As soon as I've decided I want to buy a game (since it looks like it could be good) I specifically avoid playing it until I can get one of my own

Unless you bought a TNA. Def lives up

Best sound I've heard on a pin, but if I played it over and over at home I'd loose my mind. Shots are so damn repetetive.

Poll response: All of the above.

Why do people do anything they do? We're all human - for better and for worse.

The chase and acquisition seems to be very addictive to some people. More pleasure from that than ownership or playing the game.

Different strokes for different folks. Some people like to buy junkers and fix them. Other people like to compete at high levels. We all get out of this what we want, so I don't judge, or try not to.

Lot's of those coming up on the market recently though.

I think any pin at home will get repetitive very quickly in a small collection, and I agree with buying without playing: no big deal (unless perhaps NIB)

I'm more or less on the 6 month plan. After that, the game(s) become an afterthought or also ran.

Only exception so far for me is F14, which is funny as it isn't deep or particularly complicated, just fast and fun!

I like the ones that buy a game, and sell it in 2 weeks with $500 in mods...for the low low price of $700 over NIB delivered price.

On pinside? Well how long could it actually take to glue all the mods on. I mean... What the hell you gonna do with a game after that?!?

Honestly I feel like you should be prepared to lose a few hundred on any fully working game you buy. It could break and not be worth fixing, it could just go down in value, etc. Or maybe it goes up in value and you luck out. Who knows, hopefully it balances out at worst. Plus you got to own and play the game! Some value loss is normal, you got your 'plays' out of it. If it's a NIB, then you also got the great box opening, new game smell experience. There's probably a few hundred dollars in wiggle room on many transactions. Or a few hundred dollars in rebuild parts I'm going to put into a game.

Learning the game is part of the experience to me. If you've already spent a lot of time on the game before buying, that's lost time and coin drop on a (probably) sub par game/experience. Plus time out of my day I spend playing the game. It's just way too much to think+worry about

I've owned 60+ games and only maybe 10-15 I'd ever played before purchasing them. Most of those turned out not to be keepers. The games that seem the funnest the first few plays I gave them rarely had staying power. Sometimes I played a game elsewhere and didn't like it much at all, but then picked one up cheap on a whim and loved it.

Just like women, you get drunk, take em home for some fun and realize how noisy and expensive they are and they got to go...

Usually it's accompanied by other local Pinsiders touting the seller and claiming it's "a great deal with all those mods" but they dont buy it themselves because.... it's not a great deal or even a good deal.

Also, people wanting NIB pricing for a 2 week old used Stern Pro currently in production...that is another head scratcher. You are going to need to hold that game for a few years until they go out of production if you are going to try to get NIB price back out of it. Not to mention the possibility of your game becoming a vault edition at any time.

FOMO

Nothing beats taking a deep breath from a brand new cabinet.. that smell is like a new car. Then when its fading.. sell it.

because some people have more money than sense!

My take on this is,some folks have fun playing a new pin all the time and have the Money to do so!! After playing a new pin ,when the "new"wears off,they sell it for close to what they paid,and look forward to the next new experience! Then,they have a platform on Pinside to say,"oh,yeah,I owned that one,blah blah blah"

Your 'due diligence' is a loss of value and time to many people. You can't go asking 'why do some people do <thing I wouldn't do>?' and then try to apply your reasoning to the explanations.

Some pins are fun for years, others are fun for weeks. If you only buy the 'years' pins you miss out on a lot of fun.

Becuase they take 90-day warranties literally?

I've had some that I never intended on keeping that only lasted a few weeks. They came as part of a trade, or were an easy pickup at a good price and I knew I could move them along for something I wanted.

I've had some that started out trade bait that I figured would only last a few days, that I ended up really liking. So I kept them.

I've had some others that I thought I wanted that I really didn't want (NBA JAM) that left soon after they got in here.

So, there are many reasons, I suppose...

Buy them for the dopamine rush.

Sell them as high/buzz is over.

Rinse and repeat.

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Because they can, pure and simple...

I can say I have never bought a pin that has not stayed. Of course I always play them before I buy to see if it will last. Ans so far all of 4 of them have! LOL I don't make a lot of money. My newest purshase is a JJP POTC LE. It will be my only NIB purchase!!!!! I played it at expo and I am still happy with it through the changes.
After that it will be used pins, and thank you folks for buying them and selling them after a few months.

Oh, and I agree with this!

For used games the thrill has always been the chase for me. After I started getting into rare machines the difficulty in replacing them has slowed down my desire to trade out as often.

For new games? Some people want the latest and greatest. I think for a lot they buy a new machine based on the promises and hype, but get it and since the code is years from being finished sell hoping the next one is better.

I am this guy.

Numerous reasons for this type of behavior, including some of the following.

- No or minimal location pinball

- Pinball is expensive, so if you are ready to play another title, you gotta sell something.

- Pinball ownership can be cheap. If you purchase at the right price, you can be entertained and move on to something new with minimal cost.

- Some people find that playing only three video games over the next year is tough, same with pinball.

- Many love the idea of having the newest model. With so many different machines being made nowadays, it’s easy to want what’s new and relevant. It allows some to be part of the ‘happening’ group.

I see a new trend in this type of collecting that is working well for some and yields a lot of enjoyment, as long as the person is efficient.

I can buy a World Cup Soccer 94, Keep it for 6 months, then trade it for a Fish Tales (or sell it and buy one), then do the same for a Jurassic Park. Keep things fresh... Or at least that's my plan once my basement is finished (someday you will be mine AFM).

The Mod Couple offer/offered NIB cologne. The smell is available if you want it bad enough

Can we add an option in the poll for "has a Twipy award winning YouTube show and needs more pins to review," for my boys at STDM?

What is always hilarious to me is when someone sells again with like a dozen plays on it. Who the heck can ever get a feel for a game that quickly? Seems like a lot of work to haul a game, set it up, etc just to play a couple times before giving up. So weird.