Quoted from phil-lee:To me pinball is a loner experience, with your girl or a good friend. Machines at shows are too close, with someone hovering around your shoulder waiting to play. In the 80's when someone put a quarter down to be next I elbow striked them and slung there money off the glass, it hurt my concentration.
By and large, I don't like pinball people. Old hippies, young hipsters, know-it-alls, cheapskates looking to scam someone, flippers trying to talk you out of something for nothing so they can brag, and yes, many of them stink. Guys with huge backpacks should be refused admission.
And Promoters expect you to bring your machine(s) for free admission? They should pay.
People starting games and not finishing, getting overly dramatic pounding the glass or power saving, giving you pointers while you try to play, getting pushy when you play too long. I've learned enough from Pinside to never go to a show.
Rather spend my time and money at good Museums or Arcades on a Tuesday when its slow and I can hear the games and figure them out on my own.
You asked.
I grew up during the golden era of mall arcades, the 80s. I was there a lot as a teenager and I was a video game geek.
There were always a lot of strange birds hanging out at the arcades, but the ones in their mid and late 20s were always the freakiest.
They'd be in their 50s now. And I'm pretty sure a lot of them are hanging out at pinball shows.
