I would say 1993 is still early for the death of coin op. Ultimately the torch was passed early 2000 in my estimation. There are many factors but one that does stick out to me is the lack of innovation on the coin op side. Later an even deeper hole was the fact that coin op never included online play or I online leaderboards at the cab. Now some of that is finally changing. There is truly some creative people entering our industry and it is awesome to see Stern be at the forefront of this evolution in their hiring. I had some incredible discussions with Gary and John at MCG about how to keep us trending upward. They understood my points of emphasis and ultimately agreed that pushing the envelope only helps grow the scene on location and in the basements of enthusiasts everywhere. Not that things can't change again but I like the leadership at all the manufacturers we currently deal with.

Our customers that are younger (5-18 years old) get started on licenses they know. If they start to like pinball then they migrate to other machines. Stern has definitely been the leader of bridging the Gap to our younger potential audience. I thank them for helping me grow this business, to me they are helping groom a next generation of player. Same with Raw Thrills. The licenses like Halo, Jurassic Park etc get people in the door and give an opportunity for other games to be discovered.

I also like variety and our base customer that loves pins certainly appreciate exactly what you are saying. Most locations we have with a significant amount of machines have games from all eras.

Either way this thread has showed me that so many people are doing their part to keep location Pinball alive. It makes me think the coin op side is in better hands than I originally thought. Good luck all!