(Topic ID: 266178)

Will COVID change location pinball?

By Russell

4 years ago


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  • Latest reply 4 years ago by Daditude
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    #1 4 years ago

    I’m starting to ponder what changes COVID may bring to location pinball.

    At least at first, I would imagine that bars and restaurants will be asked to facilitate the 6 feet distance between patrons. That means spacing my location games much more widely than normal. To get 6 feet between players, it seems that would decrease the number of games in a row dramatically. (Down to 1/3-1/2 of the usual number?)

    I could also imagine putting sanitizer in the Pingulps rather than reserving that for drinks. Or a pingulp on each side? One for sanitizer, one for drinks?

    Frequent cleaning? Perhaps need to leave cleaning materials available for patrons to clean the games themselves if they want?

    What other ideas can you think of to optimize location pinball in the near future?

    #2 4 years ago

    Sanitizer gonna be hard on the games

    #3 4 years ago

    No location pinball for now. I can see lots of bars not bothering to put games back in after this. They don’t earn much, take up space or maybe ops don’t put games back in dead locations.

    #4 4 years ago

    As soon as the last recorded death from Covid-19 has occurred, most people will go back to their inconsiderate, unsanitary ways. And it will be mostly forgotten and back to business as usual. Except for those businesses that didn't survive.

    That's why I'm enjoying this lockdown, fresh air, and peace and quiet while I can.

    #5 4 years ago

    Covid....is going to affect everything for a long time, including how life will move on in the future.
    We very well be wearing masks in public for a very long time.
    California on lock down till May 15th now, behind the scenes Gov Newsome is looking at 10-12 more weeks. Not only curve and peak to think about, but how long it takes to come down from that peak.

    #6 4 years ago

    Virginia is shut down until June 10th. Probably will last longer than that. I hope things can return to normal. I miss going out to play pinball. My games on location will need a second cup holder to keep hand sanitizer in now.

    #7 4 years ago
    Quoted from Ericpinballfan:

    California on lock down till May 15th now

    Good. I won that bet that it would happen before the 15th of this month.

    Quoted from Ericpinballfan:

    behind the scenes Gov Newsome is looking at 10-12 more weeks.

    Our hero.

    #8 4 years ago

    I'm already thinking about when I can reopen.

    Will there be a limit of how many people at a time in here ?

    I've already contemplated if we have to have distances, using every other pool table or every other pinball machine. I may have to move pinball machines around if need be. I've always tried to have an assortment of prices. But if my business is going to be limited, I can't have the top games down.

    And regularly wiping stuff down with disinfectant wipes.

    Definitely going to be a fun year.

    LTG : )

    #9 4 years ago
    Quoted from o-din:

    Good. I won that bet that it would happen before the 15th of this month.

    Our hero.

    You think u have problems, check out our gov

    #10 4 years ago

    Yes it will ruin location pinball unfortunately unless this no longer becomes a threat of course. That's a good ways away though I'm afraid.

    #11 4 years ago
    Quoted from o-din:

    As soon as the last recorded death from Covid-19 has occurred, most people will go back to their inconsiderate, unsanitary ways. And it will be mostly forgotten and back to business as usual. Except for those businesses that didn't survive.
    That's why I'm enjoying this lockdown, fresh air, and peace and quiet while I can.

    A month ago I was in the camp that owning pins is unnecessary if you live near a decent location or knew others with games. Sell them all and maybe keep keep a special game or two. Flash forward to cronovirus times and now glad I never sold off my games. No current hardship and pin ownership is once again a necessity.

    Pinball should be a safe activity if you wash your hands before and after playing and nobody is breathing over your shoulder. Tournament playing may need to wait until we get a vaccine. Selfie leagues might work. Play games during the week whenever you want and forward your scores. I think that might actually be a good solution. Most locations will reopen or transfer to a new spot and a few will close. People will gravitate quickly to playing pins on location again.

    #12 4 years ago

    Once places do reopen I expect that there will be guidelines for how many people can be in a bar, restaurant, store, etc. Maybe everywhere reopens but only at 25% capacity for the first month, then 50%, then 75% three months later.

    #13 4 years ago

    Nothing will be the same until a vaccine is produced wide scale. Location pinball included.

    #14 4 years ago

    People around my complex just come straight at ya on the sidewalks... Think the distancing adherence will be any better once we are out of lockdown??

    #15 4 years ago

    Tomorrow, I am opening my arcade to the first one that shows up with a Fantasy Omelet. Enough alcohol tonite and tomorrow should kill off any unwanted tagalongs.

    #16 4 years ago
    Quoted from PanzerFreak:

    Once places do reopen I expect that there will be guidelines for how many people can be in a bar, restaurant, store, etc. Maybe everywhere reopens but only at 25% capacity for the first month, then 50%, then 75% three months later.

    how exactly do you suppose anyone, individual or government, will be able to monitor, regulate or enforce such a thing? honest question.

    #17 4 years ago
    Quoted from bigehrl:

    how exactly do you suppose anyone, individual or government, will be able to monitor, regulate or enforce such a thing? honest question.

    I suppose people will have to act responsibly.

    #18 4 years ago

    At work (hardware store) we had over 1700 people in one day. That was last Saturday. In NY the place that’s the worst and has the huge lockdown.
    People can piss and moan all they want but that’s the literal facts right from the computer. They use the guise of “necessity” but really it’s just a cash grab.
    So judging by what I saw last Saturday and what we are expecting tomorrow... yes everything will go back to normal believe it or not.

    People don’t easily change their ways.
    This isn’t the Great Depression just yet.
    People can remember nearly a decade of economy disparity and ruin. It changed everything about American life.
    If this lasts less than a year, it won’t change much.

    Hell H1N1 (swine flu) was what caused the Spanish flu pandemic and then it happened again. I had it. People didn’t learn much from it. It was horrible but until we have something that doesn’t go away and is significantly more lethal (Italy reported 99% of deaths are from those with preexisting conditions) (Mortality rates in the US are currently below .06% if you use the numbers available right now)

    So basically America and most the world will forget about this given just a small amount of time. Just look at the past to understand the present.

    #19 4 years ago
    Quoted from Russell:

    I suppose people will have to act responsibly.

    LOL! good one.

    #20 4 years ago
    Quoted from Blitzburgh99:

    Nothing will be the same until a vaccine is produced wide scale. Location pinball included.

    Then I hope you're prepared to hide under the desk indefinitely.

    There has never been a durable coronavirus vaccine -- in either humans or, near as I can determine, animal husbandry either (yes, coronaviruses infect animals.) There is also evidence the antibodies wane with time, and in some cases form very, very weekly.

    Remember we were promised an HIV vaccine for almost 40 years. Well, where is it?

    Oh by the way the mathematical evidence is we're already seen herd immunity pressure downward -- quite a bit of it in fact. We'll see, but that's what the math says, even though all the scolds are saying its "social distancing" and "lockdowns." That would be quite difficult to be the case since all the rollovers and slope establishment in each case I've looked at happened before the measures were put into effect.

    I've never seen something that can cause an effect before it happens

    #21 4 years ago

    Lets just hope the locations can hold out until this blows over.. we miss going thats for sure!

    #22 4 years ago

    I've used the bathroom at the 1up Lodo.... I've built up an immunity to all disease.

    #23 4 years ago
    Quoted from bigehrl:

    how exactly do you suppose anyone, individual or government, will be able to monitor, regulate or enforce such a thing? honest question.

    Limited capacity, most bars have bouncers or know where to find them, and capacity may be capped at 50 percent of legal capacity or some such.

    Take out some tables, and space the remaining ones apart. At the very least you keep groups of people spaced out.

    Same thing at the bar - remove every other stool or every two stools.

    For pinball games, they will need to be spread out, or every other game unplugged. Maybe Every two games. You could “rotate” the spacing and which games are on by the day, could help keep earnings fresh.

    Those are a few things that may work. Obviously a lot of it would be honor system but much like the smoking ban, a few tickets here and there would make people take it seriously.

    I remember a couple super defiant nyc smoking ban bars. Within a month and a few $500 tickets there was no longer smoking in these bars.

    #24 4 years ago
    Quoted from Ericpinballfan:

    Covid....is going to affect everything for a long time, including how life will move on in the future.
    We very well be wearing masks in public for a very long time.
    California on lock down till May 15th now, behind the scenes Gov Newsome is looking at 10-12 more weeks. Not only curve and peak to think about, but how long it takes to come down from that peak.

    Is there an article I missed saying this? A quick google search turned up nothing. Got any more info?

    #25 4 years ago

    Oh boy

    #26 4 years ago

    I have maintained from the start that this thing is going to run it's course. The lock downs and distancing will slow it down some, but it will not prolong the inevitable. There will be changes in society in the short term but life will migrate back to some kind of normalcy. I refuse to believe all the "New Normal" theories that are being discussed via media. After all this is America and freedom will rein!

    #27 4 years ago
    Quoted from whthrs166:

    I have maintained from the start that this thing is going to run it's course. The lock downs and distancing will slow it down some, but it will not prolong the inevitable. There will be changes in society in the short term but life will migrate back to some kind of normalcy. I refuse to believe all the "New Normal" theories that are being discussed via media. After all this is America and freedom will rein!

    Agree. The social distancing and lockdown were ALWAYS about slowing the spread so it wouldn’t swamp the hospitals. It as NEVER about stopping it completely.

    I believe that almost all the US population will be exposed to covid by the end of the year.

    Now that more is known about infection and mortality rates I don't think the the lockdown lasts longer than April.

    The only behavior change I want to see out if all this is continued hand washing. The distancing sucks.

    #28 4 years ago
    Quoted from Russell:

    I suppose people will have to act responsibly.

    Imagine taking the G train to Bedford after Jackbar reopens. People are requested to maintain social distancing and expected to act responsible. Trains are running slowly one day and are delayed by 15 minutes. The next one shows up and people get on and off. Best way to keep people from assembling more than 10 people is close those locations and cancel events. I said the best way but meant to say the ONLY way.

    When bars reopen, limiting the number of people allowed inside is the best we can hope for to manage the flow of people. Example, capacity is calculated to be 20 people and a bartender controls access through the door and turns away customer #21 until someone leaves. LA has instituted measures requiring all employees and customers to wear masks. Pretty inconvenient for drinking because you’d need to keep lowering mask to take a sip. Maybe some bartender will develop a snorkel mask that allows user to put it on and leave in place while drinking through the snorkel. Ricky Bobby says, “We shall see what happens”.
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    -2
    #29 4 years ago
    Quoted from Coz:

    Virginia is shut down until June 10th. Probably will last longer than that. I hope things can return to normal. I miss going out to play pinball. My games on location will need a second cup holder to keep hand sanitizer in now.

    you should be scared. not of the virus but of that idiot who runs your state.

    -1
    #30 4 years ago
    Quoted from whthrs166:

    I have maintained from the start that this thing is going to run it's course. The lock downs and distancing will slow it down some, but it will not prolong the inevitable. There will be changes in society in the short term but life will migrate back to some kind of normalcy. I refuse to believe all the "New Normal" theories that are being discussed via media. After all this is America and freedom will rein!

    this right here, everyone that thinks this is a permanent life changing event is wrong. 18,000 deaths currently, we loss 18,000 people every 2 days in America to all other deaths. We are going to be OK people.

    16
    #31 4 years ago
    Quoted from woody76:

    this right here, everyone that thinks this is a permanent life changing event is wrong. 18,000 deaths currently, we loss 18,000 people every 2 days in America to all other deaths. We are going to be OK people.

    Early March called it wants its Fox News talking points back.

    Nobody said we aren’t “going to be ok.” That doesn’t mean we need to kill old people so fudd Ruckers can open in two weeks.

    #32 4 years ago
    Quoted from woody76:

    this right here, everyone that thinks this is a permanent life changing event is wrong. 18,000 deaths currently, we loss 18,000 people every 2 days in America to all other deaths. We are going to be OK people.

    thats what they told the 18,000 back in feb..everything will be ok.

    #33 4 years ago
    Quoted from CrazyLevi:

    Limited capacity, most bars have bouncers or know where to find them, and capacity may be capped at 50 percent of legal capacity or some such.
    Take out some tables, and space the remaining ones apart. At the very least you keep groups of people spaced out.
    Same thing at the bar - remove every other stool or every two stools.
    For pinball games, they will need to be spread out, or every other game unplugged. Maybe Every two games. You could “rotate” the spacing and which games are on by the day, could help keep earnings fresh.
    Those are a few things that may work. Obviously a lot of it would be honor system but much like the smoking ban, a few tickets here and there would make people take it seriously.
    I remember a couple super defiant nyc smoking ban bars. Within a month and a few $500 tickets there was no longer smoking in these bars.

    That's all so much harder to manage than it sounds. And it even sounds really hard. Door guys aren't a dime a dozen. That's an extra $200-$300 expense per night, for an establishment that was just bleeding money for the last 2 or so months. Not to mention, most of those guys are only experienced at keeping the peace and checking ID's. Not counting heads. That's, unless they're experienced club bouncers. Which is nothing like pinball bars (or most bars, for that matter). As far as the cigarette ban compared to capacity regulation, that's apples and oranges. If a bar has even just one person light up a cigarette, it's very easy to detect and eliminate. Capacity is a much more abstract line. Some people are sitting, standing, in the bathroom, moving around, coming in, going out, leaving and coming back. It's next to impossible to really enforce. One might say, well, every establishment in the city has a Max Capacity that's supposed to be enforced! But the reality there is, no owner ever has to think about that. Because it's very rare it happens, and they should be so lucky to ever get to that point, where they have to start turning people away. NYC tried capping it at 50% for 2 days, before closing bars/restaurants altogether. Not only were establishments not really cooperating, but also every single business owner threw their arms in the air and asked the same question... How the hell am i supposed to regulate that?!? jeffspinballpalace is right, it's got to be either open or closed, if you really want the intended results.

    #34 4 years ago
    Quoted from bigehrl:

    That's all so much harder to manage than it sounds. And it even sounds really hard. Door guys aren't a dime a dozen. That's an extra $200-$300 expense per night, for an establishment that was just bleeding money for the last 2 or so months. Not to mention, most of those guys are only experienced at keeping the peace and checking ID's. Not counting heads. That's, unless they're experienced club bouncers. Which is nothing like pinball bars (or most bars, for that matter). As far as the cigarette ban compared to capacity regulation, that's apples and oranges. If a bar has even just one person light up a cigarette, it's very easy to detect and eliminate. Capacity is a much more abstract line. Some people are sitting, standing, in the bathroom, moving around, coming in, going out, leaving and coming back. It's next to impossible to really enforce. One might say, well, every establishment in the city has a Max Capacity that's supposed to be enforced! But the reality there is, no owner ever has to think about that. Because it's very rare it happens, and they should be so lucky to ever get to that point, where they have to start turning people away. NYC tried capping it at 50% for 2 days, before closing bars/restaurants altogether. Not only were establishments not really cooperating, but also every single business owner threw their arms in the air and asked the same question... How the hell am i supposed to regulate that?!? jeffspinballpalace is right, it's got to be either open or closed, if you really want the intended results.

    Then we should probably keep the bars closed for a longer period of time.

    I know I won’t be going out to play location pinball for quite a while, and neither will many others if it’s as unmanageable as you say it is.

    #35 4 years ago
    Quoted from woody76:

    this right here, everyone that thinks this is a permanent life changing event is wrong. 18,000 deaths currently, we loss 18,000 people every 2 days in America to all other deaths. We are going to be OK people.

    So who cares about losing another 18,000 people then? Wow! A friend of mine has parents and a grandparent all with Covid 19 living in the same house. The father who is finally feeling better said it was the worst he's ever felt being sick and that was for 3 weeks. The grandfather is hospitalized, may not make it, and no one is allowed to see him. If you get hospitalized with this virus no one can see you, and there's a chance you will die alone with no family around you.

    Nothing about this is normal.

    #36 4 years ago
    Quoted from CrazyLevi:

    Then we should probably keep the bars closed for a longer period of time.

    I have no idea. I'm not even pretending to know more than I do about viruses and their life-cycle. But I do know regulating crowds. And that's not easy.

    #37 4 years ago

    I love that 18,000 dead people is no big deal because 18,000 people a year also die from ingesting toothpicks or whatever moronic comparison Laura Ingraham is puking out this week.

    I just don’t think this horseshit registers anymore now that almost everybody seems to know someone who is either miserable, dead, or dying of this disease.

    Also it’s 19,000 dead now. Over 20,000 by lunchtime.

    No big deal! 20,000 people die a year by slipping on banana peels. Are you saying we should ban bananas?!

    #38 4 years ago

    I could see bars and resteraunts opening up under some kind of distancing/crowd limitation plan that would have to be approved by a regulatory agency. Maybe open at 50%, tables chairs spaced and maximum person capacity decreased. Someone outside to regulate how many go in. Business owners will be desperate to get their places open to some capacity. And as long as the infection count stays low and they follow the rules, they can continue to serve. If you want an eye opener take a look at what Sweden has been doing and their approach to all this. Now when the new tests/antiviral drugs are readily available, that will be a game changer. Then things will tik up a notch to normalcy.

    #39 4 years ago

    Did you hear about the girl who instagrammed herself licking a toilet seat on airplane and labeled it the corona challenge? Well, she is still fine but one guy took her up on it isn’t feeling well.
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    #40 4 years ago

    Besides a lot of places going out of business in the short term...not much at all.

    #41 4 years ago

    It’s wild that people are still in the denial phase of how bad this. It’s the fact that’s it’s already tens of thousands of bodies while probably a good third or so of people keep to themselves. (That guesstimate is for my neck of the woods, I’m sure other places have even more people staying shut in)

    A friend lost his stepdad this week. Went to the hospital on a Monday, died all alone by Wednesday, no one can view the body (ashes will eventually come), and now his mother is in ICU.

    I’m still thinking it’ll get worse before it gets better. It’s only now starting to circulate in more rural areas which already have numerous underlying health and health care access issues. I’m very curious if there is a second wave after Easter services tomorrow. I’m sure there is a big overlap with the sorta people in denial and twice-a-year church goers.

    And that’s to say nothing of how a significant chunk of Americans are blowing through their already meager savings and getting behind other bills/debt obligations. Many won’t be able to afford luxuries like eating out or spending $12 on a cocktail until much after places begin to reopen.

    Compound that with how so non-Pinball people are already overwhelmed by $1/play for a game that they last about a minute in... Location operators best be figuring out how to lease machines to homes.

    And hey since Stern software guys are stuck at home, it’s probably a good opportunity for new experiments with selectable difficulty options/different game modes, minimum game times, and other ways to make location pinball enjoyable and attract new players whenever people do start coming back to locations.

    #42 4 years ago

    Comparing corona deaths with deaths caused by ingesting a toothpick, etc, is pointless. Someone accidentally swallowing a toothpick does not infect six others to do the same.

    At least in Finland, pinball in location is pretty much non-existent now. Bars and restaurants are closed, meetings of over 10 people are banned, which effectively kills all pinball tournaments. But I see this as an opportunity to the game owners to take time repairing and cleaning their machines, so they will be in great condition waiting for players when the situation finally is over.

    -8
    #43 4 years ago
    Quoted from belairjoe:

    thats what they told the 18,000 back in feb..everything will be ok.

    America losses around 18,000 people every 2 days to deaths. Are you concerned about those deaths? do those deaths matter? why don't we shut down the economy for car wreck deaths, diabetes, suicide, opiodes, etc??? you better be concerned for diabetes deaths moving forward.

    #44 4 years ago
    Quoted from woody76:

    this right here, everyone that thinks this is a permanent life changing event is wrong. 18,000 deaths currently, we loss 18,000 people every 2 days in America to all other deaths. We are going to be OK people.

    So you're saying it's inevitable and that we should just lay back and enjoy it?!?

    Reminds me of a what you said about the Alabama Tennessee football game.

    #45 4 years ago
    Quoted from woody76:

    America losses around 18,000 people every 2 days to deaths. Are you concerned about those deaths? do those deaths matter? why don't we shut down the economy for car wreck deaths, diabetes, suicide, opiodes, etc??? you better be concerned for diabetes deaths moving forward.

    What an insensitive comment to make during all of this. Can you catch diabetes, a car wreck, suicide and spread it to others where those you infected may then die? No. All of those things you mentioned don't lead to being hospitalized where your family cannot see you as you gasp for air and where you may die alone.

    #46 4 years ago
    Quoted from woody76:

    America losses around 18,000 people every 2 days to deaths. Are you concerned about those deaths? do those deaths matter? why don't we shut down the economy for car wreck deaths, diabetes, suicide, opiodes, etc??? you better be concerned for diabetes deaths moving forward.

    It's a Pandemic. It will come back, in waves...potentially, for 2 years. It is way more infectious and deadly than the standard flu. It could mutate to a more virulent form. 50-100 million people died of Spanish Flu over 100 years ago when the world population was about 25% of what it is. That would be potentially 400 million people, worldwide, if this mutates and gets more deadly (not likely, but possible -- strains of viruses mutate and evolve).

    That's more than the *total* population of the USA.

    There are some reports that once you get it you don't necessarily build up immunity and you can potentially get it again.

    Maybe best to try to extinguish this fire before it gets out of control? Don't ya think?

    #47 4 years ago
    Quoted from NY2Colorado:

    So you're saying it's inevitable and that we should just lay back and enjoy it?!?
    Reminds me of a what you said about the Alabama Tennessee football game.

    I do not say anything about football. Actually never watch it and do not care.

    -10
    #48 4 years ago
    Quoted from Pinballer67:

    It's a Pandemic. It will come back, in waves...potentially, for 2 years. It is way more infectious and deadly than the standard flu. It could mutate to a more virulent form. 50-100 million people died of Spanish Flu over 100 years ago when the world population was about 25% of what it is. That would be potentially 400 million people, worldwide, if this mutates and gets more deadly (not likely, but possible -- strains of viruses mutate and evolve).
    That's more than the *total* population of the USA.
    There are some reports that once you get it you don't necessarily build up immunity and you can potentially get it again.
    Maybe best to try to extinguish this fire before it gets out of control? Don't ya think?

    well, all the so called experts and models have been wrong so far so we will see. why are all the folks freaking out on here from liberal states??? hmmmm

    #49 4 years ago
    Quoted from guitarded:

    Besides a lot of places going out of business in the short term...not much at all.

    bingo. key phrase being short term

    #50 4 years ago
    Quoted from woody76:

    all the so called experts and models have been wrong so far so we will see.

    Frantically checks talking points....yup, that’s right! I owned them!

    In non fantasy news, has any CO people heard how the 1ups are doing in the shutdown?

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