(Topic ID: 230776)

Young people and pinball

By Davidus56

5 years ago


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    There are 180 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 4.
    #1 5 years ago

    I’m a collector and have, over many years, obtained a fine collection. However, with the advent of games like PUBG (Battle Royale) and these other Uber modern sims, it is hard to even get my kids to play pinball anymore. I wonder, when I die... maybe in 20 years or so, if there will still be a strong interest in pinball. Even though pinball is very popular today in the older age groups (40-70), will it survive the mellenial generation? Opinions?

    #2 5 years ago

    How old are Keith Elwin, the Sharpe brothers, Eric Muenier etc. ? These guys and others like them are part of bringing it to the masses....

    #3 5 years ago

    My single digit age nephews love pinball. Seems a lot of locations are popping up offering pinball machines as part of the attraction. The themes may change but I think an interest will always be there.

    #4 5 years ago

    I play PUBG alot and still think im young at 26. Pinball wins atleast for me.

    16
    #5 5 years ago

    Nope, pinball will peak, then decline as pinheads move to senior condos and die.

    Sure there is a kid here or there that plays pinball, but not enough to sustain today's enthusiasm.

    Look in any arcade. 10 kids playing DDR, 0 kids on the pins.

    #6 5 years ago
    Quoted from vid1900:

    Nope, pinball will peak, then decline as pinheads move to senior condos and die.
    Sure there is a kid here or there that plays pinball, but not enough to sustain today's enthusiasm.
    Look in any arcade. 10 kids playing DDR, 0 kids on the pins.

    Pass them or the interests along. Thats what happened to me. I wouldnt be in this hobby if it wasnt for my father.

    #7 5 years ago
    Quoted from vid1900:

    Nope, pinball will peak, then decline as pinheads move to senior condos and die.
    Sure there is a kid here or there that plays pinball, but not enough to sustain today's enthusiasm.
    Look in any arcade. 10 kids playing DDR, 0 kids on the pins.

    sadbuttrue (resized).jpegsadbuttrue (resized).jpeg

    #8 5 years ago
    Quoted from vwallat99:

    Pass them or the interests along. Thats what happened to me. I wouldnt be in this hobby if it wasnt for my father.

    Most kids hate whatever their parents are into.

    #9 5 years ago
    Quoted from vid1900:

    Nope, pinball will peak, then decline as pinheads move to senior condos and die.

    Quote of the day

    11
    #10 5 years ago

    I hope I out live all you guys so I can buy your pins on the cheap!!!

    #11 5 years ago
    Quoted from vid1900:

    Nope, pinball will peak, then decline as pinheads move to senior condos and die.
    Sure there is a kid here or there that plays pinball, but not enough to sustain today's enthusiasm.
    Look in any arcade. 10 kids playing DDR, 0 kids on the pins.

    That's what they said in 1999/2000.

    #12 5 years ago

    I mean I'm a millennial, my 25 year old gf loves it and so do my nephews.

    It's tough to have mass appeal in a hobby that requires a niche skill or wealth.

    #13 5 years ago

    Pins are a bit of a craze because barcades and retro revolution against the tech stuff. People want to get back to mechanical and the real social aspect of life, like social interactions, not virtual reality (facebook, etc.). With that said, the younger generation grew up on social media, they don't know any different. Like vid said, as the 40 and up people die off, lose interest, pinball will die. Hell, I would say EM's are just about dead. I know that is sacrilegious to some around here but I don't know one collector of all those I meet that owns one. That is why you can't give them away. The same thing will happen with the later stuff in time. Sorry, I have to give an unbiased opinion. Those that think this craze will continue are simply trying to will it to be so.

    #14 5 years ago
    Quoted from vid1900:

    Nope, pinball will peak, then decline as pinheads move to senior condos and die.
    Sure there is a kid here or there that plays pinball, but not enough to sustain today's enthusiasm.
    Look in any arcade. 10 kids playing DDR, 0 kids on the pins.

    While this isn't necessarily far off of reality, I have indeed been surprised by very young kids that seriously enjoy pinball and retro (Atari/NES) gaming. It was an arcade in Jacksonville that had very young kids talking about such retro games with in depth knowledge (I had over 400 NES/Famicom games myself at one point), as well as a group of kids that were heavily interested only in pinball...one kid (12 yo?) in that group roared toward the ceiling, "Oh my God!, I am SO HARD to play some Mario pinball right now!" -- Now if young kids can get THAT excited about a Gottlieb, then perhaps the future isn't so dark after all

    Quoted from KozMckPinball:

    That's what they said in 1999/2000.

    And for what it's worth--I was 14/15 then and had no idea I'd ever collect pinball machines.

    #15 5 years ago
    Quoted from KozMckPinball:

    That's what they said in 1999/2000.

    They were premature.

    #16 5 years ago
    Quoted from vid1900:

    Most kids hate whatever their parents are into.

    Ehh,
    Some parents just grew up liking lame $#!t.
    Can you really blame those specific kids if they don’t follow suit?
    Good thing my kid is too busy playing kick-ass pinball to care about the latest “kid trends.”
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    Bottom line.
    Be patient and inclusive with beginners.
    And if all that fails...

    Do as Bryan Kelly says:
    Don’t be a dick!

    #17 5 years ago
    Quoted from Medisinyl:

    I have indeed been surprised by very young kids that seriously enjoy pinball and retro (Atari/NES) gaming.

    I'm surprised by the very young kids that are into Rockabilly, but I doubt that any of that music is going to top the charts again.

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    11
    #18 5 years ago

    I wouldn't have considered buying my first game if not for my son, who played his first location game before he was 3 years old and was a pinhead for life before ball 1 drained. Now in high school, he recently had a birthday party that happily ran hours late because attendees wouldn't leave the pins alone. Many of them had never played before, certainly not without having to credit up. Every game in my small collection ran constantly. One of the moms was trying to buy my EM from my wife. It was sheer madness!

    In my experience, as long as they're able to see and flip, most young people are at least neutral-positive about their first exposure to pinball. Before the first arcade video games, pinball was a unique experience. Its basic essence has charmed young people for many decades now, and that magic's power is undiminished despite all the modern frills. Physics FTW!

    #19 5 years ago

    Well, tonight as us adults were hanging out, I heard my EM, WOZ, Hobbit, SW, and Aerosmith being played constantly in the basement by the kiddos ages 6 to 18. So, there is hope in rural KY!

    #20 5 years ago
    Quoted from Davidus56:

    will it survive the mellenial generation? Opinions?

    I guess I'm considered a millennial being 27, and I'd say pinball is reasonably popular with others in my age group; we all play, I collect, and we seek out location games. That said, my interests and the interests of my friends definitely fall into a niche category. I don't believe I represent the majority of interests of people my age.

    However, as our society falls deeper into hyper realism and technology that offer 'better-than-real-life' experiences, I do think that there will always be something to be said with physical entertainment that can be felt, touched, and is tangible. Pinball will live on, especially with the ever growing popularity of kitschy styles.

    I think that's most evident when I attend shows. The median attendee age hasn't seemed to be getting older, from what I've seen. There are definitely a lot of younger families, and younger people learning to appreciate the game.

    #21 5 years ago

    From my perspective pinball seems to be one of those hobbies that is
    popular and attractive for all ages. I think it will live on if nothing else as a novelty.
    Steve

    #22 5 years ago

    I host an open house for all my kid's buddies every month or two and we get a bunch of 5-10 year olds every time come and flip for a couple hours and just loving it. I think pinball is pretty timeless - as long as kids have a chance to experience pinball, many of them will enjoy it.

    #23 5 years ago
    Quoted from vid1900:

    Nope, pinball will peak, then decline as pinheads move to senior condos and die.
    Sure there is a kid here or there that plays pinball, but not enough to sustain today's enthusiasm.
    Look in any arcade. 10 kids playing DDR, 0 kids on the pins.

    Let’s not kid ourselves. This is the truth, whether we like it or not.

    #24 5 years ago

    I'm sure Vid's right, but there will always be a bit of that counterculture thing going on, people who just don't fit in for one reason or another. I just saw that Stern is making 12K machines a year - that is way more than I thought, so even if there's a decline, I wouldn't be surprised if things still hang on. Weirder stuff has happened

    #25 5 years ago

    I am 20 and do not play any video games, just pinball!

    #26 5 years ago
    Quoted from vid1900:

    Most kids hate whatever their parents are into.

    Yes but... they are absorbing more than you realize. My son surprises me all the time.

    Also remember how many say "I'm turning into my parents". Kids from bad parents never say that. I take that as a compliment

    #27 5 years ago

    As long as the support structure for pinball remains, and self reliant owners as well to some extent, pinball will be here. I cannot imagine owning a pinball machine with no way to buy parts for it, or get and give advice online, shared experience. I guess the better question is, "Will Pinside ever die?" "Will Marco and Pinball Life and Bay Area Amusements and all the other vendors die?"

    10
    #28 5 years ago

    EMs will probably fade out for the most part. They aren't flashy enough by today's standards. But, maybe some younger people will get introduced to pinball because of an inexpensive EM--who knows.

    90s games and above will probably still capture interest.

    At the shows I go to, there are now a lot of families in the crowds.

    #29 5 years ago

    If pinball did't evolve with technology I would say yes but, that's not the case when you see what some of the new higher end machines are looking like.

    -12
    #30 5 years ago

    Pinball evolve? What led lights and a tv screen playing movie clips, etc? Most kids can't be bothered. Just like good music, so goes good pastimes. Millennials are the biggest group of losers to walk the earth. When the news points out how evil Rudolf the movie is and safe spaces and triggering are a thing, there's no way they carry the torch. Every generation since the 90s glorification of violence, drugs and thugs, it's going downhill very fast since. They have zero attention span and want instant gratification.

    I hope the crash comes soon. All those 8 to 13k machines up for sale at 2000. They have so many cool games to own i couldn't possibly own them all if they keep making them. There's already tons of fairweather fans that'll soon find a new fad.

    #32 5 years ago

    I agree that pinball will peak (it may have already) and then decline. My friends know I like/collect pinball machines. When they come over to hang out many of them always say "if you ever want to sell one....." and a few of them have ventured into the hobby in that very way. People will like what they have the opportunity to experience. If they experience pinball (and someone explains the rule sets on the new games) they are typically hooked. A big surprise I had was that over 50% (and may be more, that's from memory) of all new pinball machines are sold to individuals for home use. Therefore, not as many are in public places for people to experience as they once were in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. That fact alone in time will create a decreasing number of pinball enthusiast. Barcades and pinball bars are increasing in number, however, it's going to take shopping malls filled with pinball machines to sustain the hobby. Pinball is popular now because those of us age 50 plus grew up with them and we are at the point to have the extra cash to own them.

    -15
    #33 5 years ago

    That's not me, sorry. Boomers aren't the main pinball buyers. They're in their mid 60s plus. They would at least fight for america and have pride. If millennials needed to defend america as in a draft, we'd be screwed. Too many soyboy types.

    -2
    #34 5 years ago

    That pic and stuff is political dreck. Politicians are to blame for most of what's in that diatribe. Give me a break. Boomers kids raised the millenials. The boomers are to blame for spoiling their kids and for the first time raise a generation who needed nothing. The 80s kids raised entitled children who didn't have to work for it. Also coddled beyond belief. The bike helmet crowd.

    Thought we were talking pinball.

    #35 5 years ago

    Every vendor I've talked to says pinball doesn't make them enough money even with demand.
    Only reason it's alive is because there are people laughing 8 to 10k for in home use machines. Eventually those guys will stop buying or pass down their machines and sooner or later the market will be saturated.

    #36 5 years ago
    Quoted from leonml:

    Politicians are to blame for most of what's in that diatribe.

    I agree!!! And they are boomers! Now we have soy boys. We're screwed all around! Bottom line, sadly I think pinball will burn out. It will never die bc people won't just throw them out. However, like any collectible, it will peak and fall.

    #37 5 years ago

    Pinball will go the way of model trains and slot cars.

    #38 5 years ago
    Quoted from ezelljon:

    Pinball will go the way of model trains and slot cars.

    And those were easy to store and less maintenance. These millennials don't even know what a screwdriver is.

    #39 5 years ago

    Since we will never have the schematics for the new Sterns, no one will ever be able to repair them once boards are unavailable.

    And the Roomba will still get wedged under the couch "Uh oh kids, who can find where the Roomba is stuck???".

    #40 5 years ago
    Quoted from leonml:

    That's not me, sorry. Boomers aren't the main pinball buyers. They're in their mid 60s plus. They would at least fight for america and have pride. If millennials needed to defend america as in a draft, we'd be screwed. Too many soyboy types.

    As a 32 year old proud former United States Marine Corps Captain, I can tell you that some of have and will stand behind a gun to fight for America and have pride... so don't throw all us millennials under the bus.

    I think the bottom is never going to really fall out on pinball, but certain types of machines will phase out. I grew up in an arcade... my parents literally ran an amusement park as a kid. I remember the 90s DMD machines, so that is what I am interested in as a starting point. My first machine was a 90s DMD. I didn't really consider any pre-DMD machines because they just have no appeal to me. As stated earlier, the bottom has already fallen out on the EM machines. The bottom is going to fall out on the early SS machine next as those who enjoy them have a hard time off loading them... I predict this will happen in the 2030s as people that played 80s games as kids get out of the hobby. DMD machines will be next, but not until the 2040s and 2050s. People will still play pinball, but could you imagine keeping up a 50 year old Adam's family machine? I think that the limit on collectability for machines is about 50 years... antiques and electronics don't really do well together.

    I do see a new generation getting into pinball and I do see the price of 90s DMD machines rising as more people my age that played them as kids get into the hobby. I bought my first machine 3 months ago after re-discovering pinball playing on a phone app. I think that digital pinball is going to bring more younger people into the hobby. My first machine (a nice WCS I fixed up) sold for $2900 within a day of properly listing and I had multiple offers/buyers vying to get it. 2 of the 3 offers/bidders were first time pin buyers in their 30s looking to get their first machine.

    I think the increased demand for the 90s machine as people my age can actually start affording them will continue to push most 90s DMD machines up in price until the price of a C tier 90s DMD is within $500 of the price of a used modern Stern.

    This is all only talking about the home pin market. I am starting to see more pinball machines show up in the wild, and I can see this trend continuing as long as it is making the operators money and/or bringing in extra foot traffic/drink orders where placed.

    I know pinball machines in the house aren't really an investment, but I could see safely parking semi-liquid cash in used 90s pinball machines for the next 20 years or so.

    #41 5 years ago

    Young people don't like pinball anymore, there's other stuff to do.

    Young people didn't like pinball 15 years ago either.

    And yet the hobby is absolutely filled with people in their 30s now.

    SO it really doesn't fucking matter. Pinball has contracted a lot since it was a "go to" for young people 30 years ago. But it seems like there's always a generation of 30 year olds with disposable income who get interested in it as they age into noticing how awesome pinball is, and are ready to step up. It's been happening ever since I started collecting in my mid-20s and it'll keep happening.

    Or it won't. What do I care? All I know is trying to force teenagers to get into pinball is a waste of time. They aren't gonna drive an '84 Iroc to the prom either, or get excited when Loverboy comes to town. Once again, it doesn't fucking matter. Stop worrying about it.

    #42 5 years ago

    It’s great how cool pinball seems now, in that it validates my chosen hobby. It wasn’t cool in the 90s but I did it anyway, and when it stops being cool again I’ll still do it.

    What I’m saying is, if you like it, it’ll always be there for you, so why sweat it.

    #43 5 years ago
    Quoted from SantaEatsCheese:

    As a 32 year old proud former United States Marine Corps Captain, I can tell you that some of have and will stand behind a gun to fight for America and have pride... so don't throw all us millennials under the bus.

    Truth right here. As an Army Veteran let me tell you, this generation did not need a draft to fill the military ranks to go overseas and fight. There have been boots on the ground for over fifteen years now and the military has not had to resort to a draft to keep the military strong. My thirteen year old son has not known a single day of his life where thousands of American soldiers have not been in an active combat zone so please, don't talk about this generation not stepping up.

    Anyways, whenever I go to the barcades in Providence they are filled with college age kids playing the pinball machines. Sure they are not in the market now but in ten years when they have careers and disposable income they will be looking to pick up a machine or two that they played in their "youth".

    #44 5 years ago

    I love pinball now, but I HATED it as a kid and teenager. I'd often frequent my local bowling alley, which had an arcade of maybe 20 machines. Most were video games, about 4 were pinball machines. I'd put a few quarters in a pin (High Speed) and drain almost immediately. I didn't know how to play, didn't know where the points were, and only wanted to hit stuff to see the lights and sounds. I couldn't keep the ball alive long enough to even do that. Maybe I wasn't coordinated enough as a kid? I hated it. I stuck to the video games. They were constant action and I didn't need to think, I just needed to react. No learning required.

    Fast forward 15 years: I find myself in front of another pinball machine (Ripley's Believe It Or Not). I was able to keep the ball alive and hit stuff. I was required to think and analyze, and use my coordination to hit the intended shots. I had a specific plan in place and executed it to the best of my ability. I learned bumping and nudging over time, and all the other nuances and tricks that come along with pinball, and I'm still learning them to this day. It's a constant learning experience and I enjoy it greatly.

    Point is, I think kids aren't interested in pinball because being good requires a thought process, knowledge, and skill. All of this requires time and effort. Kids' brains haven't developed their frontal lobes enough to be interested in things that require such things (the majority of kids, anyway). Some do, most don't. We've all been this way. How many of us had a love of learning as a kid? How many of us have a love of learning today? I'll bet it's close to the same for all of us. As we've grown older, we've taking a liking to the challenging things in life, the ones that require time, effort, skill, thought, etc.

    Pinball won't die. In fact, with the increase in video games such as zen pinball and pinball arcade, the younger generation will be more inclined to join the hobby as an adult. They will be more familiar with it, and therefore won't be afraid to attempt it when the moment arises.

    My 2 cents.

    #45 5 years ago
    Quoted from ThePinballCo-op:

    I love pinball now, but I HATED it as a kid and teenager. I'd often frequent my local bowling alley, which had an arcade of maybe 20 machines. Most were video games, about 4 were pinball machines. I'd put a few quarters in a pin (High Speed) and drain almost immediately. I didn't know how to play, didn't know where the points were, and only wanted to hit stuff to see the lights and sounds. I couldn't keep the ball alive long enough to even do that. Maybe I wasn't coordinated enough as a kid? I hated it. I stuck to the video games. They were constant action and I didn't need to think, I just needed to react. No learning required.
    Fast forward 15 years: I find myself in front of another pinball machine (Ripley's Believe It Or Not). I was able to keep the ball alive and hit stuff. I was required to think and analyze, and use my coordination to hit the intended shots. I had a specific plan in place and executed it to the best of my ability. I learned bumping and nudging over time, and all the other nuances and tricks that come along with pinball, and I'm still learning them to this day. It's a constant learning experience and I enjoy it greatly.
    Point is, I think kids aren't interested in pinball because being good requires a thought process, knowledge, and skill. All of this requires time and effort. Kids' brains haven't developed their frontal lobes enough to be interested in things that require such things (the majority of kids, anyway). Some do, most don't. We've all been this way. How many of us had a love of learning as a kid? How many of us have a love of learning today? I'll bet it's close to the same for all of us. As we've grown older, we've taking a liking to the challenging things in life, the ones that require time, effort, skill, thought, etc.
    Pinball won't die. In fact, with the increase in video games such as zen pinball and pinball arcade, the younger generation will be more inclined to join the hobby as an adult. They will be more familiar with it, and therefore won't be afraid to attempt it when the moment arises.
    My 2 cents.

    Exactly. Young people haven't given a shit about pinball for decades. Yet the hobby is in better shape than it's been in decades.

    So remind me why we need an Ariana Grande pinball machine?

    Odin, you wanna field this one?

    #46 5 years ago

    I miss the ww2 generation. Those guys and gals were truly great.

    10
    #47 5 years ago
    Quoted from Phat_Jay:

    I miss the ww2 generation. Those guys and gals were truly great.

    Then you should go volunteer at a nursing home and keep them company. I'm sure they'd be happy to see you.

    There are still plenty of them around, so head on over and tell them they are truly great. There are a number of organizations that can help you volunteer your time.

    #48 5 years ago
    Quoted from Davidus56:

    I’m a collector and have, over many years, obtained a fine collection. However, with the advent of games like PUBG (Battle Royale) and these other Uber modern sims, it is hard to even get my kids to play pinball anymore. I wonder, when I die... maybe in 20 years or so, if there will still be a strong interest in pinball. Even though pinball is very popular today in the older age groups (40-70), will it survive the mellenial generation? Opinions?

    I'm in my early 30s now. I played pinball whenever I had a chance to when I was young, which wasn't very often. I can't recall any of my friends, classmates, teammates, anyone talking about pinball let alone choosing to play pinball over video games. This was the early 90s. Fast forward to 2018 and I play pinball whenever I get the chance and still can't recall my friends, family, or anyone outside of the arcade or forums talking about pinball or choosing pinball over video games. Things haven't changed much in 2018. I imagine come 2038 we'll still be having this exact same discussion.

    #49 5 years ago

    There will be stragglers for a long time to come. Having said that, the resurgence is here because the children of the 70's, 80's' and 90's are now big kids with some disposable income. I don't see that lasting beyond the OP's 20 year timespan. Maybe not even close. If virtual pins get essentially as good as the real deal with time and improvements, the pinball concept may live on there. In a nutshell, if my 9 year old daughter is any indication, video killed the pinball star.

    #50 5 years ago
    Quoted from jmountjoy111:

    I hope I out live all you guys so I can buy your pins on the cheap!!!

    Wrong. Since my kids are not interested in my pins, I gave my wife instructions on how to sell them fairly. Then she quoted me some outlandish prices.

    There are 180 posts in this topic. You are on page 1 of 4.

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