It’s been a dozen years since I bought Theater of Magic to put in the gameroom of our summer home. Pinball guys know what “just one pinball” means – right? I bought 5 more by the time we sold that house, 13 more by the time we sold our main home and moved here to Red Heaven Ranch. In the subsequent 3 years it took to finally get the new house built, I had bought 20 MORE games. Oh, and I had many of them stuffed into the 1,700 square foot area of the old ranch house. They were in the living room, the hallway, the office, the pole barn and folded/stored in a spare bedroom in the basement. It was a relief to finally finish the Pinball Loft and move the games into its dedicated 1,500 sq/ft environment. If you’re curious about the design and build, you can find the details HERE.

2 years have passed since I moved into the new space and 12 years since entering the hobby, I thought it appropriate to highlight some key lessons, memorable moments and interesting tidbits that I’ve gleaned from being an older and (hopefully) wiser collector.

Let’s dive in:

ONE

Stay engaged

– New hobbies come and go. I’m sure Pinball is no different. The initial euphoria subsides and people wander away for various reasons. One of the best ways to stay engaged in the pinball world, is to continue to play or own a variety of machines. Engaging with new rules, new shots, new themes and new manufacturers keeps pinball fresh. There are 2 main ways of accomplishing this goal in the world of home collections (location play is another ballgame). The first way is the most common, and is driven by available funding and space. Most home collectors will need to buy, sell and trade games often in order to keep their collection interesting to them. When I first started collecting I saw these type of enthusiasts and wondered why they were never satisfied with what they had. I asked myself if they really liked ANY game at all – because it seemed their latest buy lasted no more than 6 months or so and it was sold off for another title.

The truth is more obvious – there is only so much money and space available to most collectors. Routinely cycling in new titles is a way of keeping the collection fresh. Another approach is to simply keep building a larger and larger collection. This assumes you can afford it and (just as important) you have the space. This is the approach I took in collecting. Aside from the capital investment, this type of collection demands you have a bigger than life plan for future space. Knowing where you will keep 40-50 games is critical in approaching collecting this way. Knowing where you’ll “stop” is just as important as the endgame here is a dedicated, purpose built Pinball gameroom. The next segment will talk about how I answered that question.

TWO

Don’t go over 40

– I certainly did not expect it but when I got all my games into the Loft and fired them up at the same time, there were 5 or 6 of them that simply did not work or work properly. They worked perfectly when I folded and stored them 2 years prior! As I looked around the room that first night I became aware that this was the first time I had all 40 games in one spot and all turned on. Then I started to think that based on the sheer number of games, it was going to be highly likely that at any time 1 or 2 games would need a significant repair. That proved to be true over the long haul. In the past 2 years, and for several months at a time I’ll have a game that will be out of service. I’ll have 2 or 3 more games that need mechanical attention to “play right” and another few that are waiting to have mods installed. When the collection was smaller all of those prior mentioned numbers were smaller as well. Do the math on doubling the collection to 80 or more and you quickly become aware of the hours of maintenance and repair you sign up for when the collection is large. I made a decision that first week in the Loft that I would keep the collection at around 40 or less and have followed that standard since.

THREE

It’s a cheap hobby

– When I bought my first pin (Theatre of Magic) I paid 30% too much and had NO expectations that I would make any money should I decide to sell it. I assumed that if I ever sold it I would lose something because all expensive items depreciate. But … in the case of pinball, and the years 2010-2023, the current value of my collection exceeds the original investment (including mods). New to the hobby? This segment means NOTHING to you. You may be buying in at the peak for all I know. I’m only able to share what happened to me as I’ve collected over the past number of years. I have history and financial facts on my side. As rosy as this picture sounds, I’m sure the rate of gain is not sustainable, but until inflation settles, it appears that IF the big base of your investment was made say 8-10 years ago and you decide to liquidate, you could get your money back with interest. It’s an unexpected blessing from a hobby that has brought priceless joy.

FOUR

Designers are human

– To some extent, we ALL want validation from others. If you’re a game designer, even before you are a pinball celebrity, you’re just a regular Joe. While I’m not a designer, I have reviewed many games and personally interacted with designers as prompted from those reviews. I can say that the ones I’ve talked to WANT to know that we love and enjoy their games. It’s a little odd because in the business world we don’t look to end users to say “good Job”, we look to our leadership for that – but as a pinball designer, this validation matters. I think it means even more because the product is supposed to be “fun”, not just “a pinball game”. The games also have a significant amount of personal creativity embedded in them. When you share a positive opinion about a game, you are in a way validating the creativity of the person that made it. As a former Fine Art student, I can tell you that praise for my work was important

FIVE

Marketing is immature

– Holy cow. Coming to this hobby as a professional marketer with more than 25 years in the business, I was astounded by the level of amateur handling of my beloved product. I wondered if they “knew” just how far behind they were compared to other product based companies? The good news is that over the past 5 years that marketing effort has improved. Some would argue that given the backlog and unbelievable demand, that the marketing effort is “good enough” – after all, why push for more sales if you can’t meet current demand? My take is that pinball marketing is still relatively weak and it’s that way across all manufacturers. Yes, some are better than others but all still lack the level of polish you see in other mature hobbies (I consider pinball a mature hobby given it’s hundred year plus history). In many cases the manufacturer is the origin point for all things promotional and each does it differently.

The widely used distributor model behaves the same with each distributor having varying levels of skills in the promotional process. Some use social, some don’t. Some produce slick video segments and some don’t even have a functioning website (call to order). There is little to no attempt to sell in the area of mass-media (billboards, web advertising, enthusiast magazines, TV, cable, etc.) The level of professional presentation skills at industry shows varies widely among each manufacturer (and bigger does not mean better). Some of the seminars and PowerPoint presentations are just cringeworthy to watch. Maybe my background causes me to see things here that others don’t. Maybe the efforts are “good enough”. Maybe the industry just doesn’t need or would not benefit from improved marketing. Whatever the answer, sometimes it hurts to watch

SIX

Fixing equals fun

– I started like many others … scared to death that my first game would break (it did) and that I would never be able to get it working again (I did). Every breakdown, diagnosis and repair since then has made me more confident, less frustrated and generally happier in the hobby. Heck, it’s even lowered my anger levels! Almost every NIB machine I’ve purchased comes with its own list of “things that don’t work right out of the box” and will need diagnosis and repair. When I started collecting, I’d be angry about it. I’d ask myself why the manufacturer didn’t do a better job of QC on the game – especially at these prices. Today, I never do that, I note the issue, diagnose the problem and quickly fix it (most times) and move on. Having that level of knowledge and the repair skills softens everything around the hobby of pinball. I think the reason is obvious. Pinball machines break. Collectors are left with answering the question “What level of involvement will I take to get it going again? Learning to repair your own games allows you to enjoy the hobby even more. Hobby satisfaction rises with repair skills

SEVEN

Don’t hurt yourself

– When I started collecting, every single machine was moved and set up with muscle. Lifting them into my truck, hand carting them up several sets of stairs or across an uneven lawn. Deadlifting them high enough to place a stool underneath to get the legs on, and then “coffin carrying” or worse dragging them into position. Just ahead of the move into the new Pinball Loft, I began to seek out the very best solutions for moving and setting up pinball machines. The thought of breaking down and transporting 40+ games and then hauling them up 18 steps only to then have to reverse the process was overwhelming. I started my journey with the obvious – an Escalera from Zach and Flip N Out Pinball. We talked back and forth a bit about which model and landed on the perfect one to accommodate my needs and the short landing I had at the top of the Loft staircase. I even bought a spare battery knowing that the poor thing would likely run until the first battery died and I wanted to be able to keep the party going no matter what. Following that I needed a way to break down and set up a game without another persons help. That was a tall order and it required a custom build. You can see the tool I built (stole the idea) in both the YouTube video HERE and in the commentary on the Loft build HERE. Utilizing only some judicially cut plywood, a cheap RV jack and your power drill, the tool does all the work and you do very little lifting. It’s indispensable and a game changer if you are handling a lot of games without help (even if you have all the help in the world it’s a blessing).

After getting all the games moved and setup in the new space, I then bought a coffin lift. This tool is used frequently to reposition games within the Loft by using only my body weight to lift a game. The coffin lift then rolls on casters and with very little effort I’m able to change a games position in a line quickly. Finally, my “pinskates” are the cats meow when maneuvering a pin in super tight spaces. Especially handy when buying a pin in a strange environment as unlike the coffin lift, they are very portable. Essentially, Pinskates add a caster to each leg allowing very fine control of the entire machines movement in every single direction. Having each of these specialized tools has very likely saved me a $50K hospital bill and a forever damaged back. Invest here and you wont regret it

EIGHT

I love the history

– If it’s a new game I want to know what the unfolding story of its development looked like. I want to hear about the “aha” moments, the bad days where everything went wrong, to the moments when the magic I see in the gameplay was created by the people building it. If it’s an older game, I want to know first the “who”, followed by discovering where they are now. I was the same way when I collected vinyl records – fascinated by obscure bands that had a single record out. Where did they go from there? Did they continue in music? Were they creative in another genre? The same holds true for the classics in pinball. I want to know if they stayed in the industry. What other games did they design or play a role in? What jobs do they have today? My interest goes beyond the game makers IF the game is a licensed theme. In that case I want to discover everything I can about that license. Its origins, history and status today. I’ll go so far as to collect various memorabilia from people associated with the license – in a way, bringing a piece of them into the Loft to join the game

NINE

Sharing feels good

– As we discussed earlier in this post, my first forays into repair were scary and daunting. I was able to learn by standing on the backs of others. Specifically by asking questions and consuming content on Pinside. Without the work of others who knew the answers and their willingness to share those answer in words and images, I could not have progressed. I received one of the first Batman 66SLE machines delivered in the states. I then spent many hours crafting a hand made playfield protector, then posted my results on Pinside and mailed the template off to another Pinsider in Florida to use to make his own. I beta tested the version that was mass produced in Germany and was happy to provide the company owners with some engineering feedback to make the protector fit better. It’s interesting that a dozen years on I still LOVE diagnosing a unique problem, finding the appropriate fix, documenting that repair and then sharing it with folks that may benefit from it. The shine hasn’t worn off that process after hundreds of Pinside posts that solve a problem for others. The obvious benefit to me is I get to pay it forward. I love to do it and don’t see that ever changing. Everybody wins.

TEN

Pinball and life

– Long term readers will know that I rarely post here without weaving into the story news of “life” here at the ranch. It’s hard for me to write about pinball without sharing what was going on during that time period or around that subject. After all, we don’t live for pinball, rather pinball is a part of our lives. Moments that pop into my mind? I’m sanding down a Harlem Globetrotters cabinet and I had to take time out to save a hummingbird that had flown into the pole barn. He was so exhausted from the ordeal, he sat on my index finger long enough for several photographs. The stories of bad weather and torrential rain storms associated with my pinball pick-ups are legendary. Playing pinball with and befriending John Schneider and his wife Alicia, Chris Blue and his amazing family, Keith Burns and his wife Bonnie, Big Smo (now simply “Smo”) and other entertainers are highlight experiences that are hard NOT to write about. Finally, even the painful parts of life happen parallel to the hobby – like it or not.

As we play, we live with the reality of losing family members (my Dad, Uncle), buddies (my best friend Andy) and a host of other pinball creators (Lyman Sheats, Barry Ousler, Steve Kordek, Wayne Neyens) The very best way to highlight the joy of playing pinball is to understand the depths of emotional pain that life can bring. Don’t misread my statement. Pinball is no substitute or palliative for grief or loss. It can’t “make it go away”. Pinball simply exists on the other end of the emotional spectrum. A joyful, all senses on deck game that provides entertainment. For a few minutes you can be in a different place than the stressors of the day or that painful season in your life. I really do wish that for everyone.

ELEVEN

Optimism and politics

– By biasing your point of view 2 people can write about the same topic, and come out with a significantly different outcome. I choose to write content that is positive and optimistic but never approaching rose colored glasses. I’ll call out the reality of an issue, but try to understand both sides and the potential for improvement. It’s more fun writing that way and it’s more fair to the subject matter because NOBODY is an expert or can know it all. The best decision I’ve made to date about writing is to keep politics out of it. Making the decision “up front” and having it be a hard and fast rule was the right call. As I shared in prior posts I’m very opinionated about my Politics. I have a well considered and years in the making line of thought about how I view the world politically, socially, and fiscally. While I would not consider my viewpoints extreme, they are most definitely not a middle of the road perspective. Even if they were, I would not write about them, push them as an agenda to others or preach to you my readers to “think like me”. The decision to stay apolitical has eliminated a thousand rough comments and probably helped me keep many readers. We all like Pinball – why destroy the common ground. I won’t do it.

TWELVE

It was worth it

– Pinball has occupied some percentage of my life now for about 20% of the time I’ve been on earth. It’s been there for me through COVID lockdowns, really tough weeks at the office, personal trauma and loss – those seasons in life have all been a little easier on me due to access to Pinball. I’ve met an incredibly diverse group of warm, giving and trustworthy pinball people over these years. Most of them happy to lend a hand, an ear or a hard to find part to a total stranger. The people in this hobby come from every walk of life but show up at the doorstep of pinball with a common set of very easy to love traits. Pinball also seems to “fit me”. I like to create, to stay busy, to build, design and learn. I adore graphic art and design. I’m a history buff and have a high nostalgia meter. Pinball fits all of these like a glove and has been my “go to” hobby long enough to feel like it will be a lifetime engagement. I have other lifetime hobbies – Firearms and competitive shooting (40 years now), Music and audiophile equipment (40 years) and they both remain and from time to time have taken center stage for a bit, but the bulk of my free time has been spent playing, fixing, studying, reading and writing about Pinball. It’s been worth it.

Conclusion

I still play pinball every day. The amount of time I play hasn’t really changed over the past 10 + years. If I miss a day or so, there is always a good reason – sickness, family commitments, etc.. I’ve recently met a few more folks that enjoy the game as much as I do and I take the opportunity to invite them over every chance I get. I’m buying a few new games, but selling at least the same number in order to keep the overall game count down. If you’re a regular reader you know that Fathom Mermaid Edition arrived last month (check out the review HERE). Scooby Doo is on order as it’s a dream theme for me. I’ll be selling a few to make room for Scooby. I will continue my focus on finding games I REALLY love to replace ones that I simply LIKE that sit in my collection, mostly unplayed. On the potential sales block are: Last Action Hero, Houdini, Dr. Dude and Time Machine. On the “need to find and buy” are titles like: Deadpool, Walking Dead and White Water.

I’m really happy that I’ve arrived at a point that I truly know what I like. This has given me renewed purpose in the process of upgrading my collection. So, yes … the thrill of the chase is still there. Is it as intense as it was 12 years ago? No, not even close. When I open a new in box game today, I’m MUCH more tempered in my expectations and initial reactions. When you cycle through 40-50 (or more) games, you understand that you will never find that “perfect machine”. The mature collector discovers there are only degrees of “better” and that’s the journey I’m on now.

I’m at the point in my collection that I want to weed out the games I just don’t play much and add games that would become favorites. To begin to do that I thought I’d create a list of what games I spend the most time on and then try to understand why. Find out what drives me to spend more time playing one vs another. The simple answer is always “well, you’ll want to play the better games more often!” OK, that’s obvious but not always true and when I reviewed my list, it was NOT obvious what exactly constituted a “better” game. In fact some of my more frequently played games are not even in the top 100 on Pinside. So what exactly is going on here?

If I can drill down into the essence of why I choose one game over another, it will help me in my above mission to right size the collection to have games I’ll play more often, even if I end up with a few less games. Let’s start with the list. I’ve broken it down into 4 categories ranging from playing them often to almost never. Below you can see how the some of the games in my collection shook out.

After review, we can dig in to what I found and what might help you make more informed decisions about future adds to your collection

For example, I play this group of games OFTEN:

• Godzilla
• Star Trek
• Iron Man
• Bride of Pinbot
• The Simpson Pinball Party
• The Flintstones
• Jurassic Park (Stern)
• Ultraman (new to collection)

I play these games OCCASIONALY:

• Metallica
• Gun’s n Roses (JJP)
• Pirates (Stern)
• X-Men
• Spiderman (Stern)
• Lord of the Rings
• Game of Thrones
• Time Machine
• Wipe Out
• Theater of Magic
• Creature
• Haunted House
• Bride of Pinbot

I play these games RARELY:

• Wizard of Oz
• Medievel Madness
• AC/DC
• Batman ’66
• Addams Family
• Ghostbusters
• Dr. Dude
• Houdini
• Johnny Mnemonic

I almost NEVER play these games:

• Aerosmith
• Kiss
• Last Action hero
• Judge Dredd
• Fire
• Truck Stop
• Elvis
• Harlem Globetrotters

Let’s start with what was obvious to me and maybe not so much to you. There were a few categories that were very easy to bucket with clear “reasons” why I played or did not play that title as much.

WHY GAMES ARE PLAYED “OFTEN”

ACHIEVEMENT – This was harder to nail down than I thought, but as I examined the games that I play often, it became more obvious. I play these because of a sense of accomplishment. I can achieve things in these games. I am able to progress and in the process experience incremental gameplay (more fun?). Sometimes the incremental gameplay is offered as a performance reward – i.e., I was able to get further through the game than others. Sometimes it’s due to the fact that the game has so much depth that just playing it (at an average skill level) delivers new gameplay almost every time. A good example of this is “The Simpsons Pinball Party”. The game is so deep that only a handful of highly skilled players could ever hope to see the end of it. However, if you play it enough, the code has so many modes and methods to play that you will likely be pleasantly surprised by achieving or seeing something you never saw before.

CLEAR GOALS – When I see Jurassic Park in the top tier “play it often” list, I shake my head and wonder if I’ve made a mistake. Nope. I play it often BUT I never do that well on it. By all accounts, it’s another “tough Keith Elwin” game. I agree that it is. There are more than one shot in the game that consistently exceed my skills. Then why do I find myself playing it over and over? My scores always end around the same mark as does the numbers of paddocks that I clear (maybe 2 on average). The answer to this game is the absolute clarity in the mission and game goals. I know what to shoot for. I know what to do even if it’s hard to accomplish. The key shots are the “Rescue” markers and those inserts are orange, easy to see and very easy to understand. Make those shots, clear the paddock, rinse and repeat. Yes, there are LOTS of other things to do in the game and plenty of toys and gadgets (who does not LOVE a T-Rex that eats and throws the ball). The theme is also beloved by all – including me, but in the end, I continue to play the game because the goals are easy to understand.

Interestingly of the two “related” games in my most often played list (Godzilla and Ultraman), only Ultraman fits the attribute of “clear goals”. Maybe because it’s easier to progress in the game for an average + player like me or perhaps because the rule set is so much simpler. Either way I don’t find Godzilla to present nearly as clear of goals as Ultraman does. That’s saying something when Ultraman code still has a ways to go before being considered polished or complete. Yes, I get the storyline of Godzilla easy enough. Play as Godzilla and beat all the other Kaiju to control the cities, but in practice and in gameplay, the complexity of the rule gets in the way of crystal clear goals and progression.

STORY & MOMENTS – I’ve often referred to “Star Trek” as my favorite pin in the entire collection. As I’ve contemplated this blog post, it’s become even more clear that my gut was right on this one. The reason is the “Story” it tells and my role in it. You feel like you ARE riding along with Captain Kirk on the Enterprise. You feel like you ARE fighting against the Klingon warship. The story is simple but the game design is so powerful in how it reinforces it. The Enterprise sits to your right. Dead ahead are the bad guys in the Klingon ship and one of the ball locks sits squarely underneath. Steve Ritchie and team did a fabulous job engaging you in this story. You have missiles to fire at the Klingon ship. No worries if you run out of ammo – use real pinballs to blast away at it. It’s hard to not feel like you’re really fighting when the Klingon ship FIRES BACK at incredible speed. Intertwined in all of this are some incredibly satisfying moments and shots. The the entire playfield goes dark and the mini laser paints everything with red star dust is an unforgettable moment. Add to it the Klingon leaders’ “Foolish Human” callout, and fiendish laugh that follows and you’ve got a top 10 moment in all of pinball. The shots in the game are all easy enough for an average player to progress deeply into the game and the most challenging shot (Steve Ritchie’s signature “warp ramp) is incredibly satisfying when hit – especially when you are able to combo 2 or more in a row! The sound, music and callouts (they are excellent) all work together to support the story and keep you in it -rather than take you out. Even the start of the game begins to set that atmosphere with a simple “Welcome Aboard” and a rather quiet background pallet of sound, at least until gameplay begins.

WHY GAMES ARE “NEVER” PLAYED

NOT MY PIN – For example, “not my pin” would be a category for sure. There are several of these that I would not have purchased at all BUT my wife wanted and claims them as hers: Wizard of Oz, Elvis, Kiss and Aerosmith are great examples. I was eager to support my wife in acquiring these but the reality is that she rarely plays anyway and for the most part these 4 titles are not my cup of tea – so … I don’t play them either! Now does each of them have something unique to offer? Of course. Wizard of Oz is a stunning world under glass example of a pinball machine. It likely changed the course of all modern machines forever and for the better. Still, it’s a hard game with typically short ball times and has some “clunkyness” to the shot geometry. There are the “JJP flippers” to deal with and when you combine those negatives it becomes a game that I only play when we have guests over (they are drawn to it like moths to a flame).

HARD GAMEPLAY – The other obvious bucket to me was that many of the games in the rarely or almost never played categories are very challenging to play. Progressing through the game is tough for me. I’m an average player in the Pinhead world. I have moments of brilliance, but I’m still average. To top it off, I’m not a fan of learning all the complex rules. A perfect example of this was my (formerly owned) Avengers Infinity Quest LE. To me it presented two huge negatives that led to its transfer of ownership out of the loft. The rules are insanely complex and the shots were just a bit beyond my skill level. As a results (and like many others I’ve encountered) I could never progress through the game. Add to that the fact that the game never felt cohesive and a little “cold/sterile” and it’s one of the few games that I’ve not missed once gone. If you want to read some positives about the game, you can check out my original review right here on the Pinball Loft blog.

WHY GAMES ARE PLAYED OCCCASIONALLY

UNIQUE GAMEPLAY – The middle ground bucket of “occasionally play” somehow seems easier to understand the “why”. For example, JJP Gun’s n Roses is a challenging game that can end with huge jackpots or a nearly barren scoreboard. That kind of scoring schema and variation might lead you to rarely play the game. In my case, I keep coming back to it because it does something that NO OTHER pinball I own does – it transports me to the show, to the actual GnR concert. The experience of starting a song, picking your favorite and simply “playing along” is unique and not too many days go by that I am not hankering to do it again. Creature is the same way. You can play that game and not make it to Creature multi-ball or you might. When you do, you are rewarded with a pretty unique experience – in the case of Creature, it’s not a song but an amazing ball path that is only accessible at this time, and a cool goal to “find the Creature” as you keep 2 balls alive. It’s that unique series of moments that I live for and keeps me coming back to Creature for one more try.

SHOT VARIETY – This is another attribute of games that will keep me coming back. They have a wide variety of shots. The shot also feel unique to that game – in other words, they are not simply a ‘bunch of shots” but more and large amount of unique shots. This keeps me coming back to those games because no other games can “scratch that itch” so to speak. Stern Pirates is a fanstastic example of this. The monkey loop, the treasure chest, the left ramp, the ship shot and the one behind it for the Kraken … all of these feel special and unique to that game. While it can sometimes be a long player, it never descends into “boring” because of the the shot variety. Metallica would fit the same mold. Maybe a tiny bit less so because of the predictability of the 2 ramps and L/R orbits, but there is a lot of variety nonetheless. Hitting the “fuel” shot after a right ramp always feels (and sounds) good. I’ll add Game of Thrones here as well. The shot variety and “shootability” of those shots is excellent. It offers 2 clean orbits, a kickback, 2 ramps and an engaging upper playfield. I’ll be honest and share that for the first few years in my collection it did NOT get much gameplay, but I recently spent some more time on it both learning the rules and dialing in the necessary shots. Like most games, if you are not progressing into the game, you really are not getting the full experience. When I finally passed a billion points and had defeated multiple houses, and gotten to the “Hand of the king” mode – the level of engagement soared.

Spiderman falls squarely into this bucket as well. I have the later release comic version and love the artwork, but understand the weakness of the updated callouts vs the original release. To be honest, were it not for the weak callouts, this game would quickly move into the “often played” category. As it sits, it presents an incredible variety of shots. Most of these are smooth, interesting and repeatable. In particular, the left and right ramp shots along with the Ritchie signature upper flipper ramp shot are just plain fun. Just hard enough, but not too hard and always a feeling of satisfaction when completed. Being able to routinely hit those ramps, is of course critically important to being able to progress in the game. If you can do it Spiderman is a game that an average to slightly above average player can master. You can have long ball times but not get bored along the way.

WHY GAMES ARE RARELY PLAYED

TOO MANY NEGATIVES – This is a tougher category because absolutes like “never” seem easier to explain. In the case of games that I rarely play, it’s a bit tougher to nail down exactly why. I’ll start with the clearest example – Johnny Mnemonic. By all accounts it’s a fast and uniquely designed George Gomez game. It’s got tons of speed, flow, plenty to shoot at and a very cool mech in the mechanical glove. When I play it, I do enjoy the game. Unfortunately that is not very often. There are just too many negatives. A laundry list of the things that “bug me” about the game pretty much sums up why it’s in the rarely played category:

• Theme sucks
• Dated references
• Hand mech is soooooo slow
• Video mode is terrible (and slows game)
• Movie may be the worst I’ve ever seen
• Cabinet art sucks (like really bad)
• Scoring by the millions/hundred millions is just goofy

Just one of the items on my list would not necessarily put this game at the bottom, but taken as a whole I just don’t get excited pushing the start button on this title

SUMMARY – It’s been interesting asking myself some very direct questions about this subject. I’ve absolutely learned a few things in the process. They may be obvious to you but were a bit of a revelation to me.

My first big takeaway goes back to my comments on Game of Thrones. If you can’t get deep enough into a game you may forever not enjoy or appreciate it. Think about how to apply this logically. When asking for or simply reading game feedback on Pinside, pay attention to the reviewer. How skilled of a player are they? Most importantly how closely do YOU match up to their skills? If the two of you are close and all other things being equal, at least you’ll know that the DEPTH part of your experience is likely to mimic theirs, thus validating the review. I’m sure some of the wide variety of reviews on a single game can be attributed to this phenomenon. Sometimes it’s obvious with comments like “too easy”. Other times it’s more obtuse and hidden in comments like “not my cup of tea” … I get that statement, but we are then left wondering “why”?

Another key takeaway was that when I have a lack of emotional investment, it leads me to almost completely disconnect from a title. The games I bought on behalf of my wife sit idle most of the time. I also discovered that there is more to the why than simply “not my pins”. Aerosmith pro for example has a killer soundtrack (love Aerosmith) and amazing artwork by Dirty Donnie. It fails me terribly on the gameplay side. Shallow shot variety and boring shots add to the fact that I didn’t pick this title. I’ll rarely start a game unless a guest wants a 2 player. Fair criticism? Not sure but there it is.

Maybe one of the biggest takeaways from this effort was understanding how important shot variety, repeatability and satisfaction played. I used the shot variety standard to highlight games in the “occasional” category but the same logic applies to MANY of the games in the “often played” category as well. Jurassic Park, Godzilla, and The Simpsons all have incredible shot variety. When I examined the occasionally played games, I found the same and mentioned specifically in my comments above that Stern Pirates, Metallica, Game of Thrones and Spider-Man all possess this important attribute. Studying playfields and reviews of both existing and newly introduced games should help guide me to more satisfying titles (to me) in the future

Lastly, I now know that I need to be very aware of complex rulesets. Not to simply write off that title, but know they are there, then discover if and how they may potentially impact my enjoyment of the game. It’s a double edged sword. Games like The Simpsons present no issue as they have a long list of other wonderful attributes, while as I mentioned before Avengers was both complex and difficult so was not a game that gave me a ton of enjoyment. The rules and shot difficulty just got in the way of enjoying the game.

Listen, we are ALL different. We have different desires and wishes in a pinball game. We present wildly differing skill sets. We don’t all play the same (calculating trappers vs on-the-fly shooters). These differences allow us to review and enjoy games that others do not. How else can you explain the fact that with nearly 40 games in the Pinball Loft, I’ve played Ultraman almost exclusively for over 4 months?
Do your own version of this exercise. Ask yourself these hard to answer questions and along the way you too can uncover helpful insights into why you like what you like. The outcome won’t direct you to the exact right game, but can serve as a guide to ensure the titles you select are more likely to be ones you really enjoy.

Recalling Greatness

nos·tal·gia (noun)

“A sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations”

A sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations. I’ve always been a collector. From the time I could understand that there were “more than one” of something. Mom and Dad were lifelong antique dealers, so access to “old things” was a blessing for somebody like me

It all started in 1973 with Wacky Packages. This was before today’s network of convenience stores that now appear on ever corner, so I walked the short distance from our house the “drug store” to buy them. I still vividly remember the excitement of the journey to the store, paying with a few quarters and the intense hope that opening each new pack would bring. Topps did a great job mixing up the cards and stickers because I remember more pleasant surprises at finding a sticker I needed vs a duplicate of one I already had. The journey didn’t end there either. Monday meant I was back in school and could now trade any duplicates I had with other kids that were collecting as well. It was a cool time.

The Wacky Packages obsession followed with comic books (supplied by a kind soul from my Dad’s workplace). Dad’s friend gave him a paper grocery bag of a hundred or so comics every 3 months or so. I sooooo looked forward to getting those as a kid. Soon after I was old enough to collect pocket knives, harmonica’s, antique compasses and more odds and ends. The drive to collect didn’t end as a teen. I ramped it up a notch and began to collect beer cans – thousands of them before I was done, then old beer signs and lights as I got old enough to purchase them at antique stores and flea markets.

As an adult, the business of raising a family and the intensity of the workplace didn’t slow my collecting down one bit – the only thing that changed was what I collected. By the time I was in my 40’s I was collecting music (over 7,000 lps and thousands of CDs) and in-line with the entertainment category – I collect movies. I sold most of the record collection years ago but the movies continue to pile up with “classics” being my current favorite genre (think 60’s James Bond, Fred Astaire and 30’s Universal Studio Monster films). Then, a bit more than a decade ago and much more on topic – Pinball came along.

The story of how I got into Pinball is hosted right here on the blog – check it out if you’re interested. Today, I wanted to reflect on my lifetime of collecting, how nostalgia has always played a role and why Pinball has such a strong nostalgic pull.

I think of myself as an “old soul” or someone that appreciates the past. If you have similar leanings, I’ll bet it’s the same for you. The reason we collect is to REFLECT. Not that I want to “live in the past”. On the contrary, there is no way would I want to go backward, to live a life during an earlier time in history. My time as a late baby boomer was “just right” for me, but I absolutely appreciate certain aspects of what happened in the past. Sometimes the distant past and, as I get older now, more likely to be in MY past.

If I look back at everything I’ve collected over the years, the “reach back” so to speak was always about going back in time and feeling what it was like. It’s been about wondering and then discovering the answers to that wonder. It’s been about finding out, by holding, playing or watching something to see what it was like back then. What was “different” and why. A few years ago, I went so far as to outfit our entire vacation home in period correct mission furniture and decor. If you popped in for a visit, you would be hard pressed not to think you had just walked into a turn-of-the-century home in Chicago with a design ala Frank Lloyd Wright. I wanted to literally “feel” what is was like to live in that era – if only in my home through the furniture and surroundings. Over time, I’ve come to experience nostalgia in 2 distinct ways. Historically (like the example of our vacation home) and Personally (like the Wacky Packages). A few examples follow and because I wasn’t sure how to wrap them into a story, I’ll address each individually.

Historical nostalgia:

Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers

The spectacle of Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers dancing in “Swing Time” in a beautifully designed Van Nest Polglase movie set will never be replicated. We can only watch in awe as Fred and Ginger perform 4 of the most celebrated dances of all time inside one of the most beautifully designed sets of all time, to some of the most classic music of all time (“The Way You Look Tonight” – Jerome Kern). All of this released in 1936 to great success, but now considered to be a top 100 film of all time. A classic. Why a classic? Honestly it’s hard to articulate, but I’ll start with something obvious. Greatness. Better yet, combined greatness. In one spot and at one moment in time, 2 of the best dancing partners, the best set designer and the best music writers all met to create magic. I can watch that movie now and “feel it” and to experience that level of greatness now is to understand what it must have been like in the RKO 1930’s movie making years. This is the nostalgia that history buffs can related to. It’s a big piece of what drives my interest in Pinball, but as you’ll see in the next example, not all of it.

Personal nostalgia:

Batman ’66 – Adam West & Burt Ward

With Batman and Robin, the “look back” is more based on a heartstring tug than on an historical one. I like Batman because I have fond memories of it as a kid. I don’t have clear memories of the original releases (weeknights in the late 60’s) because I was only 3 when the first season hit TVs in living rooms across the country. However, coming home from school as a latch-key kid meant hours of late afternoon television and the Batman syndicated re-runs were always there. Memories during this time are good ones. Afternoons seemed to go on forever. Mom kept lots of snacks available and I almost always did my homework on the bus on the way home so my time was mine! I thought Batman was cool as heck. I was too young to get the “camp” humor, but instead enjoyed the storylines and the fact that Batman and Robin were the good guys and at the end of the show, they always won. Being a short, skinny red-head kid, I needed a hero that would always win. I wanted to see that the bad guys got their just deserts. At the time, I had no idea that Batman was a cultural and merchandise phenomenon, I just liked the show and much of my nostalgia around Batman is based on how I “feel” when I think back to that wonderful, carefree time.

Pinball nostalgia:

I find it interesting that in prepping for this post, I had not considered that Pinball would fit “both” categories of nostalgia for me. I enjoy both the history of it AND (when the licensing is right) the personal memories of it as well. When I buy an older/classic game, I’m driven to learn all I can of it’s history. I want to know who made it. What they were thinking in the process. What drove them to certain design decisions. Importantly as well … what are they doing today? What has been “thier history”. Have they since exited the industry? Did they leave pinball land (Chicago)? Did they move to a related industry? Did they become famous in some way? I’ll want to learn about everyone involved in the game – not just the designer. How many did it sell? What made this game unique or special? The list goes on and on and if I hit a dead end, I may chase it for months before I give up (i.e. what happened to Dan Langlois – Truckstop, Radical, Black Belt, Gilligan’s Island)

Creature from the Black Lagoon:

A double dip of nostalgia

Sometimes the history of the game coincides and aligns to drive nostalgia for the history of the theme as well. I recently picked up a Creature. You can read about it here. I found myself spending a ton of time researching this game. Until today, I did not realize completely why. It’s clear now. With Creature, you get both. All of the “who did what” that comes with the design history, PLUS the “holy cow there was a real movie” history as well. I’ll start with the latter.

Creature – the movie

My deep dive into the historical nostalgia started with the movie. I watched it in 3D twice and as one might have 50 years ago – as a matinee! I went into our theater on a steamy summer day around noon, got myself a snack and a cold drink and just “enjoyed it”. I liked it so much I asked my daughter to join me a few weeks later and watched it again (she liked it too). Digging in, I discovered Riccou Browning (guy in the rubber creature suit) and Julia Adams (female lead) and proceeded to hunt down autographs for each of them. I later used the promotional plastics that were originally supplied with the pinball game to create a custom framed piece to highlight those autographs. Why? Those signatures are a lasting piece of each of those folks and, by gosh – they were there! If the movie connects with you, then in a small way, owning these autographs brings you a tiny bit closer to them – I’m keeping a little piece of that special moment in 1954 alive.

At this point I’m reminded of my earlier comments about greatness. The movie is interesting because it’s a good movie. If I had researched the 1954 movie to discover that it was a 3rd rate release with little love or appreciation, I would not be writing about it, but it was regarded as a good movie for it’s genre. The Universal Studios “monster movie era” from the 30’s to the 50’s was special. Some say the first Creature film was one of the best. I would agree. The monster as envisioned by the uncredited female studio artist Milicent Patrick is just perfect. He is both lifelike and out-of-this-world at the same time!

Soon after I got the game, I was chatting with my next-door neighbor about the movie when he shared with me that he was close friends with Ginger Stanley’s son and he was sure that she was in “those movies”. A quick internet search showed that indeed she was! Ginger was the stunt double in the third and final Creature film “The Creature Walks Among Us” released in 1956. That meant that she was the one on film during all of the underwater scenes. She was still alive and doing quite well. As I write this he is arranging for me to have a call with Ginger to simply chat about the movie – I’m giddy about it!

Why so much interest in a movie? The Creature movies take me back to a time (before I was born mind you) where the “violence” in a movie might only go as far as a punch and a bloody lip. Where death takes place “off the camera view” and outside the viewing area of the audience. You know someone was killed but the graphic details are missing. The movies are in the monster/horror genre but not “horrific” in imagery. There are no beheadings, no internal organs exposed, and no cussing. These movies are entertaining not shocking. They leave memories not nightmares. To use an overwrought phrase – they are good clean fun. I see enough misery on the news and Facebook. I want more entertainment and less shock and awe in my movies. 50 years ago they made movies like that and I’m feeling nostalgic for them.

Creature – the game

I think the “greatness” comes in for Creature Pinball when the totality of the game is considered. A good monster movie, tied to the much loved Bally era of pinball, integrated into a the home run theme of a “drive-in”! Taken all together, It’s a winning recipe and one that brings both types of nostalgia to the forefront. If I was to pick just 2 images to use to “picture” 1950’s America, one would be a ’55 Chevy Bel Air, and the other would be a Drive-in movie image:

– What baby boomer did not spend time at a drive in?

– Did not “kiss their date” (or more) at a drive in?

– Does not have fond memories of a drive in?

Digging deeper into the historical side, I was always struck by the original music in the pinball game. It sounded so “50’s” that I searched for hours trying to find the song and writer but to no avail. I used Shazam to try to ID the song – still no luck. Of course there are licensed songs in the pin. We know their titles as they all were famous when the game came out in 1992. I’m referring to the music that plays when the game ends. There are no lyrics but, if you are like me, you were sure trying to add some as you hummed along. The song seemed so familiar. It just HAD to be a famous 50’s song right? Nope. That music was an original composition from Paul Heitsch. Paul is now fully committed to the world of audio books as a highly regarded voice talent. I reached out to him via email a bit ago and will amend the story here if I get a reply. In short, bravo Paul for creating a piece of original music that captures the essence of the 50’s and drives a level of nostalgia even from it’s more modern origins -well done sir!

Intersecting Greatness

As I walk around the Pinball Loft, I can see the nostalgia driven collector in me everywhere. Jersey Jacks Wizard of Oz Pinball arrived as a 50th birthday present for my wife, but so did a dozen autographs ranging from Mickey Carrol to Ray Bolger to much lesser known associates like Sydney Guilaroff (Judy Garlands hair stylist) and Ambrose Schindler (He was a Winkie Gaurd and Jack Haley’s stunt double for the Tin Man character). You might wonder why I would go to such lengths to collect an autograph from Ambrose Schindler. After all, he’s not credited in the movie. Well, his connection to my story and my home town in East TN is as fantastical as the movie itself was. You see, a year after the release of Wizard of Oz, Ambrose was the starting quarterback for the USC Trojans in the 1940 Rose Bowl where he scored BOTH touchdowns (passing and running) to win the game over MY University of TN Volunteers! At that point in time, UT had been undefeated in 23 games and had not been scored upon in the prior 16. Truth is much stranger than fiction and all of these people, characters and connections fascinate me. Why? Greatness. Wizard of Oz is considered by many to be the single greatest film of all time. The movie almost didn’t get made, almost didn’t get made in technicolor and almost didn’t have Jack Haley as the “perfect” Tin Man. Sometimes I wonder if nostalgia and fate are intertwined. The prior story hints at it but the next story cements it.

Our little girl was just 5 years old in the year 2000. We were visiting Nashville just a few hours west of our Knoxville home and saw a poster/lithograph shop in the mall with a short line of people streaming out the door. It appeared they were waiting for something or someone. We peeked in and saw a sign saying that Mickey Carroll, one of the surviving Munchkins from the Wizard of Oz movie would be there signing autographs. We jumped in line and (it wasn’t a long one) and were soon face to face with all 3.5 feet of the sweetest gentleman you would ever want to meet. Mickey was personally recruited by Judy Garland to be a cast member on the Wizard of Oz movie. They met when both were under contract to MGM and attended school together (along with Mickey Rooney). I learned that he left acting in the mid 1940’s and went back to the family business of manufacturing headstones for gravesites. He sold that business in 1996 and then did charity work and autograph appearances. He spoke to our daughter for a length of time, we got to have our picture taken with him and he signed a large poster print that would be framed for us before we left for the day. Taylor, that little girl of ours, got married last fall. She’ll soon be 27. Mickey is gone now. 9 years after we met him that day in Nashville. The rest of the cast is gone as well. Jerry Maren, the last surviving Munchkin in May of 2018 at age 98 and Ambrose in 2018 at age 101 was the last. Each was a piece of greatness. For me, each created a feeling of nostalgia for the year 1939 when everything came together perfectly to create a nearly perfect movie.

One more and I’ll wrap it up. I was always nostalgic about it but my purchase of a Space Station pinball just reinforced that nostalgia. You guessed it, I’m talking about the Apollo space program of the 1960’s. If you’re a baby boomer, you LIVED this. When I was a kid, there were Halloween space suite costumes, space books in school, planetary studies, rocket ship models and endless sci-fi shows related to space. As a nation we were transfixed by it. Kennedy’s challenge to reach the moon is still regarded as one of the boldest and best mission statements ever written, proclaimed and then achieved. He challenged us to “Land a man on the moon and return him safely to earth, before the decade was out”.

We did it. We landed on the moon in 1969. Many will say that it was the greatest achievement by men in history. It would be hard to argue that it was not. The math we used to get there was re-calculated on slide rules as computers were very new and not yet fully trusted. At 160 million horsepower, the Saturn V rocket remains the most powerful machine every created by man. We flew nearly a quarter million miles in total and we came home safely. To put a cherry on top, the average age of the team in the control room at the time was 28 – remarkable. How incredible is it that many who witnessed the moon landing remembered life before cars, electricity, telephones and indoor plumbing. I was around in 1969 and at 6 years old have vague memories of the events but no context of what was really underway. As an adult, I now appreciate the scale of the effort and have a deep nostalgia for what was achieved more than 50 years ago.

I started collecting memorabilia connected to the Apollo missions a while ago. Finding the autographs of Gene Krantz, Chris Kraft and Glynn Lunney was accomplished quickly and all hang on my wall with pride. Harder yet was to find an actual piece of that Saturn V rocket. After a year of looking I found a stainless steel fuel filter (still in the bag and sealed with the original 1969 Rocketdyne inventory sticker) from one of the 5 fuel pumps that moved the fuel into the rockets burn chambers. It’s a NOS piece, that has never been to space, but rather was a spare part produced by Rocketdyne for NASA. It’s beyond cool just to hold it.

The Saturn 5 Rocket fuel pumps had 55,000 horse power EACH. That power was used to send 3 tons (6,000 pounds) of fuel to each of the 5 engines every SECOND for almost 3 consecutive minutes. To put it in perspective, the 5 fuel pumps alone developed 275,000 horsepower and in 3 minutes pushed over 5 million pounds of fuel through the rockets. Impressive and a level of greatness that has never been duplicated. Today, the Saturn V rocket stands as the most powerful machine ever built by man. Hanging in the Loft is a small piece of that greatness right below the autographs of 3 of the young men that helped us get it done.

So what to do about nostalgia?

Go ahead and celebrate it! Enjoy history’s greatest moments. Notice and appreciate the past but – watch for moments of greatness right now.

TODAY’S moments will be the nostalgia of our children. Those people, those movies, those events will be the things our kids look back on with fondness

Along the way, If you get a once-in-a-lifetime chance to shake the hand of someone that got a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be in the greatest movie of all time – take it

Engage in those moments, attend those events. Wait in line for a bit. Be the person to say “I was there”

I love spending time with guests up in the Pinball Loft, especially when they are interested in the history of Pinball or to simply watch them really enjoy playing the game.

Alternatively, when I get the occasional younger visitor, I’m invariably disappointed to learn that they simply don’t care about pinball

I’ve had enough folks visit the loft over the past few years to notice a few things about the above situation. I’ll start with the positives. When a new guest pops their head into the Loft, it’s always the same “Disneyworld” type response. Wow! Holy crap! Whaaaaaaaat?? You’re kidding ME! My gosh! … and a dozen other superlatives. I absolutely love to see their faces when they peek around the corner after the long climb up the staircase and see 40 games lit up and a life size Spiderman and Iron man watching over them. It still puts a smile on my face to have them experience the same wonder that I experience when I’m around Pinball.

Once in a while, but not often, one of those visitors will be a “player”. Someone that’s been around Pinball and played the game. If they haven’t fallen in love with it, then they have at least mastered some of the basic skills and they enjoy the game. I absolutely adore spending time with these “interested and capable” players. They don’t have to be accomplished on the skill side, but flipping with one flipper at a time is a great foundation. With even that basic skill, the 2 of us can enjoy a few games while accomplishing objectives along the way. After all, “playing the game” is all about getting somewhere, stacking up a score, etc. When I get to play with someone that can do that – whatever their overall skill level, it’s a joy. We are connecting on the same wavelength – playing Pinball, achieving game success and learning about each other along the way. Love it!

Younger folks, on the other hand just don’t seem to care. Not all of them, but in my small sampling – “most” are not interested. I’m instantly deflated when I sense this. Don’t get me wrong. If the young person plays NO games (not video games, nor outdoor sports) then so be it. They may be adverse to the competitive nature of games. I may not understand that but can appreciate the fact that they are not competitive. I’m talking about the youngsters that DO play games/sports. They are competitive. Many play video games for hours on end. In fact, statistics show that over 70% of Gen Z and Gen Alpha kids play video games on a regular basis. For some of these kids, it’s as much a social event (though it’s done online) as it is “gaming”. While I can appreciate the interest in video gaming (I played a bit in my college years long ago), I don’t understand the “ho-hum” response to Pinball. Not at all.

After all, Pinball provides everything that video gaming does and so much more. Socializing? Sure … you’re in the same room! Yes, I understand that during a single Pinball game you are playing alone, but multi-player games allow you to at least compete for score. Video wins here to some extent because in the virtual world, you compete “real time” against other people – in Pinball, it’s turn based. Maybe I give a point here to video for being more direct in a competitive nature. When it comes to unique gameplay, Pinball gets the nod. Every game is analogue, every game is one-of-a-kind unique. Video can’t deliver that (though it can appear to). Pinball’s physicality also gives it a check mark in the win column. It’s real, not digital. You can see, touch and work on the game. You sometimes have to travel to play one. It invites you INTO the real world, not OUT of it like video games do. Again, nothing wrong with a virtual world. I worry though that some younger people might get lost in it.

We had some relatives visit last year. Their 22 year old son was with them. His reaction when seeing the Loft for the first time was almost the same as others – if a little muted. He still had a smile on his face, but if a face could have a “comma”, his did. After that “comma” were the words “so what”. Not in a snarky way, but in a “doesn’t mean that much to me” way. He played a game of Ghostbusters, shrugged he shoulders, struggled to make eye contact (or any form of contact) and asked if he could be excused. His 3 minutes in the Loft were over. He didn’t get it and he didn’t care about it. He was respectful, but wanted no more of it. Like I said, I’m saddened by that. It’s not the first time it’s happened (or the 2nd). This is a pattern I see repeated in my interactions with younger folks even outside the Loft and Pinball community. No, I’m not referring to the lack of love for Pinball, but the the fact that social skills seem to be on the wane. I’m not sure why. It might be the sometimes isolated world of video gaming, it might be that ALL of us spend a lot of time staring at our phones. Now before this turns into a “get off my lawn” diatribe, I’ll share that I also know many folks (young and old) who play video games and are highly socialized, great communicators and have a variety of interests alongside video gaming (including Pinball). This commentary is more about the disappointment I feel when I share something I love with someone that could care less. I’m not really worried about the “next generation” and the “future of Pinball”. It’s not a judgmental moment for me either. They either like Pinball or they don’t. I’m curious as to why …

• Why don’t they see the stunning artwork, glorious sounds and insane LED light shows?
• Why don’t they appreciate the randomness or the analogue experience?
• Why don’t they want to control the ball and bend the machine to their will?
• Why don’t they get excited to “play for free”?

In other words … why don’t they respond like ‘I would have” when I was 17 years old?
Probably a lot of reasons. Some of which I may get right in the next few thoughts – most of which I’ll probably miss (I’m not 17 anymore).

I think the free play part is a lot about the different era’s we are living in. When I was a kid in the 70’s entertainment was found OUTSIDE the home. Many homes didn’t even have a way to play music. Those families wealthy enough to afford a record player had just a few records (see image of my Mom and Dad’s Magnavox console). If you wanted to hear a favorite you “waited” to hear it played on the radio OR you played it on a Jukebox at a bar or diner. You WENT to the movies, you did not play a movie on your DVD player or stream it via Apple TV. Much of the structured entertainment of years past was “pay as you play”. Today, our homes are entertainment centric. Pick any movie and stream it on demand. Pick any video game and play it when you feel like it. Pick any song and hear it when you want to hear it and where you want to listen. Today’s entertainment is pay in advance (buy the console, monthly subscription) and consume as you wish. Free Play means nothing to today’s 17 year old. All of his entertainment is “free play” (with a small monthly fee that he may or may not be paying).

How about all that art, those lights and sound? As good as it is in all of it’s “right in your face real” glory, it can’t really compete with the digital world can it? The impossible IS possible in the digital world. Colors can be digitally saturated. Movement can be enhanced. Sounds are reproduced in the highest fidelity and pumped directly into the ears via headsets. The modern video game presentation is a high end, Hollywood capable production designed to work perfectly and flawlessly to great effect. The modern pinball game, is more an assemblage of those 3. Imagery, where it relates most to the game is rarely looked at (DMD or LED panel in the backbox). The visual elements that do the MOST communicating to the player are “blinking lights” for gosh sakes. The lights, the sounds and the imagery on the display are all delivered on independent platforms. The video games digital platform forces (very effectively) all of these elements to move/behave together. This is both a disadvantage for Pinball and at the same time, what makes it so unique. When Pinball pulls it off, it’s magic. Unfortunately, video gaming has an advantage embedded in its platform.

My last point is to address why there seems to be little interest in the gameplay. Why some young players just don’t care to want to “play well”. One word. Fantasy. I think Pinball will always struggle to “take you somewhere else”. It’s less immersive than a video game. I’m not sure I want it to be. After all, in Pinball you are playing a physical game. Though the goals and the theme may change, you are always left with a silver steel ball and some flippers to get the job done. You KNOW you are playing a physical game. You are AWARE at almost all times that you are standing in front of a plywood box. Yes, we all get “lost” sometimes in the moment. When the call-outs on Lord of the Rings Pinball game scream “To War!” … for a ever so brief moment, you might just think of yourself as one of good guys ready to fight to the death, but then you see the blinking lights and you know your real mission is to hit those shots, not swing a sword. Video games are different, they are MEANT to immerse you. They are DESIGNED to push you away from reality into the fantasy of the game. They tell stories in a way that even when poorly accomplished, are still recognizable and enjoyable. Pinball can’t win here. Pinball CAN improve here (think JJP Guns ‘n Roses concert in a box) and MUST get better at gluing together it’s disparate elements into a more cohesive story – but ultimately is outmatched by a game that has VIDEO as it’s primary delivery mode for gameplay.

• Am I angry and upset about all this? No.
• Do I think “kids today” are lacking something I had when I was their age? No.
• Do I hate video games and think they are the beginning of the end of civilized society? No.

I do wonder though where this all leads. I wonder if the new digital world of entertainment is “better” than the analogue age I grew up with. I’m not sure. After all, escapism can be found in many things – from drugs/alcohol to untold variations of other (less destructive) forms of entertainment. I know it appears that I set this conversation up as video games vs pinball. It was done simply to compare the two and potentially discover the strengths of each. Young and old alike have a huge variety of entertainment to choose from and “not choosing” pinball does not immediately translate to “dislike”. After all, I was almost 50 years old before I discovered my love of the game. If pinball is to remain a viable form of entertainment into the future, it requires that a new generation of players discover the same thing I did – a love and appreciation for a hands-on game, that in its modern form, has brought joy to so many for more than 75 years.

I hope they do.

What’s going on lately with all the negative comments about Pinside? I’ve recently heard a few (podcasters) folks say Pinside is toxic and full of haters. I don’t think so. I spend a ton of time on the site and I find it to be a helpful, friendly place! Sure, a few folks act up from time to time but I still think Pinside is one of the finest hobby forums I’ve ever been a part of. I’m also a member of other top forum sites for Watches, Cars, Firearms and more but I gotta tell ya – no one does it better than Robin and the Pinside team. The amount of custom code that went into making Pinside boggles the mind. Just compare any other basic forum with its painfully dated “table-style” format and you have to agree – Pinside is a blessing to Pinball lovers worldwide. So when I saw Robin at TPF this past year, I made it a point to tell him the same and thank him for it.

So what happens on Pinside that creates this perceived negativity? Well, it’s simple – it’s people. Not everyone, not a majority, not even a minority – just a few. Some folks just don’t understand that there are polite ways to engage with their fellow man. Maybe their parents never showed them the way. Perhaps a past experience is driving them to respond in an unpleasant way. Maybe they’re just mean, angry human beings. Truth is we can’t know how they came to that frame of mind but the posts they leave stand out from others as an example of how not to interact on a forum. The good news is that they are few in number. The bad news is that bad news is memorable. What can we do?

Be even nicer.

There’s a valuable reason for being even nicer and for encouraging others to do the same. It’s called Pinball. Or should I say the future of Pinball. The newly interested players, collectors and competitors are most certainly going to visit Pinside. Some will make it a daily visit and others even more frequently. My point is that our written words are what they see, feel and sense. WE set the table for what future Pinheads will experience. Give them negativity, smartass, ridicule and they may not stay around. Worse … if they do stay in the hobby, they become what they get from us. In a few years we’ll get a generation of Pinheads with a not so nice attitude toward others in the world of Pinball. Although I think the negative crowd is a smallish one, I think we all own the opportunity to overwhelmingly tip the scales in a positive way. For this reason alone, I thought I’d share my thoughts on how it could be better.

DISCLAIMER: The vast majority of Pinside members already act in a thoughtful, helpful and nice way. This blog post is to encourage us to take it up a notch and make this hobby the best it can be.

Be more helpful.

If a new neighbor moved in next door
and you discovered he was a Pinhead, how would you respond to his
request for help with a machine problem? You’d be there in a minute
and probably relish the idea of being able to have a neighbor with
similar interests. You’d appreciate the ability to help each other
out, bounce ideas off each other and play each other’s games.
Pretend Pinside folks are your Pinball buds and instead of being the
“tough guy” try instead to be the “helpful guy”. Here are
some examples:

EXAMPLE 1

• OP: “Hey what size hex key fits this flipper pawl?”
• SAY “Did you even try searching the forums?”
  • INSTEAD: Run a search and post the results FOR the poster

EXAMPLE 2

• OP: “I don’t have a multi-meter”
• SAY “Why did you buy a Pinball then, didn’t you know they break?”
  • INSTEAD: Offer up an Amazon link to an inexpensive  DMM

That’s ridiculous you say … why
would I do all that work for them?

ANSWER: Did you EVER come to Pinside looking for help? Did someone help you? Of course they did … now be nice and return the favor!

Price Police is not a real job

Pricing a Pinball game is personal. Recommending a lower price while making a snarky or smart ass remark will not change anything. Think about it … if the price is too high, the result will end the same way as your recommendation. Either the seller will eventually lower the price or remove it from the marketplace. And – it just might sell too. If that’s the case why are you choosing sides? How can you speak for the buyer who has determined that the (higher than you thought was reasonable) price is acceptable to him? Why did you pick the “buyers side” in this equation? Are you never a seller of Pinball machines? Why don’t we see Pinside members pushing sellers to RAISE asking prices? When it comes time to trade do you want to get less for your machine? How about a simple GLWTS? How about some advice on how to better market a machine (more pics, different angles, etc.)? How about saying nothing?

Politics are bad for Pinball

Listen, I’m a political junky. I have very clear political opinions about almost everything in my life and in the world. I very rarely share those opinions with strangers let alone a community of hobbyists on a forum. Why? One reason. It’s immediately ruins the common bond we have in Pinball. It changes a common interest into a competing one. Why would I ruin a shared interest? Most Pinside threads do keep politics out of the conversation (Moderator enforced), and we end up enjoying each other’s conversation and generally get lost in the Pinball subject at hand while oblivious to the fact that we probably are on opposing political sides! Then someone takes a political side and boom – the person you were in civil discussion with a minute ago is now a moron for not thinking like you do. Leave politics for: the voting booth, your like-minded friends or healthy debate with those so inclined.

Clubs are for celebration

So what about those “New Game”
release threads or “Game Club” threads we find all over Pinside?
Some of the most fun you’ll see on Pinside is had in these threads.
Why? All the people in them own or will own the same Pinball game.
And they are excited about it! And the intent of the thread is to
celebrate the game, discuss the nuances of game play. Talk about mods
and fixes. Share scoring strategies and generally share each others
love and appreciation for the game they all own.

Except there is one problem. Someone
else is in the thread too. They don’t own this game. They don’t
plan to buy one either … but they feel like it’s appropriate and
important that they share all the reasons why they (one person) don’t
like the game and they justify that dislike by offering crushing
criticism. All of this shared in a thread where EVERYONE else loves
the game. That kind of commentary in this kind of thread is toxic.
It’s hurtful. And – it’s not necessary.

To those that feel entitled to crap all
over something that a group of people are celebrating I have a
suggestion. Start your own thread. Call it “Why newgame stinks”
and allow others to join you in that sentiment (if that sentiment
truly exists). After all, your feelings about the game are legitimate
but they are yours and yours alone. They may even be more realistic
than the ones held by the club thread folks. Your own thread will
highlight that as fact or show you otherwise.

Look to the star

So where can we look in Pinside for example of how to improve our performance on the “be nicer” scale? Look no further than the shining star of positivism than the “What Machine did you bring home today …” thread. It’s the baseline for all things good in the Pinball world. Started by Pinsider “MiamiRedSkin” over 4 years ago, it now has over 10,000 posts. As long as there are Pinball players and collectors, it isn’t slowing down any time soon. Here are just a few paraphrased comments from the thread:

“Congrats! Getting kids into the
hobby early is great!”

“Congrats, you don’t see that game
every day!”

“My favorite looking machine, love
that artwork!”

“Fun to play and looks so cool,
Congrats!”

“A+ games gentlemen, Congrats!”

“You are a credit to this hobby!”

This thread probably takes the record for the most exclamation points used in a thread. What a great reason to use them and how cool does it feel when someone says “Nice game man!” We really need to do more of that. It will brighten your day and the days of others when you do it. I attended a conference a few years back where the speaker (Mark Sharenbroich) wrote a book about this very same subject. Quick read if you’re so inclined. It’s called “Nice Bike!” and it explains the psychology behind it.

By now you’ve probably gotten wise to the theme of all the images I used in this blog post. Everyone is having a great time. Pinball is a unifying thing. Let’s keep it that way. Let’s be nice to one another. Let’s help each other like we were helped by others. Let’s share our opinions without personally attacking each other.

Let’s make each other smile about what we love – Pinball

Welcome to “The Loft”. This is my blog to discuss and share all things Pinball. I’ll do game reviews, share repair tips, talk about Pinball shows, Pinball parts, Pinball mods and Pinball philosophy. I’ll share my thoughts on the hobby and if it’s interesting to you – go ahead and click “subscribe”.

There will also be a few static pages as a home to some standard info that comes in handy. Pinball suppliers, specs (sizes of machines, etc.) and basic tool sets – along with a few other handy tidbits.

In the coming months, I’ll have pictures of the gameroom build posted here as construction gets underway. The new space will be over 1,500 square feet and will hold as many as 50 games. I’m calling it the “Loft” because it’s above our garage. Not ideal from the perspective of getting games in and out but it will give me lots of space to collect, repair, trade and sell. Stay tuned!