Why kids today don't play pinball

[pinball god]

Apart from the obvious when looking at Stern's last few attempts at making pinball (CSI & 24 in particular) causng little interest in new players let alone die hards. I reckon I know why pinball is dying/dead with the kids.

Did some business in Sunshine Melb and visited Intencity amusements at the same complex. I knew they had a SWEP1 and Congo from my last visit but hey were both 'out of order'. This time they were both working. Jeezzzz were they both a pile of shit. I own a SWEP1 and now know what a good condition one looks like and plays. This machine looked like it was pulled out from the tip. The playfield was nearly black from all the dirt. The screen needed degaussing, out of focus, mot lights dead, light sabre smashed, wotto missing, one sling dead, plastics as dirty as the playfield etc etc. Played miserably.
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So let's see, do I put a buck in this or in a video machine that's clean and vibrant? I think its a no brainer. The operators contribute to the death IMO. BTW Congo was in no better condition.

I just picked commenting on the SWEP1 as I know it real well to be able to make the comparison

[Wotto]

To be honest - I think they also find it boring 

As insanely cool as we all think some pinballs are ( and they are  ) , the idea of hitting a ball with flippers doesnt really excite youth of today when they have grown/ are growing up with todays game platforms

We play the older pinballs for memories from our youth and when we play the newer ones we understand that there is a set of rules to follow to play the game properly, THEY see every pinball as 1 ball, 2 flippers rinse repeat - no matter how deep the rules are an dtherefore BOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRING 

I know when we got to Surfers for holidays and go to Grundy's / Time Zone I am the lone soldier playing the pins and I watch the kids, mine included , playing evey STUPID game in there apart from pinballs

I have tried to get my kids interested - no chance.


( And I agree with you totally re the stupid latest titles - who wants to play those cornball games )

[coolspot]

it excited me

[Peach]

So true,I recently asked my teenage daughter why she doesn`t play pinball and she told me "it`s boring all you do is try and stop the ball going down the middle"then off she goes to play the Wii... 

[Strangeways]

So true,I recently asked my teenage daughter why she doesn`t play pinball and she told me "it`s boring all you do is try and stop the ball going down the middle"then off she goes to play the Wii... 

I had to pull my son off the Pinballs every night. Then we bought a Wii. We were not going to buy a strictly games console - we wanted something of educational value. Now he LOVES the Wii. But he still loves the pinnies. He has gone off the 48 in 1 entirely.

[ajlaird]

My kids enjoy the pins, and they do understand that there is more to it than just stopping the ball draining. I'd say for them Dirty Harry is easiest to understand because it tells you what to do both on the DMD and by voice prompt. Their enjoyment of pinball doesn't stop them from playing the Wii or Nintendo DS but it does add another option. It will be interesting to see what holds their attention on Saturday at the Bushfire Meet and Greet.

[pinnies4me]

It's all about exposure. I have a rule with my girls - I'll get them exposed to anything reasonable - ie swimming, piano, singing, pinball, etc, and if they like it they keep doing it for as long as it interests them. They go to singing class every week enthusiastically, they love swimming, they both are learning (and loving) piano - and they both understand and enjoy a game of pinball from time to time.

But with the chances of exposure to a working game virtually nil "in the wild", kids will not get to understand the challenge and excitement of the silver ball. My girls will probably love the game, so too my nephews. But my mate's two boys play a single ball, and walk away. They'd rather get on the PC and have a battle with some unknown guy in another country than exercise real skill with a real ball on a real table...

All we can do is show our young ones, and maybe they will keep it alive into the next generation.

[Extra Ball]

Kids love pinball. Whenever the relos kids come over they bash away for hours at them. My wife met up with a freind recently and her kids loved them as well. Ever think kids maybe over video and looking for something new? I have kids simply amazed by my machines, most hadnt played a pin before.

Agree with lazy OPs putting kids off them. At my local superstrike there is TSPP, filthy, missing a flipper rubber, and other rubbers about to fall off. Kids wont put money in that a second time.

[Nug]

Kids love pinball. Whenever the relos kids come over they bash away for hours at them. My wife met up with a freind recently and her kids loved them as well. Ever think kids maybe over video and looking for something new? I have kids simply amazed by my machines, most hadnt played a pin before.

Agree with lazy OPs putting kids off them. At my local superstrike there is TSPP, filthy, missing a flipper rubber, and other rubbers about to fall off. Kids wont put money in that a second time.

lazy ?!
totally incompetant I think..   
how long does it take to give just the easy parts of most playfields a quick MR sheen if they visit it once a month for the loot. 5 mins ?
you could give an on route pinny 20 mins of love a month and it would play fine IMO.

[pinball god]

that's my point, if the machine played & looked as it should I'm sure the kids would give it a go and put in a few bucks. If it were me, I wouldn't even consider putting in a dollar, but then consider playing a game where the flipper chatters, sling is dead, missing rubbers. The game plays crap and you'd have to then form an opinion that pinabll is crap as you don't know any better.

I played a CV at a cinema complex and the flippers had no rubbers, there was playfield scrapnel all over the place. I played it purely to see if it was playable. It wasn't!!

[Docpinball]

True, true and true.  The problem is operators are not pinball enthusiasts.  It's just revenue for them. They wouldn't have a brain in their head to think that if the pin looked great they would make ten times the money.

When we were kids, a parlour, bowling alley was full of pins, then the video games came later so pinball was already entrenched as a love.  Today, the videogames come first and pinball is just a novelty to kids.

Stern has not evolved to look fresh to a younger generation. LCD would have made a world of difference, But GS doesn't want to know, "its too expensive" so he is doomed to his own chosen destiny.  Sadly we all go down with him.

[pinball god]

I know I'm in the minority, but I think Doc has a major point. I think pinball does have to go down some kind of Pin2000 path. Maybe not duplicate it but somehow incorporate the screen with some of the features we love in the 90's machines. You could have a true video mode rather than more than often lame DMD ones, put in a trap door or draw bridge that would look very realistic with the screen graphics and the mechs incorporated.

I think people have to look at other areas in life where the traditionalists hold onto the past and then find what they love disappears. I live next to a golf course and the old farts insisted on old fashion values and then were amazed new memberships went down. I can't see young people wanting to wear long socks and tailored shorts etc etc. Now surprise surprise, the golf course is sold coz the land is worth too much and the don't have the dosh to warrant keeping it.

I think pinball has gone down this path as well. I can tell you (sorry Nino) that if pinnies didn't have DMD's, lots of gimmicks, major rule sheets, I don't think a 60's machine could keep my interest this long. I look at them now and its like watching the America's Cup.

Happy to take some flack over my comments

[Extra Ball]

I am more interested in the of maintaining/restoring supplies of the pre DMD games. Guess when us old guys die-out no one will care, and it wont be profitable to supply parts for them.
My 2 sons like pinball, but they certainly dont share the same passion. I can hope they will keep a few of my machines after I kick it, but its unlikely.

[ajlaird]

To me it is primarily about gameplay, so I don't mind what era (although I have naturally gravitated to SS and DMD) as long as the gameplay is there. To me the graphics and even sound are secondary, but worthwhile if they add to it. Pinball is both fun and engaging because of the challenge to keep the ball alive, and then the challenge to do something useful with the ball while it is alive. Having nothing useful to do or very limited options makes for a more boring game. Games like EBD and Mousin' Around! are even more challenging because you can lose the ball almost straight away, and that's it.

My guess is that my kids will enjoy the pins more as they get good enough to keep the ball alive a bit longer. Then they will know the feeling of that 'one good ball' that gets them to the free game score or even a high score.

[MartyJ]

For me, when I was a young chap, I was lucky enough to be exposed to both pinballs & video games.  Back then, I mostly spent my hard earned money (sweeping the games room for $1.00 each morning of 20c (marked) coins) I mostly played the video games.  Sure I lasted about 2 min per one but I enjoyed them.  The older dad's etc mostly played the pinnies with a beer or six and I would sit there watching them play.  I guess back then I learned a few lessons, firstly you could get a lot more play time from your 20c ie 5 balls which lasted a lot longer than a quick game of moon patrol or scramble.  So I started playing the pinnies, I remember Hulk, Fandango, FJ Holden amongst others.  My fav from that time was Hyperball.  It just blew me away, lots of fun and moving stuff!

When I got older, computer games started to come out - although nothing like today.  I can remember being swept up with Leasure Suit Larry, Space Quest, Street Rod which kids today would not even download for their mobile phones.  Around that time a lot of DMD's were coming out.  I remember playing T2 at the Cinemas at Knox, Elvira, Getaway and these had me hooked.  I had no interest in the Street Fighter an similar games which were out around that time.  BUT I do remember being able to find a pinny / arcade machine at just about every milkbar, shopping center and spending every hard earned cent.

I don't know the reason kids today don't like them....I would love to see a come back of some new quality machines!