Why kids today don't play pinball

[Extra Ball]

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!

kids dont dislike pinball, they just dont know about it

How cool and smart would it be to site a new movie themed pin at the theatres, whilst the movie was newly playing. How many kids could you get into pinball by having a couple of the latest Harry Potter pins (based on the next movie) on location at the cinema for the movie's release. Kids would eat it up like any other merchanise, but because pinball is new to them it may spark a pinball craze/fad. Video games are old, they are all kids know, give them the new thrill of pinball, with a flashy LCD display for cinematics/mini games and you may get em hooked.

[stuba]

steve ritchie called it well. stern f'd pinball by not evolving it. it hasn't grown up from 20 years ago. p2k was an opportunity but williams couldn't see it and that's all she wrote. bloody sad. in 100 years time not a single machine will be left.

[Retropin]

steve ritchie called it well. stern f'd pinball by not evolving it. it hasn't grown up from 20 years ago. p2k was an opportunity but williams couldn't see it and that's all she wrote. bloody sad. in 100 years time not a single machine will be left.

Is all well said..... pinball died with STERN, they had a concept right from the start to emulate what was working already. STERN havent changed one bit since. technology of pinball has NOT evolved with Stern. And yet if you look over the last 90 years its been one steady progression from bagatelle to pinball. But through those years competition made innovation. Stern are bloody lazy and as such the formula they started with will be their downfall. Ive posted this SO many times...but cabinets got bigger as technology allowed for pinballs to be made smaller....OK.. this is from a design angle...but DMD's are just not good to look at - the balance is all wrong..ratios of cabinet to backbox is shocking..man these things are clumsy and ugly.

 Take one look at a 30's pin...Ok.. its boring cos the innovations hadnt arrived yet, but for cabinet to backbox ratio - these actually please the eye..it just looks right..nicely balanced.

i pray that the chinese take up pinball manufacture cos i see it as the only way forward.

What is pinball?? 2 flippers and at least 1 silverball bounced around a  3D graphic..
 Take that formula and let the mind go....... yep - its endless, with todays technology you could have changing graphics for where the ball hits - explosions etc, a build by game play movie on the BG ... but what have we got??

A red LED display....... FFS.. they were cool in 1982! Not 2009!

[wingtipvortex]

Kids are bored with pinball because pinballs dont die.   These days they have to kill something in a game to be satisfied.  sad, but true. 

[Extra Ball]

reminds me.........still looking fwd to see what becomes of homepin: http://www.homepin.com/

[Strangeways]

Kids are bored with pinball because pinballs dont die.   These days they have to kill something in a game to be satisfied.  sad, but true. 

Very good point - my son liked the "Street Fighter 2" pinball because you have to defeat each character.


Don't forget these guys ;

http://www.classicplayfields.com/photosmp.html

[pinnies4me]

One of the saddest things I recall reading, think it was on  where some guy posted that he got annoyed that some party guest's kids were playing his games! Crikey! These things were made for a commercial setting, and if they can't handle a few party kids, then I don't know what they can handle. Made be sad that these wonderful toys were being denied by some collectors to be used they way they were intended.

[Extra Ball]

One of the saddest things I recall reading, think it was on  where some guy posted that he got annoyed that some party guest's kids were playing his games! Crikey! These things were made for a commercial setting, and if they can't handle a few party kids, then I don't know what they can handle. Made be sad that these wonderful toys were being denied by some collectors to be used they way they were intended.

I love the kids bashing away, but one kid gave me the shits last year. He would constantly push the flipper buttons, I tried to coach him a bit, but he didnt get it. He is my sister-in-laws son so I just walked away, at least I didnt have hear my poor pin being tortured.......funny it survived anyway.
 

[ajlaird]

One of the saddest things I recall reading, think it was on  where some guy posted that he got annoyed that some party guest's kids were playing his games! Crikey! These things were made for a commercial setting, and if they can't handle a few party kids, then I don't know what they can handle. Made be sad that these wonderful toys were being denied by some collectors to be used they way they were intended.

I love the kids bashing away, but one kid gave me the shits last year. He would constantly push the flipper buttons, I tried to coach him a bit, but he didnt get it. He is my sister-in-laws son so I just walked away, at least I didnt have hear my poor pin being tortured.......funny it survived anyway.
 

That's not torture - just a poor playing style! They are built to take it, and if they don't it's called maintenance. I don't think you want to get too precious about them - maybe don't let them put drinks on the glass.

My eldest son is out in the shed now playing Mousin' Around! (yep, he still wants more even after yesterday) while I catch up on the forum.

[pinball god]

steve ritchie called it well. stern f'd pinball by not evolving it. it hasn't grown up from 20 years ago. p2k was an opportunity but williams couldn't see it and that's all she wrote. bloody sad. in 100 years time not a single machine will be left.

Is all well said..... pinball died with STERN, they had a concept right from the start to emulate what was working already. STERN havent changed one bit since. technology of pinball has NOT evolved with Stern. And yet if you look over the last 90 years its been one steady progression from bagatelle to pinball. But through those years competition made innovation. Stern are bloody lazy and as such the formula they started with will be their downfall. Ive posted this SO many times...but cabinets got bigger as technology allowed for pinballs to be made smaller....OK.. this is from a design angle...but DMD's are just not good to look at - the balance is all wrong..ratios of cabinet to backbox is shocking..man these things are clumsy and ugly.

 Take one look at a 30's pin...Ok.. its boring cos the innovations hadnt arrived yet, but for cabinet to backbox ratio - these actually please the eye..it just looks right..nicely balanced.

i pray that the chinese take up pinball manufacture cos i see it as the only way forward.

What is pinball?? 2 flippers and at least 1 silverball bounced around a  3D graphic..
 Take that formula and let the mind go....... yep - its endless, with todays technology you could have changing graphics for where the ball hits - explosions etc, a build by game play movie on the BG ... but what have we got??

A red LED display....... FFS.. they were cool in 1982! Not 2009!

Agree to the max. I don't know what you're talking about when you mentioned the 30's pins. Do you have a pic of one? I'm also hoping Nucore get their system up and running so maybe people like CI - Nug and homepinball and others could maybe develop what SWEP1 and RFM really didn't achieve.

I look at the P2000 games as prototypes that weren't fully developed when released

[Strangeways]

I did notice yesterday at the Bushfire Meet, that kids were playing together and enjoying each other's company (as kids do), but they were playing Daytona mostly rather than pins. I think that was because the adults were playing it and they like the "simulation" of sitting in the driver's seat. Maybe they were a little young to play the pins. My son loved the pinballs, but he was on the hunt for a Scared Stiff, or a CV. Neither was there unfortunately, but he still played some of the pins - especially the Addams, and he had a go at Safecracker. I think Access to Pins will be the big problem in the future. There are no more arcades, so the kids have to depend on home collections to start their interest. I'm lucky, my son is always around them. If I didn't have pins, he would be stuck playing Wii and playstation instead.

Part of the future will depend on how much access to pinball the kids have. Where can they play them ?

[ajlaird]

I did notice yesterday at the Bushfire Meet, that kids were playing together and enjoying each other's company (as kids do), but they were playing Daytona mostly rather than pins. I think that was because the adults were playing it and they like the "simulation" of sitting in the driver's seat. Maybe they were a little young to play the pins. My son loved the pinballs, but he was on the hunt for a Scared Stiff, or a CV. Neither was there unfortunately, but he still played some of the pins - especially the Addams, and he had a go at Safecracker. I think Access to Pins will be the big problem in the future. There are no more arcades, so the kids have to depend on home collections to start their interest. I'm lucky, my son is always around them. If I didn't have pins, he would be stuck playing Wii and playstation instead.

Part of the future will depend on how much access to pinball the kids have. Where can they play them ?

My kids did give the vids a good going over, but they also had a bash at more than a few pins.

Youngest daughter's favourites: Junkyard and NBA Fastbreak, special mention to Safecracker and Roadshow
Eldest son's favourites: TSPP, NBA Fastbreak and Bugs Bunny (also got the same list from youngest son)

Unfortunately I didn't get around to playing the Fastbreak so will have to play it another time to see if I concur with their rating of it.

[Ford Fairlane]

yeah where can you play them... i walked into timezone in liverpool on friday (for the first time in many many years) in the hope of playing pins that i havent played before and nothing but vids (mostly light gun games and of course fighters). And then of course there was a "dance" machine that a few kids were having a go on... Needless to say, i didnt spend a cent and walked away shaking my head... very dissapointing

[pinball god]

yeah where can you play them... i walked into timezone in liverpool on friday (for the first time in many many years) in the hope of playing pins that i havent played before and nothing but vids (mostly light gun games and of course fighters). And then of course there was a "dance" machine that a few kids were having a go on... Needless to say, i didnt spend a cent and walked away shaking my head... very dissapointing

What you didn't have a dance?? My favourite I saw at intencity the other day was....wait for it......bet you wouldn't think it would be made for the arcades....but yes it was and people play it.....the one....the only.......DEAL OR NO DEAL.

Yep people put money in it so they can get a couple of tickets and win a rubber thing to put on the end of a pencil or something. Now tell me things haven't got bad, the economic crisis is nothing, Mr Rudd should hand out cash and put the proviso that it has to be spent on playing pins

[slammer]

I had 14 kids at my house today, all under the age of 10, most of them around 5 for my Daughters 5th birthday party.

All my pinball machines copped a flogging, and funny enough the 60 in 1 cocktail table laid quite for most of the day!

When the kids were not on them, the dads made up the spots pretty quickly.

I think exposure is the key, in Bendigo, the most we have are three pinballs at the Movie theatre.

Cheers Angelo