No Touch-a the Machine!

[kevin_standlee]

Yesterday, after lunch, I went to play pinball at a place that was walking distance from my old apartment in Fremont. Aside from the machine not being in the best condition, things were going fine until a rather large contingent of Little Leaguers poured into the place and swarmed into the game room. crowding around me to get to the air hockey, leaning over the pinball table (which is distracting), asking me questions during game play (even more distracting), and generally making nuisances of themselves. The last straw came when, after a particularly long four-multi-ball play in ball 1, I didn't immediately put ball 2 back into play, but stopped to catch my breath. (Keeping four balls in play takes a lot of concentration!) One of the onlookers said, "You have to push the button" and started to push the start-new-game button. That would have ended the game I was currently playing, wasting an excellent first ball and one of the credits I'd earned. I slapped his hand away, glared harshly at him and very sternly told him, "Do not touch the machine when someone else is playing it! You do not need to tell me how to play pinball! I've been playing pinball since before you were born; maybe before your parents were born!" He slunk away, looking very affronted.

Maybe I overreacted, but darn it, you do not touch a pinball machine that someone else is playing. You stay out of the player's line of sight, and you give him or her enough room to work the machine. But pinball machines are so rare, and youngsters only play video games, where putting "English" on the machine isn't generally possible, and so I guess they don't learn.

I bought a total of five credits on that machine ($2). I walked away about two hours later, having played a whole lot more than five games, although I lost track of how many overall I won. However, I'm not likely to go back there to play that same machine, because the machine is in poor condition and it's rather remarkable I was able to win as many games as I did with so many broken targets.

Comments

[solarbird]

I'm on your side here, I gotta say. NO TOUCHIE!

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

Wow. I'm also entirely in agreement here, even though I haven't played pinball since possibly before that kid's parents were born.

[purpleranger.livejournal.com]

At least he got the message.

[history-monk.livejournal.com]

The kid doesn't realise pinball is a game of skill. I'm with you, though I haven't had a good pinball fuge for a decade or so.

[retro-rider55.livejournal.com]

He probably ran off to plop a large pizza on the snooker table in the middle of a game....

[redneckotaku.livejournal.com]

I enjoy playing Pinball, but I am not anywhere as good as you are. I can understand the viewpoint of letting people play the game and waiting your turn. It's why at MAGFest (the only chance I get to play Pinball) I am willing to play at like 8 AM in the morning when the Arcade Hall is empty.

[petrea-mitchell.livejournal.com]

You like pinball? Try to arrange for your next trip to Portland to overlap with this (http://www.retrogamingexpo.com/). The arcade includes 30-40 pinball machines, all free to play (well, once you pay the admission fee).

[kevin-standlee.livejournal.com]

Ah, alas, I never seem to be in the right place and time. I've never been to California Extreme or the Pacific Pinball Muesum either.

[twilight2000.livejournal.com]

Good Grief - you don't touch someone's VIDEO game when it's in play either - and you NEVER hit someone ELSE'S "start" button.

He was just clueless and needed to be brought into the real world!

[yourbob.livejournal.com]

Sadly, I get my students trying to do stuff like that to me while I'm teaching!

[corwynofamber.livejournal.com]

I am fortunate to have a good grouping of games just 1.4 miles from my house (as the crow flies). With both beer and Ice Cream available :)
http://fulltilticecream.com/

[lisa-marli.livejournal.com]

I completely agree. Though Moose is the big pinball fanatic. He works at California Extreme to get his game time. He loves pinball and can keep a dollar going for quite some time. We even sometimes have to pull the "Moose we are leaving. At the end of this game, walk away and give the credits to someone else." He has usually gotten more than his money's worth by then. :D